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E N D O W M E N T I M P A C T U P D A T E

Endowments at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center affect every aspect of our mission to end cancer. Whether they spark a burgeoning scientist’s early career or provide vital assistance for patients, endowments safeguard the institution’s financial security and ensure that patients will have world-class cancer care in perpetuity.

Your generosity brings support to the patients and families we serve.

HARRY CAROTHERS WIESS DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY CHAIR FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Robert Bast, Jr., M.D.Vice President, Translational Research

Over the last four decades, CA125, a protein found on the surface of 80 percent of ovarian cancers, has contributed to the care of hundreds of thousands of women worldwide. Dr. Bast’s research team created the CA125 blood test, which led to the development of the first clinically useful biomarker for monitoring ovarian cancer and promises to provide a critical component in the first successful screening strategy for ovarian cancer.

In the past year, Dr. Bast’s lab has identified three other biomarkers that promise to improve on CA125 alone to detect cancers that produce little, if any, of the CA125 protein. One of these biomarkers actually measures the patient’s own antibodies against her tumor, which can rise well before cancer appears. Thus, this blood test has the potential to detect disease up to three years before it develops into cancer in some women.

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$8.1 millionIN DISTRIBUTIONS

$40.6 million$938 million

$50.7 million$1.06 billion

$938 million $45.2 million

$988 million $47.1 million

$1.1 billion $49 million

Your Support Moves The Bar

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“We believe that an effective screening test could reduce mortality by 15-30 percent. Endowment support has helped enormously in our attempt to achieve this goal.”

— Robert Bast, Jr., M.D.Robert Bast, Jr., M.D.

In Fiscal Year 2015, endowments at MD Anderson maintained a market value of $1.06 billion, yielding $50.7 million in support to faculty members.

BETTYANN ASCHE MURRAY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIP IN OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH

Anil Sood, M.D.Professor, Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine

The five-year survival rate for women with ovarian cancer has only improved incrementally and widespread metastasis still remains a major challenge. Dr. Sood and his colleagues have learned that a gene-silencing therapy can effectively shut off cancer-catalyzing genes without damaging healthy cells.  A drug called EpharnaTM allows for the silencing of EphA2, an ovarian cancer oncogene, resulting in the shrinking of tumors. This past year, Dr. Sood and colleagues have focused on bringing this therapy into the clinic. They are also developing additional methods for more effectively targeting the drug directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.

$2.08 millionIN DISTRIBUTIONS

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JACK AND BEVERLY RANDALL ENDOWMENT

The Jack and Beverly Randall Prize honors innovations in cancer research and excellence in patient care. This past year, the inaugural award and accompanying $100,000 cash prize went to distinguished faculty member Andrew Futreal, Ph.D., chair, ad interim of Genomic Medicine and co-leader of the Moon Shots Program. Dr. Futreal is an internationally recognized pioneer in large-scale systematic cancer genomics, which led to the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast/ovarian cancer susceptibility genes, BRAF mutations in melanoma, ERBB2 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and multiple new cancer genes in renal cell carcinoma. 

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$1.12 millionIN DISTRIBUTIONS

Andrew Futreal, Ph.D.Anil Sood, M.D.

“It’s particularly meaningful to be recognized for ideas that pushed at the edges of current approaches. The idea of alternating the award between researchers and clinicians is exceptional because that’s the way MD Anderson works. It takes both clinicians and researchers to push things forward.”

– Andrew Futreal, Ph.D.

“Our research represents an important advance in gene-silencing therapy. These findings can make chemotherapy more effective and apply across numerous types of cancer.”

— Anil Sood, M.D.

DR. KAREN E. HOFFMAN RADIATION THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP

Shirley Richmond, Ed.D.Dean, School of Health Professions

The Dr. Karen E. Hoffman Radiation Therapy Scholarship supports radiation therapy students at MD Anderson’s School of Health Professions with scholarships for both years of the radiation therapy program. Awarded to 10 students last year, the scholarship represents a significant portion of the students’ tuition fees and allows them to focus on the rigorous academics and clinical practice rotations of their programs.

Additionally, the donor who established the scholarship was a former patient so moved by his treatment by Karen Hoffman, M.D., that he named the scholarship in honor of her. He also created a luncheon for the students where he can talk to them about his experience — at once providing motivation, a networking opportunity and a way to allay nerves prior to their introduction to the clinic.

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$122 thousandIN DISTRIBUTIONS

WILLIAM O. RUSSELL LECTURESHIP AND JOANNE VANDENBERGE HILL AWARD IN ANATOMICAL PATHOLOGY

Victor Prieto, M.D., Ph.D. Chair, Pathology

William O. Russell, M.D., was the first chair of the department of Pathology at MD Anderson during the institution’s formative years. His dear friend, Joanne Vandenberge Hill, established the William O. Russell Lectureship and Joanne Vandenberge Hill Award in Anatomical Pathology to ensure the department he chaired would continue to thrive.

The lectureship provides the support necessary to bring distinguished lecturers to MD Anderson to present novel information and data on the most recent developments in the field of pathology. This past year, support from the Russell Lectureship funded the travel and honorarium expenses for nine such distinguished lecturers. Victor Reuter, M.D., vice chair of Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, delivered a lecture in January 2015. Dr. Reuter is an internationally renowned anatomic pathologist, with subspecialty expertise in genitourinary pathology.

