Innovating and Advancing
Project Periwinkle has continued to advance research that is making a difference. From receiving updates on prior funded programs, to seeing interest in partnerships from what we have made possible, and getting more studies off the ground, we remain vital and are a key player in making so much possible.
In September, we were recognized in a publication detailing a study by surgeons at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York; Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea; and Keio University in Tokyo, Japan who formed a collaboration to address the issue of the surgical approach for proximal gastric and gastroesophageal junction (P/GEJ) cancers. This study was made possible in part because of our funding at MD Anderson made in 2021.
In October, we were proud to announce a grant of $50,000 to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to seed fund a project focused on developing a model to better enable phase recognition and strengthen surgical approaches of pancreatectomy and gastrectomy. This gift was celebrated in April with a trip to Houston.
In January, we were in Nashville visiting Vanderbilt University Medical Center, learning about and seeing progress made in research, and discussing the importance of initiatives and future of the mission. Project Periwinkle supported work at VUMC in 2020, and while we couldn’t visit then, we were honored to witness the progress made over the past few years.
In March, we again were recognized, this time as the sole funder, in a publication centered around the value of robotic surgery for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. This study was made possible with our 2023 gift to MD Anderson.
We have seen outcomes made possible by this organization translate to other types of cancers, including pancreatic, esophageal and upper GI. Our investments in research continue to grow, we are constantly building relationships with those who are on the forefront of progress, and we remain focused on fueling innovation that is creating a better and brighter future.
As we move forward, our mission and those we touch remain at the heart of every funding proposal review, every step in research, and every decision we make to drive progress forward.