CBCRP News

Welcome to New Council Members

The advisory breast cancer research council for the CBCRP has undergone some changes in 2005. They elected a new chair and vice-chair, Christine White and Lisa Wanzor, respectively, and have added five new members. We look forward to a productive year working with Christine, Lisa, and all of the new members. The new members are:

Anuja Mendiratta is a Senior Program Officer with the Women’s Foundation of California. Prior to joining the Foundation, she managed the San Francisco Foundation’s Environmental Health and Justice Initiative for four years and worked as a Program Officer at the Marin Community Foundation. Ms. Mendiratta lives in Berkeley and currently also serves on the boards of the La Peña Cultural Center, the Center for Environmental Health, and the Community Toolbox for Children’s Environmental Health.

Angela Padilla is the co-founder and leader of Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS), the only support and activist group for women under 45 affected by breast cancer in the Bay Area. She is currently forming Mighty Moms, a support group for women with young children who are affected by cancer. Last year Angela was nominated by Lifetime Television as a breast cancer hero.

Maria Wetzel will be a 10 year survivor of breast cancer in February. She has been active on BCList.org—an internet support list—since her diagnosis, a member of NBCC for the past six years, and is a volunteer with the Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino, where she serves as a patient navigator, a consultation planner, and an information specialist to staff and women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Felicia Hodge is a professor of Primary Care Nursing and director of the Center for American Indian Research and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a health policy researcher and a Native American who has been involved in a large number of research projects on breast cancer and other health issues among ethnic populations. Her current research focuses on chronic health conditions and health beliefs and behaviors among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Mark Pegram is an oncologist and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles’s Jonsson Cancer Center, assistant professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and Director of the Women’s Cancer Program. He was a co-investigator on Dennis Slamon’s research that led to the development of Herceptin. His career is devoted to clinical translational research with a strong focus on breast and ovarian cancer. He has worked extensively with advocates and has been a contributor to the Susan Love MD website.

Spread the Word about Line 57

The California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) is seeking assistance in spreading the word of how California income tax payers can “Invest in a Cure” for breast cancer by simply contributing to Line 57 on their State income tax form 540.
You can help by:

For more information about how you can help to spread the word, contact Brenda Dixon-Coby at cbcrp@ucop.edu.

CBCRP Grant Applications Due in January

Applications for IDEA, Postdoctoral Fellowship, and Dissertation awards are due on January 12, 2006. The CBCRP is implementing an electronic application submission and peer review system this year. The electronic application is the only means by which one may submit a full application for a grant. The CBCRP has contracted with proposalCENTRAL to ensure a smooth application and review process. The online application is secure; your personal information will not be shared with any individual or institution outside of CBCRP staff and reviewers. You can download application forms at https://v2.ramscompany.com/.

CBCRP on Tour

If you would like to get the most up-to-date information about the CBCRP, or just talk to CBCRP staff in person, look for our exhibit at the following conferences.

Environmental Links to Breast Cancer: Connecting Communities Through the Research Process
January 21. 2006
Oakland, CA

Fifth Annual Women’s Health Conference
March 2-3, 2006
Los Angeles, CA

The Berkeley Conference of African Americans, Pipeline to Excellence: Recreating the Village
March 17-18, 2006
Berkeley, CA

About the Cover

Women pioneers have frequently been at the forefront of exploring “uncharted territory”.

Visionaries such as Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and Rosa Parks helped advance the frontiers of change through their trailblazing efforts.