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Collaboration
= Better Outcomes

Prevention hasn’t always been emphasized in the cancer conversation. But today, our global community of supporters, experts, and advocates all dedicated to cancer education and early detection is a testament to the vision of our founder, Bo Aldigé, who sought to make cancer prevention a cornerstone of health care when she began the Foundation in 1985.

Explore Better Outcomes

2023 Impact Report Home
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The backgrounds and skillsets of our community are diverse. Yet we are bound by one common thread—the belief that an emphasis on prevention, not just treatment, can save lives.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation knows that it takes everyone working together to enable lifestyle changes, increase cancer screening rates, and find more and better prevention and early detection methods. Thank you for participating in our collective effort to forge a path to a cancer-free future for every person, every day.

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Awesome Games Done Quick

In January, hundreds of thousands of people logged on around the world to watch some of the best gamers speedrun—play as fast as possible—some of the most classic video games during the annual Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ). The week-long, virtual event raised $2.6 million dollars from nearly 40,000 individual donations.

These funds support both national and global grants working in the cancer prevention and early detection space. The generous donations made by AGDQ donors impact the lives of people around the world as we work toward a world where cancer is preventable, detectable, and beatable for all.

 

AGDQ Participants and Sponsors

Watch AGDQ 2023 highlights AGDQ 2024 coming soon!

As a doctoral student studying cancer treatment resistance, this marathon directly funds the grants and makes research like mine possible. The generosity of this community continues to astound me, and I’m humbled to know that so many care so deeply about this important work.

Lenny

AGDQ always makes my week. I love showcases of skill, positivity, and inclusivity, and all for a good cause. My father died from a cancer that he may have had a better chance against with early detection. Cheers to all the runners and to the community for another great event!

Sukara

Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program ®

A bipartisan, bicameral audience of congressional members and spouses, along with other cancer champions, gathered for two major Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program® events on Capitol Hill, showcasing the educational work being done by the congressional community year-round.

As part of the Biden Administration’s Cancer Moonshot, First Lady Jill Biden joined the Program’s spring reception on April 19 to hear from a bipartisan group, including Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) and congressional spouses Charlie Capito (W.Va.), Martha McKenzie Hill (Ark.), Mary Himes (Conn.), and LeeAnn Johnson (Ohio), about their work in their home states and districts. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) presented the inaugural Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé Visionary Award to Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) for her leadership as a congressional spouse in 1991 when she co-created the Congressional Families Program with Prevent Cancer’s Founder, Bo Aldigé.

The Program held its 30th Annual Action for Cancer Awareness Awards Luncheon on September 14, honoring those who have made significant contributions in educating the public about cancer prevention and early detection. The event honored TODAY’s Al Roker for Distinguished Service in Journalism and congressional spouses Patricia Garamendi (Calif.) and Martha McKenzie Hill for Congressional Leadership. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) was awarded a Special Recognition by former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in a show of bipartisanship.

Quantitative Imaging Workshop XX:

Annual chest CT screening – visualizing the full impact of 20-plus years of smoking

Headshot Oudkerk

Professor Matthijs Oudkerk
2023 James L. Mulshine, M.D., 
International Leadership Award

The Quantitative Imaging Workshop (QIW) is a virtual, multi-disciplinary forum for the advancement of quantitative CT imaging biomarkers for early thoracic disease management. Attendees explore exciting new biomedical opportunities that arise with the use of these transformational imaging technologies. The Workshop convenes leading stakeholders from industry, academia, professional societies, government, and patient advocacy groups to discuss progress and make recommendations about next steps.

Quantitative analysis of thoracic CT scans has the ability to reliably detect and potentially characterize the progression of three of the four leading causes of premature death: lung cancer, coronary artery disease, and parenchymal lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Participants discussed how to responsibly integrate the medical information available from annual chest CT screening to optimally improve individual health outcomes.

Learn more about QIW and access session recordings and source materials

Prevent Cancer Annual Gala
Jordan: Pillar of Wonder

Raised

The Prevent Cancer Annual Gala raised over $2 million.

Honored

Her Royal Highness, Princess Ghida Talal of Jordan, and Her Excellency, Ambassador Dina Kawar attended the event that celebrated the wonders of Jordan. The Foundation continued the tradition of honoring a country that shares its commitment to fighting cancer.

Awarded

The Foundation recognized two “Cancer Champions” for their significant contributions in cancer prevention and other cancer-related issues. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) were were recognized as Cancer Champions during the festivities.

Co-Chairs

Our sincerest thanks to Gala Co-Chairs Anna Griffin, Jennifer Griffin, and Ted Okon for their hard work to make this event happen.

Master of Ceremonies

Cancer survivor, Foundation board member, and FOX News Channel’s chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin was transcendent as master of ceremonies.

