Volunteer Focus
Highlighting the Accomplishments of Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance Volunteers
The Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) was founded by volunteers and patient advocates, and breast cancer clinicians and researchers actively collaborating to increase knowledge of invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), also known as lobular breast cancer, and promote and fund ILC research. It is in this tradition that LBCA continues to recognize and encourage the continuing work of our organization’s volunteers by taking time each month to highlight individuals and groups of people whose work and advocacy are making a difference to those diagnosed with lobular breast cancer.
Thanks to every volunteer and patient advocate for the work you do. You are ensuring we fulfill our vision: A world in which lobular breast cancer is found early, treated effectively, and eradicated permanently.
Learn more about ways to volunteer with LBCA.
November 2024
This November, LBCA shines a spotlight on Dr. Sasha Stanton. We thank her for her commitment to ILC research and advocacy. Dr. Stanton is an MD, PHD at Providence Cancer Institute in Oregon, Project Lead instructor and a longtime friend to the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance. Dr. Stanton’s research focuses on understanding the tumor immune environment and developing vaccines for cancer prevention. We are grateful to Dr. Stanton for the generous gifts of her time and expertise–participating in our video released earlier this year encouraging breast cancer clinical trial participation, presenting an LBCA Lobular Breast Cancer Chat (webinar) on cancer immunology and helping develop our flyer on breast cancer types. We also appreciated her enthusiastic participation in our movement to declare October 15, 2024 and evermore – Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day. We appreciate her commitment to moving the field forward for lobular breast cancer research.
September 2024
This September we are thankful for the contributions of three Summer Interns LBCA worked with for 3 months from June to August who are students from Williams College in Massachusetts: Matthew Goldstein, a Dual Major in Sociology and Chemistry with a Concentration in Public Health; Kristen Shen a Political Science and Philosophy major; and Kami Israelski, a Biology Major with a Neuroscience Concentration in the Pre-Med track. Matthew, Kristen and Kami contributed to many projects during their time with LBCA including work on our monthly newsletter, social media, the FY2024 annual report, the October 15th campaign for the inaugural Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day as well as research for cultural outreach initiatives. We are thankful for their hard work and enthusiasm in supporting the cause to raise awareness about lobular breast cancer and increase the impact and efficiency of LBCA.
August 2024
This August, LBCA shines a spotlight on two patient advocates who have taken the initiative to volunteer to support others. Leslie Pifer-Pien and Jade Moran are members of a working group of advocates focused on those living with metastatic ILC. A number of months ago, when this group convened, their initial project was identifying available support resources, and bolstering those out there specifically focused on metastatic ILC. Out of this initiative came several partnership initiatives for NEW and specific support resources for those living with metastatic ILC. Specifically, SHARE Cancer Support was willing to support a new support group if LBCA could identify potential facilitators. Leslie and Jade stepped up and completed training to be ready to run a peer support group. LBCA is grateful for Leslie and Jade’s commitment to getting this group up and running and we are excited to see this group launch in September with our partner SHARE Cancer Support. More information on this virtual support group for those living with metastatic ILC can be found here. Thank you Leslie and Jade for supporting others facing this disease!
July 2024
This month we celebrate LBCA volunteer Jamie Giddens, who has raised over $5,000 to support LBCA this year through peer to peer fundraising. Jamie was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) in January 2024. In addition to the stress of receiving a cancer diagnosis, her stress was compounded with conflicting medical opinions for the type of surgery to have, need for additional surgeries, and the best drugs to take. The lack of consensus among the medical community deepened her desire to help promote ILC education and research. Her fundraising efforts included running over a half marathon every day through six weeks of radiation (30 treatments and 43 consecutive half marathons) to raise awareness for lobular breast cancer and to fundraise for the LBCA. We are thankful to Jamie for her dedication to raising awareness about lobular breast cancer during her own journey through ILC treatment.
