National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund's Project LEAD® to be Held July 29 - August 3 in Denver 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                
CONTACT:  Sue Ducat (202) 973-0588
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Washington, DC, July 17, 2008 – At the end of July, a group of breast cancer advocates from around the country will converge on Denver to participate in the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund (NBCCF)’s innovative science training program, Project LEAD®.   Project LEAD’s Summer Institute will take place from Tuesday, July 29 – Sunday, August 3, 2008 at the Inverness Conference Center near Denver.   NBCCF, the nation’s largest breast cancer coalition, has graduated over 1,300 breast cancer advocates from this groundbreaking program since it began 13 years ago.

This group, most of them breast cancer survivors, join a cadre of NBCCF advocates who work in the key areas of access to quality health care, influence on legislative issues, as well as research.  Since breast cancer survivors (or consumers) are the primary focus of breast cancer research, it is crucial that they become involved in the research process beyond their own participation as subjects.  With this approach in mind, NBCCF created Project LEAD, to prepare consumers to bring their informed perspectives to the research process.

One of the most productive examples of this approach is the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, created to foster innovative research approaches and a unique level of consumer involvement in the grants review process. “The DOD program provided an unprecedented opportunity for breast cancer consumers to collaborate with scientists,” said NBCCF president Fran Visco. “We created Project LEAD to provide advocates the scientific background to do this work.  Every year consumer involvement increases and the demand for Project LEAD training and graduates grows.”
 
The 53 participants in the upcoming Project LEAD Institute represent 22 states plus the District of Columbia; Canada; and the U.K.  Three are from Colorado.  They will spend an intense five days immersed in a curriculum that includes lectures and study sessions on the molecular biology of cancer, genetics, epidemiology of cancer, research design, and critical appraisal of the scientific literature. Among the many recently introduced features of the course will be a choice of advanced research topics, mentorship opportunities, and a field trip to the nearby University of Colorado Cancer Center to see and hear about significant research firsthand.    

Dr. Dennis Slamon, acclaimed breast cancer researcher at the UCLA School of Medicine, expresses high regard for program graduates: “Advocates are very knowledgeable about where we’re at and where we’re going in research,” says Slamon.  “They can discuss this on a personal level, on a policy level and on a scientific level, given the success of Project LEAD.”

LEAD graduate Vicki Tosher of Denver concurred that the program “provides an excellent foundation for understanding the science of breast cancer.”  Tosher, a board member of NBCC, has put her training to work by serving on several scientific panels:  twice as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and for the California Breast Cancer Research Program.  The founder of the Colorado-based organization, Sense of Security, Tosher is a member of the Colorado Community Institutional Review Board for the Colorado Cancer Research Program.     
                               
The faculty for Project LEAD includes renowned scientists from academic and research institutions such as the National Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard University, the University of North Carolina, Emory University, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Epidemiologist Robert Millikan will report on his recent research on basal cell and triple negative breast cancer and Diane Palmieri of the National Cancer Institute will lecture on her work in signaling pathways. Six veteran advocates with impressive research advocacy portfolios will act as mentors for their student colleagues at the course and beyond.

“Although, the course has been around since 1995, the enhanced Project LEAD Institute proves that you can never have too much of a good thing,” says Dr. Millikan, who is a longtime faculty member of Project LEAD.  “All of the excitement, enthusiasm, and learning that take place at the regular Project LEAD get magnified many fold at LEAD Institute.  I have never had a more rewarding and enjoyable time teaching and learning from advocates!”

The National Breast Cancer Coalition is a grassroots membership organization dedicated to ending breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy.  Along with its research and education arm, the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, the Coalition’s main goals are to increase federal funding for breast cancer research; improve access to high-quality health care and breast cancer clinical trials for all women; and expand the influence of breast cancer advocates wherever breast cancer decisions are made. 

The Avon Foundation is the primary sponsor for Project LEAD, supporting the program for the past 11 years.