Lighting the Way to Prevention

FOX 5 DC’s Ayesha Khan shared her story of surviving breast cancer and delivered a message of the importance of detecting cancer early to achieve better outcomes. Our annual fund drive, Lighting the Way to Prevention drive raised over $130,000 in just 10 minutes. The Gala’s featured auctioneers were Gala Co-Chair Ted Okon, who also is the executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance; and Tommy McFly, NBC4 (Washington) SCENE correspondent and host of “Walk a Mile” with Tommy McFly.

Fighting cancer is not an option—it is a moral obligation.

Her Royal Highness, Princess Ghida Talal of Jordan

Prevent Cancer Annual Gala Gallery

Did you miss the event? Click here to see highlights from this special night.

Board of Directors

Jody Hoyos

CEO

Carolyn R. Aldigé

Founder

William Magner

Chairman

Joann Piccolo

Vice-Chairman

James L. Mulshine, M.D.

Vice Chairman,
Scientific Director

Shabnam Kazmi

Secretary

Paul Phaneuf

Treasurer

Directors

Susan Ahlquist
Heide Bajnrauh
Diane Casey-Landry
Sharon Cook
Jennifer Griffin
Whitfield Growdon, M.D., FACS
Joel Jankowsky
Lynne O’Brien
Brandon Parry
Susanna Quinn
Sonia Sahney
Hollyn Kidd Schuemann
Brian Shure
Jason Van Pelt

Founding Directors

Alan P. Dye
The Hon. Harold Keshishian (Deceased)

Emeritus Directors

Catherine P. Bennett
Margaret Bush
Marcia Myers Carlucci
Jeremy FitzGerald
Elmer E. Huerta, M.D., MPH
Brock R. Landry
Gary Lytle

Sustaining Directors

Betty Alewine
Joyce Gates
Gordon (Don) Hutchins, Jr.
Marcelle Leahy
Jean Perin
Andrea Roane
Pawan Singh
George Swygert
David Tutera
Margaret Vanderhye
Virginia A. Weil

