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TOUCHEDBYTEAL™ Quarterly Newsletter / Volume 2 / Summer 2024
WHAT’S INSIDE Heroes of Teal 2 Thanks to You: Check #2 5 Save the Date & Sign Up Now! 7 Once again, thank you for being a friend, donor and supporter of the Barbara T. Foundation. Our work to leverage 100% of our funding toward accelerating the prevention, detection and cure of Ovarian Cancer is going strong. If it’s been a while since you’ve given and you still seek to make this a core target for your philanthropic giving, click here. Be well and have a wonderful summer. Sincerely, Jay Co-Founder and Member | Barbara T Foundation As we move toward warmer days, the Barbara T. Foundation wanted to reach out and update you on the impact your support is having in the fight against Ovarian Cancer. The focus of this newsletter is on some of the incredible people at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper in a new (and we hope regular) section titled Heroes of Teal. First, you’ll encounter Dr. David P. Warshal, Head of Gynecological Oncology at MD Anderson and then Dr. Christina S. Chu – a doctor who, from an early age, knew she wanted to become a caregiver. You’ll also hear about some of the amazing research at MD Anderson as we continue to fight for an end to Ovarian Cancer. Importantly, we’ll also share ways you can be involved in the fight through some upcoming events you won’t want to miss.
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HEROES
OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS It is with much gratitude that we are partnered with many local businesses that join us in our mission to fund Ovarian Cancer Research!
of TEAL
Meet Dr. David P. Warshal “The patients. That’s my favorite part of the job,” says David P. Warshal, MD, FACOG. “They’re wonderful and you get the opportunity to help them in so many different ways.” At first, Dr. Warshal thought those
“Dale Corp is proud to provide financial and resource support to the Barbara T. Ferraro Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.” Dale corporation is a precision- quality general contractor, construction management and development consulting firm with a unique collaborative approach to serving clients and
patients would be the young – he was poised to become a pediatrician when he entered Penn State University’s College of Medicine. “I had loved being a [summer] camp counselor, and I found out quickly that it was nothing like being a camp counselor,” he said with a chuckle.
renowned for the diversity and quality of its portfolio.
Dr. Warshal’s program had a strong pioneering gynecological oncology “amalgam” of surgical and medical practice that was creating greater efficiencies leading to better care for patients. “By putting those two elements together, there was an environment more conducive to patient care that also built stronger relationships,” he said. As the head of the Division of Gynecological Oncology at MD Anderson at Cooper, Dr. Warshal continues this path that shaped him so early in his practice. He savors working hard for his patients, discerning the therapies or surgery they need, performing those surgeries and journeying alongside them. In situations where patients are not responding to care, he says the biggest challenge is trying to balance longevity with quality of life.
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OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS
“I think back to my care of Barbara [T. Ferraro]. You know, Barbara and Jay continued to travel during her illness. They did things that resulted in a good quality of life for Barbara over that time,” he said. “In response to that, we personalized an approach for her that built in regimens just for her. This individualized fine tuning to the patient is important, but alongside all the clinical pieces, it can be very challenging and heartbreaking when it’s clear a patient isn’t responding.” DR. WARSHAL WAS PREPARING FOR HIS VOCATION FROM A YOUNG AGE. “My father wanted all his children to become doctors, and I was the one who bit. I was drawn to science, and I used to awaken at 6:00 a.m. and watch a show called Sunrise Semester. It was produced by New York University,” he said. “I was nine, but it really appealed to me. While the rest of the family slept, I would watch it – there was always something that caught my interest. It influenced my aspirations for medical school.” Sunrise Semester was one of the first examples of distance learning and featured lecturers across many NYU for-credit courses on an array of academic subjects. The young man who watched it has grown into a physician who has a deep and abiding passion for the team he leads at Cooper. He believes each one is valuing their patients as individuals and considers them to be family. “Everyone is so dedicated to what they do,” he said. “As a division head, it’s wonderful and it’s a pleasure working with such dedicated people. I think that makes a major difference to our patient.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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and its 100% commitment to eradicating this disease.” Burns Design Group specializes in brand strategy, brand identity, and brand experience solutions for educational institutions, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. BDG creates and oversees brands that stand the test of time.
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Meet Dr. Christina S. Chu As a child, Dr. Christina Chu, MD, FACOG witnessed caregiving first-hand – from her parents to her grandparents. Specifically, her grandmother was diabetic. “As a little girl, I watched with horrible fascination at how my parents would prepare insulin in syringes for my grandmother and make sure her glucose levels were acceptable,” said Dr. Chu. “Diabetic care has come a long way, but at that time, it was still intense. My grandmother eventually had a leg amputated.” Her grandmother also didn’t speak English, and Dr. Chu once witnessed an intern on a visit to the doctor demand that a translator speak directly to her grandmother in her native Mandarin rather than exclusively communicating Dr. Chu’s mother (as if her grandmother weren’t there).
