Georgetown Lombardi Gala To Honor Washington Philanthropists, Cancer Advocates
Media Contact
Karen Teber
km463@georgetown.edu
WASHINGTON (April 1, 2024) — Two cancer advocates and a pair of dedicated philanthropists will be honored at the 36th Annual Lombardi Gala, an annual event dedicated to raising funds for Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Gala will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at The Anthem in Washington, DC.
Director’s Champion in Research Award
The 2024 recipients of the Director’s Champion in Research Award are Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, and Marlene A. Malek, RN. The award honors individuals whose philanthropy, leadership and advocacy have made transformative contributions to Georgetown Lombardi.
Sigal is the founder of Friends of Cancer Research and chairs its board of directors. Malek co-founded the organization and serves as the board’s vice chair. Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is a think tank and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. The organization drives collaboration among partners from every health care sector to power advances in science, policy and regulation that speed lifesaving treatments to patients. During the past 25 years, Friends has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of policies ensuring patients receive the best treatments in the fastest and safest way possible.
“Ellen is a longtime friend of Georgetown Lombardi and a genuine force in cancer advocacy,” said Louis M. Weiner, MD, director of Georgetown Lombardi. “Marlene is a former oncology nurse here at Georgetown whose effectiveness on behalf of cancer patients is inspirational. I’m so very pleased to recognize their incredible contributions that ultimately impact patients everywhere.”
Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award
The 2024 recipients of the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award are Scott LaGanga and Tim Lawrence. Named in honor of the late Washington philanthropist, the award is presented to remarkable individuals who embody and follow Margaret L. Hodges’ leadership spirit and pays tribute to sustained contributions of time, energy, financial resources and leadership.
The Gala’s planning committee chose LaGanga and Lawrence to honor their leadership in founding the Ruesch Center Golf Tournament and for their continuing dedication to the annual event. The tournaments in 2017 to 2023 raised $1.5 million for gastrointestinal cancer research and the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer, a part of Georgetown Lombardi.
“Georgetown Lombardi thrives because of friends like Scott and Tim,” said Weiner. “Philanthropy is the lifeblood of research, and through the golf tournament, Scott and Tim have expanded our community of friends and donors, and we’re so very grateful.”
Tickets for the Gala are available now. The Gala features the awards presentations, dinner, a cocktail reception, silent auction and much more. Proceeds from the Gala directly fund world-class research leading to clinical trials and innovative new treatments that change the lives of people with cancer.
-
Georgetown Lombardi Gala To Honor Washington Philanthropists, Cancer Advocates
Two cancer advocates and a pair of dedicated philanthropists will be honored at the 36th Annual Lombardi Gala, an annual event dedicated to raising funds for Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Category: News Release
-
Women’s History Month
Georgetown University kicks off Women's History month with a variety of events. Follow the full schedule of events to celebrate with a variety of local in-person to virtual options. A featured event
Category: CRTEC News
-
Black History Month Events at Georgetown
Explore the schedule of events in celebration of Black History Month.
Category: CRTEC News
-
Could a Georgetown Lab Finding Lead to New Treatment in Pancreatic Cancer?
For the first time, new research by Georgetown scientists shows potential to make immunotherapy effective in pancreatic cancer by combining it with a drug that makes cancer cells more responsive to immunotherapy. The research is now in a phase 2 clinical trial being tested in human patients.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
Staying Hands-on in Hope: For the Future of Pediatric Cancer Research (and Maybe a New Car)
The Hyundai Hands On Hope contest, generously sponsored by the Washington Area Hyundai Dealers, ran January 19 to 21 and featured healthy competition between Georgetown Lombardi and Children’s National.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
Understanding Immunotherapy Resistance Leads to New Therapeutic Strategies — and Hope
Samir Khleif, MD, an immunologist and professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi, is working to understand why some cancers become resistant to immunotherapy, and how that resistance can be overcome.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
Georgetown Lombardi Faculty Members Aim To Improve Lung Cancer Screening and Smoking Cessation Rates by Focusing on Equity in Care
Kathryn Taylor, PhD, professor of oncology, believes she can have no greater impact on reducing the burden of cancer than by focusing on the harms of tobacco use. The work she co-leads with Randi Williams, PhD, assistant professor of oncology, as part of the Lung Screening, Tobacco, and Health (LSTH) research lab at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is especially impactful on underserved communities, who are often the target of tobacco product marketing.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
Ruesch Center Symposium Focuses on Early-Onset GI Cancer
With an emphasis on early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, the 14th Annual Ruesch Center Symposium brought together nearly 300 health care providers, researchers, advocates, patients and caregivers November 16-18 to honor those dedicated to curing GI cancers, discuss the experiences of patients and caregivers, and share the latest research in the field.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
2023 Men’s Event Returns in Support of Cancer Research
More than 150 men gathered for the 23rd Annual Men’s Event to help raise money and awareness for cancer research in support of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Category: Lombardi Stories
-
Called To Be a Space Biologist, Postdoc Participates in Selective NASA Program
Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Geraldine Vitry, PhD, spent the first years of her educational career focused on human biology. A pivotal moment led her to her true passion, space biology. Now, a NASA program is putting her a step closer to realizing her goal of contributing to humans walking on Mars.
Category: Lombardi Stories