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The Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research Team
The Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and PanCAN PurpleStride go way, way back.
They were there with a team at the very first PurpleStride Michigan in 2009 and have participated every year since. They’ve been sponsors since 2018 and this year, came aboard as Premier Sponsor for PurpleStride Michigan. And their PurpleStride team is already more than 50% over their goal!
“PurpleStride has always served as a beacon, bringing all of us involved in pancreatic cancer care, research, advocacy and support together into a single loud voice,” said Timothy Frankel, M.D., Maud T Lane Professor of Surgical Oncology, Michigan Medicine and Co-director of the Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer at the University of Michigan. “PanCAN is that lightning rod around which all our various roles coalesce.”
The Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center supports patient care and translational research for pancreatic cancer. The University of Michigan has had a premier pancreatic cancer treatment program for decades, including the first dedicated multidisciplinary pancreatic cancer clinic in the region. The Rogel and Blondy team has the most robust research funding in the region and a collaborative group of more than 60 people working in the labs to unravel clues and to improve treatments for this disease.
At PurpleStride, Dr. Frankel enjoys seeing the patients and family members he’s cared for in the past, as well as those he’s been with at Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. That, and the sea of purple. “If color had a volume, purple would be the loudest at PurpleStride,” he said.
When he thinks about PanCAN and PurpleStride, Dr. Frankel said he thinks of teamwork, hope and support.
“Teamwork. Big problems require big teams. Nobody can tackle these things on their own.
“Hope. As a surgeon who treats patients with pancreatic cancer, this is as difficult a disease as we face. But we’ve doubled the survival in the last 10 years, which we can’t say for a lot of cancers. We’ve done it because no one is giving up.
“Support. Without support everything falls apart. PanCAN and PurpleStride provide a space where that support can come together and where these links and connections can be made.”
“PurpleStride gives us the opportunity to celebrate as we take the next step forward in pancreatic cancer research, treatment and discovery,” said Dr. Frankel. “The pieces are in place. We’re ready to get to work.”