Prevent Cancer Foundation Senior Staff

Carolyn (Bo) Aldigé

Founder

Jody Hoyos

Chief Executive Officer

Lisa Berry Edwards

Managing Director, External Affairs

Lisa McGovern

Executive Director, Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program

Jennifer Niyangoda

Vice President, Development and Marketing

Amy Sokal

Managing Director, Finance and Administration

Erica Childs Warner

Managing Director, Research, Education and Outreach

Medical Advisory Board

Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, M.D., MPH, M.S.
  • Professor, Brown University School of Public Health
  • Professor, Alpert Medical School of Brown University
  • Associate Director for Cancer Prevention and Control, Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University
Michael B. Atkins, M.D.
  • Deputy Director, Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • William M. Scholl Professor and Vice Chair, Oncology
  • Professor of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center
Dejana Braithwaite, Ph.D., MS.c.
  • Associate Director for Population Sciences
  • Professor, Departments of Surgery and Epidemiology, University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Rachel F. Brem, M.D., FACR, FSBI
  • Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention
  • Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention Fellowship
  • Professor of Radiology, The George Washington University Medical Center
  • Vice-Chair for Research and Faculty Development, Department of Radiology, The George Washington University
  • Founder and Chief Medical Advisor, The Brem Foundation
Paul A. Bunn Jr., M.D., FASCO
  • Distinguished Professor, James Dudley Chair in Cancer Research, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Sigrid V. Carlsson, M.D., Ph.D., MPH
  • Assistant Attending Epidemiologist, Department of Surgery (Urology Service) and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Kenneth H. Cowan, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Director and Physician-in-Chief, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Kevin J. Cullen, M.D.
  • Director, Program in Oncology
  • Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D.
  • Percy & Joanne Uris Professor of Clinical Medicine
  • Director, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Medical Center
Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Associate Provost for Cancer Programs
  • Director, Hollings Cancer Center, The Medical University of South Carolina
H. Shelton (Shelley) Earp III, M.D.
  • Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research
  • Director, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Stephen B. Edge, M.D., FACS, FASCO
  • Vice President, System Quality and Outcomes, Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, Roswell Park Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
  • Professor of Surgery, University at Buffalo
Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.
  • Distinguished Professor, Health Policy & Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
  • Distinguished Professor, Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Director, Cancer Prevention & Control Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
David M. Gershenson, M.D.
  • Professor, Gynecologic Oncology & Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Edward Giovannucci, M.D., Sc.D.
  • Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Anna R. Giuliano, Ph.D.
  • Professor and Founding Director, the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer, Moffitt Cancer Center
Garth Graham, M.D., MPH, FACP, FACC
  • Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships, YouTube/Google
Stanley R. Hamilton, M.D.
  • Chair and Professor, Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Claudia I. Henschke, Ph.D., M.D.
  • Professor of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Elmer E. Huerta, M.D., MPH
  • Director, Cancer Preventorium, MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Washington Cancer Institute
  • Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, The George Washington School of Medicine
Derek M. Huffman, Ph.D.
  • Associate Professor, Molecular Pharmacology and Medicine
  • Director, E-NSC Health Span Core, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Lovell A. Jones, Ph.D., FHDR
  • Founder, HDEART Consortium
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences, Texas A&M School of Public Health
  • Research Professor, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
  • Professor Emeritus, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • Professor Emeritus, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston
Karen E. Kim, M.D., M.S.
  • Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Rural Health Research and Professor and Dean, Penn State College of Medicine
T. Peter Kingham, M.D., FACS
  • Professor, Attending Surgeon, and Hepatopancreatobiliary Service Director, Department of Surgery
  • Director, Global Cancer Disparities Initiatives, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Ann G. Kulze, M.D.
  • Founder, The Healthy Living School
Charles (“Chip”) N. Landen, Jr., M.D., M.S.
  • Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Virginia Health System
Bernard Levin, M.D.
  • Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Marc E. Lippman, M.D., MACP, FRCP
  • Professor, Oncology and Medicine, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Scott M. Lippman, M.D.
  • Distinguished Professor of Medicine
  • Senior Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research and Care
  • Chugai Pharmaceutical Chair, Moores Cancer Center at University of California, San Diego
Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr., M.D.
  • HH Gregg Professor of Oncology
  • Distinguished Professor of Indiana University
  • Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor in Oncology
  • Associate Dean for Cancer Research
  • Director of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center;
  • Director Emeritus, IU Simon Cancer Center
John L. Marshall, M.D.
  • Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
  • Professor of Medicine and Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University
  • Director, Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer
Elena Martinez, Ph.D.
  • Sam M. Walton Endowed Chair for Cancer Research
  • Professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science;
  • Associate Director, Population Sciences, Disparities and Community Engagement
  • Moores Cancer Center at University of California San Diego
Harold L. Moses, M.D.
  • Research Professor, Pharmacology;
  • Professor, Cancer Biology;
  • Emeritus Professor, Medicine;
  • Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology,
  • Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Kimmie Ng, M.D., MPH
  • Director, Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center;
  • Co-Director, Colon and Rectal Cancer Center;
  • Director, Translational Research in Gastrointestinal Cancer,
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute;
  • Associate Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology;
  • Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Larry Norton, M.D., FASCO, FAACR
  • Senior Vice President, Office of the President;
  • Medical Director, Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center;
  • Norna S. Sarofim Chair in Clinical Oncology;
  • Breast Cancer Research Foundation founding and current Scientific Director,
  • MSK Comprehensive Cancer Center;
  • Senior Research Advisor, Larry Norton Institute;
  • Soroka Medical Center, Be’er-Sheva, Israel
Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Harold T. Shapiro Distinguished University Professor;
  • Director, Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics;
  • Professor, Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics;
  • Professor, Molecular Medicine & Genetics;
  • Professor, Human Genetics;
  • Professor, Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School
Darrell S. Rigel, M.D. M.S.
  • Clinical Professor, Dermatology;
  • Director, Melanoma Surveillance Clinic, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine;
  • Consultant Dermatologist, Cooper Clinic
John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D.
  • Chief Medical Officer, MetiStream, Inc.
  • Adjunct Professor, University of Mississippi
Kathleen M. Schmeler, M.D.
  • Professor, Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine;
  • Associate Vice President, Global Oncology, MD Anderson Network;
  • The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Karen Sfanos, Ph.D.
  • Associate Professor, Pathology, Oncology and Urology
  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Erich M. Sturgis, M.D., MPH
  • Professor, Deputy Chair, Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery;
  • Director of Head & Neck Cancer Program, Brown Foundation Endowed Chair;
  • Head, Neck, and Thyroid Cancer Multidisciplinary Program Director,
  • Baylor College of Medicine;
  • Head, Neck, and Thyroid Cancer Multidisciplinary Program Director,
  • Catholic Heath Initiatives/St. Luke’s Health
George J. Weiner, M.D.
  • Director Emeritus for Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center;
  • Professor, Cancer, University of Iowa
Richard C. Wender, M.D.
  • Professor and Chair, Family Medicine and Community Health;
  • Executive Director, Center for Public Health Initiatives, Perelman School of Medicine;
  • Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics;
  • Executive Director, Center of Public Health Initiatives (CPHI), University of Pennsylvania
Petra Wilder-Smith, D.D.S., D.M.D, Ph.D.
  • Professor and Director, Dentistry, Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic;
  • Professor, Surgery;
  • Senior Fellow, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Irvine School of Medicine
Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H.
  • Professor, Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Stephen C. Yang, M.D., FACS, MAMSE
  • The Arthur B. and Patricia B. Modell Endowed Chair of Thoracic Surgery;
  • Vice Chair, Professional Development, Department of Surgery;
  • Professor, Surgery and Oncology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Scientific Review Panel