June 2024
This month, LBCA wishes to recognize LBCA Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) member, and committed breast surgeon and researcher Dr. Rita Mukhtar. Dr. Mukhtar has been a member of the SAB since the early days of LBCA, and has been an active contributing member of this leadership group. Dr. Mukhtar graciously lends her time outside of SAB meetings to working with our advocate teams on the LBCA patient experience survey as well as other LBCA research initiatives. In her own research practice, Dr. Mukhtar has shined the light on the disparities among research on ILC, particularly with respect to the use of RECIST criteria for clinical trial eligibility, and has recently launched a registry study at UCSF titled, Improving Survival for Metastatic Lobular Breast Cancer (PLUMB Registry). The PLUMB Registry will be studying the use of serial liquid biopsies for evaluating metastatic ILC and will hopefully be opening at other sites across the United States in the coming months. We thank Dr. Mukhtar for her support of LBCA, her collaborative nature, and for her commitment to making the improvement of outcomes for individuals with ILC a priority.
May 2024
This May, we celebrate Kathleen Moss. Kathleen joined LBCA as a volunteer leader of the LBCA Local Advocacy Team (LAT) initiative in the Fall of 2023. Kathleen brings a compassionate nature and inclusive spirit to her work with newly formed LATs and to those who aspire to form a LAT in their local region. She has been a perfect addition to the LBCA team for this endeavor as she is thoughtful, transparent, and supportive. Kathleen has been nimble in this new volunteer role, and has brought great energy and enthusiasm to the development of this important new volunteer advocacy opportunity available through LBCA, which allows advocates to identify advocacy and educational opportunities in their local communities. We are so grateful for all of Kathleen’s contributions in the short time she has been supporting this work. Kathleen graduated from Project LEAD in 2023 and we are honored to be able to partner with her on her advocacy journey.
April 2024
It’s Global Volunteer Appreciation Month! LBCA’s volunteers are changing the world for others with lobular breast cancer. LBCA is grateful for the important work our volunteers contribute towards the mission to eradicate lobular breast cancer and for their passionate advocacy for all who are facing an ILC diagnosis.
Learn more about the progress made by LBCA volunteers over the past year in a letter of thanks from Chief Operating Officer and Volunteer Coordinator, Mason Mitchell-Daniels.
March 2024
This March, LBCA shines a spotlight on LBCA volunteer Judy McDevitt. Judy has been engaged with LBCA since 2020 when she reached out with an interest in spreading the word about ILC. Since then, she joined and became an active member of the initial LBCA Patient Advocate Advisory Board (PAAB) group, and always did what she could to share news about LBCA and support LBCA’s fundraising efforts. Last year Judy took the next step and joined LBCA’s Board of Directors, helping to ensure the overall fiscal health and direction of the organization. Judy and her family have engaged in advocacy by sharing a special mother’s day video about the impact of ILC on their family, and Judy and her husband, Bob, have committed to support a communications focused school-year long internship at LBCA. We are so grateful for Judy’s commitment to the vision and mission of LBCA and for all of her contributions over the years.
February 2024
This February 2024, LBCA highlights two committed ILC researchers, Drs. Patrick Derksen and Peter Simpson and their extraordinary effort summarizing the basic science sessions of the ILC Symposium in September in a presentation as part of the ILC Symposium Highlights Webinar, which was recorded in November 2023 and can be viewed here (3:37- 33:15). While the science and explaining it in lay terms may come easily to them, because Dr. Derksen is located in Europe, and Dr. Simpson is located in Australia, it is not always easy for them to come together and participate in recording sessions such as these. We appreciate that they have always cheerfully participated no matter whether it is late at night or the wee hours of the morning. We thank them for their dedication to furthering our understanding of ILC basic science and predictors of ILC recurrence through their work in the lab, and for their commitment to working with LBCA, no matter what the time.
