Inspired by her kidney cancer journey, a tech expert is using her skills to help turn innovative research into effective treatments. Diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer at the end of 2020, software engineer Katie Coleman was inspired to use her expertise in technology and entrepreneurship to help translate groundbreaking research discoveries into practical care solutions via improved connections with patients and colleagues. Now a cancer survivor, Coleman is taking on a major role at Ohio State, where she’s co-leading the new Center for Cancer Innovation (CCI) at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Center for Cancer Innovation: Learn how the CCI serves as an entry point for innovation across the OSUCCC – James. Kidney cancer diagnosis leads to patient advocacy Two months after her marriage, Coleman was busy building her new family life in Salt Lake City when she felt a hardness in her abdomen that eventually led her to an emergency room, where she was soon diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer. “They put an ultrasound on me and found that I had a very large tumor on my right kidney and what would end up being about 15 to 20 tumors in my liver,” Coleman says. Coleman had previously experienced other symptoms, but she went undiagnosed for years despite voicing her concerns to doctors. “The first emotion I had after my diagnosis was actually relief, which I was not expecting at all,” she says. “It was because, for the first time, I had somebody sitting across from me who believed me.” Like most people who are unfamiliar with cancer before their diagnoses, Coleman began researching her condition, and soon discovered online communities of patients and survivors sharing their stories to help others. Eventually, she connected with a man in the UK who provided new information about advances in treatment. “He was the first person to give me hope, and he connected me with a bunch of advocates that really emphasized the importance of second opinions and helped me find resources to learn about my disease,” Coleman says. “They helped point me in the right direction. Otherwise, I would’ve been very lost.” That assistance was instrumental in empowering Coleman to advocate for herself during her care. After seeking a second opinion, she was prescribed a targeted treatment that reduced the size of her tumors, providing valuable time that allowed her to undergo successful surgery. “I made a promise to myself that if I made it through that surgery, I would dedicate the rest of my life to giving back and helping other patients that came after me, which is what I've done every day since,” Coleman says. That effort actually began before her surgery. Coleman had been diagnosed with metastatic oncocytoma, but after meeting a group of patients with a different type of kidney cancer — chromophobe kidney cancer — the lack of research and dedicated treatments for that condition led her to team up with her new friends to raise funds for a grant. “About a week or two after my surgery, I learned that this chromophobe kidney cancer grant was only $5,000 away from its goal,” she says. “I committed that, in just two months, I would complete a 5K. It was a bit ambitious, but it helped us raise the last $5,000.” That 5K was the start of a new journey for Coleman, who re-dedicated her career to patient advocacy and soon launched a nonprofit. That new path eventually led her to Ohio State. Kidney cancer: Learn all about highly targeted prevention, care and treatment at The Ohio State University. Translating cancer research into patient care As Coleman became more entrenched in the advocacy community, she met several oncology leaders, including W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, a kidney cancer specialist and former director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) who is now the CEO and director of the OSUCCC – James. Soon after Rathmell’s arrival at Ohio State, she turned to Coleman to help lead efforts to bridge gaps between scientific discovery and real-world application. “I was very excited to come here,” says Coleman, now the OSUCCC – James Senior Advisor for Translation Innovation, where she’ll work with her CCI team to help Ohio State scientists turn proven research into meaningful improvements in cancer care through new grant ideas, fundraising approaches, digital tools and more. “There’s all this incredible work being done here to prove these new ideas and concepts,” Coleman says. “How do we make sure the adoption of these ideas happens — that the research done in labs makes it to patients?” Coleman hit the ground running at Ohio State, quickly meeting with more than 100 OSUCCC – James researchers and physicians to learn about the work they’ve completed and the ideas they’re excited about pursuing. “It's been very rewarding for me to really talk to people about their areas of expertise and to hear their passion,” she says. “Almost everybody has an idea to bring to life, and so I think the next step is to figure out how we can make more of those happen.” A key part of Coleman’s work will be to help oncologists utilize the expansive resources available at Ohio State, one of the nation’s largest research institutions. “There are so many different areas at Ohio State that it can be difficult for someone who’s an expert in one particular area to know the full resources of what's available to them,” she says. “How do you create business and marketing plans? How do you facilitate the adoption? All the layers that go past the development of research is where things can fall through the cracks.” Coleman came to the OSUCCC – James with one overarching goal: to fill those cracks. “That’s what I thrive on and why I wanted to be here,” she says. “The people here are at the core of what will change cancer treatment. They’re already doing such an incredible job and I’m here to help accelerate that and tap into areas they might not have had access to.” As a passionate patient advocate, Ohio State is a natural fit for Coleman, who joins an OSUCCC – James team driven by dedication to patients at every stage of research and throughout the continuum of cancer care. “Everything comes back to the patient here, and being a patient and advocate myself, I've seen the difference that makes,” she says. “Not just in somebody’s mentality as they face their diagnosis, but in the actual care they receive and in their outcomes. “So, I knew there was no place I’d rather be than working alongside these folks.” Cancer research at the OSUCCC – James: Ohio State has been designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for 50 years and contains five highly collaborative research programs.