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$133 thousandIN DISTRIBUTIONS

Kelbe Jahnke, Hoffman Scholar

“For out-of-state students like me, the tuition relief from a scholarship makes all the difference. I’ve dreamed of becoming a radiation therapist since I was young, and I’ve spent many hours volunteering in cancer centers. This scholarship shows my mentors the dedication I have to this field and the commitment I have to future patients.”

– Kelbe Jahnke, Hoffman Scholar

Victor Reuter, M.D., Distinguished Lecturer

“By bringing renowned lecturers and educators in pathology to MD Anderson, the Russell Lectureship allows our department to stay abreast of the state of the industry. The educational opportunities made possible by this lectureship are critical to faculty, fellows and visitors alike.”

— Victor Prieto, M.D., Ph.D.

H-E-B FELLOWSHIP IN CANCER RESEARCH

Sharon Dent, Ph.D.Chair, Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis

Graduate students in the department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis strive to understand the basic biology of cancer — how and why it forms. They focus on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors to develop improved strategies for cancer prevention and intervention. Last year, funds from the H-E-B Fellowship provided stipends and tuition support for graduate students studying molecular carcinogenesis.

One of those students, Emily Dominguez, studies polymorphisms, the most common type of genetic variation. She is focusing on a known tumor suppressor gene with a polymorphism termed “R72P,” which has been associated with survival and treatment outcome in breast cancer patients. Emily’s work analyzing how variants of this tumor-suppressing molecule affect response to cancer therapies will help make treatments more effective for breast cancer patients.  

ANN PARSONS ENDOWMENT FOR PEDIATRIC GENETICS

Louise Strong, M.D.Professor, Genetics

Dr. Strong’s research in pediatric genetics has characterized and advanced awareness of a rare but deadly hereditary disorder, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which greatly increases the risk of developing several types of cancer, particularly in children and young adults. Dr. Strong’s work has focused on cancer prevention efforts for patients with a genetic predisposition to cancer and has helped families around the world. The endowment has supported department personnel who seek and communicate with family members of patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. It also supports the collection of samples from individuals suffering from this dangerous syndrome to identify those at risk and those not, and the creation and maintenance of invaluable databases through which families are consistently updated. Today, Dr. Strong is following approximately160 families and more than 100 carriers of this genetic mutation.

$539 thousandIN DISTRIBUTIONS

46FELLOWSHIPS

$39.8 millionIN DISTRIBUTIONS

226ENDOWED FUNDS

Emily Dominguez, H-E-B Fellow

Louise Strong, M.D.

“Learning about the cancer screening program from Dr. Strong provided me with the first sense of control I’ve had over this disease since getting my diagnosis.”

— Patient with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome

SOCIAL WORK

The department of Social Work eliminates barriers to care that patients and their families face upon diagnosis. Often, these barriers are as tangible as transportation, lodging, meals and psychological and social counseling. But our patients also face unanticipated logistical difficulties alongside treatment, such as navigating the MD Anderson campus and knowing appropriate contacts involved in a treatment plan. Social work counselors rely on endowment support to enable resources that remove these barriers for patients and allow them to focus on getting healthy. Endowments provide critical but often over-looked assistance, which can make all the difference to patients during this vulnerable time.

Social Work counselors assisted more than 96,000 patients last year.

CHILDREN’S CANCER HOSPITAL

Endowments support MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, which bolsters pediatric cancer research as well as programs that help our young patients retain a sense of normalcy while undergoing treatment.

Last year, endowments supported innovative research into the biology and mechanisms involved in tumor suppression, as well as the development and metastasis of tumors in both common and rare pediatric cancers. Endowments also aided research that revealed a groundbreaking understanding of cytotoxic side effects from chemotherapy, and they fostered the next generation of pediatric oncologists through the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship.

The school at the MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital helps children keep up with the demands of their education throughout diagnosis, treatment and into survivorship. New this year, and a direct result of endowment assistance, is an online interactive academic diagnostic assessment tool that benchmarks students’ academic skills and differentiates instruction accordingly. Endowments also funded the development of a robust English as a Second Language instructional program. This interactive, literacy rich curriculum builds fluency, comprehension and vocabulary for our patients in the classroom and at the bedside.

Camp A.O.K., an overnight, weeklong camp in Magnolia, Texas for adolescent patients and their siblings, benefited from endowment support through online specialized training of volunteers and counselors. This intensive training prepared staff for the unique needs of children with cancer. Its remote nature allowed for recruitment of volunteers and counselors outside of Houston, expanding the camp’s reach.

Approximately 96,000 patients received Social Work assistance, comprising more than 60,000 hours of total care.

Social Work provided more than $280,000 in lodging assistance to patients receiving treatment.

Out-of-state patients received more than 500 flight vouchers.

Patients received more than $50,000 in gas assistance.

Social Work provided nearly $4,000 in food vouchers for patients receiving treatment.

Patients received approximately $30,000 to cover parking costs.

Endowments help pediatric patients at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital feel like kids during their treatment.

For more information on endowments at MD Anderson, please contact Lisa Doyle at 713-563-4084 or lcdoyle@mdanderson.org.