Dr. Elizabeth Swisher receives the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair

Elizabeth Swisher, MD, who leads gynecologic oncology at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, was recently named the inaugural recipient of the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair. 

The endowed chair was established by Doris Torkelson, who was successfully treated for ovarian cancer at Fred Hutch, and recognizes Swisher’s 25 years of studying genetic risk factors of gynecologic cancers.

“This is a great honor,” said Swisher, a gynecologic surgeon at UW Medicine and the deputy director of the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium. “It’s also a great responsibility to utilize these funds in a meaningful way that honors both the donor and the people who have lost their lives to gynecologic cancers.” 

An investment in the future of gynecologic research

Swisher was an early leader of the Fred Hutch Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention (BOCP) Clinic, and her research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of risk factors associated with gynecologic cancers. Along with breast geneticist Mary-Claire King, MD, and Director of BOCP Clinic Barbara Norquist, MD, she identified the connection between hereditary ovarian cancer and mutations in genes beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2, a discovery that led to the development of lifesaving screening for people at high-risk.

“Liz is a fitting recipient of our first endowed chair in gynecologic oncology. Her research on the link between genetics and cancer risk is equipping physicians and the public to take charge of their health and future,” said Fred Hutch President and Director Thomas J. Lynch Jr., MD, who holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair. “And Doris’ generosity is especially timely, as gynecologic cancer rates are increasing among patients under 50.”

This is one of Fred Hutch’s 50 endowed chairs, which allow donors to partner with scientists and clinicians and provide sustained, flexible support for forward-looking research. Endowments are a cornerstone of the Campaign for Fred Hutch, which is bringing together our community to redefine treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease.

The flexibility provided by the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair is particularly useful now, as Swisher navigates the ongoing uncertainty in federal funding for scientific research. 

“We have a well-functioning research team with varying skill sets, and they all contribute in really important ways,” Swisher said. “My priority right now is making sure they have the resources they need in this changing environment for support.”

Honoring a family history of generosity

Torkelson credits Fred Hutch and her medical oncologist, Norquist, with saving her life. So when she turned 70 and a half years old and needed to start making withdrawals from her IRA, she knew just what to do with the money: Rather than spend it herself, she decided to support Fred Hutch. And thanks to the Anniversary Challenge, Torkelson received a dollar-for-dollar match to maximize the impact of her giving. 

“How could I not be eternally appreciative of the care, the bedside manner, the skill of my doctors — especially because I’m still here,” Torkelson said. “I want everyone who’s in the same situation to receive the same kind of care.”

Torkelson worked for decades in academia, first as a graduate assistant at Purdue University and later at Cornell University and finally at Washington State University. During her time with the Cooperative Extension Service, she provided informal adult education on topics like consumer economics and family living. And along with the personal fulfillment she gained from those experiences came a deep respect for research — and a profound understanding of how challenging it can be to get it funded. 

“There are lots of ways you can give your money,” she said. “I believe supporting research is one way you can keep on giving, especially if it’s through an endowment.”

Torkelson’s heartfelt generosity was ingrained in her early by her parents. Both grew up during the Depression, and both worked at Boeing for hourly wages from World War II to the mid-1980s. They built their own house, paid for everything in cash, and took every opportunity to help others. “My mother would look after older women in the neighborhood, weeding their garden and getting their groceries,” Torkelson said. “This endowed chair is a testament to their lifetime of giving.”  

“We are tremendously grateful that Doris chose to honor her physicians by establishing the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair,” said Lynch. “Endowments are critical to ensuring our long-term financial security, and they are especially important now, as the Campaign for Fred Hutch brings together our community to radically increase the pace and scale of innovation.”

Torkelson recognized that in the constantly evolving environment for cancer research, one of the greatest strengths of an endowment is the flexibility that it offers. And Swisher plans to take full advantage of that freedom to explore options for developing and offering treatments tailored to the patient. 

“Within gynecologic cancer, there are rare cancer subtypes that have not been included in clinical trials because they’re too uncommon,” Swisher said. But now, as precision oncology shifts the treatment paradigm to approaching every patient’s cancer as unique, she’s hopeful that more patients will benefit from advances in therapy. “Every cancer will be treated as a rare cancer, and no one will be left behind.”

Torkelson trusts Swisher to follow the science and continue making breakthroughs for tomorrow’s patients. For her, this gift was about showing gratitude and helping others make good things possible — just like her parents did.

“They were very special people,” Torkelson said. “I’m so thrilled that I could do something that honors them and the kindness and generosity that they shared with the world.”