QUARTERLY UPDATE | News for Donors, Sponsors, Patients, Doctors, and Hospitals • The Jed Ian Taxel Foundation for Rare Cancer Research

View as Webpage JEDI Rare Cancer Foundation presents $100,000 to fund rare cancer research Benefitting Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Tiffany Taxel and Mark Taxel, JEDI Rare Cancer Foundation; Dr. Gary Schwartz and Dr. Benjamin Izar, Columbia University Comprehensive Cancer Center

At the foundation's October 2022 Annual Dinner, honorary co-chair Tiffany Taxel thanked our generous donor community and presented $100,000 to the Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Its groundbreaking rare cancer research programs will accelerate scientific discovery toward the day when rare cancer patients have the same hope for treatments and potential cures as patients with common cancers. JOIN US IN TRANSFORMING THE FIELD OF RARE CANCER RESEARCH

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Meet Our Esteemed JEDI Award Recipients

Innovator in Rare Cancer Science Gary Schwartz, MD is a recognized leader in the field of translational research and has been able to bridge the clinical and basic science elements of drug development. View Award Video Rare Cancer Science Agent of Change Greg Simon, JD is a visionary strategist, dynamic speaker and writer, and expert analyst of emerging trends in healthcare, drug development, and patient advocacy. View Award Video

Dr. Gary Schwartz Named Medical Advisory Board Chairman We are thrilled to announce our new Medical Advisory Board Chairman is none other than JEDI Award recipient Gary Schwartz, MD. A board-certified medical oncologist, internist and chief of Columbia University Medical Center's Division of Hematology and Oncology, he directs a lab focusing on the identification of new targeted agents for cancer therapy, translational and clinical research. Welcoming Our Newest Medical Advisors The JEDI Rare Cancer Foundation Medical Advisory Board is comprised of valued experts from the clinical and scientific community. We rely on their objective and expert advice to stay informed about the ever-changing landscape of rare cancer research, clinical trials, and translational therapies. They provide guidance to the foundation including identifying and evaluating scientific research initiatives for our support and will have a participatory role in our involvement with the REACT Project and Columbia's Rare Cancers Consortium.

Julia Glade Bender, MD Vice Chair for Clinical Research in Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Comprehensive Cancer Center (MSK Kids)

Alan Ho, MD, PhD Geoffrey Beene Junior Faculty Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Comprehensive Cancer Center

Jedd Wolchok, MD Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine

UPCOMING EVENTS Mark your calendar: Cycle for Survival 2023 is Saturday April 29.

Let's team up and break last year's record! We're excited to announce that Mike Taxel of Positive Promotions will join foundation board member Alex Wolin as Co-Captains of the JEDIs for Survival 2023 national team, assisted by Natashia Jinks of Positive Promotions in coordinating this coming year's Cycle for Survival effort. Positive’s 2022 regional JEDI team led all others in fundraising and we are grateful for their outsized contribution and continuing unlimited support. 2022 JEDIS for Survival team raised $158,805 for rare cancer research. Before directing our donations raised at Cycle for Survival 2022, we sought the advice of Dr. Julia Glade Bender, Vice Chair for Clinical Research at MSK Cancer Center and member of our foundation's Medical Advisory Board. She recommended the work of MSK pediatric oncologist Michael Ortiz, who specializes in caring for children and young adults with rare and high-risk childhood solid tumors, particularly cancers of the kidney and liver including Wilms tumors.

WE'RE ALL JEDIs FOR SURVIVAL. We invite you to join our JEDIs for Survival fundraising effort: 100% of every donation goes directly to lifesaving rare cancer research. To date, Cycle for Survival stationary-cycling rides and virtual events have raised $312 million to support lifesaving research and clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), a world leader in cancer research, care, and education. Rare cancers comprise approximately 25% of cancers diagnosed annually yet rare cancer patients have little or no hope of positive outcomes. The JEDI Rare Cancer Research Foundation and programs like MSK’s Cycle for Survival event are committed to making rare cancer research possible.

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The Jed Ian Taxel Foundation for Rare Cancer Research, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization, accepting Tax Deductible Donations from individuals, corporations, family-advised funds, and foundations. Federal Tax ID 86-261081