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“It was a moment where I saw what care could do: suddenly my family felt truly seen. It inspired me about my future and what it meant for me to potentially care for patients and families.” Dr. Chu attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Her residency was in Obstetrics and Gynecology. “I had received advice that getting through a rotation you didn’t want early was a
wise thing to do, so I decided Obstetrics and Gynecology would be first” she said. “The problem was I fell in love with it. I loved delivering babies and working with mothers. Ultimately, I wanted to be a part of helping people with disease get better, so I focused on Gynecologic Oncology.”
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THANKS TO YOU: CHECK #2 We have successfully raised a second round of funding that totaled $50,000 – for a total of $100,000 within the first year – which we have distributed to MD Anderson Cancer Center to continue their research. As discussed above, we hope to reach another funding milestone that will equip us to help them
More than two decades later, after practicing and teaching at Penn and serving at Temple University’s Fox Chase Cancer Center, Dr. Chu made the move to MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. “I’m so excited about the level of care we can bring to an area of New Jersey that hasn’t had as much access,” said Dr. Chu. “My focus is on gynecologic care that my patients can truly feel and appreciate. Between our research and approach to care, we have a dynamic and amazing team that is doing cutting-edge work.” The word care emerges often in conversation with Dr. Chu. She’s quick to point out that in women’s cancer care, it’s not just about prescribing surgery, chemotherapy or pain management, another therapy, or even a psychiatrist or psychologist when patients grow anxious or depressed. These elements don’t happen in a vacuum – they must be handled with care. “As we fight to end Ovarian Cancer, there is still the hard path of those who are on the journey with it,” she said. “We want to create a community where those individuals have the support they need – that felt sense of overall care. That’s what we’re building.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
accelerate their NFR2 and KEAP1 mitigation efforts. Want to help right now? Click here!
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Research at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper Barbara T. Foundation Co-Founder/Member Jay Ferraro went on-site to meet Dr. Chu and the research team at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, including Dr. Nadir Ahmad and Dr. Helen Toma.
Dr. Toma took a few minutes to meet me as she is amid active research,” said Jay. “She was excited to see me as she was on Dr. David Warshal’s team when Barbara was going through treatments and remembered Barbara and me. She was amazed to find out that our foundation was funding the research she was doing. She was also moved to be a part of Barbara’s medical team, and she felt proud to still be a part of Barbara’s fight to end Ovarian Cancer.
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On the visit, Dr. Chu and Dr. Ahmad detailed the importance of the current research focus and discussed its progress. In short, research is targeted toward the NRF2 and KEAP1 genes, and how to stop them from allowing a cancer cell to become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments. MD Anderson has found that during treatment, cancer cells generate higher levels of the NFR2 and KEAP1 genes that produce a substance that surrounds the chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy that is attacking the cell, killing and thereby rendering it useless – ineffective. The research the Barbara T. Foundation is funding targets the NRF2 and KEAP1 genes to kill both, allowing opportunity for the chemo/immunotherapies to kill the cancer cells.
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This approach has FDA pre-approval for use in treatments once the research has passed all the protocols. Our foundation has committed to issue additional funding for resources that will
fast-track this research and so that the treatment might potentially help countless women currently seeking hope in the battle against Ovarian Cancer . SAVE THE DATE & SIGN UP NOW! As we continue our work to accelerate the prevention, detection of, and a cure for Ovarian Cancer, here are key events to keep in mind and get involved in: September 14 The Second Annual Touched by Teal Gala to Fight Ovarian Cancer September 26
November 9 The Touched by Teal Run for the Cure 5k & Hero Walk Starting in Hulmeville,
By popular demand, we’ll once again gather at Bella Tori at the Mansion in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, for a Taste of Tuscany and a meaningful evening of food, drink and sharing around the journey of Ovarian Cancer and our fight to end it. Tickets are already moving at a brisk pace. Get yours today!
Pennsylvania, the Touched by Teal Run for the Cure will feature a four-borough race and walk that will pass through
Our golf outing will take place at the Makefield Highlands Golf Club in Yardley, Pennsylvania. It will include a round of golf, a box lunch, contests and prizes and conclude with cocktails and dinner. Registration is at noon. The format is a scramble with a shotgun start that will get underway at 1:00
the Hulmeville, Penndel, Langhorne Manor and
Langhorne boroughs . Whether you’re an elite runner, middle of-the-packer or walker, this will be an inspiring and fund event. And of course, 100% of registration fees will go toward Ovarian Cancer Research. Sign up now!
p.m. Dinner and awards will begin at 5:00 p.m. Join us!
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