Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance Inc

THE MINNESOTA OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE IS DEDICATED TO RAISING AWARENESS AND PROVIDING EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO WOMEN AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY OVARIAN CANCER AND ADVANCING THE RESEARCH NEEDED TO DETECT THE DISEASE EARLY AND TREAT IT EFFECTIVELY.

RESEARCHRESEARCH - MOCA IS A LEADER IN PRIVATE NONPROFIT FUNDING FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH. WE PROVIDE RESEARCH GRANTS THROUGH THREE SEPARATE GRANTMAKING MECHANISMS. THE FIRST IS FOR INVESTIGATORS IN MINNESOTA WORKING ON OVARIAN, PRIMARY PERITONEAL OR FALLOPIAN TUBE CANCER RESEARCH. WE CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE GRANT MAKING PROCESS WHICH INCLUDES A STRINGENT REVIEW BY BOTH NATIONAL EXPERT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS AND CONSUMERS TO SELECT THE MOST IMPACTFUL PROJECTS. IN 2021, MOCA PROVIDED 5 GRANTS TO MINNESOTA-BASED RESEARCHERS FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH PROJECTS TOTALING $500,000, WE ALSO PROVIDE FUNDING TO NATIONAL RESEARCHERS WORKING ON DEVELOPING AN EARLY DETECTION TEST FOR OVARIAN CANCER. IN 2021, MOCA AWARDED 2 GRANTS OF $50,000 EACH TO NATIONAL RESEARCHERS FOR EARLY DETECTION RESEARCH. TIM STARR, PH.D. & BEAU WEBBER, PH.D. / UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA "GENE-EDITED TUMOR INFILTRATING LYMPHOCYTES FOR OVARIAN CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY" $100,000AMY SKUBITZ, PH.D. / UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA "THE FIRST STEP TOWARD A SELF-SAMPLING AT-HOME TEST FOR OVARIAN CANCER: DETECTION OF OVARIAN CANCER BIOMARKER PROTEINS IN CERVICAL SWABS" $100,000EMIL LOU, M.D., PH.D. / UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA "TARGETING CHANNELS OF OVARIAN TUMOR CELL COMMUNICATION" $100,000ZHENKUN LOU, PH.D. / MAYO CLINIC "SENSITIZING OVARIAN CANCER CELLS TO PARP INHIBITOR BYLRRK2 INHIBITION" $100,000JOHN HAWSE, PH.D. / MAYO CLINIC "INTERROGATING JAK/STAT SIGNALING AS AN ONCOGENIC DRIVER AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN OVARIAN CANCER" $100,000 T. RINDA SOONG, M.D. / UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH "LOCAL AND PERIPHERAL IMMUNE LANDSCAPES AS BIOMARKER SIGNATURES ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY PRECURSORS OF HIGH-GRADE SEROUS CARCINOMA" $50,000 KEVIN ELIAS, M.D. / HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL "CELLULAR COMMUNICATION AT THE OVARIAN-FALLOPIAN TUBE INTERFACE" $50,000

PATIENT AND CAREGIVER SUPPORT: MOCA ORGANIZES A WIDE RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORT MEETINGS FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY OVARIAN CANCER INCLUDING: ONE MEMBERSHIP MEETING, THREE PUBLIC EDUCATION MEETINGS, TWO ONGOING MONTHLY SUPPORT GROUPS, THREE YOUNG SURVIVORS SUPPORT MEETINGS, AND TWO MEN OF MOCA EVENTS. MOCA PROVIDES MENTORING THROUGH OUR MOCA MENTOR PROGRAM AND MEN OF MOCA MENTOR PROGRAM. MOCA ALSO PROVIDED WEBSITE RESOURCES, CRITICAL ONE ON ONE SUPPORT TO OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS, FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS VIA PHONE, EMAIL AND IN PERSON AT OUR OFFICE 40 HOURS PER WEEK. IN ADDITION, MOCA PROVIDED CARES KITS FULL OF COMFORT ITEMS FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER AND MOCA DREAM AWARDS FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER TO REALIZE DREAMS. IN 2021, MOCA INAUGURATED A NEW DREAM AWARD, THE JENNA SIMON MEMORIAL DREAM AWARD DESIGNATED FOR A YOUNG WOMAN WITH OVARIAN CANCER. MOCA ALSO AWARDED A CONTINUING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP TO AN ONCOLOGY NURSE AND GREW THE COLLEEN ANDERSON EXCELLENCE IN CANCER CARE AWARD PROGRAM FROM 1 RECIPIENT TO 3 RECIPIENTS IN 2021. MOCA LAUNCHED A NEW PROGRAM IN 2021 CALLED "MOCA LUNCH AND LEARN." THESE LUNCH AND LEARNS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP OUR MEMBERS TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR HEALTH. MOCA HELD THREE LUNCH AND LEARN MEETINGS IN 2021.

