IBC Network Foundation

The IBC Network Foundation is intensely focused on funding high-quality research on inflammatory and triple-negative breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is an orphaned form of breast cancer due to its rareness and high fatality rate. Typically striking younger women, at a late-stage presentation, 30% of the women are also diagnosed with triple negative. This combination is highly difficult to treat successfully. In 2024, IBC funded $45,302 to secure an endowment in memory of Dr. Lori Gill Grennan at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at Ohio State. See Schedule O for continuation.This funding supports education, research, and clinical activities for inflammatory breast cancer and/or program promotion or operational costs related to the inflammatory breast cancer program at Ohio State University, the first of its kind in Ohio.This year, IBC offered a matching grant of $5,000 to MD Anderson Cancer Center for its Boot Walk for the IBC program as part of its institution's fundraising challenge. Additionally, we offered a matching grant of $5,000 to Dana Farber for its Jimmy Walk to support its program's fundraising efforts for research. In 2024, IBC funded $30,000 for research.We resumed physical meetings and hosted meetups all over the U.S. We have continued to host Zoom calls twice a month to help patients living with IBC better connect to the best possible research and care options. Additionally, we have continued our planned "Ultimate Meets" program. In the fall of 2024, IBC hosted an Ultimate Meetup in Boston, MA, a weekend-long event. The event was well received, and over 55 guests attended. We started the event with a lab tour at Dana-Farber, discussing the research program and lab on Friday afternoon. Over the weekend, we had a full program featuring physicians, researchers, caregivers, and patient testimonials until the wrap-up on Sunday morning.We have continued a podcast called "Talk IBC", interviewing patients, researchers, medical personnel, counselors, and others who can provide information and education to those interested in our mission.We are especially proud to have graduated 20 more advocates via the course for the IBC Learning Academy. This course was written in cooperation with MD Anderson's Morgan Welch Clinic for Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Our goal is to reach a diverse target audience of patients and professionals passionate about improving the lives of those affected by IBC. Trained advocates will be empowered to promote the unique needs of IBC patients by improving access to specialty care, increasing education around clinical trials, and participating in lobbying. Advocates may also serve on decision-making boards of local, state, and national organizations, committees, and Institutional Review Boards. We have had over 70 people complete the course.