Theresa Mays Pharm.D., BCOP

Dr. Theresa Mays Hutchings, age 53, passed away on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas. She is survived by her loving husband, Ben Hutchings of 19 years and her parents, Roger and Jane Mays of Hollywood Park.

Theresa was born on March 8, 1969, in Ontario, Oregon and grew up in her hometown of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. She was a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma receiving her undergraduate degree in 1992 and her Pharm D degree from OU’s College of Pharmacy in 1994.

There are many superlatives that can be used to describe Theresa. She was amazingly smart, ferociously driven, and detail-oriented. She was single mindedly focused to accelerate the development of new agents for the treatment of cancer patients and did so by bringing precision to medicine and drug development. Theresa was a mentor who trained numerous pharmacists over 2 organizations and across three continents, as well as many students who attended the University of Texas and Incarnate Word’s College of Pharmacy. Theresa and her father made wonderfully delicious baked goods every Christmas which she generously shared with friends, family, and co-workers. She also enjoyed felines of all kinds. These included her cats at home as well as many in rescue centers. If you knew Theresa, then you knew she considered them her babies and she generously supported many organizations that assisted with the rescue and health of cats, large and small.

Theresa’s professional life began as a Professor at the University of Utah, College of Pharmacy. She became board certified in Oncology Pharmacy in 1998. She later served on the BCOP Board of Directors of this prestigious pharmaceutical organization. In 2000, she moved to San Antonio where she joined the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center as its Director for Investigational Drug Services. Her entrance was considered by many to be a breath of fresh air. She changed the way investigational pharmacy operated and was careful to ensure the safety of patients and her staff. She helped many sponsors work out complex pharmacy issues. Because of Theresa’s vast knowledge and aptitude, biotech companies consulted with her about questions in formulation, compatibility troubles, and the practical aspects of administering medications.

In 2007, she was one of the founders of START after leaving the IDD CTRC UTHSCSA which allowed her and her team to modify and improve cancer clinical trials. She was instrumental in helping to build programs first in San Antonio Texas, then Madrid Spain, Shanghai China, Taipei in Taiwan, and Grand Rapids Michigan. An amusing fact about Theresa was that she was not fond of some international foods and nearly starved on some of her trips to Shanghai and Taipei when curious delicacies of Asia were served. Somehow, she always seemed to find a source of American food even in the most foreign of cities.

Theresa’s next adventure after leaving START was to become one of the co-founders of NEXT, and she was instrumental in helping to gain the bank financial line of credit for that start up. When her and her team chose to create a new culture for NEXT, “Respect” was chosen as the #1 principal. Respect for our fellow employees and partners, and respect for ourselves.

Theresa was an avid alum of the Oklahoma University and a fan of the Sooners. She had friendly rivalries with family, friends and co-workers. She would often attend games with family and co-workers with a special rivalry for the OU games. Trips made to OU/UT games with Aracely were very memorable. Her philosophy was always that friendships outlast rivalry and competition.

If one’s life is measured by accomplishments, then there are few in this world who measure as highly as Theresa. She was the first pharmacist in the world to prepare and mix pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a drug that is the most successful oncology drug in the history of cancer medicine. In addition, she was involved in the first studies of many other drugs approved by the FDA that have benefited countless numbers of patients worldwide and changed the lives of so many people with cancer.

Theresa faced her illness with grace and dignity. Because of her work, she knew the nature of this evil disease and fought as hard as she could. She passed in the early hours of Tuesday morning with Leslie, her colleague and best friend of 20 years, at her bedside, holding her hand.

For those of us who knew her over her life, this has been and will continue to be a difficult time. We mourn not only a wife, a family member, a colleague, a business partner but most of all a friend.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at Porter Loring Mortuary North.

FUNERAL SERVICESUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 20237:00 PMPORTER LORING MORTUARY NORTH2102 N LOOP 1604 E

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Theresa Mays Endowed Merit Award.