Research Programs Supported by Ovations for the Cure
Ovations for the Cure of Ovarian Cancer supports various research, awareness and patient programs each year. To date, we have directed over $1.5 million to ovarian cancer research initiatives and treatment programs. Here's where it has gone:
- $932,161 to the Dr. Ursula Matulonis Research Fund at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- $350,000 to Brigham and Women's Hospital to fund the Desensitization Program
- $150,000 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for a Desensitization Suite
- $147,672 to the Ovations for the Cure of Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the two AM Fund
- $60,000 to City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles, CA
- $50,000 to University of Pennsylvania's Biomarkers study
- $45,810.50 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- $40,000 to Children's Hospital Boston for Early Detection Research
Get to Know Ursula A. Matulonis, MD
Ursula A. Matulonis, MD is Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is the first recipient of the Brock-Wilson Family Chair at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She co-leads the Gynecologic Cancer Program within the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Ovarian Cancer Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute. Her research focuses on developing new targeted therapies for gynecologic malignancies, with a specific interest in ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer.
Dr. Matulonis has led several PARP inhibitor, anti-angiogenic agent, immunotherapy, and combination trials for ovarian cancer in the United States and internationally. Dr. Matulonis serves on the Massachusetts Ovarian Cancer Task Force, chairs the Gyn subcommittee of the Alliance cooperative group, and the Scientific Advisory Board for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, the Rivkin Foundation, the Clearity Foundation, and Overcome. She has received the Dana-Farber Dennis Thompson Compassionate Care Scholar award, the Lee M. Nadler "Extra Mile" Award, the Clearity Foundation award, the Zakim Award at Dana-Farber for patient advocacy, and recently in 2020, the Albany Medical College Alumni Association Distinguished Alumna Award. She has been named one of Boston's Best Physicians in Medical Oncology by Boston Magazine numerous times. Dr. Matulonis is also a recipient of grant funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation examining differences between ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and breast cancer.
After receiving her MD from Albany Medical College, she completed an internship and residency at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.
How Your Support Translates into Hope
Ovations for the Cure of Ovarian Cancer has awarded grants to organizations such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. These talented investigators are working to develop tissue and serum biomarkers that will enable early detection, diagnosis and treatment. They are developing new, targeted therapies for the disease while trying to better understand why ovarian cancer cells are initially sensitive to Cisplatin. Also, investigators are focusing on quality of life research and studying how women make critical treatment decisions.
