News release from UW Health, September 25, 2006:
If Kelly Cotter and Lance Armstrong were to form a partnership, cancer would have nowhere to hide.
Kelly Cotter, a Madison native and survivor of childhood leukemia, was recently named a new member of the National Cancer Institute Director’s Consumer Liaison Group. However, Cotter’s new position will simply be another line on a long and triumphant list of accomplishments in cancer advocacy. Her activism began after her bone marrow transplant in the seventh grade at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Since the seventh grade and her graduation from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2002, Kelly has devoted virtually every free moment towards the benefit of children diagnosed with cancer," says Paul Sondel, M.D., Ph.D., who heads the childhood cancer program at University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital. "She is truly an inspiration to work with as her quiet and humble nature is superseded by her imagination, altruism and energy."
Cotter will be one of four new members to join the National Cancer Institute’s only all-consumer advisory committee. She will serve a four-year term under NCI Director John Niederhuber, M.D., a former director of the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center. As one of 16 consumer advocates on the federal advisory committee, Cotter will advise the director from the viewpoint of the cancer patient.
Since the seventh grade, Cotter has worked tirelessly on behalf of cancer patients. She began by raising funds for the Leukemia Society, American Cancer Society and the American Red Cross, and has been a national spokesperson for these organizations. In between summers working as a counselor at a camp for children with cancer, Cotter coordinated hospital visits for children undergoing cancer treatment and helped provide computer resources for them.
In 1993 and 1998, Cotter was co-chairman of the "Kids with Courage" reunion, which celebrated progress in the treatment of childhood cancer. The weekend celebration attracted approximately 800 children and their family members to the University of Wisconsin. Also in 1998, Kids with Courage, a book co-authored, edited and developed by Cotter, was published. It provides moving and inspirational reflections from children and their parents about their cancer. It is now a national resource for pediatric oncology units.
In addition to developing her book, Cotter created a Web site called "Outlook," which provides factual information, medical details, important links, inspirational stories, interactive chat rooms and advice for children who have undergone cancer treatment. In 2000, the Web site received the national award from the National Cancer Institute for best use of electronic media for patient education.
While in law school, Cotter continued her work at the UW Children’s Hospital. She worked to improve the accessibility and availability of health care through UW Law School’s Center for Patient Partnerships.
"Her long list of honors attests to her tireless commitment to make a difference," said Dr. Sondel. "Her background and interests allow her to be of great help in any projects that involve health care and health policy. I know she will be a terrific asset in her new role."
After completing her law degree in 2002, Cotter served as the director of legislative affairs for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Submitted by on October 16, 2006
This article appears in the categories: Articles