January 2024
This January we focus our appreciation on Dr. Kathy Krantz, an active LBCA volunteer since early 2023. Dr. Krantz jumped right into her volunteer role as a member of the Board of Directors as well as being an active participant on the volunteer Research and Advocacy Committee. Kathy brings her career experience as a clinician and in the health care industry to her work as a patient advocate and volunteer with LBCA. Kathy’s analytic nature and commitment to moving the field forward has made her a wonderful addition to the team. Kathy has been an active participant at recent conferences and coordinated a wonderful fundraising event which brought her love of singing and her commitment to LBCA together in October. We thank Kathy for all of her contributions.
December 2023
As 2023 comes to a close, LBCA wishes to thank former LBCA Board of Directors Member Dr. Ramlah Nehring for her service to the organization. Dr. Nehring joined the Board of Directors as one of the inaugural members in 2021. Dr. Nehring assisted LBCA as it launched as an independent 501(c)3 organization by lending her business expertise and background in research throughout her consistent and positive participation in Board of Directors activities. Dr. Nehring also shared her love of science in an excellent overview of the basic science of cancer for an LBCA Advocate Chat titled: Introduction to Cancer Basic Science and Immunology. We thank Dr. Nehring for all of her support and her contributions to LBCA and wish her the best of luck with all of her future endeavors.
November 2023
Pranav Popat is our honored volunteer for November. Pranav is committed to helping end lobular breast cancer since both his grandmother and mother were diagnosed with ILC. He says he reached out to LBCA because every woman who was dear to him in his life has been diagnosed with breast cancer. With a background in finance, he thought he could be helpful in LBCA’s development work. Since the summer, Pranav’s efforts to help LBCA raise funds for our mission have grown exponentially. He has been giving generously financially and of his time. He became a recurring gift donor and then worked with our development team to create a list of people in his personal network to whom he appealed, explaining the issues with ILC and the need for more research. Pranav is kind, thoughtful, and invested in learning about nonprofit fundraising. While he has already helped us raise a significant amount of money to support our mission, he keeps telling us that he “is just getting started.” We are grateful for all that Pranav is doing and that he has made working to eradicate ILC his cause.
October 2023
In October, LBCA put the volunteer spotlight on LBCA Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) member Dr. Rachel Jankowitz. Dr. Jankowitz has been a consistent presence since the early days of the SAB. In addition to having an active clinical practice and being the director of the Rena Rowan Breast Cancer at the Penn Abramson Cancer Center, Dr. Jankowitz took an early supporting role as a member of the LBCA Board of Directors when LBCA launched as an independent 501(c)3 organization in 2022. Dr. Jankowitz offers her time and expertise in reviewing patient-facing materials that LBCA produces, and she is an active member in SAB discussions about how to move the field forward. We thank Dr. Jankowitz for her many contributions to LBCA.
September 2023
Irene Jamieson was LBCA’s Volunteer Focus for September. Irene joined the Patient Advocate Advisory Board (PAAB) during the group’s inaugural year and immediately volunteered to serve as the chair of this group, which is committed to ensuring that the patient voice is at the core of LBCA’s work. Irene has served in this position for the past two years. She regularly shares her input and personal patient perspective and assists with agenda development and meeting facilitation. As chair, she also engages members during, and at times, outside of the meetings, and is always one to pitch in and help in other ways. We are fortunate that Irene has offered to continue in this role for another year. We thank Irene for her commitment to raising awareness about and advancing understanding of ILC, for her kind nature, and for all the ways she continues to support LBCA’s mission and vision.
August 2023
In August we honored the contributions to LBCA and ILC research of Dr. Rinath Jeselsohn, outgoing chair of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Since joining the SAB just over a year ago and immediately taking on the role of chair, Dr. Jeselsohn’s work with the SAB has been inspirational. She helped the SAB assess priority areas of action and the best ways that members might collaborate in promoting them. Under her guidance, several subcommittees were formed and scientists outside of the SAB were invited to join members in exploring potential options for collaboration on key ILC research initiatives. She then led the discussion with SAB members about which subcommittee work has the most potential and should continue. Dr. Jeselsohn has given generously of her time and ideas while also managing a busy clinical practice and a research lab. She provided thoughtful input to many of the helpful documents for patients and surveys that LBCA created and disseminated this year. She also co-authored a letter LBCA sent to breast cancer programs nationwide urging them to provide people diagnosed with lobular breast cancer specific information about ILC and LBCA and the resources we offer. We thank Dr. Jeselsohn for her continued support and commitment.
