Lymphedema & Lymphatic Disease Matters News from LE&RN, January 2020
January 2020
Kathy Bates stars in LE video on CDC Cancer/Prevention website
In the spring of 2018, LE&RN Spokesperson Kathy Bates, board member Dr. Joseph Dayan, and LE&RN President & CEO William Repicci met with CDC Director Dr. Lisa Richardson (Director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) and her staff to discuss highlighting LE on CDC webpages. Later that year, the CDC presented its first lymphedema webpage. Shortly thereafter, LE&RN began working with the CDC to produce an informational video featuring Kathy Bates. That video is now available on the CDC's lymphedema information page as well as on other CDC websites.
LE&RN representatives visit India
Dr. Stanley Rockson (LE&RN Scientific & Medical Advisory Council Founding Chair, pictured here) and William Repicci (LE&RN President & CEO) were featured speakers at the CME Workshop on Current Perspectives in Lymphedema on January 14 at AIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Rishikesh thanks to the efforts of LE&RN’s India Chapter. Dr. Rockson then provided the keynote address at the VAICON conference in Mumbai, where William Repicci was also a featured speaker.
FY2020 Appropriations bill calls for NIH to establish National Commission on Lymphatic Diseases
In the closing weeks of 2019, Congress passed a final appropriations bill for fiscal-year (FY) 2020, marking a major milestone in LE&RN's goal of establishing a National Commission on Lymphatic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill encourages the Director of NIH “to establish a National Commission on Lymphatic Diseases to explore and make recommendations on the ongoing expansion and coordination of lymphatic disease research NIH-wide.” This victory is the culmination of an intense year of lobbying by LE&RN and many committed activists, particularly the tireless work of LE&RN National Spokesperson Kathy Bates (shown here testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in April 2019).
LE&RN creates lymphatic researcher database for NIH
At NIH's request, LE&RN has created a Lymphatic Researcher Database to keep NIH informed of the lymphatic research being pursued worldwide. LE&RN now needs all lymphatic researchers to submit information for this webpage by contacting LE&RN at LERN@LymphaticNetwork.org. Research names, institutions, Pub Med weblinks, and brief research descriptions will appear on this page, searchable by name, institution, or topic. All 27 NIH Institutes and Centers have been provided this weblink.
March 6 is World Lymphedema Day! #WLD2020
From its beginnings in 2016 when it was officially established in the New York State legislature and in the U.S. Senate, World Lymphedema Day, March 6, has developed into a truly global movement. Watch our new World Lymphedema Day video featuring Kathy Bates and find out how you can participate at WorldLymphedemaDay.org.
LE&RN-GRC Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards in Lymphatic Research
The LE&RN-GRC Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards in Lymphatic Research are given in the name of Wendy Chaite, Founder, and Dr. Stanley G. Rockson, Founding Chair of LE&RN’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Council, and presented every two years at the Gordon Research Conference, Lymphatics. The nomination deadline is February 7, 2020.
In addition, four Poster Awards (one $1000 US currency and three $500 US currency) will be awarded for the top posters presented at the GRC. These scholarships and awards are made possible by LE&RN donors and a grant from PureTech Health. LE&RN also thanks Juzo for sponsoring the GRC Patient Session.
Welcome to the LE&RN Philly Tri-State Chapter
We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the LE&RN Philly Tri-State Chapter! The Chapter is co-Chaired by Megan Felter and Janelle Krein-Silvers. Visit the Chapter homepage and follow its Facebook page for more information. The first annual PA Run/Walk to Fight Lymphedema & Lymphatic Diseases will take place Sunday, May 31, at the Philadelphia Zoo. Details and registration will be announced soon.
The University of California San Francisco is conducting a study at Mount Sinai, NYC, to investigate symptoms related to lymphedema. Participants who complete the study will receive $150. If you are a woman 18 years of age or older and have completed your active treatment (surgery, chemotherapy or radiation) for breast cancer at least six months ago and have lymphedema, you may be eligible. The study involves completing questionnaires as well as a two-hour evaluation and blood sample collection at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. For more information, call 212-241-8055 or email Nursing.Research@mountsinai.org.
LE&RN's Virtual Expo brings together companies that offer products and services to the lymphedema, lipedema, and lymphatic disease communities. These companies offer videos on a variety of topics. Check out LE&RN'S Virtual Expo today.
Dr. Stanley Rockson (LE&RN Scientific & Medical Advisory Council Founding Chair, pictured here) and William Repicci (LE&RN President & CEO) were featured speakers at the CME Workshop on Current Perspectives in Lymphedema on January 14 at AIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Rishikesh thanks to the efforts of LE&RN’s India Chapter. Dr. Rockson then provided the keynote address at the VAICON conference in Mumbai, where William Repicci was also a featured speaker.
In the closing weeks of 2019, Congress passed a final appropriations bill for fiscal-year (FY) 2020, marking a major milestone in LE&RN's goal of establishing a National Commission on Lymphatic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill encourages the Director of NIH “to establish a National Commission on Lymphatic Diseases to explore and make recommendations on the ongoing expansion and coordination of lymphatic disease research NIH-wide.” This victory is the culmination of an intense year of lobbying by LE&RN and many committed activists, particularly the tireless work of LE&RN National Spokesperson Kathy Bates (shown here testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in April 2019).
From its beginnings in 2016 when it was officially established in the New York State legislature and in the U.S. Senate, World Lymphedema Day, March 6, has developed into a truly global movement. Watch our new World Lymphedema Day video featuring Kathy Bates and find out how you can participate at WorldLymphedemaDay.org.