On November 6, 2025, The Cary Council welcomed supporters, researchers, and community leaders for An Evening with DocStars, celebrating the power of early-stage research at UT Southwestern and the potential for life-changing breakthroughs. The event capped off a milestone year for The Cary Council, as it celebrated 10 years of impact, bringing together the people and ideas that move medicine forward and showcasing promising researchers, sparking connections, and inviting the community to invest in discoveries on the horizon.

Community Leadership in Action

This year’s celebration was chaired by Brittany and Travis Mathews, whose leadership helped create a warm and purposeful evening focused on discovery and impact, earning them recognition from Modern Luxury’s Philanthropy Awards.

The program was hosted at the T. Boone Picken Biomedical Building on the campus of UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Meet the 2025 DocStars

Each year, The Cary Council awards $50,000 Early-Stage Research Grants to rising investigators at UT Southwestern, philanthropic seed funding that helps launch bold ideas. To date, 24 grants have helped unlock over $30 million in follow-on support, amplifying the community’s investment many times over.

This year’s DocStars are:

  • Timothy J. Brown, M.D., M.S.C.E. — Advancing care for upper gastrointestinal cancers by evaluating an adaptive radiation approach (PULSAR) alongside chemotherapy and surgery to improve outcomes for esophageal cancer patients.
  • R. Nicholas Burns, M.D. — Modernizing medical education with data-driven tools that measure surgical competency and create targeted training pathways for future physicians.
  • Jeff Schaffert, Ph.D. — Detecting early signs of neurodegeneration by studying former collegiate athletes with repetitive head impacts, integrating blood biomarkers, advanced neuroimaging, and cognitive assessments.

Learn more about their work and see the full list of all our DocStars here.

Photo Gallery: An Evening with DocStars 2025

A Night of Inspiration and Impact

An Evening with DocStars is more than a celebration; it’s the engine that fuels future grants and helps support the potential for breakthroughs at UT Southwestern. By connecting philanthropy with pioneering science, the funds raised through this event will directly support future Early-Stage Research Grants, offering significant potential to advance patient care, research, and education across North Texas and beyond.

Thank You

We extend our sincere thanks to our sponsors, Event Chairs Brittany and Travis Mathews, and to the entire 2025 Host Committee for their dedication and hospitality. To every guest who attended, thank you for championing early-stage research this year. Your commitment keeps the pipeline of innovation moving.

DocStars 2025 Sponsors & Host Committee