About Us

Tara Gregory, MD, is a Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Plasma Cell Disease Group. Dr. Gregory joined CBCI in 2009 and is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology.  Dr. Gregory earned her Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in Hispanic Linguistics and her honors thesis focused on the critical age of learning and brain plasticity. She is fluent in Spanish. She also received her Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology summa cum laude and wrote her honors thesis on the expression of iNOS in mouse cardiac transplant grafts.

Dr. Gregory was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her father was a physician, giving her an early exposure to a career in healthcare. She graduated from the University of Arizona School of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona and did a residency in internal medicine at the Banner Good Samaritan/Carl T. Hayden VAMC program. Dr. Gregory then moved to Denver, Colorado to complete her medical oncology fellowship at the University of Colorado. After finishing fellowship, Dr. Gregory was the first blood and marrow transplant fellow at CBCI and has since joined the program as a BMT physician. She has been recognized by the house staff for excellence and dedication to teaching.

Dr. Gregory is the co-director of the Plasma Cell Dyscrasia Program at CBCI focusing on diseases such as multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, monoclonal gammopathies and plasma cell leukemia. The focus of her research work is in multiple myeloma treatments including chimeric antigen T cell therapy. She is a member of the International Myeloma Society. In addition to her research publications and presentations at national meetings, Dr. Gregory has been accepted to the American Society of Transplant and Cellular Therapies National Leadership Program.

Dr. Gregory is passionate about educating patients to ensure they understand their disease and working in partnership with patients to make treatment decisions that honor quality of life as well as outcomes. Dr. Gregory is a member of several societies, including the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Gregory participates in clinical trials including research in blood and marrow transplant outcomes, the results which have been presented at multiple research meetings. Dr. Gregory lives in Denver with her wonderful family and dogs and enjoys exercising at OrangeTheory Fitness as well as recreating at her Salida home with hiking, skiing and family time.

Michael Tees, MD, is an Associate Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Lymphoid and Autoimmune Disease Groups. Dr. Tees joined CBCI in 2015 and is board certified in Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Internal Medicine.

Dr. Tees was born in upstate New York and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. After high school he attended the University of Florida, receiving an undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Cell Science as well as Business Administration.

Dr. Tees completed medical training at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He simultaneously received a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He did his residency in internal medicine at New York University. During his hematology and medical oncology fellowship at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, he specialized in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy.

Dr. Tees has a strong interest in the treatment and management of lymphocytic diseases. His current research focuses on novel cellular and immune-based therapies in those with lymphomas and other lymphocytic disorders. He currently is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. In addition, he is a member of the Sarah Cannon Lymphoma Working Group.

In his spare time, Dr. Tees advocates for patients by serving on the board of directors for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He enjoys skiing and hiking, and he never misses an opportunity to be outdoors. When traveling, he loves to SCUBA dive and visit exciting new places off the beaten path.

Marcello Rotta, MD is an Associate Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute. He Joined CBCI in 2016. Here he serves as Director of the Leukemia Service, Director of Cell Therapy and Apheresis Service, and Co-Director of the Long Term Follow-Up Service. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. Hematology and Medical Oncology.  

Dr Rotta was born and raised in Torino, Italy, close to the Alps.  His father worked for FIAT car factory as an engineer, and his mother was a philosophy teacher. 

Dr. Rotta trained in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at the University of Torino, where he obtained his MD with summa cum laude in 2002. He has been actively publishing in Clinical Research in this field since 2002 and won several awards and scholarships related to his work.

Dr Rotta has extensive experience in the treatment of Hematological Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplant. He has been involved in several International multi-centric Clinical Trials. In 2006, he joined the Transplant Biology Program at Fred Hutchinson cancer Research Center, University of Washington, in Seattle. There, he worked on Stem Cell Transplantation Models as well in Clinical Research. He received the post-doctoral research fellowship from the American Italian Cancer Foundation and the Medical Research Award from Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation.

He served as a Visiting Physician at the University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Inpatient and Outpatient Transplant Unit. Certified in Medicine and Hematology in Italy, he then completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Yale University and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the James Cancer Center at Ohio State University.

Dr Rotta is an avid hiker and biker and enjoys the Colorado outdoors with his wife and their three children. Dr Rotta has a personal involvement and a life commitment to high quality care for patient with leukemia and others hematological malignancies. 

Scott Bearman, MD, is a Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and works on the inpatient team.  Dr. Bearman joined the Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in 2003. Dr. Bearman is board certified in internal medicine and oncology/hematology. Dr. Bearman earned his undergraduate degree at Tufts University.

Dr. Bearman grew up in Miami, Florida. He graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts and did a residency in internal medicine at The University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. After serving as an associate in clinical research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dr. Bearman became clinical director of the bone marrow transplant program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1991. He also served as the director of the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation at UCHSC. Dr. Bearman was the director of clinical investigations core at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

Dr. Bearman is a member of several societies, including the American Foundation for Medical Research, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Physicians and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Bearman has served on numerous national committees, conducted extensive research and is the author or co-author of more than 100 articles and book chapters in medical literature.

