Kristen Kimball

Kristen recently retired from the University of Connecticut, where she was on the Physiology and Neurobiology Department faculty for almost 40 years. She received her undergraduate and Master of Science degrees from the University of Connecticut and her Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University.

Kristen’s husband Dave was diagnosed with stage 4 EGFR + lung cancer on May 8, 2012. The news was a shock for everyone, as Dave was 59 and otherwise the picture of health. In true “circle of life moments”, Dave’s nurse on diagnosis day as well as both his infusion nurses years later were Kristen’s former students.

 Dave’s lung cancer path benefitted from multiple clinical trials. Thanks to Dr. Lecia Sequist and her Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) team, and Dave was able to enjoy seven wonderful years with his children and grandchildren, staying busy as ever building furniture, restoring his 1960 Triumph, traveling, and advocating for lung cancer research, including via an interview on NPR.

Kristen continues Dave’s lung cancer work today, volunteering for several projects through the Lungevity Foundation, MGH, and the Go2 Foundation in addition to participating on The White Ribbon Project’s board. She is especially concerned that newly diagnosed patients receive appropriate education regarding treatment options in a timely manner. Kristen’s background in physiology informs her interest in research in early detection of cancer, and she looks forward to the day that lung cancer screening is as routine as mammograms and colonoscopies. Finally, Kristen is interested in helping to find more ways for fellow members of the lung cancer community, caregivers as well as survivors, to reach out and support each other.