July 2023
In July, we celebrated Janice Axelrod. She is a founding member of LBCA and serves as our volunteer research and communications officer and the vice chair of the Patient Advocate Advisory Board. A retired gynecologic oncologist, Janice brings her clinical background, her personal experience as an individual who has been diagnosed with ILC, and her generosity and sensitivity to all of her volunteer efforts. Janice is involved with many advocacy efforts related to ILC and is able to synthesize the stories and challenges she knows individuals face to assist LBCA to meet the needs of constituents across the spectrum. Janice is always willing to take the lead in drafting patient facing resources, such as Questions for My Doctor and Frequently Asked Questions, and is an active member of the Research and Advocacy Committee serving as an author on LBCA’s survey studies and abstracts for conferences. We value Janice’s numerous contributions to LBCA immensely and are happy to honor her this month.
June 2023
June marked the end of the LBCA Fiscal Year, and we acknowledged Rob Oakes, LBCA treasurer and member of our Board of Directors. Rob joined LBCA early on as a volunteer to lend his accounting and management expertise when we were planning our launch as an independent 501(c)(3) charity. Rob is an accountant by training and a certified public accountant, holds a Masters in Business Administration, and has worked in a number of accounting, strategic planning, management, and consulting roles. He is a senior principal at the global consulting firm Slalom, where he has consulted with many organizations on matters such as organizational design, process improvement, financial management and reporting, project management, and enterprise systems. As a volunteer member of the Board of Directors, Rob works closely with LBCA staff on budget development, monthly budget reconciliations, and the development of financial controls and documentation. LBCA wishes to thank Rob for sharing his expertise and good humor with us on a regular basis. We appreciate all he has contributed and continues to contribute to our growing organization.
May 2023
In May we took the opportunity to highlight the volunteer efforts of Gitte Joergensen. Gitte became involved with LBCA in 2020. From the beginning, she was eager to learn more about research advocacy and has participated in many trainings on the science of breast cancer and the numerous ways she could engage in research advocacy. This includes LBCA Advocate Chats, the National Breast Cancer Coaltion Project LEAD program, and the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Grant Reviewer training program. She is an active member of LBCA’s Research and Advocacy Committee, Patient Advocate Advisory Board, Outreach Committee, and she represents LBCA on the Global Lobular Breast Cancer Advocate Coalition. Gitte travelled as a patient advocate to the 2022 International ILC Symposium and has been an author on LBCA posters presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Always willing to lend a hand on projects, we want to thank Gitte for the gift of her time and energy to advocate for ILC and breast cancer research. We are honored to work with her.
April 2023
April is Global Volunteer Month, so we focused on the contributions that ALL of our volunteers make to support LBCA’s crucial work. We are honored to work with all of these individuals who are so passionately committed to the field of lobular breast cancer and lobular breast cancer research. We are fortunate to have so many people committed to moving the field forward for all affected by invasive lobular carcinoma. We thank each and every one of our volunteers for all of their contributions as we work for a world where lobular is identified early, treated effectively, and eradicated permanently. Thanks for all you do! Read more about our volunteers.
March 2023
In March we recognized several members of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) for their volunteer efforts that go beyond their LBCA volunteer work and their professional roles of clinicians and researchers. In the fall of 2022, Drs. Jason Mouabbi and Gary Ulaner participated in a committee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) to develop the recently released Appropriate Use Criteria for the novel flouroestrodiol PET (FES PET). This AUC is used by referring and imaging physicians and insurance companies on the effective use of this nuclear imaging modality, which has important implications for patients with ILC. We also wish to acknowledge SAB member Dr. Maxine Jochelson, who worked with the Society of Breast Imagers (SBI) and LBCA to review drafts of a survey study of breast imagers on ILC and imaging. We thank these busy professionals for helping to raise awareness about ILC and furthering research and advances in practice that support individuals affected by this sneaky breast cancer.
