BETTER OUTCOMES
FOR BREAST CANCER & BEYOND

THE RESEARCHERS

  • Dr. Nora Disis

    UW/CVI Director
    American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor. Editor-in-Chief for JAMA Oncology
    Pioneering investigator and expert in breast and ovarian cancer immunology.

  • Dr. Larry Norton

    Medical Director, Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Renowned as a leader in the development of drug treatments for breast cancer. Founding Scientific Director, BCRF.

  • Dr. Beth Mittendorf

    Brigham and Women's Hospital Vice Chair for Research, Co-Leader, Breast Program, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Director, Breast Immuno-Oncology program. Co-Leader, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  • Dr. Powel Brown

    Molecular biologist and breast medical oncologist, MD Anderson Cancer Center

  • Dr. G. Thomas Budd

    Cleveland Clinic. Recently presented positive data from Phase I Trial of alpha-lactalbumin vaccine in high-risk operable triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and patients at high genetic risk for TNBC

  • Dr. Shipra Gandhi

    Medical oncologist, breast cancer expert and Assistant Professor of Oncology
    Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Buffalo, NY)

FOUNDER & CEO

Kristen Dahlgren is an award winning journalist turned Breast Cancer advocate and founder of the nonprofit, Cancer Vaccine Coalition.

For the first 30 years of her career, Kristen traveled the world, documenting some of the biggest news stories of our time. She reported for NBC Nightly News and NBC's Today show, was nominated for an Emmy award for leading the network's coverage of the Parkland School shooting, served as a backup anchor for Lester Holt, and won an Edward R. Murrow award for her feature reporting.

In 2019, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and immediately decided to share her story to help other women to recognize the different ways their own cancers could present. Through her reporting, Kristen also learned about the research that was happening on Breast Cancer vaccines. After a conversation with UW Cancer Vaccine Institute's Dr. Nora Disis, Kristen realized that vaccines for breast cancer were no longer a "Pie in the sky" idea but something that was close and achievable.

She couldn't stand by and watch anyone else suffer. CVC is partnered with the nation’s top vaccine and cancer researchers with a goal of getting a safe, effective breast cancer vaccine to market in 5 to 10 years.

THE ADVISORY TEAM

  • Saranne Rothberg

    Stage IV survivor. CEO/Founder, The Comedy Cures Foundation Host, “Beating Cancer Daily” Ranked #1 cancer survivor podcast of 2024.

  • Sarah Audet

    Principal, Hedgehog & Fox Collaborative. Non-Profit consultant.

  • Kiran Dhillon, PhD

    Executive Director, Cancer Vaccine Institute University of Washington

  • Judy Lewent

    Former EVP & CFO, Merck & Co.

  • Andrew W. Lo

    Professor of Finance, and the Director of the Laboratory for Financial Engineering at the MIT Sloan School of Management

  • Cheryl Stamm

    Fortune 500 Veteran. Nonprofit business mentor.

  • Dr. Elizabeth Levick, MD

    Radiation Oncologist

  • Norma Lawrence Unser

    Norma Lawrence Unser

    President CCubed LLC, Development, event planning & marketing consultant

GET
INVOLVED