David Westerly, PhD

About David Westerly, PhD:

Dr. Westerly is a board certified medical physicist and Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at CU Anschutz. He joined the faculty at CU in 2009 after completing his PhD in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Since coming to Colorado, his focus has been on providing high quality, clinical medical physics services for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. He also takes an active role in teaching both residents and post-doctoral fellows within the department and contributes broadly to the fields of medical physics and radiation medicine through research and innovation. In 2019, Dr. Westerly and Dr. Quentin Diot, PhD, at CU Anschutz began working with Dr.’s Frédéric Sarazin, PhD, and Jeramy Zimmerman, PhD, at the Colorado School of Mines on their efforts to develop radioactive patches for skin cancer treatment. Working together, the group has developed an innovative treatment device that provides a non-invasive alternative to surgery for non-melanoma skin cancer patients. A Phase 1 clinical trial to study the device is currently being planned at CU Anschutz and the University of Colorado Cancer Center. This work has been supported by multiple grants, including SPARK awards in 2022 and 2024, and has led to several patent applications being filed. In 2023, the group founded OncoPatch, Inc. to commercialize the technology. Dr. Westerly is leading this effort as co-founder and CEO of OncoPatch. 

About OncoPatch:

At OncoPatch, our mission is to provide an effective, non-invasive treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer using low-energy beta therapy. OncoPatch treatment offers an innovative solution that is more convenient for patients and may result in better cosmetic outcomes. Effective therapy can be delivered in a dermatologist’s office in as little as one treatment visit.

Our team of physicists, medical physicists, and material scientists are dedicated to improving the lives of skin cancer patients through innovation and discovery. We are actively working with various business partners to develop this treatment technology and make it available to patients suffering from non-melanoma skin cancer as soon as possible.