This year, LE&RN marks its 20th anniversary of fighting lymphedema and lymphatic diseases through education, research, and advocacy. None of the strides that have been made would have been possible without the financial support of contributors and Supporting Members. Please join us on Valentine's Day on reflecting on these accomplishments and top 20 reasons to love LE&RN Supporting Members over the years.
2002 - Congressional and National Institutes of Health (NIH) support for lymphatic research and lymphatic diseases secured
2003 - Lymphatic Research and Biology, an international peer-reviewed journal, has its first printing
2004 - Biennial Gordon Research Conference Series, Molecular Mechanisms in Lymphatic Function and Disease established
2005/2006 - Grants and Awards Programs and Postdoctoral fellowship awards program established
2008 - First-ever Endowed Chair of Lymphatic Research and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine established
2010 - LE&RN National Lymphatic Disease and Lymphedema Patient Registry created
2012 - Breakthrough study, blood test for diagnosis of lymphedema published—Stanford University School of Medicine Endowed Chair
2012 - LE&RN National Lymphatic Disease and Lymphedema Tissue Bank established
2013 - Live-streamed Medical & Research Symposium Series established
2014 - New York State Legislature awards funding for National Patient Registry & Tissue Bank
2014 - Academy Award-winning Actress Kathy Bates becomes LE&RN’s Spokesperson
2014 - LE&RN/LymphNotes Lymphedema Therapist Scholarship Program is founded
2014 - “Ask the Experts” web feature established to connect patients to leading authorities
2015 - First Virtual Expo established
2015/2016 - State and International Chapters inaugurated
2016 - Spokesperson Kathy Bates takes LE&RN's mission center stage on a multitude of network television shows and print cover stories
2016 - LE&RN spearheads $70M US Senate Appropriations request sponsored by Sen. Schumer (NY)
2016 - March 6 officially established as World Lymphedema Day by U.S. Senate, New York legislature, and countries around the world
2017 - LE&RN co-organizes the inaugural biennial researcher event Lymphatic Forum: Exploring the Lymphatic Continuum in Chicago, June 2017
2017 - LE&RN partners with Harvard University Medical Schools for the first Lymphedema Symposium in Boston, MA