Bar Harbor, Maine—Neal Goodwin, Ph.D., a Jackson Laboratory scientist who has pioneered a new human tumor repository, is among four individuals Maine Cancer Foundation will recognize for their contributions to advancing cancer research and care.
Goodwin will also be the keynote speaker at the annual “Cure Breast Cancer for ME” luncheon on Oct. 3 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Meredith Strang Burgess launched the event in 2002 as a way to celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to raise money for the Women’s Cancer Fund, a source of grants dedicated to cancer research, education and patient support for Maine women.
“We all know the power of stories,” said Burgess. “They motivate and inspire the best in us. The Cure Awards are here to remind us of the truly amazing work that is happening in Maine, and that we have a lot to celebrate.” The fundraising gala will take place on Oct. 3 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, bringing together women and men for a presentation that includes awards, speakers and a “Cash for the Cure” fundraising raffle. Burgess, herself a breast cancer survivor, is a tireless champion of the fight against cancer through her work with Maine Cancer Foundation.
This year’s award winners fall into four categories: Community Outreach, Medical Care & Research, Lifetime Inspiration and the Meredith Burgess Spirit of Life Award. Each award seeks to exemplify an individual or organization that has achieved success above-and-beyond the ordinary, in the fight against breast cancer in Maine.
The winner of the 2012 Medical Care & Research Award, Goodwin is the director of research and development for The Jackson Laboratory’s In Vivo Pharmacology Services. He is at the forefront of a new effort to collect and house a tissue bank of cancer tumors, including samples provided by Maine women, through The Jackson Laboratory.
“The biomedical research community needs a common, readily accessible tumor resource to support cancer drug development efforts. No single cancer center has a patient population broad enough to meet this need. The tumor library will support large-scale basic and preclinical research studies, which should speed discovery and development of new cancer drugs,” says Goodwin.
The Community Outreach Award will be presented to Lenore Kraus, the Practice Manager of Mercy Hospital’s Oncology-Hematology Center. Carmen Darkis of Bangor, a breast cancer survivor and an active volunteer with the Maine Breast Cancer Coalition, where she serves as recording secretary and engages in political advocacy at the state and national level, will receive the Lifetime Inspiration Award. The Meredith Burgess Spirit of Life Award will be presented to Stephanie Freeman, RN, of Scarborough, a breast cancer survivor, as well as a survivorship navigator for the Cancer Institute at Maine Medical Center.
Since its inception, the “Cure Breast Cancer for ME” Luncheon has raised over $450,000 to support Maine women by providing grants for patient support programs, or by earmarking funds for research programs including awards to Jackson Laboratory scientists studying leukemia, lymphoma and lung and brain cancers.
In addition to the “Cure Breast Cancer for ME” luncheon, Maine Cancer Foundation organizes several major events each year, including the Tri for a Cure, the Twilight 5K, Mary’s Walk and the Pink Tulip Project. Unlike many national fundraising organizations, Maine Cancer Foundation is dedicated to providing money exclusively to in-state programs for cancer research, education and patient support. In 2011 Maine Cancer Foundation distributed more than $1 million to local organizations.
The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, Calif., and a new genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn. It employs a total staff of more than 1,400. Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human disease and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community.
Learn more about Goodwin and the human tumor bank
Contact(s):
Joyce Peterson, 207-288-6058, The Jackson Laboratory
For information on automatic email delivery of news releases (journalists only), please send an email request for details to news@jax.org. Please address other inquiries to pubinfo@jax.org.
Media Relations, Communications Office
The Jackson Laboratory
600 Main Street
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609-1500
Phone: 207-288-6058 (journalists only)
Main Jackson Laboratory phone: 207-288-6000
Fax: 207-288-6076
Email: news@jax.org
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