On Thursday, October 27 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) held its annual Symposium and Awards Luncheon to celebrate the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's announcement of $57 million in grants awarded to more than 250 breast cancer investigators around the world.
The event raised more than $2 million with 900 guests in attendance to support breast cancer research.
With opening remarks by former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the awards luncheon honored two dedicated individuals for their unwavering devotion to eradicate breast cancer. Deborah Krulewitch, senior vice president of Corporate Administration at The Estée Lauder Companies, was presented with the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award for her vital role in stewarding BCRF since its founding; Charles Perou, PhD, BCRF grantee, was presented with the Jill Rose Award for his outstanding research and seminal work in breast tumor profiling, which has revolutionized personalized medicine.
In addition to Bloomberg, notable attendees included Good Morning America host Amy Robach, author and former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden, BCRF honorary co-chair Leonard Lauder, executive chairman of Estée Lauder and BCRF co-chair William Lauder, BCRF co-chair Kinga Lampert, television chef Sandra Lee, fashion critic Nina Garcia, style expert Gretta Monahan, model Denise Bidot, model Lais Ribeiro, actress Melissa Joan Hart, actresses Lea DeLaria and Kimiko Glenn from Orange is the New Black, actress Krysta Rodriguez, and TV personality Aviva Drescher.
The event began with this year’s symposium – “Breast Cancer: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?” – and was moderated by Larry Norton, MD, BCRF scientific director, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Judy Garber, MD, MPH, BCRF scientific advisory board chairman, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The discussion featured esteemed panelists Charles Perou, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Silvia Formenti, MD from Weill Cornell Medical College.
Event co-chairs include Roberta M. Amon, Anne H. Bass, Clarissa Alcock Bronfman, Marjorie Reed Gordon, Betsy S. Green, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, Gail Hilson, Aerin Lauder, Sandra Lee, Wendi Rose, Arlene Taub and Simone Winston.
Underwriters for the luncheon include ANN INC., Jody and John Arnhold, Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein, Deborah and Peter Krulewitch, Kinga Lampert, The Lauder Foundation – Leonard and Judy Lauder Fund, Lifetime, Lilly Oncology, Tough Enough to Wear Pink, and Winston Flowers.
