From the Director's Desk
A Tribute to Support
Progress is rarely achieved without a wide support network. Watson and Crick’s breakthrough discovery of DNA’s structure would have failed without the efforts of Roslyn Franklin, Morris Wilkins, and other scientists who built a foundation of previous research. Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon involved the coordinated efforts of countless scientists, engineers, politicians, and other daring individuals. Our search for an end to breast cancer can likewise only be achieved through the support of a diverse network of dedicated individuals.
Had it not been for the support of a network of advocates, our Program would not exist. These vocal women in turn engendered the support of legislators, research scientists, and UC officials. These dedicated individuals took an idea—the need for comprehensive, coordinated, statewide breast cancer research—and with the support of this wider network, created the California Breast Cancer Research Program.
Our
advisory council consists of hard-working, dedicated scientists, clinicians,
advocates, and industry and nonprofit health professionals. Each council
member (supported by their own networks) serves a three-year term—that’s
72 hard-working council members since 1993—and together they form a
network of combined expertise and input that offers us guidance
and support.
We rely on a network of experts from outside California who yearly agree to review our applications for scientific merit. Their specific proficiencies ensure that our Program funds worthy projects that strengthen the overall body of knowledge in the breast cancer research community.
Staff members devote their energy and expertise into the administrative network that ensures the ongoing vitality of the Program. Their focus helps streamline processes and initiate improvement that boost the Program’s efficiency and move us closer to our goals.
Donors comprise a networked support base for any nonprofit organization, and the CBCRP is no exception. Our Community Partners—individuals, small businesses, and foundations who have donated anywhere from $5 to $500,000—form a crucial support network in our continuing mission to find better ways to detect, treat, and end breast cancer, and to disseminate the ongoing research results that will hopefully speed up that process. And our Program is further enriched by event volunteers and ad-hoc events planned by generous individuals whose lives have been so touched by breast cancer that they spontaneously create events that fund the research that may one day end this disease. Our Executive Team, a front-line network of talented individuals led by Sherry Lansing, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, support critical fundraising and outreach efforts to develop increased participation in the CBCRP.
It takes inventive, inspired individuals to initiate an idea, but it takes a committed network to push that idea from thought into action and onward to completion. Every bit of help that we can provide along the way will make the difference.
Marion H. E. Kavanaugh-Lynch, M.D., M.P.H.,
Director of the CBCRP
