Meet BC’s first Miller-Mindell Scientists in Gynecologic Cancer

What if gynecologic cancers could be cut in half in the next decade?

That’s the goal driving Drs. Andrea Neilson and Dawn Cochrane, the first-ever Miller-Mindell Scientists in Gynecologic Cancer. This new donor-funded position was established to retain and support early-career scientists, keeping the brightest minds right here in BC.

As part of the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative (GCI)’s bold mission, Drs. Neilson and Cochrane are leading groundbreaking research that aims to reduce incidence, death, and suffering from gynecologic cancers by 50% by 2034.

The new position is possible thanks to David and Darrell Mindell’s $1M gift to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation — inspired by the exceptional care Darrell’s late sister received from Dr. Dianne Miller at VGH.

Their gift honours her legacy and helps GCI redefine the standard of care for patients everywhere.

Donor support accelerating breakthroughs and saving lives

For Drs. Neilson and Cochrane, the new position means more time spent pursuing breakthroughs that could improve outcomes for patients and families facing gynecologic cancer. This is nothing new for Drs. Neilson and Cochrane, who previously benefited from donor support as Miller-Mindell Gynecologic Oncology Research Fellows, receiving specialized training and mentorship from the GCI team.

Now, their work continues as early-career scientists.

“Donor funding has supported my research career because as a busy clinician, it is not possible to spend as much time as you’d like on research grants and funding,” says Dr. Neilson. “This allows me to spend this important time on gynecologic cancer research.”

“The support that we receive and the group that we work with is unbelievable,” says Dr. Cochrane.

“What excites me about this new position is being able to perform research in a world-class facility with leading researchers,” she continues. “I’m so thankful for all donors who have contributed funds towards research.”

The opportunities available to Drs. Neilson and Cochrane today are built on decades of groundbreaking work by one of BC’s leading gynecologic cancer researchers: Dr. Dianne Miller.

Miller-Mindell Scientists will build on Dr. Miller’s legacy

Dr. Miller developed and named opportunistic salpingectomy (OS), a BC-made surgical innovation that’s rewriting ovarian cancer prevention worldwide.

Pioneered at VGH, the procedure proactively removes the fallopian tubes during routine gynecological surgeries such as hysterectomies or tubal ligations. Dr. Miller’s work helped reveal that many ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tubes, creating an opportunity to prevent the disease before it begins.

Earlier this year, donor-funded research showed that people who underwent OS were 78 per cent less likely to develop serous ovarian cancer. When cancer did occur after the procedure, it was found to be less biologically aggressive.

These findings highlight the lasting impact of Dr. Miller’s work. As Miller-Mindell Scientists in Gynecologic Cancer, Drs. Neilson and Cochrane will carry that legacy forward, accelerating breakthroughs in gynecologic cancer prevention, detection and treatment.