The 19th annual UMass Medicine Cancer Walk & Run surpassed its fundraising goal, bringing in $560,000 to support cancer research and treatment at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center. Organizers of the Sept. 24 event had hoped to raise $475,000. More than 8,000 people took part in honor of loved ones who have fought the disease, as well as to support the doctors who treat oncology patients and the scientists working toward a cure.
“We are so dependent on the community for fundraising and to help us support our mission in cancer research, teaching and clinical care,” said Michael Green, MD, PhD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the Lambi and Sarah Adams Chair in Genetic Research, chair and professor of molecular, cell, & cancer biology, and director of the UMass Medical School Cancer Center. “UMass is a powerhouse in basic research and in cancer research. We have one of the largest tenured faculties and are very well supported from federal funding point of view. We have everything from a Nobel Laureate to members of the National Academy of Science; we have some superstar cancer researchers.”
The largest single cancer fundraiser in Central Massachusetts, the event benefits highly specialized oncology care and individual patient care programs, in addition to groundbreaking research. To date, the event has raised more than $10 million to support cancer research, clinical trials and patient care.
