The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a top-rated cancer research charity founded by Jim Valvano and ESPN, through a collaboration with the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC), is pleased to announce Dr. Sara Mijares St. George of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has been awarded a $200,000 Early Career Investigator Grant for her work in creating a program that will use the internet and mobile devices to help Hispanic and black female cancer survivors lead their families in keeping a healthy weight.
“Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of cancer behind smoking. Not only does it increase one’s risk of getting cancer, it also increases the risk of mortality in those already diagnosed with cancer,” said St. George. “This makes the prevention and treatment of obesity an important priority. I’m excited to explore innovative ways to empower female cancer survivors to help their families lead healthy lifestyles.”
The grant was made possible through the new Blitz Cancer program, a collaboration between the V Foundation and ESPN that provides pro football teams an opportunity to support local cancer research. The Miami Dolphins and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center partnership was announced in December 2017. An Early Career Investigator Grant supports a young tenure-track researcher early in her/his career by funding projects that are either laboratory-based fundamental research or translational research. St. George’s project will use smartphones and tablets to help connect Hispanic and black female cancer survivors of different ages. Specifically, her project aims to improve the weight, physical activity and dietary quality of cancer survivors, their children and grandchildren.
“These funds and the work of Dr. St. George are another step in our goal to tackle cancer. At the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, we’re proud to support the innovative work and targeted therapies Sylvester is doing in the field of cancer research here in South Florida,” DCC Executive Director Jennifer Jehn said.
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Health System is among the nation’s leading cancer centers and South Florida’s only Cancer Center of Excellence. St. George is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Health System.
“Identifying and addressing health disparities that contribute to increased cancer risk is a top priority at Sylvester,” said Dr. Stephen Nimer, director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Dr. St. George’s work focusing on Hispanic and black female cancer survivors will provide important information so we can best serve our patients and their families.”
The DCC contributed $100,000 to the V Foundation during the month of December. The funds were then matched by the V Foundation. St. George will receive the $200,000 grant in two installments of $100,000. The partnership brings V Foundation resources to the South Florida-area to fund emerging research in the Dolphins’ community.
“The V Foundation is delighted and proud to partner with the Dolphins. Funding great research, in collaboration with friends, is a sure equation for Victory Over Cancer®,” said Susan Braun, CEO of the V Foundation.
About ESPN Corporate Citizenship
ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplifts the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use the power of sport to positively address society’s needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing its diverse media assets. For more information go to www.espn.com/citizenship.
About the Dolphins Cancer Challenge
The Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC) was founded in 2010 by the Miami Dolphins organization as the signature initiative of the Foundation’s health impact area. The DCC’s mission is to improve people’s lives through financial support for innovative cancer research at South Florida’s only academic-based cancer center – Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. Since its inception, the DCC has raised more than $27 million, donating 100 percent of participant-raised funds to Sylvester. For additional information, visit DolphinsCancerChallenge.
About Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is among the nation’s leading cancer centers and South Florida’s only Cancer Center of Excellence. A 2015 study by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that cancer patients treated at Sylvester have a 10 percent higher chance of survival than those treated at nearly any other cancer center in the nation. With the combined strength of more than 120 cancer researchers and 130 cancer specialists, Sylvester discovers, develops and delivers more targeted therapies, providing the next generation of cancer clinical care – precision cancer medicine – to each patient. Our comprehensive diagnostics, coupled with teams of scientific and clinical experts who specialize in just one type of cancer, enable us to better understand each patient’s individual cancer and develop treatments that target the cells and genes driving the cancer’s growth and survival, leading to better outcomes. At Sylvester, patients have access to more treatment options and more cancer clinical trials than most hospitals in the southeastern United States. To better serve current and future patients, Sylvester has a network of conveniently located outpatient treatment facilities in Miami, Coral Gables, Kendall, Hollywood, Plantation, Deerfield Beach and Coral Springs. For more information, visit Sylvester.org.
