Former St. Jude patient Evan Ortlieb, now a dean at South Dakota State University, shares his story of resilience as part of National Cancer Survivor Month in June.
For Evan Ortlieb, PhD, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at South Dakota State University, life has come full circle. Once a teenage patient undergoing treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ortlieb now dedicates his career to empowering the next generation of researchers and educators, some of whom he connects to St. Jude through unique internship opportunities. His story is one of resilience, service and a commitment to paying forward the life-saving care he once received.
A journey of survival and service
Evan Ortlieb is now dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at South Dakota State University.
As a high school junior, Ortlieb had his sights set on a professional golfing career. But life took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His initial diagnosis came at a local clinic, but a chance visit to a St. Jude affiliate clinic changed everything. Within days, he was sent to Memphis, where he began treatment under the care of world-renowned oncologists like Ching-Hon Pui, MD, and John Sandlund, MD.
“When you start experiencing the worst, you are comforted knowing you have a team there,” Ortlieb recalled. “At St. Jude, the best pediatric oncologist in the world can also be your physician on Mondays. You don’t find that anywhere else.”
The treatment was grueling—chemotherapy left him vomiting up to eight times a day—but the St. Jude team became a second family, providing not only medical care but emotional support. He also found support in his local community that helped shift his perspective. When a local parish priest told him that giving up would stymy his ability to impact other people, it was a turning point that shaped his philosophy of service and leadership. “That was the first time I realized that life was about putting others first,” Ortlieb shared.
A life of impact
After surviving cancer, Ortlieb defied expectations. Psychological evaluations suggested he wasn’t “college material,” but his parents encouraged him to overlook those results. He went on to earn undergraduate and master’s degrees in elementary education, later completing a doctorate in literacy education. Along the way, he developed a passion for service, founding an organization that provides college scholarships to cancer survivors and dedicating his career to creating opportunities for underserved students.
Today, as dean at South Dakota State, Ortlieb leads with a philosophy of flat hierarchy and people-first leadership. “I don’t care about titles. I care about people,” he said. This approach extends to his commitment to providing students with unique learning opportunities, such as internships at St. Jude.
Building bridges to St. Jude
Ortlieb’s connection to St. Jude remains as strong as ever. He participates in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (St. Jude LIFE), a long-term research initiative that studies the effects of cancer treatment on survivors. Every five years, he returns to Memphis to contribute to studies that help improve outcomes for future patients. “The results inform me and feed my curiosity,” he said. “It’s my way of continuing to support the process.”
Two of Evan’s students at South Dakota State, Ashtyn Abraham and Garrett Kerkvliet, completed internships this spring in the St. Jude Human Performance Lab.
His contributions don’t stop there. Through his leadership at South Dakota State, he has created a pipeline for students to intern at St. Jude. This past spring, two of his students, Ashtyn Abraham and Garrett Kerkvliet, completed internships in the St. Jude Human Performance Lab. The experience left a lasting impression on both the interns and their mentors.
From left:Garrett Kerkvliet, Evan Ortlieb and Ashtyn Abraham.
“It’s been great to have Ashtyn and Garrett,” said Nicole Svendsen, of St. Jude Epidemiology and Cancer Control, who supervised the interns. “They were able to integrate within the lab very quickly, and their patient interactions have been incredible from the start. You can tell they come from a strong program.”
For Ortlieb, the opportunity to send students to St. Jude is deeply personal. “The unique privileges that St. Jude has blessed me with are invaluable,” he said. “The way the team rallies to help one kid is how I try to approach life. I want to figure out what the solution is.”
Inspiring the next generation
The students’ internships were nothing short of transformative. “It was an amazing 10 weeks to be a part of something much bigger than any one of us,” said Kerkvliet. “To see how strong, resilient, and inspiring the patients are—that was my favorite part.”
For Abraham, the experience reinforced her career aspirations. “You’re not going to find this kind of environment anywhere else in the world,” she says.
Ortlieb hopes that these internships will not only inspire his students but also contribute to the broader mission of St. Jude. “How do we do more to give kids a shot?” he said. “Kids who were doubted or who maybe did poorly on a test, that doesn’t define who they are. We are the ones who ultimately limit what we can do.”
