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READ MOREPublished on February 2, 2022 in Research, Our Impact, Leadership Spotlight, Legislative Issues
The following is a statement from NBTS chief executive officer, David Arons, on today’s announcement. Mr. Arons, along with NBTS board of directors member Dr. Edjah Nduom, a renowned neurosurgeon who introduced President Biden at today’s event, and Dr. W.K. Alfred Yung, NBTS Distinguished Scientific Advisor and Beau Biden’s neuro-oncologist, attended the event in the East Room.
“National Brain Tumor Society is profoundly grateful that, amidst the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden-Harris administration is renewing its commitment to ensuring progress against cancer remains a national priority. We strongly share in the President, Vice President, and First Lady’s belief that there exists an opportunity today to facilitate transformative change in cancer research and care.
We’re particularly encouraged that the President is once again mobilizing the entire government in this endeavor, including the creation of a White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator in the Executive Officer and the creation of a Cancer Cabinet. Further, we applaud the acute focus on ensuring the voice of patients, survivors, caregivers, and patient advocates is central to the Moonshot. Indeed, the inclusions of patient organizations like NBTS in past and ongoing meetings related to cancer has helped shape a robust agenda to reignite the Moonshot, including efforts to target the right treatments to the right patients; support patients, caregivers, and survivors; learn from all patients; address healthcare inequities; and, critically, speed progress against the most deadly and rare cancers, including pediatric and adult brain tumors, which haven’t benefited from recent advances seen in other cancers.
These actions directly align with NBTS’s mission to invest in treatments-focused research and mobilize and unite the brain tumor community to discover a cure, deliver effective treatments, and advocate for patients and care partners. By continuing to work together with the Biden-Harris administration and stakeholders across the cancer landscape, we are confident the Cancer Moonshot’s ambitious goals of a 50 percent reduction in cancer mortality rates over the next 25 years, improved experience for people and their families living with and surviving cancer, and, ending cancer as we know it today, are now within our grasp, as is NBTS’s vision of conquering and curing brain tumors – once and for all.”