Endeavor Health joins multi-institution Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium
The Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation announced a new partnership with Endeavor Health on Thursday morning.
Endeavor Health is the fourth research partner in the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, which also includes University of Chicago Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, and Rush University Medical Center.
The consortium is meant to accelerate breast cancer research and increase access to innovative clinical trials.
Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation executive director Kirstin Chernawsky explained what the partnership means for future research.
"This is really groundbreaking. This is four institutions coming together to say, we are going to partner so that we can go forward faster," Chernawsky said. "They're sharing data. They're sharing specimens. They're sharing research that really puts the field and the eradication of breast cancer front and center before any of their own individual hospital needs — and that's really remarkable."
The latest partnership was announced Thursday at Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital in Evanston. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois), Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valenica, Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th), and Evanston Councilmember Parielle Davis (7th) were present.
Quigley said the work of the consortium advances President Obama's efforts years ago.
When I first got to Congress, we got to vote on Obamacare. It was the best of times. The room was filled with oxygen and hope, and we passed Obamacare, and among the things it did was prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions, including breast cancer, and then President Obama talked about a cancer moonshot in his legislation that actually created billions of dollars for research, research which was then continued under President Biden. There's a theme here," Quigley said. "But it reminds us in times that are far more difficult, I'm often asked, what can I do? Let me say this, you all are doing it. You're taking care of each other, you're loving each other, and you're moving us together forward."
The expansion comes as the consortium prepares to add a second collaborative clinical trial in early fall.