February 2023
In February we acknowledged the efforts of Hannah Dubb, a sophomore at Williams College who served as LBCA’s communication intern during January. During her internship, Hannah worked on a variety of projects. This included writing articles and creating graphics for our January newsletter and editing our inaugural Annual Report. Hannah also learned how to use an online graphic design tool to create a suite of visuals to be used across our social media platforms in the coming months. Additionally, Hannah shared her research skills with LBCA that will help with ongoing activities that could help raise future awareness for lobular breast cancer. Finally, Hannah tried her hand at scripting several public service announcements that we hope to use in the future. While Hannah was with LBCA for a short time, her impact will last much longer. We extend a heartfelt thank you to Hannah.
January 2023
In January LBCA featured Joe Hutcheson. Joe is an attorney and an MBA who has applied his legal and business expertise in helping LBCA since May 2020 when his spouse and lobular breast cancer survivor, Laurie, became LBCA’s executive director. Joe was key in assisting Laurie identify and take the steps needed for LBCA to spin off from its fiscal sponsor and become an independent charity. Though his past work was in the for-profit sector, Joe has been exceptionally helpful in researching and assisting LBCA leadership to understand the requirements and parameters of being a nonprofit. His activities included developing materials to enable LBCA to file for incorporation, establishing by-laws and a board of directors, developing human resources and other policies, and selecting and establishing contracts with vendors, including those that assist LBCA with bookkeeping, payroll, insurance, and other consulting services. With Joe’s help, LBCA received tax exempt status in November 2021 and was set up to be able to solicit donations in every state and contract with organizations to start awarding ILC research grants. Joe always helps LBCA with good humor and thoughtfulness. Since LBCA became independent in January 2022, Joe has served as the volunteer secretary for the LBCA Board of Directors, has provided pro bono legal counsel, and helps with development activities. We are grateful for Joe and would not be where we are without him.
December 2022
In December we focused on Julia Katherine Levine. She is an LBCA founding advocate, a Patient Advocate Advisory Board member, and our lead research advocate and publications/clinical trials curator. Julia is a dedicated volunteer and an integral part of the LBCA team. She continuously works on projects that support the goals of the organization. In the past month this included: curating, reviewing and coordinating LBCA Scientific Advisory Board member vetting of 40+ new research articles for our ILC Publications Library. Additionally, Julia serves as a representative for LBCA in our collaborations with the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA) and other organizations such as breastcancertrials.org and the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (Count Me In). This month she attended SABCS 2022 and presented updates about LBCA during MBCA’s Lightning Round talks. She was also a poster co-author on LBCA’s survey about metastatic ILC. She is currently taking part in talks with LBCA and SEER on urging posting of data by subtype and encouraging reporting of metastatic recurrences. We thank Julia for her continued contributions to LBCA and for helping it be the organization it is today.
November 2022
November’s focus featured Daneen Huddart who kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month by holding a fundraising event for LBCA at her home. Daneen had wanted to do this fundraiser for a few years. Daneen lives on Secret Lake, so she felt her home was a fitting setting for an event focused on lobular breast cancer – “the sneaky, secret breast cancer” as she calls it. In early summer, Daneen gathered a group of friends and family to help with planning, and they put together an evening of fun, food, music, and fundraising on October 1. To accommodate those who might not be able to attend, she also started a Facebook fundraiser so they could support her efforts virtually. Daneen raised nearly $5,000! Daneen admits it was a lot of work, but she would definitely do it again and will continue to help raise funds for LBCA in any way she can. We thank Daneen for all of her efforts hosting this successful fundraiser.
