In a way, today felt like a bit of deja vu. It was just one year ago when I accepted what was, at the time, the Foundation's largest donation yet, which had surpassed their record total from the year prior. And today, the BCRFA broke their record again when they presented the Cancer Center with a check for $550,000 - their largest contribution yet, topping last year's record by $50,000.
The Cancer Center hosted a special luncheon today for the BCRFA and several of its supporters, which gave us the opportunity to present updates on the research being funded by their donation. Dr. Andres Forero, one of our leading breast cancer specialists, explained several promising research projects that could potentially change the way some breast cancers are treated. One of those projects involves a drug known as Tigatuzumab, which was developed here at UAB.
What began as a small grassroots effort with just a few people has turned into an amazing organization that, to date, has raised more than $4 million for breast cancer research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. That support has helped turn the Cancer Center's breast cancer research and clinical enterprise into one of the premier programs in the United States.
The support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama is critical to our success here at the Cancer Center, and I am proud to have them as a community partner. I want to thank the BCRFA board and staff - especially outgoing president Dianne Mooney - for all of their hard work in taking the organization forward. They truly set the standard for a group who wants to make a difference in the fight against cancer. I thank them for their support.
-Ed Partridge, M.D.
