The 1998 death of Katie Couric's husband, Jay Monahan, spurred her to become an advocate, and she co-founded the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA) with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) eight years ago. The televised broadcast of Katie's colonoscopy led to a 20 percent rise in these procedures, which researchers dubbed “The Couric Effect.” From 2003 through 2005, the colon cancer death rate fell almost 10 percent. Fundraising efforts led by Katie have generated more than $30 million to date. Scientists conducting cutting-edge research have made significant advances because of NCCRA grants, and some of these funds helped launch the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health in New York, a world-class, multidisciplinary cancer and wellness center. Katie is also working with the University of Virginia to establish the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, named for her sister, who died of pancreatic cancer.
Noreen Fraser is the President and CEO of the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding groundbreaking women's cancer research and raising awareness of the importance of early detection. Noreen is a Stage IV breast cancer survivor who turned her personal experience into a crusade to help others by creating her own organization and co-creating Stand Up To Cancer, as well as co-producing its first “roadblock” televised fundraising special. Noreen has produced award-winning programs, including Entertainment Tonight, ABC's Home Show and The Richard Simmons Show. Her foundation's Men for Women Now initiative features comedians and comedy to create awareness about early detection. Noreen’s latest project is a collaboration with Hollywood’s industry newspaper, Variety. Variety’s Annual Power of Comedy brings together A-list comedians for a night of stand-up comedy, which highlights the healing power of laughter.
Sherry Lansing is the founder and current chair of the Sherry Lansing Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on cancer research, health and education. Ms. Lansing was the chair of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount Pictures from 1992 to 2005. Currently, Lansing serves on the boards of Friends of Cancer Research, The Lasker Foundation, and Stop Cancer. Lansing is also a Regent of the University of California and a board member of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Lansing graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northwestern University in 1966. Sherry lost her mother to Ovarian cancer.
Kathleen Lobb runs EIF's New York office, as well as the EIF's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance staff team, which works with corporate supporters, government partners, and the colon cancer advocacy community on programs designed to encourage regular screening. EIF's NCCRA team liaises with and convenes the scientists the foundation supports at nine leading institutions, coordinates volunteer celebrity involvement in awareness campaigns, and plans and implements fundraising activities. Through this work, Lobb honors the memory of two close friends taken by cancer in the prime of their lives.
Lisa Paulsen is President and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). In the cancer arena, under Lisa's leadership, EIF has raised nearly $100 million for research, education, prevention and treatment. Lisa streamlined the grantmaking process to focus resources where they are needed most urgently, working closely with world-class researchers to support breakthroughs such as the breast cancer therapy Herceptin®. Funding came primarily from EIF's Revlon Run/Walk for Women. EIF also launched the Women's Cancer Research Fund (EIF's WCRF) with significant leadership from across the entertainment industry. Lisa recently lost both her parents to cancer. In their honor, Lisa led the creation, in their home town of Terre Haute, Indiana, of the Coleman Cancer Center, a TORI network site of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Named as one of the Top 100 Marketers by Advertising Age magazine, and as one of the most entrepreneurial women in the United States, Rusty Robertson is a founding partner in RSA and the founder of RPR & Associates, which was featured in Success magazine as one of America's Super 8 companies. Rusty is also a literary agent and award winning brand marketer, branding hundreds of major corporations and generating over $500 million for her clients and their companies. She helped create the Margaret Thatcher Foundation and was instrumental in the launch of the Susan G. Komen Foundation with Nancy Brinker. Rusty lost her mother to lung cancer.
A founding partner in RSA, a hybrid marketing and branding company that combines the power of celebrity, strong public relations, the stealth marketing of the internet with the massive exposure created through traditional media, live home shopping, direct to consumer, and brick and mortar retail. Sue was named one of the most innovative people in America by Response Magazine. Prior to founding RSA, Sue held Sr. and Exec. VP positions at Revlon, Almay Cosmetics, and HSN, generating over $1 billion dollars in business for the company and her clients. She lost her mother to multiple myeloma, has a sister who is both a breast and ovarian cancer survivor and another sister who is a breast cancer survivor.
The former VP of Corporate Communications for International Creative Management, Ellen also co-founded Rob Reiner's I Am Your Child Foundation in 1994 and helped build it from the ground up. In 2005 she began working as a marketing consultant for the Skoll Foundation, which invests in, connects, and celebrates social entrepreneurs around the world. This year, Ellen also became a partner in the Global Philanthropy Group, working with high net worth individuals, charitable foundations and corporations to design and implement highly-leveraged philanthropic strategies. Ellen's mother is a lymphoma survivor.
Laura Ziskin, a legendary film producer who passed away from breast cancer in June 2011 after living courageously with the disease for seven years, was also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. As the only cancer survivor on the initiative's lay Executive Leadership Council, Laura played a key role in shaping SU2C's patient-centric vision. Additionally, she executive produced the landmark 2008 and 2010 Stand Up To Cancer fundraising broadcasts, and created numerous public awareness spots for SU2C. Film credits from her trail-blazing 35-year career include “What About Bob?”, “The Doctor”, “No Way Out”, “Pretty Woman”, “To Die For” and “As Good As It Gets”. As the founding President of Fox 2000, she shepherded such films as “The Thin Red Line”, “Fight Club”, “Soul Food”, and “Courage Under Fire”. In 2002, Laura became the first woman to solo executive produce the Academy Awards. She held that position again in 2007, producing the first-ever “Green” Oscars ceremony. She also produced three Spider-Man features, the last of which became the highest-grossing film in Sony’s history. At the time of her death, she was at work on a fourth, “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Laura was awarded The Producers Guild of America’s 2011 Visionary Award for her work as a film producer and her humanitarian efforts in the fight against cancer.
Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. In 1942, Samuel Goldwyn and other Hollywood luminaries pooled the industry's charitable resources, and the organization that became the Entertainment Industry Foundation - EIF - was born. Since then, EIF has raised $300 million for cancer research and prevention; diabetes awareness; and arts and music education programs. People from every facet of the entertainment community -- actors and executives; guild and union members; and employees of studios, networks and talent agencies -- volunteer their time, talent and services to support this work. EIF is a major force in the fight against cancer, raising critically needed dollars for research and treatment, fast-tracking the most promising science, and generating awareness. Film, television and recording stars appear in PSAs to drive home the importance of prevention and early detection.
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 18,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. Including Cancer Discovery, the AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. AACR journals represented 20 percent of the market share of total citations in 2009. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists.
