Jill Morningstar y Tejal Patel se unen al consejo de la fundación
NEW YORK, NY (enero 9, 2024) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to welcome Jill Morningstar and Tejal Patel to its Board of Directors.
Jill Morningstar lives outside of Washington, DC and has worked in the United States Congress for Chair George Miller on the House Education and Labor Committee, Senator Paul Wellstone, and Congressman Barney Frank. She has also worked at a range of advocacy organizations including the Children’s Defense Fund, the Earl Warren Institute at the University of California at Berkeley Law School, and the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews. Most recently, Jill chaired the LungCAN Steering Committee advocating for increased federal funding for lung cancer research.
En 2018, al marido de Jill Al Fitzpayne, le diagnosticaron un cáncer de pulmón EGFR en estadio cuatro. Tenía 46 años, dos hijos en la escuela secundaria y no presentaba factores de riesgo para la enfermedad. Al desarrolló la amplificación MET en 2020, y en 2022, se le diagnosticó la enfermedad Leptomeningeal. Jill encabezó recientemente una campaña de recaudación de fondos, que dio como resultado el apoyo a cinco becarios de la LCRF cuyos proyectos se centran en el cáncer de pulmón impulsado por MET y en la comprensión de la resistencia en el cáncer de pulmón.
"Gracias a los increíbles avances recientes en la investigación del cáncer de pulmón, Al sigue prosperando", afirma Jill. "La investigación sobre el cáncer de pulmón lo es todo para nosotros, y estoy encantada de unirme a la junta de Lung Cancer Research Foundation."
Tejal Patel’s professional background includes an early career in clinical pharmacy. She currently serves as Vice President of Operations at Sinai Chicago where she leads inpatient hospital operations. Tejal is highly skilled in bringing together teams to ensure patient satisfaction, caregiver engagement, efficient operations, and quality of care. She was an integral leader in overseeing the COVID-19 pandemic response for Sinai Chicago. Her efforts helped provide over 100,000 vaccines at the height of the pandemic to communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Tejal ha sido galardonada con el premio 2021 Samuel A. Goldsmith Young Professionals Award por su destacada labor por la página web judía United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. También ha sido galardonada con el premio 2021 Partner of the Year a través de Metropolitan Family Services.
While continuing to conquer her day job as a health care executive, she recently graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago and received her master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. While completing her MHA studies, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer and initially believed the diagnosis would derail her life and career. However, her diagnosis has helped shape her perception of quality care and she hopes to make more advances in the Chicagoland area to impact as many patient lives as possible. Over the last several months, she has been involved with the Lung Cancer Research Foundation and raised over $46,000 to support leading edge cancer research through her team, Breathe Easy Fight Hard.
Además de su apretada agenda laboral y de recaudación de fondos, Tejal es una cariñosa madre de gemelos, una esposa entrañable y, en su tiempo libre, disfruta leyendo y viajando.
"Estoy encantada de unirme a LCRF en este cargo", comenta Tejal. "Es otra forma para mí de 'respirar tranquilo, luchar duro' y, en el proceso, poder llevar esperanza a otras personas con cáncer de pulmón, igual que esta comunidad ha hecho por mí".
To learn more about LCRF and its Board of Directors, visit www.LCRF.org.
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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 416 research grants, totaling nearly $43 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.