LUNGevity Foundation Expands Its Board to Accelerate Transforming Lung Cancer

Four newly inducted members represent the lived experience of lung cancer, advocacy, health equity, and business leadership

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's leading nonprofit dedicated to transforming how people are diagnosed and live with lung cancer through research, education, and support, is proud to announce the expansion of its Board of Directors. The four new members are Bob Newman, chairman of ASM Global; Terri Ann DiJulio, three-time lung cancer survivor and advocate; Barry Nelson, retired risk management professional and lung cancer survivor; and Frank Sierawski, general director of Union Pacific Railroad and long-term lung cancer survivor.

"We're honored to have such committed and passionate advocates for cancer patients join our Board," said Andrea Ferris, president and CEO of LUNGevity. "I'm excited to see the real impact we can have together for our community as we work to transform lung cancer."

Bob Newman, chairman of ASM Global, is one of the most respected executives in the venue industry and has a proven track record of building facility management teams that serve the entertainment, professional and amateur sports, meetings, and exhibitions in both the public and private sectors. He has stewarded the company's rise to the worldwide leading provider of innovative venue services and live experiences. Bob has a personal family connection to cancer that motivates his advocacy and philanthropy. He received his BS in marketing from the University of Connecticut and an MS in sport management from the University of Massachusetts.

Terri Ann DiJulio is a three-time lung cancer survivor, a stroke survivor, and a member of a multigenerational lung cancer family. She has been a featured speaker at many conferences and events, has spoken on Capitol Hill, has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, among numerous other publications, and is an active lung cancer blogger. Terri Ann is on the LUNGevity Early Lung Cancer Center's External Advisory Board and spoke at its initial meeting. She actively promotes early detection through her speaking events and media platforms and shares how her experiences have profoundly changed her perspective and gratitude for every day.

Barry Nelson is a retired risk management professional who has found meaning in his lung cancer diagnosis through passionate advocacy. He is an experienced speaker at conferences, where he draws from his personal journey as a cancer survivor and clinical trial participant. Barry is a committee member of the Partners in Clinical Research Conference and the Patient Advisory Council at Kyruus Health, and he co-creates projects for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiatives (PCORI). He volunteers with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a community ambassador and on a community level in Boston to educate black men about lung cancer. Barry received a BS in business administration from Eastern Nazarene College.

Frank Sierawski, general director of Union Pacific Railroad, is a 10+ year late-stage lung cancer survivor who has been the beneficiary of biomarker testing and breakthrough technologies. Continued use of a targeted therapy has kept him with no evidence of disease since 2017. He attends the annual LUNGevity Scientific and Clinical Roundtable to represent the patient voice. Frank actively advocates for LUNGevity and the ALK+ lung cancer community and calls on industry, regulators, and fellow patients to challenge the status quo and explore what's possible. He received a BSBA in accounting from Creighton University and an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity, the nation's leading lung cancer organization, is transforming what it means to be diagnosed and live with lung cancer. LUNGevity seeks to have an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease—while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum.

• Through research, we use an innovative and holistic approach to finding lung cancer earlier when it is most treatable; advance research into new treatments so people may live longer and better; and ensure a diverse, vital pipeline of investigators for the future of the lung cancer field.
• Through advocacy, we foster groundbreaking collaborations to ensure all people have access to screening, biomarker testing, and treatment breakthroughs.
• Through community, we educate, support, and connect people affected by lung cancer so that they can get the best healthcare and live longer and better lives.

Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, Patient Gateways for specific types of lung cancer, a toll-free HELPLine for personalized support, international survivor conferences, and tools to find a clinical trial. All these programs are designed to help us achieve our vision—a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.

Please visit www.LUNGevity.org to learn more. 

About Lung Cancer in the US

• About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• More than 238,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.
• About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers.
• Lung cancer causes more deaths than the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined.
• Only 25% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically.

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SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation