When Wendy Chaite’s daughter was born with lymphatic disease and lymphedema, neither the medical profession nor researchers could provide the answers she sought for her daughter. This experience motivated a mission to inspire the research and medical community’s dedication to fighting lymphatic disease.
Dr. Stanley G. Rockson (Stanford University School of Medicine) had already established himself as a global leader in research and treatment of lymphatic diseases. He would join forces with Wendy to bring unprecedented attention to the lymphatic system's importance in human health.
As an attorney, Wendy served as a federal judicial law clerk, a Wall Street corporate litigator, and an adjunct professor at Pace University School of Law. However, in 1998, she turned her attention to founding the Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF), which was renamed the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) in 2013. Since its founding, Wendy and Dr. Rockson have worked tirelessly to put lymphatic research on the map. Their efforts, in conjunction with the team of scientists, organization supporters, and parent/patient groups, have led to remarkable successes, including the establishment of the biennial Gordon Research Conference Series devoted to Molecular Mechanisms in Lymphatic Function and Disease; the inauguration and indexing of Lymphatic Research and Biology—the first and still preeminent peer-reviewed journal in the field; the establishment of the first-ever Endowed Chair of Lymphatic Research and Medicine at Stanford University; the creation of two-year postdoctoral fellowship awards to attract young scientists and clinicians from distinguished research centers around the world; and the creation of a national lymphatic disease patient registry to support clinical trials and drug development. These efforts have resulted in millions of dollars in support for lymphatic biology and disease research.
Wendy Chaite’s and Dr. Stanley Rockson’s devotion and tenacity continue to shape the field of lymphatic research. Wendy left the board of directors in 2012, confident that it would take full ownership of the organization’s mission. Dr. Rockson continues in his role as Founding Chair of LE&RN’s Scientific & Medical Advisory Committee.
With a vision to expand its mission in 2012, William Repicci was hired as President & CEO. The organization soon rebranded as the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) and redoubled its educational and advocacy efforts to complement its research agenda. Subsequent programs included free educational content, such as virtual livestream symposia, digital newsletters, and an Ask the Experts feature that connected patients to leading practitioners. In 2014, Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates became LE&RN’s Global Spokesperson. In 2016, Mr. Repicci drafted the resolutions that established World Lymphedema Day first in New York State, sponsored by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and later that year in the United States Senate, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA). Mr. Repicci also wrote the nation's first resolution, again championed by New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, requiring hospitals throughout the state to provide educational materials on lymphedema to any patient at risk of developing the disease.
In 2014, the Lymphatic Forum research conference was inaugurated, along with providing researcher scholarships and poster awards. Programs that followed included establishing Global LE&RN Chapters in 2015 and Centers of Excellence in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lymphatic Diseases in 2018.
Government-related successes included the first-time inclusion of lymphatic diseases in the Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) in 2023, resulting in $12M in lymphatic research grants in the first two years; the 2024 inclusion of “lymphatic diseases” as a research subject at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which resulted in $300M in dedicated translational lymphatic research; and a three-year, $1.2M Chronic Disease Education & Awareness grant from the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for a cancer-related education campaign that features Spokespersons Kathy Bates and actor Steve Guttenberg and brings up to 500 people a day to an educational site. As part of the grant, LE&RN wrote the first-ever National Indicator Report on Cancer-Related Lymphedema (LE), which provides an overview of lymphedema knowledge and care in the United States and addresses the shortage of public health data on lymphedema's impact on patients, families, and society. To complement this program, LE&RN created an online Lymphatic Resource Center with a globally available call line.
In 2026, LE&RN invited its 70 Centers of Excellence to an inaugural conference to explore state-of-the-art treatments, research breakthroughs, and collaborative initiatives to advance the agenda of making lymphatic disease a global priority. It looks to a future that expands medical treatments, physician education, research funding, and patient advocacy, and extends the reach of Centers of Excellence to rural regions and in developing countries.
Special Thanks to the community of supporters who bring unique contributions to this cause and who played critical roles in the establishment and success of LE&RN and its mission to fight lymphatic diseases through education, research & advocacy.