Donors and Friends
At the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and UPMC Cancer Centers, we believe that every gift we receive represents an important investment in the tri-state region’s finest cancer research and care. We wish to express our wholehearted appreciation to the individuals, families, businesses, corporations, foundations, advocacy organizations and other groups who have so generously supported our programs. As individuals and as a collective whole, your recent gifts and continued interest in our efforts hold great promise to help advance the frontiers of cancer research and care. We express our most sincere thanks for your vote of confidence in our work!
We acknowledge and honor donors who have made various types and levels of gifts. The names of these donors may be found in the UPMC Cancer Centers’ and UPCI’s Cancer Discovery & Care Magazine.
View our current (Fall 2009) issue, or see our archives at http://www.upmccancercenters.com/news/publications.html
Major Named Funds
Ronald B. Herberman, MD Endowed Research Fund
The Ronald B. Herberman, MD Endowed Research Fund was launched by Harriett and Ronald B. Herberman, MD, who, with their generous $1 million gift, are redefining the meaning of philanthropic leadership. As the Hillman Professor of Oncology, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), and Director of UPMC Cancer Centers, Dr. Herberman leads the day-to-day management of the cancer programs. He understands the needs of clinicians, researchers, and patients, and has created a bold strategic vision for the future of cancer treatment in Pittsburgh. The Herberman Fund honors the founding Director of UPCI and will support this vision, and will provide ongoing funding for (and acceleration of) innovative cancer research, ensuring a strong, vibrant future for UPCI, UPMC Cancer Centers, and our many patients.
To learn more about the Ronald B. Herberman, MD Endowed Research Fund, or to make a donation, please call 412-623-4700.
Frieda G. and Saul F. Shapira BRCA-Associated Cancer Research Program
Both men and women may carry the BRCA genes, commonly referred to as the “breast cancer genes” and can pass a mutated, cancer-causing copy along to their children. Through a critical collaboration between the premier physicians and scientists at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and Magee-Womens Hospital, the Frieda G. and Saul F. Shapira BRCA-Associated Cancer Research Program aims to advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of BRCA-associated malignancies including breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. Gifts to the BRCA Research Program, including the inaugural $1 million donation from the David S. and Karen A. Shapira Foundation, are matched dollar-for-dollar by UPMC in an effort to raise a total of $5 million to further enhance the support for these critical research efforts.
To learn more about ways you can support the Frieda G. and Saul F. Shapira BRCA-Associated Cancer Research Program, please call 412-623-4700.
Stanley M. Marks, MD Endowed Research Fund
The Stanley M. Marks, MD Endowed Research Fund provides a critical base of support to ensure a strong, steady future for clinical research initiatives at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the UPMC Cancer Centers. Interest from the fund will finance several important clinical and translational research initiatives, and will provide pilot funding for young investigators, to generate sufficient preliminary results to compete for successful major grant funding, and recruitment funds for new research and clinical leaders. The fund also honors Dr. Stanley Marks, an outstanding administrator and clinician whose leadership, expertise, and vision helped to shape the development and growth of UPMC Cancer Centers. Ultimately, donations to the Stanley M. Marks, MD Endowed Research Fund will provide ongoing support to help UPCI and UPMC Cancer Centers develop new treatments that will revolutionize patient care in Pittsburgh and around the world.
You can learn more about the Stanley M. Marks, MD Endowed Research Fund or make a donation in support of its efforts by calling 412-623-4700.
The Heidi L. Browning Endowed Ovarian Cancer Research Scholars Fund
Molecular biologist Heidi Browning was so driven in all aspects of her life that she continued to contribute to cancer research even when cancer came for her. Heidi came to Pittsburgh after working in labs in Zurich, Colorado and London and completed a postdoctoral fellowship from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 2003, while working at Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Biological Sciences, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had her ovaries, uterus, and sections of the tumor that had spread to her abdominal cavity removed. She continued working while receiving chemotherapy and doctors declared her cancer in remission near the end of that year. A few months later, Heidi came to work as a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). Unfortunately, shortly after coming to Pitt, Heidi’s cancer returned. A few days before her death, Heidi requested that her assets become a gift to help others investigate ovarian cancer when she could not. Her parents established the Heidi L. Browning Endowed Ovarian Cancer Research Scholars Fund of $250,000, which will be used to recruit, train, and provide support for talented investigators to focus on ovarian cancer in UPCI labs.
Story by Katie Hammer (Originally published in PittMed magazine’s Spring 2007 issue. To read the full article, visit http://pittmed.health.pitt.edu/Spring_2007/spring_2007.pdf)
David C. Koch Regional Perfusion Cancer Therapy Center
The David C. Koch Regional Cancer Therapy Center is giving hope to thousands of patients whose cancer has advanced beyond a surgical cure. Through a total philanthropic investment of $3.5 million from the Koch family, the Koch Center focuses on regional perfusion of chemotherapy, delivering higher concentrations of chemotherapy to cancers that are inoperable but localized, offering an improved chance of therapeutic response. In addition to providing life-enhancing treatments, the Koch Center functions as a training facility for cancer surgeons as well as a research center, housing investigators who have dedicated their lives to developing new cancer drugs, therapies, and treatment techniques. Gifts to the Koch Center allow the scientists and clinicians to continue developing the world’s most advanced anti-cancer technologies and treatments.
You can learn more about the David C. Koch Regional Cancer Therapy Center or make a gift in support of its efforts by calling 412-623-4700.
University of Pittsburgh Fraternity and Sorority Life Office
The Fraternity and Sorority Life Office (FSLO) at the University of Pittsburgh helps to build productive and successful future leaders. FSLO promotes three core principles: leadership, scholarship and philanthropy.
Philanthropy has been a central role in the FSLO’s mission throughout its existence and participating in philanthropic endeavors has given students the opportunity to grow and develop valuable skills to be used after graduation.
In 2005, the FSLO pledged a $500,000 commitment to the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s lung and thoracic cancer research program. In doing so, a laboratory at the Hillman Cancer Center was named in honor of this gift. This unprecedented gift from the FSLO was both the largest gift commitment from a University of Pittsburgh student organization, and the largest gift to UPCI from a student organization.
Each year, new student leaders plan, organize and implement fundraisers that raise money toward this pledge. Students in each fraternity and sorority as well as the rest of the student body support these fundraisers which include the Pittsburgh Dance Marathon, a 5K race, and Greek Sing where fraternities and sororities put on comical skits and perform songs to raise money for cancer research.