Dr. Bearman and his wife Terri have a son and a daughter, both of whom are grown, and a dog who is older than he is in dog years. Together they enjoy travel and greatly appreciate good food. In his free time Dr. Bearman golfs (he describes his game as ‘embarrassing’) and plays guitar.

Michael Maris, MD, is a Member Physician and Director of Research at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Myeloid and Lymphoid Disease Groups. Dr. Maris has been a member of CBCI since 2003. Dr. Maris specializes in the treatment of patients with blood cancers and holds strong expertise in the use of blood and marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies. Dr. Maris is board certified in medical oncology.

Dr. Maris was born in Eastern Ohio and raised both in Central New Jersey and North of Pittsburgh.  He received his undergraduate degree at West Virginia University. He worked in the laboratory of Dr. Britton Chance at the University of Pennsylvania developing noninvasive near-infrared modalities to assess tissue oxygenation and physiologic and disease states.

Dr. Maris received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Maris completed his oncology and blood and marrow transplantation fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Maris' research focus at that time was expanding the role of allogeneic transplantation to older and infirm patients through the use of nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Dr. Maris has published extensively in this area.

Dr. Maris' current research interests are in further optimizing allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation for patients of all types as well as the development of novel drug and drug regimens for the treatment of the patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Dr. Maris has extensive experience as an investigator in multiple clinical trials and Dr. Maris has expertise in the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

He believes that physicians are educators/guides during the cancer treatment process and patients should be empowered with the knowledge to guide their decisions. Patient understanding of the underlying disease process and therapeutic options is a requirement in the shared clinical decision making between the patient and his/her physician.

Dr. Maris enjoys spending time with his family. In his free time he enjoys hiking, skiing, running, biking, and travel.

Jeffrey Matous, MD, is a Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Plasma Cell Diseases Group. Dr. Matous became a member of CBCI in 2010. He is presently a clinical professor of medicine at the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Matous is also on the board of the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.

Dr. Matous was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada but raised in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Matous received his medical degree with honors from the University of Washington. He completed his internal medicine residency and chief residency at the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center. His fellowship training in hematology and bone marrow transplantation was completed at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He returned to Denver to practice at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in 1994, where he worked until 2010 before moving to CBCI.

Dr. Matous specializes in the treatment of blood cancers such as multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia and amyloidosis as well as in the field of blood & marrow transplantation. Dr. Matous has a particular interest in medical education and supervises both medical students and internal medicine residents who are interested in the field of hematology/oncology. Dr. Matous has been recognized as an outstanding clinical teacher of the medicine house staff. He is the lead investigator in clinical trials in the areas of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia, multiple myeloma, and amyloidosis, and has been recognized by his peers as Top Doctor for the past 16 years. He is passionate about educating patients with these diseases.

Dr. Matous is married with three adult children. Outside of work he enjoys cycling, languages, and our nation’s pastime.

Richard Nash, MD, is a Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Autoimmune and Supportive Care Disease Groups. Dr. Nash joined the Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program in 2011. Dr. Nash is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology.

Dr. Nash is originally from Canada. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Manitoba and completed his clinical training in internal medicine, hematology and oncology at the Manitoba-Affiliated Teaching Hospitals in Winnipeg. He completed a research fellowship in transplantation biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. Before coming to Denver, Colorado he was on faculty for 21 years and became a full member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He was also a professor of medicine at the University of Washington.

As well as specializing in the treatment of hematological malignancies and other non-malignant blood disorders, he is an expert in the field of blood and marrow transplantation with an interest in managing patients with complications of transplantation including GVHD. He also has a national reputation for his work investigating the use of blood and marrow transplantation for treatment of severe autoimmune diseases like systemic sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Nash has served on numerous national committees and conducted extensive research on autoimmune diseases and the complications of blood and marrow transplantation. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 articles and book chapters in the medical literature.

He enjoys working with patients and getting to know them and their families. Patients are faced with many difficult decisions, so Dr. Nash tries to guide them in assessing their treatment options. In his free time, Dr. Nash enjoys riding his bike and is working on riding across the nation, doing a portion of the trip each year. 

Alireza Eghtedar, MD, is an Associate Member Physician at The Colorado Blood Cancer Institute. Dr. Eghtedar joined CBCI in 2015. Dr. Eghtedar is a member of the Myeloid, Lymphoid and Transplant Disease Groups. He is board certified in hematology and oncology.

He was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. After receiving his high school diploma in science with honor in his hometown, he was directly accepted to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences as a medical student. After graduation as a general practitioner he moved to New York where he completed three years of internal medicine residency. Later he spent two years at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as a leukemia fellow and assistant professor in the leukemia department. He completed his training at Wayne State University with a strong focus in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. During his fellowship at Karmanos Cancer Institute transplant program, he investigated different aspects of improving immune suppression to better combat graft-versus-host disease in both acute and chronic settings. In pursuit of his career goal as a transplant physician, he had the opportunity to visit and interview at CBCI in Denver where all his career expectations came true.

