Key takeaways
- The commitment from the Cutlers enables UCLA to establish the Neal and Beth Cutler Chair in Image-Guided Interventional Oncology.
- David S. Lu, MD, a professor of radiology, chief of Cross-Sectional Interventional Radiology and director of UCLA’s CT, high-intensity focused ultrasound and liver tumor ablation programs, has been named the inaugural holder of the chair, effective July 1, 2026.
- The gift also supports the Neal and Beth Cutler Image-Guided Interventional Oncology Research Fund and the Samantha, Neal and Beth Cutler Fund for Innovative Cancer Cures.
- Dedicated advocates for children’s health at UCLA and UCLA Health, the Cutlers were inspired to donate to interventional radiation oncology research by the courage of their daughter Samantha, a cosmetics entrepreneur who passed away from cancer in 2025.
Beth and Neal Cutler, MD, longtime donors to children’s health at UCLA, have made a significant commitment to UCLA Health to endow a chair in interventional and intratumoral oncology and provide support for translational cancer research.
Awarded to David S. Lu, MD, effective July 1, 2026, the Neal and Beth Cutler Chair in Image-Guided Interventional Oncology will ensure that UCLA Health continues to be a leader and pioneer in this field. The chair supports a faculty member working to advance intratumoral treatment of cancers, including energy and therapeutic delivery. Image guidance in radiology has become the gold standard for the precise delivery of new treatments for a variety of cancers.
The chair endowment is accompanied by the Neal and Beth Cutler Image-Guided Interventional Oncology Research Fund, which supports research and clinical studies that advance and expand the application and availability of image-guided intratumoral interventional oncology, therapeutic delivery and tumor ablation.
The Cutlers’ pledge also includes the Samantha, Neal and Beth Cutler Fund for Innovative Cancer Cures. This fund will support competitive awards intended to accelerate novel treatments for glioblastoma, breast, pancreatic, prostate and other cancers.
As a professor of radiology, chief of Cross-Sectional Interventional Radiology and director of UCLA’s CT, high-intensity focused ultrasound liver tumor ablation programs, Dr. Lu brings a unique blend of medical training and interests focused on interventional radiology, tailoring the most minimally invasive therapies possible to treat each patient’s cancer.
His current research includes image-guided immunotherapy to treat early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biomarker analysis to predict responses to locoregional therapy (therapy that is confined to a limited area of the body; non-systemic), and separate responders from non-responders. The UCLA team is using cross-sectional imaging, blood samples and needle-biopsies to predict who will respond well to locoregional therapies.
Beth and Dr. Neal Cutler have served on the UCLA Health System and UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital boards for more than a decade. Tireless advocates for children’s health and UCLA Health, they have helped fund the Party on the Pier, the signature fundraising event benefiting children’s health at UCLA.
“We were motivated to support this work in interventional oncology research because of our personal experience. We lost our daughter Sam to breast cancer last year. We hope our gifts will inspire new treatment modalities and discoveries for patients and families everywhere,” Dr. Neal Cutler said.
Samantha Blair Cutler was an accomplished entrepreneur who passed away in 2025 at age 42. She founded Petite ‘N Pretty, a beauty line for tweens and teens, in 2018 after a career at cosmetics manufacturers MAC, Smashbox and Stila. A loving daughter, sister, wife and mother, Sam is survived by her parents, brother Alex, and children Gia and Shia.
“The Cutlers’ commitment is an especially meaningful tribute to their daughter Sam. Their generosity will help facilitate breakthroughs in translational oncology,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System.
Dr. Neal Cutler, a St. Louis native, earned his MD at St. Louis University before completing a residency at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He served at the National Institutes of Health for nine years and was appointed section chief and deputy clinical director of the National Institute on Aging. A neuroscientist, neurologist and psychiatrist by training, Dr. Cutler served as a clinical professor of medicine and geriatrics at UCLA. He has founded multiple companies in the pharma and clinical trial space and is the founder and current CEO of Concierge Clinical Trials.
Beth Cutler, who was born and raised in Southern California, is a philanthropist and volunteer. She has served on the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital board of advisers since 2001.
“Neal and I arrived at UCLA around the same time, and I am fortunate to call the Cutlers friends,” said John Mazziotta, MD, PhD, CEO of UCLA Health and vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. “I am deeply saddened by their loss and truly moved by their efforts to drive new discoveries in cancer treatment.”
