18th Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation Annual Meeting Highlights
By ELLYN SANTIAGO
The 18th annual meeting, on May 22, began with remarks from outgoing Foundation Executive Committee President Patti Burmahl. Patti talked about the Foundation’s background and history, highlighted the TBBCF Survivor Series, talked about the 19th annual Walk for a Cure 2024 (the Walk has 150 volunteers that day, so sign up!), and shared that more than 60 research grants totaling $6.3 million have been funded. And, as she has noted previously, the Foundation’s work could not have been realized without the “vision” of Sandy Maniscalco and Norma Logan.
About the Survivor Series
Pointing to the 18 names on a slide, Burmahl told the audience that the women listed, a few of whom were in the meeting audience, were brave women who were willing to share their stories of survivorship. The TBBCF Survivor Series, which began in 2022, features amazing women sharing their very personal breast cancer journeys. Stories brought to life are powerful and life-affirming accounts that can help other women who are fighting their own breast cancer battles. “I think it’s important to share their stories,” she said, adding, “I think it helps other people.” Read all the Survivor Series stories here.
The financial news you love to hear
Once again, Foundation Executive Committee Treasurer Stacey Gualtieri shared lots of good financial news and “impressive numbers.” She spoke in detail about funds raised by the Walk for a Cure, other top events and top promotions, top fundraisers, top team fundraisers, and sponsors.
She said that at one point, TBBCF had “settled in” and was comfortable with an average of around $300,000 raised each year.
“Guess what the new normal is,” she asked rhetorically. “Around $400,000.”
“What I see when I look at that $400,000 is the 1,000-plus people in the effort …to save lives.”
TBBCF Board of Directors Past President John LaMattina presents …
Dr. John L. LaMattina, former Pfizer SVP and President, Pfizer Global Research and Development and TBBCF Scientific Advisory Board Co-Chair shared why ‘Research Matters,’ at the annual meeting.
And he introduced Paolo Tarantino, M.D., Keynote Speaker for the 18th annual Foundation board meeting. Tarantino is working in what LaMattina described as a “very important area” in breast cancer research: antibody-drug conjugates to treat breast cancer. Antibody-drug conjugates are a relatively new therapeutic modality utilized to treat breast cancer, which allows for selective delivery of chemotherapy to tumor cells, according to Dr. Tarantino.
A medical oncologist who is a TBBCF grant recipient, Tarantino received his medical degree from the University Federico II of Naples in Italy, and he completed a Residency and Fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Milan, Italy. He is currently an advanced research fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute working in the Breast Oncology Program at Dana-Farber, and is concomitantly pursuing a PhD in clinical research at the University of Milan. His research focuses on the study of the HER2 oncoprotein, the biology of HER2-low breast tumors, and the development of novel antibody-drug conjugates to treat breast cancer.
Watch the Facebook Live-streamed meeting here.