7/26/2012
National Brain Tumor Society mourns the loss of Dianne Traynor, co-founder of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Dianne along with her husband, Michael, who passed away in 2009, founded the Ride for Kids program in 1984 and began the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation in 1991. It grew to become a significant and impactful force against brain tumors, funding research to find the cause and cure of pediatric brain tumors.
Dianne and Mike were also influential in the establishment of the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States and provided early funding for the Society of Neuro-Oncology’s journal.
She was active as a patient advocate with the National Institute for Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS), the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Research Program, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and an advisor and reviewer of NCI-funded research programs, including the Patient Advocate Research Team for the NCI Brain Tumor SPORE program and the CARRA (Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities). At the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, an advocacy organization made up of nonprofits as well as medical and psychosocial professional organizations who have a focus on childhood cancer, Traynor was the first co-chair of the organization, representing the nonprofit membership.
The singularity of vision and drive of Diane Traynor was well known by those who co-labored with her in the field. She was generous, focused, and driven for the cause we all have dedicated ourselves. She will be greatly missed.