October 2022
In October, LBCA was pleased to put the focus on a collection of lobular breast cancer researchers and ILC patient advocates who made Highlights of the 2022 Joint International ELBCC/Lobsterpot & LBCA Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) Symposium a success. This virtual event allowed participants to hear presentations on the key aspects of the ILC science in lay terms that were presented during the in-person ILC Symposium this past June. First, Dr. George Sflomos presented basic ILC research. This was followed by Dr. Karen Van Baelen who discussed translational research and LBCA Scientific Advisory Board member Dr. Rita Mukhtar who presented clinical research. ILC patient advocates Claire Turner and Siobhan Freeney helped in planning the session, and Claire was a co-moderator. It is only with these types of collaborations between ILC researchers and advocates that LBCA is able to hold these kinds of events and educate people about ILC. We thank them for their time and effort.
September 2022
The summer months were busy for LBCA volunteer Ann Camden. After helping other LBCA research advocate volunteers to develop a patient experience survey on metastatic lobular breast cancer, Ann was focusing on two other projects. First, she provided input on and developed a first draft of a one-page document raising awareness of breast cancer subtypes and how they all need focused research if we are to eradicate breast cancer. Ann is now in the process of drafting a letter about lobular breast cancer that will be used in our outreach to breast cancer program leadership at cancer centers across the country. In addition, Ann routinely gives feedback to our efforts as part of our Patient Advocacy Advisory Board. We thank Ann for her many contributions to LBCA.
August 2022
LBCA Scientific Advisory Board members are our ambassadors in the scientific community and also help us provide current information about ILC research and clinical trials effectively and in lay terms. In August we recognized Scientific Advisors Megan Kruse, MD, and Matthew Sikora, PhD, for their work on this summer’s Advocate Chat series. LBCA’s Advocate Chat provides people with a way to learn more about different aspects of patient advocacy. On July 6, Dr. Kruse discussed one of her own scientific posters and shared how research ideas come to be, how advocates can get the most out of conferences and presentations, and how to read and understand research posters. On July 20, Dr. Sikora spent time with ILC patient advocates discussing what basic laboratory research is, who works in the lab, how research is funded, and ways advocates can partner with researchers. We thank Drs. Kruse and Sikora for sharing their time and knowledge with us!
July 2022
In July we shined the spotlight on volunteer Harry Hope, a media studies and production major at Temple University. Harry offered his video editing skills to help the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) in its advocacy efforts. His first project was an important one, editing LBCA’s Cancer Moonshot video, which shared how invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) research has been left behind and how in the case of ILC diagnoses, so many individuals are still being diagnosed at later stages and/or when their tumors are larger or metastatic. When completed, the video was uploaded to the White House’s Cancer Moonshot portal and placed on LBCA’s website and YouTube channel. We thank Harry for making this video come to life. This video has nearly 1,200 views on YouTube in just a month’s time and is our second most watched video.
June 2022
June’s focus was on two Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) members involved in the 2022 ILC Symposium and Summer School. Patrick Derksen, PhD, and Dr. Otto Metzger, MD, represented LBCA as part of the organizing committee for the event that took place in Utrecht, Netherlands on June 20-21. The symposium brought together ILC researchers and patient advocates from around the world to learn the latest information about ongoing lobular breast cancer research and ways to better collaborate with each other. Dr. Derksen is also co-chair of the European Lobular Breast Cancer Consortium (ELBCC), which hosted the event. We thank them and everyone involved in putting this conference together. Learn more about the event, including the agenda and a complete list of organizers and speakers.
May 2022
In May we acknowledged a small group of committed volunteers who shared their time, experience, and expertise to develop a patient experience survey on metastatic invasive lobular carcinoma (mILC). This anonymous survey will be released in June and responses will be used to raise awareness about the experiences of patients with mILC, and the critical need for more research. We thank our survey working group members: Janice Axelrod, Ann Camden, Tracy Cushing, Donna Charlevoix, Theresa Langdon, Julia Levine, Christine McKay, and Barb Neilsen for their dedication to this effort! We also thank our Scientific Advisors who have reviewed and provided comments on the survey as well.
