LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION EXPANDS RESEARCH ADVOCATES

Volunteers provide patient and caregiver perspective to foundation's grant award process

NEW YORK, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to announce the expansion of its Research Advocates. This select group of volunteers are patients, survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and advocates committed to identifying and funding innovative lung cancer research.

This group plays a vital role in shaping LCRF's research priorities by helping to identify funding areas, draft requests for proposals (RFPs), review and provide feedback on grant applications, and support efforts in education, awareness, and fundraising.

"Patient involvement in LCRF's research grant process is a critical component to identifying areas of unmet need and helping to identify the most promising projects to fund," remarked Dr. Antoinette Wozniak, LCRF's Chief Scientific Officer. "With their lived experience and input, they ensure that we are investing in projects that have the greatest chance of making an impact on lung cancer and patient outcomes."

"As a lung cancer survivor, I have experienced firsthand how vital research is—not just in developing new treatments, but in giving me hope for the future," said Maggie McCloskey, a new LCRF Research Advocate. "Advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapy have extended lives and improved quality of life for people like me. Research is not just about science—it is about creating more tomorrows for patients and their families. As a research advocate, I am proud to help bring that hope to others through research funded by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation."

"I joined LCRF as a Patient Research Advocate because our voices are vital in shaping research that truly reflects the needs of patients. We are the ones living with the disease, and our experiences can drive more meaningful, patient-centered solutions that improve care and outcomes for everyone facing lung cancer," remarked Sydney Barned, MD.

LCRF's Research Advocates:

New Members (2025)

Sydney Barned, MD – Annapolis, MD
Internal Medicine Physician & Hospitalist
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Terri Ann DiJulio – West Chester, PA
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Catherine Doliente – Houston, TX
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Deborah H. Friedman – Piermont, NY
Retired Publicist
Lung Cancer Survivor and Advocate

Stephanie Kaiser CRNP, AOCNP – Pittsburgh, PA
Thoracic Oncology and Hospice Nurse Practitioner, Board member, Libby's Lungs
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Matthew Koebbe – Madison, AL
IASLC Patient Research Advocate
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Maggie McCloskey – Moraga, CA
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Tillman Nechtman – Saratoga Springs, NY
Professor of History at Skidmore College
Former Caregiver

Tejal Patel, PharmD, MHA, BCPS – Chicago, IL
Vice President, Operations - Sinai Chicago
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Emily Walthall – Brevard, NC
RETpositive Board Co-Chair
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Existing Members:

Caroline Blanchard, DNP, FNP-C – Metairie, LA
Urologic Oncology Nurse Practitioner
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Colleen Conner Ziegler — Rochester, NY
LCRF Board of Directors, LCRF Scientific Executive Committee
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Denise Cutlip – Ypsilanti, MI
LCRF Education and Engagement Committee
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Dusty J. Donaldson — High Point, NC
Founder, Dusty Joy Foundation
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Bruce C. Dunbar — New Rochelle, NY
LCRF Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board member
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Stephen Huff – College Grove, TN
Founder of The Huff Project
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Tiffini Joseph, BSN, RN, CCRN – Pembroke Pines, FL
Pediatric CVICU, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Kristen H. Kimball, MS, MEM — Boston, MA
Educator, UCONN
Lung Cancer Patient Advocate and Former Caregiver

Barbara LaMonaca — Falls Church, VA
BSN, Speech Pathology & Audiology, Retired
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Barbara Marsh, DSW, MSW – Miamisburg, OH
Social Worker
Caregiver/Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Frank McKenna, MS Ed — Virginia Beach, VA
Cancer Exercise Specialist
Founder, Beach Better Bodies
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Aileen Murgatroyd – Yorkshire, UK
Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Emily Venanzi, PhD — Newton, MA
ALK Positive Inc. Medical Committee 
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

Marc Tannenbaum, MD – New York, NY
Caregiver/Lung Cancer Patient Advocate

Randi Warren, MD – New York, NY
Lung Cancer Patient/Survivor & Advocate

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation^® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 429 research grants, totaling nearly $48 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.

Contact:
Sheila Sullivan,
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
[email protected]

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SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation