11/26/2008
NBTS gives more than $4.5 million in brain tumor research grants for 2008
"From the Bench to the Bedside": NBTS Gives $4.5 Million to Brain Tumor Research and Continues Commitment to Patient Services
In November 2008, the National Brain Tumor Society celebrated its official debut with an Annual Meeting in Boston. The evening was a celebration with a remarkable group of champions for the brain tumor community, including researchers, donors and their families, along with the NBTS Board of Directors and NBTS staff members.
The Co-Chairs of the NBTS Board of Directors, Mary Catherine Calisto and Allison Jones Thomson, formally introduced the brain tumor community to the National Brain Tumor Society – formed in mid-2008 through the merger of the Brain Tumor Society (based near Boston) and National Brain Tumor Foundation (based in San Francisco). Co-Chair Thomson summed up the past year in the organization as consisting "as much of potential energy as kinetic energy."
BTS and NBTF legacy organizations previously collaborated on a needs assessment survey for the brain tumor community. The key findings will be released next year. Sharon Lamb, RN, a member of both the NBTS Board of Directors and the Board's Patient Services Committee spoke of the hope of future directions in programs and the current sobering reality: "Fewer than 10% of patients can access a BT specific support group. Many find themselves with a 'splintered team' and shorter visit times, and then leave their doctors' offices uncertain of next steps."
NBTS is now the largest nonprofit organization that funds critical research for therapies – moving them from the lab to clinical trial, or "from the bench to the bedside" – and provides essential support services to brain tumor patients, survivors, families, researchers, and medical professionals. As a leader within the brain tumor community, NBTS rededicated itself to sustaining valuable programs of the two legacy organizations and revitalizing them for the present – and the future.
In its continued efforts to move brain tumor research more aggressively down the pipeline, NBTS was pleased to announce more than $4.5 million in research grants for 2008. This funding supports basic and translational research on both adult and pediatric tumor types, as well as quality of life, epidemiology, and pre-clinical and clinical investigations.
NBTS expressed its gratitude for the continued support and dedication of the friends of the brain tumor community. The Board of Directors also recognized the late Richard B. Ross with the Roche Family Award for Exceptional Volunteering. His family was honored to accept the award on his behalf. Mr. Ross was a founding member of the legacy Brain Tumor Society Board of Directors, and his family honored his memory in April 2008 at a gala that raised more than $1.5 million.
The NBTS Annual Meeting ended with a resounding message of progress and hope. Research grant award winners and research donors alike were greeted with a standing ovation from the more than 120 attendees.
