Providence - September 30, 2016 - On October 14, 2016, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Rhode Island will host its 3rd annual research breakfast that will convene a cross section of thought leaders, medical professionals and cancer survivors from across the state to address the pressing need for increased cancer research funding.
The event, which is sponsored in part by Ocean State Job Lot, is being held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 14th, at the Hope Club in Providence. The event will focus on the need for Congress to increase federal funding for cancer research so that progress can continue against a disease that still kills roughly 1,630 people in America each day. The breakfast will feature several speakers including researchers, a cancer caregiver and Lt. Governor Daniel McKee.
"Thanks to the generosity of the Rhode Island business community, we are sending a message to Congress: in order to save lives and improve our economy, we must continue to support federally funded cancer research," said Bernard Jackvony, chairman of this year's event and former Lt. Governor. "We are especially grateful for the support of our main sponsor, Rhode Island's own Ocean State Job Lot, and the many other local businesses that have stepped up to help promote cancer research funding."
Other event sponsors include Pannone Lopes Devereaux and West LLC, Amica Insurance, CVS Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, UnitedHealthcare and WJAR/NBC-10.
One of Job Lot's core values is to support the communities in which we live and work. Cancers touch us all, from children, to parents, friends and neighbors. Thousands and researchers and medical personnel head to work each day with the hope of defeating these diseases; money fuels this process," said Marc Perlman of Ocean State Job Lot. "Those of us that have a little extra can take pride in supporting the team."
More than 80 percent of federal funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute is spent on biomedical research projects at research facilities across the country. In FY 2015 researchers in Rhode Island received 132.5 million in NIH funding which supported more than 1,662 jobs across the state. Dr. James Padbury will discuss the newly announced $11.5 million NIH grant awarded to Brown University Center of Biomedical Research Excellence as well as the $19.5 million NIH grant awarded to Brown to implement the Rhode Island Center for Clinical Translational Science.
Federally-funded cancer research is the engine behind ongoing progress in the fight against cancer. Research offers hope to the millions of people who face cancer - for better treatments, for more opportunities to prevent and detect the disease early and for improved quality of life for those already diagnosed.
We have research that offers such hope right here in Rhode Island. Dr. Adam Olszewski, a clinical oncologist at Rhode Island Hospital who specializes in hematology, is an ACS-grant funded researcher working to determine whether certain policy decisions made by Medicare change the access to oral chemotherapy and if those decisions affect the survival outcomes in multiple myeloma.
"Cancer research offers hope to the thousands of people who face this dreaded disease here in Rhode Island, and beyond - hope for better treatments, for more opportunities to prevent and detect the disease early, and for improved quality of life for those already diagnosed," said Susan Roberts, ACS CAN government relations director in Rhode Island. "But advancements could be in jeopardy if reductions in federal funding slow or halt the progress of new grants and promising research in the pipeline."
The breakfast will take place October 14th at 8:30 AM at the Hope Club in Providence. For additional information, or for those interested in sponsorship opportunities or to purchase individual tickets, please contact Susan Roberts at [email protected] or (401) 243-2620.
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