AWARENESS, OUTREACH AND INFORMATION: MOCA INCREASED AWARENESS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER AND SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS THROUGH VARIOUS PUBLIC EVENTS IN 2021 SUCH AS HOM TEAL STRIDES FOR OVARIAN CANCER, TIE IT TEAL WITH THE TWINS OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT, OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS EVENT AT A MINNESOTA WILD GAME, UNLEASH THE SHE 5K 10K RACE, MOCA LIGHTS THE NIGHT INITIATIVE (22 LANDMARKS LIT THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA AND BEYOND), FIVE HEALTH FAIRS AND SIX EDUCATIONAL EVENTS INCLUDING 3 LIVING WELL MEETINGS AND 3 LUNCH AND LEARN MEETINGS. MOCA HAS A STRONG MEDIA PRESENCE AND PLACED 47 UNIQUE STORIES ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER ON ALL LOCAL TV STATIONS, A NATIONAL NEWS NETWORK AND IN SEVERAL PRINT OUTLETS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA. MOCA EVENTS AND MEDIA STORIES INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER, ITS IMPACT ON WOMEN, FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITYAND WAYS TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL. MOCA ALSO PRODUCES A MONTHLY MOCA MESSENGER NEWSLETTER VIA EMAIL. ADDITIONALLY, MOCA RAISES AWARENESS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, INCLUDING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN AND YOUTUBE.

MEDICAL EDUCATION: MOCA RECOGNIZES THE CRITICAL ROLE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS PLAY IN RECOGNIZING THE SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER AND DIAGNOSING THE DISEASE TO IMPROVE PATIENT SURVIVAL. A FULL-TIME STAFF PERSON IS DESIGNATED TO DESIGN AND EXECUTE OVARIAN CANCER OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOR THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE SURVIVORS TEACHING STUDENTS PROGRAM WHICH EDUCATED NEARLY 350 HEALTH CARE STUDENTS AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA. MOCA ORGANIZES A WIDE RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORT MEETINGS FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY OVARIAN CANCER INCLUDING: ONE MEMBERSHIP MEETING, FOUR PUBLIC EDUCATION MEETINGS, TWO ONGOING MONTHLY SUPPORT GROUPS AND THREE YOUNG SURVIVORS SUPPORT MEETINGS. MOCA PROVIDES MENTORING THROUGH OUR MOCA MENTOR PROGRAM AND MEN OF MOCA MENTOR PROGRAM. MOCA ALSO PROVIDED WEBSITE RESOURCES, CRITICAL ONE ON ONE SUPPORT TO OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS, FAMILIES AND CAREGIVERS VIA PHONE, EMAIL AND IN PERSON 40 HOURS PER WEEK. IN ADDITION, MOCA PROVIDED CARES KITS FULL OF COMFORT ITEMS FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER AND MOCA DREAM AWARDS FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER TO REALIZE DREAMS.MOCA ALSO AWARDED A CONTINUING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP TO AN ONCOLOGY NURSE AND PROVIDED AN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO ANOTHER GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY NURSE.ANY MOUNTAIN: THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE EXPANDED OUR RESEARCH FUNDING THROUGH A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ANY MOUNTAIN PROJECT AND WERE ABLE TO AWARD 3 GRANTS TOTALING $125,000 TO NATIONAL RESEARCHERS MAKING UP THE ANY MOUNTAIN EXPEDITION TEAM (AMET). THE AMET IS A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO ADDRESS EARLY DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS OF OVARIAN CANCER.KAREN LU, M.D. / MD ANDERSON TUBA-WISP II STUDY $65,000KARA LONG ROCHE, MD / MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING "UNDERSTANDING DECISION MAKING FOR RISK REDUCING SURGERY" $30,000BARBARA NORQUIST, MD /UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE "PREDICTOR OF COMPLETION OF GENETIC TESTING: AN ANCILLARY ANALYSIS OF THE MAGENTA STUDY" $30,000