Local Couple’s $2 Million Gift to Allegheny Health Network Advances Fight Against Ovarian Cancer

Julie and Michael McMullen Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology Honors AHN Oncologist,Thomas C. Krivak, MD, for Exceptional Treatment of Women’s Cancers

PITTSBURGH, Pa.  - A Sewickley Heights couple’s $2 million donation to Allegheny Health Network’s Cancer Institute and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will be used to help fight the war against women’s cancers through research, education and outreach.

The Julie and Michael McMullen Endowed Chair in Gynecologic Oncology was created in recognition of and in gratitude to AHN gynecologic oncologist Thomas C. Krivak, MD, for the care he and his team provided to Julie, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was just 27 years old. At the time, she was also soon to be married, and hoped to start a family with her new husband. Dr. Krivak was able to treat Julie’s cancer while preserving her fertility, and she has now been cancer-free for 11 years, and has given birth to two children during that time.

“My husband and I are so grateful for the compassionate and personalized care I received from Dr. Krivak, and for the life we now enjoy with our family,” Julie said. “We know that not all women are so fortunate. With this donation, we hope to move closer to the day when all women who receive the devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer can be cured.”

While ovarian cancer is relatively rare, with about 22,000 new cases diagnosed each year, it accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system, according to the American Cancer Society. Its symptoms are subtle and thus the disease is typically not diagnosed until its late stages, when it is less curable.

“On behalf of Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health, I cannot express strongly enough how humbled and grateful we are to the McMullens for their support of our patients, and all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, through their incredible gift to our organization,” said Cynthia Hundorfean, AHN President and CEO.  “Julie’s story is an inspiration to all of those who have survived cancer or currently fighting the disease.”   

While new targeted therapies and immunotherapies are extending the lives of women with ovarian cancer, researchers are continuing to unravel its genetic component, and to design new methods for accurate, early detection.

“All of us associated with AHN Women are extremely thankful for the McMullens’ generous donation,” said Allan Klapper, MD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at AHN. “Dr. Krivak’s outstanding care for Mrs. McMullen exemplifies our holistic approach to caring for women, addressing their individual physical and emotional needs, while providing them with access to leading edge care and resources to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

“While we have made much progress in the fight against ovarian cancer, much more remains to be done,” said David Parda, MD, Chair, AHN Cancer Institute. “The McMullens’ donation helps move us closer to the day when we have more accurate methods of early detection, better treatments, and more women who get a chance to hear the words ‘cancer-free.’”

The funds will be administered by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in cooperation with the AHN Cancer Institute and the AHN Office of Development, and are intended for programmatic, educational, research and capital needs.

AHN Cancer Institute provides patient-centered care at seven hospitals and more than 50 Cancer Institute clinics serving patients in western Pennsylvania, Erie, West Virginia, and Ohio. Its formal affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins gives patients access to additional cutting-edge clinical trials and second opinions. Current clinical trials available at AHN are exploring the role of diet and exercise in preventing cancer recurrences, and how new immunotherapies can best be combined with traditional chemotherapy to extend patients’ lives.

AHN Women offers care at more than 50 clinical sites located throughout western Pennsylvania, making it easy to get high-level individualized care close to home. AHN is western Pennsylvania’s highest-rated health system for medical excellence in women’s health care, according to the 2017 CareChex® quality rating system.