SPRING 2026 • XLII EDITION TURNING CONNECTION INTO PROGRESS
JAMIE FORBECK COLLINS FORBECK FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In the spring of 2025, Forbeck Scholar Lisa Sudmeier, MD, PhD, introduced me to Helaine Bader. Helaine’s son, Theo, died at age 17 from leptomeningeal cancer, a form of brain cancer. Like the Forbeck family, Helaine and her family have taken unimaginable loss and transformed it into action. She is determined to raise awareness of leptomeningeal cancer and accelerate progress for every family facing this devastating diagnosis. That determination is now catalyzing scientific collaboration.
Through Lisa’s introduction and Helaine’s perseverance, the Forbeck Foundation and the Leptomeningeal Cancer Foundation will partner to convene a Forum dedicated to advancing understanding and treatment of the disease. Helaine connected with Adrienne Boire, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a past participant of the Foundation’s Cellular Reprogramming and Metastatic Disease Forum, and together they submitted a proposal to bring leading experts together to focus on this urgent challenge. The Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board responded with resoundingly positive feedback, recognizing both the scientific opportunity and the urgency of the moment. “Recent observations, together with advances in liquid biopsy analytics, large-scale multimodal data computational approaches, and increasing prevalence of leptomeningeal metastasis create an unparalleled opportunity for rapid advances in understanding for leptomeningeal cancer.”
ADRIENNE BOIRE, MD, PHD OF MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
We believe meaningful progress happens when scientists, non-profit organizations and families work together—each contributing their unique strengths. When interaction meets expertise, momentum follows. The Forum on Leptomeningeal Cancer is in the early planning stages and is anticipated to take place in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in the spring of 2027—where so many transformative scientific conversations have begun. In 2025, our collaboration with Curing Kids Cancer led to a series of impactful Forums addressing the long-term challenges pediatric cancer survivors face, including secondary malignancies and the role of emerging technology in improving care and outcomes. We are already seeing the ripple effects of those conversations, and we look forward to the discoveries that will emerge from this new partnership.
HELAINE BADER, DOUG AND THEO SKINNER
WE ARE ALWAYS GRATEFUL WHEN MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY HELP SPARK THESE CONNECTIONS. MY FATHER WAS ONE OF THE BEST NETWORKERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN, AND CARRYING THAT SPIRIT FORWARD, BUILDING BRIDGES THAT ACCELERATE DISCOVERY, IS ONE OF THE WAYS WE HONOR HIM.
If you know either individuals or organizations who should be part of this work, we would love to hear from you.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LEPTOMENINGEAL CANCER FOUNDATION @ LMCANCER.ORG
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