Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Runners call it Heartbreak Hill, but for Michelle O’Brien the long, rising stretch of pavement that crosses the 20-mile point of the Boston Marathon® route represents the top of the mountain. “I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for Dana-Farber Brigham, so joining the DFMC team for our run was a no-brainer,” says Michelle O’Brien. “There are so many ways to give back — it doesn’t have to be a marathon. But this feels right.” Read more: http://ms.spr.ly/6043Y7o0X

Congratulations to David A. Williams, MD, who is the 2024 recipient of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Distinguished Career Award. The Distinguished Career Award is presented annually to a senior physician or other professional who during his or her career has had a major impact on the subspecialty through some combination of research, education, patient care, and advocacy. Read more http://ms.spr.ly/6049YCnKv

Dana-Farber has performed more than 11,800 stem cell transplants in its 50-year history. Over that span, the Institute’s transplant experts have helped advance the field. One-year survival rates have improved substantially, placing Dana-Farber among the best in the world – despite taking on challenging cases. To learn more about Dana-Farber’s pioneering work in stem cell transplants and its leadership in treating all hematologic malignancies, visit http://ms.spr.ly/6048lBQR8. For additional information about Dana-Farber for healthcare professionals, visit http://ms.spr.ly/6049lBQRD.

For more than 70 years, Showcase Cinemas has partnered with the Jimmy Fund to further cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. While the original cannister collection drive has modernized into entirely digital fundraising, our shared goal of defying cancer hasn’t changed. Be part of history and the Jimmy Fund’s longest running fundraiser by visiting a participating Showcase Cinemas near you through August. Pre-order your tickets and snacks online or buy in-store and round up your purchase to support Dana-Farber patients and their families. 💙

Jeff Jablow, MBA, a proven leader in nonprofit strategy, operations, and enterprise improvement, has been named the inaugural Deputy Chief Philanthropy Officer at Dana-Farber. In this role, which he started in February, Jablow is responsible for several teams related to fundraising, operations, and marketing. He partners with Melany Duval, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer, and other Institute leaders to strategize, set annual and multiyear goals, and identify and refine giving priorities. “My first few months on the Philanthropy team have been inspiring and energizing as we work toward continuing to grow support for the groundbreaking research and clinical care at the Institute,“ Jablow says. “I look forward to learning with and leading such a dedicated group of mission-oriented staff.“ Prior to Dana-Farber, Jablow was vice president and chief education strategy officer at City Year, a nonprofit dedicated to student and school success that operates in 350 schools across 21 states. Jablow led City Year’s enterprise strategy for nearly two decades in various leadership roles, launching its public funding approach from schools and stewarding transformational private sector investments. Before joining City Year in 2005, Jablow was a strategy consultant whose commitment to service was further ignited while working with Afrika Tikkun, a community development nonprofit in South Africa, and serving three terms on the board of directors for City on a Hill Charter Public Schools in Massachusetts. He holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and is a Fuqua Alumni Leader of Consequence award winner. “Jeff’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the Institute and the Division of Philanthropy as we continue to amplify the resources necessary to realize an ambitious future in service to our patients and families,“ says Duval. “I have every confidence that Jeff will be a leader who furthers our mission and supports the opportunities necessary for a growing and successful team.“

Meet Katie Maurer, MD, PhD, who treats patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for blood cancers. Her clinical research focuses on the GVT effect in patients who received allogeneic HCT. http://ms.spr.ly/6045Y0gJW

David Reardon, MD, is doing a deep dive into the immune responses of patients who are receiving cancer vaccines plus immunotherapy. For patients with glioblastoma, timing is everything. The average time to recurrence after surgery is six or seven months. It takes several months to create a personalized vaccine. Once the vaccine is given to the patient, it takes at least one to two months for the immune system to begin mounting an immune response. "We're literally in a race against the tumor," says Reardon. Learn about how Reardon and other Dana-Farber researchers are working to advance personal cancer vaccines http://ms.spr.ly/6048YhYqa.

Check out this great story in this month’s IMPACT magazine from the Jimmy Fund, featuring philanthropist Emilia Fazzalari and Wyc Grousbeck of the world champion Boston Celtics.

How can I reduce my colorectal cancer risk? Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helps us highlight the strong link between diet, lifestyle, and colorectal cancer. http://ms.spr.ly/6044YNMga

Peter Obersheimer, Associate General Counsel at Dana-Farber, has been named to the list of Top 10 30-Somethings by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). The ACC's Top 10 30-Somethings awards recognize in-house counsel between the ages of 30 and 39 for their innovation, approach to challenges, well-rounded perspectives, contributions to the in-house community, and pro bono and community service work. From the ACC: “His style … reflects his understanding of what makes people tick, and his personal mantra is to use it to develop the best possible working relationships. His easygoing way is one of the reasons, along with a myriad of other accomplishments, that he’s being honored in his role as associate general counsel and Head of Litigation at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.” Read more here: http://ms.spr.ly/6046lBqAk