Dr. Eghtedar has a primary interest in novel treatments for myeloid malignancies, including but not limited to, acute and chronic leukemias. In addition, he is interested in alternative donor transplants for patients without a fully matched donor. Dr. Eghtedar approaches his practice with a profound sense of compassion and appreciation. As the son of a cancer patient, he can empathize with each person’s struggle as they journey through this transforming life experience. He pledges to provide each individual with personalized care, the most up-to-date comprehensive treatment, all while advocating for their dignity and comfort. Each day, he strives to create a balance between cutting edge advances in science and realistic expectations for his patients, especially those involved with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Eghtedar enjoys his free time mainly outdoors with friends, whether that is a mountain hike or playing soccer or swimming. While at home he spends time cooking, watching movies, and reading novels or articles.

Luke Mountjoy is an Assistant Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Lymphoid Disease Group. Dr. Mountjoy joined CBCI in 2020. He is board certified in internal medicine and board eligible in medical oncology/hematology. Dr. Mountjoy earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Colorado at Denver during which time he worked as an EMT in the Denver area.

Dr. Mountjoy was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. His interest in medicine began as a teenager when his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Shortly after his father’s diagnosis, Dr. Mountjoy was diagnosed with acute leukemia. These life experiences led him to pursue a career in medicine with plans to become a medical oncologist/hematologist. He graduated from Des Moines University and did his residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa where he also served as chief resident. Dr. Mountjoy then moved to Phoenix, Arizona to complete subspecialty training in medical oncology/hematology at the Mayo Clinic.

During training, Dr. Mountjoy spent much of his research time in stem cell transplant and prevention/management of graft-versus-host disease. He also worked closely with the laboratory team to identify novel strategies of testing for drug resistances in patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. Finally, he was part of a large research team that is actively working to identify genetic risk factors/predispositions in patients and families with newly diagnosed cancers.  

Dr. Mountjoy has passion for hematologic malignancies with emphasis on lymphoma, leukemia, and stem cell transplant. He is an active member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Dr. Mountjoy enjoys snowboarding, hiking, tennis, and spending time with his family.  

Henning Schade, MD is a Member Physician at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute and part of the Plasma Cell and Lymphoid Disease Groups. Dr. Schade completed his Bone Marrow Transplant Fellowship Program at CBCI in 2017 and joined immediately afterward. Dr. Schade is board certified in Internal Medicine and Oncology and has focused his training in Bone Marrow Transplantation and Malignant Hematology. 

Dr. Schade was born and raised in Hesse, Germany. He stayed in his hometown near Frankfurt/Main until completion of high school when he decided to join a Catholic church group for a mandatory civilian service. Henning has been dedicated to patient care since he started working with patients and elderly with special needs during this period of civilian service. This inspired him to join nursing school for a 3-year training to become licensed nurse. 

Soon after he finished nursing school in 1998, he signed up for medical school training. He continued to work as a part-time nurse during this time. After finishing med school in 2006 he joined UK-S-H in Kiel, Germany to initiate training as an internal medicine resident and BMT trainee at the bone marrow transplantation center at MSH Kiel. He stayed there until 2010 when he decided to move to the US to continue training as a physician. Dr. Schade then finished a residency in internal medicine in 2014 at MUSC in Charleston South Carolina. He then joined University of Colorado/Anschutz for a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship. After completion in 2016, he joined Colorado Blood Cancer Institute for dedicated BMT fellowship year.

Dr. Schade has published several scientific articles, abstracts and posters at ASCO, ASH and EBMT, including his doctoral thesis about second allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with relapsed hematologic malignancy. During his time as an internal medicine resident at MUSC he worked in Dr. Yubin Kang’s lab on Multiple Myeloma cell lines and became interested in translational research. During his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Colorado he worked in Brent Palmer’s lab and studied PD-1 expression on CD4+ T cells and CMV+ T cells after allogenic stem cell transplantation. The results were published in BBMT in 08/2016. These findings were the fundamental basis for his upcoming research projects.

Dr. Schade’s research interest is primarily in the treatment of plasma cell and lymphoid diseases. He is the primary investigator for several clinical studies that investigate novel treatment options for patients with Multiple Myeloma and Hodgkin lymphoma. He also has a strong research interest in immune reconstitution after autologous and allogenic stem cell transplantation and has published his research in journals such as BBMT. At The Colorado Blood Cancer Institute he developed an investigator initiated a phase 1 protocol for patients with chemotherapy-refractory AML/MDS using GVHD prophylaxis with posttransplant cyclophosphamide followed by PD-1 inhibition with Nivolumab for consolidation. This protocol now offers a potentially curative treatment option for patients that otherwise would not meet criteria to undergo allogenic stem cell transplantation. 

Dr. Schade loves to bake all kinds of goodies including sourdough bread, bagels and New York style pizza. He also loves to go fishing with his kids. He loves the outdoors and can be found in the mountains hiking and skiing with his family. Dr. Schade is an enthusiastic fan of the Denver Nuggets and he of course is a big fan of European soccer.