James L. Mulshine, M.D. (Co-Chair)
  • Professor, Internal Medicine; Associate Director, Institute for Translational Medicine,Rush University Medical Center
Bernard Levin, M.D. (Co-Chair)
  • Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D. (Co-Chair)
  • Marion N. Rowley Professor of Cancer Research; Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control; Professor, Epidemiology, College of Public Health; Associate Director for Population Sciences;
  • Program Leader, Cancer Control Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University
  • Director, Center for Cancer Health Equity at the James Cancer Hospital
Christopher Albanese, Ph.D.
  • Founder and director, the Preclinical Imaging Research Laboratory (PIRL);
  • Founder and executive director, the Center for Translational Imaging (CTI);
  • Professor, Oncology and Pathology; William and Karen Sonnenborn Chair for Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Georgetown University
Rebecca Ashare, Ph.D.
  • Associate Professor, Psychology University at Buffalo
Janet Audrain-McGovern, Ph.D.
  • Professor and Director, Addictions Section, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania;
  • Senior Fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics
David Berrigan, Ph.D., MPH
  • Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute
Robert Clarke, Ph.D., D.Sc.
  • Professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics; J. Holton Chair of Cancer Research; Executive Director, Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota
Nancy Emenaker, Ph.D., M.Ed., R.D., L.D., FAND
  • Program Director, Division of Cancer Prevention, Nutritional Science Research Group, National Cancer Institute
Stanley Thomas Fricke, Nucl. Eng., Ph.D.
  • Professor, Radiology; Director of Medical Physics, Georgetown University Medical Center
Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, Ph.D.
  • Assistant Director, Faculty Affairs; Professor, Food Science and Nutrition, Women’s Health, University of Minnesota
Stephen Hursting, Ph.D., MPH
  • AICR/WCRF Distinguished Professor; Professor, Department of Nutrition, and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill;
  • Professor, UNC Nutrition Research Institute
Cho Y. Lam, Ph.D.
  • Research Associate Professor, Population Health Sciences, Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE) Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
Brian Lehmann, Ph.D.
  • Research Associate Professor, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Mary Beth Martin, Ph.D.
  • Professor, Oncology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center
Darren Mays, Ph.D., MPH
  • Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine;
  • Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Carola Neumann, M.D.
  • Principal Investigator, Magee-Women’s Research Institute;
  • Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh
Mary M. Pasquinelli, D.N.P., FNP-BC, CTTS
  • Lead Advanced Practice Nurse, Pulmonary and Medical Oncology;
  • Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Department of Medicine,
  • University of Illinois, Chicago College of Nursing
Rajesha Rupaimoole, Ph.D.
  • Scientific Team Project Lead, Precision Molecular Oncology, Cancer Biology
  • Bayer Research & Innovation Center, Bayer U.S. Pharmaceuticals
Marc D. Schwartz, Ph.D.
  • Professor, Oncology, Georgetown University School of Medicine;
  • Associate Director, Population Science, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer;
  • Co-Director, Jess and Mildred Fisher Center for Hereditary Cancer and Clinical Genomics Research
Peter G. Shields, M.D.
  • Julius F. Stone Chairman in Cancer Research,
  • James Cancer Hospital;
  • Deputy Director, Comprehensive Care Center;
  • Professor, College of Medicine,
  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Andrew G. Sikora, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Professor, Surgery;
  • Director of Research, Head and Neck Surgery,
  • The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kenneth D. Tew, Ph.D., D.Sc.
  • Professor and Chair, Cell & Molecular Pharmacology; John C. West Chair in Cancer Research, Medical University of South Carolina
Danyelle M. Townsend, Ph.D.
  • Associate Professor, Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
  • Director, Analytical Redox Biochemistry Core
Bruce J. Trock, Ph.D.
  • Director, Division of Epidemiology, Brady Urological Institute; Frank Hinman, Jr. Professor of Urology; Professor, Urology and OncologyJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Elizabeth R. Unger Ph.D., M.D.
  • Chief, Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kent E. Vrana, Ph.D.
  • Elliot S. Vesell Professor and Chair, Pharmacology;
  • Bernard B. Brodie Professor in Pharmacology, Penn State Neuroscience Institute
Zhen Zhang, Ph.D.
  • Associate Director, Center for Biomarker Discovery and Translation;
  • Associate Professor, Pathology Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

We are excited to welcome Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D. to serve as the new co-chair of its Scientific Review Panel, joining current co-chair James L. Mulshine, M.D., and replacing longtime leader in the cancer prevention community, Bernard Levin, M.D., FACP.