Message from the Chancellor
A Transformational Investment in Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Care, 9-22-2026
Dear faculty, staff and students,
Inspired by the life-changing work of Andrew Callen, MD, his neurosurgical partner Peter Lennarson, MD, and the CSF Leak Program team, the donor made this gift to accelerate and expand our thriving program and extend its impact. With the flexibility to invest where opportunities are greatest, these resources give our faculty the freedom to speed promising research and further grow our expertise. Most importantly, this gift will enable us to reduce geographic and financial barriers to specialty care, reaching more patients with expert evaluation, timely diagnoses and patient-centered treatment.
For patients with a CSF leak, the journey to diagnosis and treatment is often measured not in days or weeks, but in years. Debilitating headaches, severe neurological symptoms and repeated misdiagnoses can become part of daily life. Because these leaks are difficult to detect, many patients spend years searching for answers before arriving at CU Anschutz. Here, under the leadership of Dr. Callen, they find one of the country's leading multidisciplinary teams using advanced technology to diagnose and treat these complex conditions.
CU Anschutz is uniquely positioned to lead the next chapter in CSF leak care and to redefine possibilities in the field. With our deep expertise in neuroradiology, a growing national referral network and close collaboration across specialties, this investment gives us the opportunity to further solidify our campus as the definitive national leader in this highly specialized area of care. Most importantly, it enables our program to scale up to bring healing and hope to more people living with these conditions. At the same time, the investment will create opportunities for advances in radiology, neuroimaging and collaborative research, broadening its impact well beyond the CSF Leak Program.
This tremendous gift is a testament to the caliber of our people and our programs. It also recognizes the visionary leadership of Dr. Callen and the faculty, clinicians, researchers and staff who have built one of the country’s premier CSF leak programs. We are deeply grateful to our donor for believing in this work and investing in a future where more patients can receive the expert care they deserve.
We also extend our sincere thanks to Tom Gronow, EdD, MHA, president and CEO of UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital; Sarah Kabat, vice president of patient coordinated services and advancement at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and assistant dean for strategic advancement at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine; Naresh Mandava, MD, professor and chair of the department of ophthalmology and senior associate dean for strategic advancement at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine; and Scott Arthur, vice chancellor for advancement at CU Anschutz. Their partnership was instrumental in making this meaningful gift possible.
Please join us in celebrating this remarkable milestone, the outstanding team behind it and the countless lives this work will touch for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Don Elliman
Chancellor
Richard D. Krugman Endowed Chair
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
Dean, CU Anschutz School of Medicine