News

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is excited to announce a partnership with leading lung cancer patient advocacy group, the EGFR Resisters. This multi-year partnership will kick off on June 6, National Cancer Survivors Day, in a joint effort in 2021 to fund research related to EGFR positive lung cancer.

People with EGFR positive lung cancer represent a significant number of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. Approximately 10-15% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the United States and 35% in Asia have an EGFR positive mutation. In the U.S., more than 20,000 people are diagnosed with EGFR positive lung cancer each year. Although there has been an increase in progression-free survival in patients due to targeted therapy with EGFR TKIs (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, commonly known as TKIs), the cancer eventually develops acquired resistance which means more research is desperately needed.

Hear LCRF Scientific Advisory Board chair Dr. Katerina Politi explain why this research is so important:

LCRF has a history of funding important work related to EGFR, including that of Dr. Matthew Meyerson from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, whose early work, funded through LCRF, led his group to discover the EGFR mutations in lung cancer, which set the stage for the field of genome-targeted therapy.

The goal of the EGFR Resisters is to improve outcomes for people with EGFR positive lung cancer by accelerating research. Their ultimate objective is changing EGFR positive lung cancer into a manageable chronic disease.

“We are thrilled to work with the EGFR Resisters,” said Dennis Chillemi, LCRF Executive Director. “Partnering with this extraordinary group no doubt allows us to better understand this particular mutation and acquired resistance to first-line therapy for these patients. We are confident that this partnership will accelerate research discovery and save lives.”

NEW YORK, June 2, 2021 – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to welcome two new members of its Board of Directors, Colleen Conner Ziegler and Bruce Dunbar.

Colleen Conner Ziegler has recently joined the LCRF Board of Directors. She is a lung cancer survivor and active patient advocate, diagnosed in May 2015 at the age of 58 with Stage IV ALK positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. She began, and is currently receiving, Alectinib as her first line of treatment and recognizes that research has made her treatment possible.

After a 22-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Conner Ziegler served in a variety of community-focused endeavors, including service on several Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards. Her primary focus prior to her diagnosis was on children’s education as well as woman’s health issues.

Following her lung cancer diagnosis, she turned her focus to lung cancer advocacy. Her advocacy work includes:

• Founding member of Life and Breath (LAB), a grass root lung cancer organization, with the goal of raising awareness of lung cancer as well as funding for research
• Founding member of ALKFusion, a patient driven organization whose vision is to initiate and support patient-centric research
• Currently active ALKFusion representative, Lung Cancer Action Network member, LCRF Strategic Plan Taskforce member
• Participated in the Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program
• Volunteered with the Lungevity Peer-to-Peer mentor program that connects newly diagnosed patients with a mentor to guide them through their diagnosis and treatment
• Participated in patient focused videos and print materials on lung cancer diagnosis, advocacy and living with lung cancer and Genentech’s ALK Positivity Project
• Volunteered with GO2 Foundation’s annual Voices Summit
• Co-authored and presented Patient Advocacy poster at the 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer, Barcelona, Spain

Ms. Conner Ziegler lives in Rochester, New York with her husband, Tom, and their daughter Taya.

Bruce Dunbar has joined the LCRF Board after being involved with the organization since his diagnosis with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in 2017.  As a direct beneficiary of lung cancer research, Mr. Dunbar is an active advocate for further efforts to improve screening, detection and treatment.  In addition to his involvement with LCRF, he serves as a Consumer Reviewer for the Lung Cancer Program of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program and advocates for federal funding for lung cancer research through the GO2 Foundation’s annual Voices Summit.

Mr. Dunbar’s career spans more than 30 years in a variety of corporate communications, marketing and advertising roles including serving as Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Communications for OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and Managing Director, Head of Wealth Management Communications, for Morgan Stanley.  He also held senior client advisory roles at Teneo and Finsbury, Glover, Herrington and is currently a partner in communications advisor Coppertop Media.

Mr. Dunbar received an AB in History from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business.

“We are delighted to welcome both Ms. Conner Ziegler and Mr. Dunbar to the LCRF Board of Directors,” says Dennis Chillemi, Executive Director. “Their patient experience, passion for research, personal philanthropy, and many connections within the lung cancer community will bring a more diverse perspective to LCRF as we continue to bring hope to the lung cancer community through research.”

To learn more about LCRF and its Board of Directors, visit www.LCRF.org/board.