Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will launch the Biden Cancer Initiative, their new venture to continue the fight to make progress in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care, Monday at the Alexandria Center for Life Science.
The launch event is highlighted by Vice President and Dr. Biden joining members of the Biden Cancer Initiative Board of Directors for a conversation about the mission of the Initiative, the issues it will address, and the promise of what they hope to accomplish together. Prior to the event, Vice President and Dr. Biden will go live at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time on the Biden Cancer Initiative Facebook page to bring the news of this announcement to people around the world.
Biden Cancer Initiative Overview:
The Biden Cancer Initiative will develop and drive implementation of solutions to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, research and care, and to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes. Through the Biden Cancer Initiative, Vice President and Dr. Biden strengthen their commitment to inject a sense of urgency into our cancer research and care systems and reimagine how the government, academia, non-profits and the private sector can better organize their resources and systems to collaborate to take on cancer, with the patient as the focus. The Initiative will be a major convening force in driving new actions and collaborations toward ending cancer as we know it.
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden said of this new effort, ""Every minute, every day matters to patients and we must bring that same sense of urgency to cancer research and care systems…We are joining everyone who spends their days thinking about preventing cancer, about better understanding its biological basis, about bringing early detection and education to all communities, about developing new treatments and therapies, and about caring for patients and their families through some of the hardest days anyone faces. We are on your team. And we are proud to be working alongside you."
"I have had the privilege of caring for cancer patients for over two decades. For the first time in my career I can walk into a patient's room with a sense of hope and optimism. The tide is changing in the war on cancer, but not quickly enough. I am so excited to work with Vice President and Dr. Biden to make a meaningful impact against this disease," said Dr. David Agus, Professor of Medicine and Engineering, University of Southern California (USC); Founding Director and CEO, Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC and member of the Biden Cancer Initiative Board of Directors.
Announcement of Board of Directors:
The Biden Cancer Initiative will be guided by a Board of Directors co-chaired by Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden which includes world-renowned leaders and experts in the fields of medical research, patient care, information technology, finance, management, patient engagement, patient experience, and public policy.
Joining the Board of Directors are:
David B. Agus, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Engineering, University of Southern California (USC); Founding Director and CEO, Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC
Erin Andrews, FOX Sports' Lead NFL Sideline Reporter; Co-Host, ABC's Dancing
With The Stars
David G. Bradley, Chairman, Atlantic Media Company; Founder, Advisory Board Company; Founder, Corporate Advisory Board Company
Carol L. Brown, M.D., Director, Office of Diversity Programs in Clinical Care, Research, and Training, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Jimmy "Taboo" Gomez, Musician (Black Eyed Peas); Cancer Survivor
Julie Papanek Grant, M.B.A., M.Phil., Partner, Canaan Partners
Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., Deputy Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University
Howard Krein, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Director of Health Policy and Innovation, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Associate Professor, Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery, Microvascular Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University
Eric S. Lander, Ph.D., Director, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
Todd Park, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer
Gregory C. Simon, J.D., President, Biden Cancer Initiative
Kim Thiboldeaux, CEO, Cancer Support Community
Jeffrey Zients, former Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council
"The Biden Cancer Initiative offers people diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones hope that our nation's leaders truly recognize the urgency that ending cancer as we know it demands. I am humbled to be a part of this important Initiative, and committed to bringing the patient voice to inform all that the organization endeavors to achieve," said Kim Thiboldeaux, CEO, Cancer Support Community and member of the Biden Cancer Initiative Board of Directors.
"I was fortunate to have the chance to work with Vice President and Dr. Biden at the White House and to witness their incredible combination of leadership, heart, and dedication to serving the American people. I am thrilled to work with them on the Biden Cancer Initiative, which will continue the urgent fight for progress in cancer research and care," said Jeffrey Zients, former Director, National Economic Council and member of the Biden Cancer Initiative Board of Directors.