Gastric Cancer Foundation Announces Leadership Transition
New Co-Chairs to Advance Gastric Cancer Research through the Registry and Research Scholar Program
San Francisco, CA – Alice Leung, of Oakland, California and Paul Gottsegen of Basking Ridge, New Jersey have been elected to serve as Co-Chairs of the Gastric Cancer Foundation Board of Directors. They succeed Wayne Feinstein of San Francisco who concludes his term as Chair this month and continues as a Board member.
The new co-chairs have been active in helping the Foundation expand its visibility and sharpen its strategic focus over the past several years. Gottsegen, an international marketing executive, and Leung, who has had a long career in the biomedical field, are eager to build on what Feinstein and founder JP Gallagher put in place.
“This is a labor of love for me,” said Gottsegen who was a close friend and mentor to founder JP Gallagher. “I am looking forward to expanding our Gastric Cancer Registry to give researchers more access to data and tissue to find a cure.” He is currently Senior VP, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer for Mindtree, a global information technology solutions company.
Leung brings a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding cancer drug development, after many years with several leading pharmaceutical and research firms. She is currently the founder and principal of Sapientiea, a biotech management consulting firm. “I am excited by the research our gastric cancer scholars are producing and hope to accelerate funding support to seed more investigators,” said Leung.
To date, the Foundation has provided more than $2 million in direct grants for gastric cancer research. The Foundation created the only HIPPA compliant gastric cancer registry at Stanford University and established a dedicated Research Scholar Award for gastric cancer, elevating research for this cancer that receives only .04% of all federal funding for cancer research.
“I am honored to have led the Gastric Cancer Foundation as we advanced meaningful research to find a cure,” said outgoing Board Chair Feinstein. “I am inspired by the determination of our new leaders to take the Foundation to the next level, and I look forward to supporting them in this critical work.”
ABOUT THE GASTRIC CANCER FOUNDATION
The impetus for the Foundation came from JP Gallagher, a Silicon Valley marketing executive, when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer at age 37 and could not find reliable information about the disease. He battled the disease for six years before passing in 2013, leaving behind a wife and three young children. Gallagher along with Feinstein formed the Foundation to give patients and families better knowledge of the disease and to encourage more research funding.
For more information, visit www.gastriccancer.org or follow the Foundation for the latest gastric cancer research news at facebook.com/GastricCancerFoundation twitter.com/GastricCancerFD.
