Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG® Foundation Expands its Board of Directors and Appoints a Scientific Advisory Council.

To kickoff Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG® Foundation is excited to announce that it has expanded its Board of Directors and has appointed a Scientific Advisory Council.

In 2016, its first full year in operation, Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation enjoyed a successful year in raising funds for research for effective treatments for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), the deadliest form of childhood brain cancer.  The Foundation extended its reach across the country by opening chapters in Texas (Connor Man Defeat DIPG Foundation) and Washington (Avery Huffman Defeat DIPG Foundation).  The Foundation raised over $600,000 in 2016, and is quickly approaching $1,000,000 raised in less than two years of operation.

The expanded Board of Directors will help position the Foundation to continue to expand and grow.  The new Board members bring a diverse set of talents and expertise, with a shared commitment to the Foundation’s mission:  Finding a cure for DIPG.  The Board of Directors is chaired by Mark Mosier, and includes Dr. Henry Friedman, J. Brandon Huffman, Julie McEvoy, Jenny Mosier, Peter Olympia, Amanda Posner, Dr. Marshall Urist, and Porter Wilkinson.  Information about each of the board members is available at https://defeatdipg.org/board-of-directors.

As one of its first acts, the Board approved the formation of a Scientific Advisory Council. The Scientific Advisory Council will advise the Foundation on how to maximize its resources in funding research for a cure for DIPG.  The Council will provide strategic guidance on the types of grants to offer and will review grant applications to make recommendations regarding which research projects should be funded.

The Scientific Advisory Council is chaired by Dr. Darell Bigner, the Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, who brings more than 40 years of experience in brain cancer research.  He is joined on the Scientific Advisory Council by some of the foremost experts in DIPG research:  Dr. Suzanne Baker at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Oren Becher at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Cynthia Hawkins at Hospital for Sick Children, and Dr. Duane Mitchell at University of Florida College of Medicine.  Additional information about each of the members of the Scientific Advisory Council is available at https://defeatdipg.org/scientific-advisory-council.

The Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation will soon begin accepting grant applications for DIPG research projects.  The deadline for submitting applications will be September 1, 2017.  The Foundation expects to make grant decisions before the end of 2017.

DIPG is a brainstem tumor that typically strikes children between ages four and eleven. DIPG is the deadliest pediatric cancer, with a median survival from diagnosis of 9 months and overall survival near 0%.  The disease progresses by taking over a child’s motor functions one-by-one, typically starting with vision and balance problems, before moving to partial paralysis, followed by the inability to chew, speak, swallow, move and eventually breathe – all of this while the child remains mentally intact.

Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation, and its partners in Defeat DIPG Network, dedicate their efforts to promoting awareness and finding treatments and a cure for DIPG through funding of medical research.

Visit defeatdipg.org for more information.  Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/defeatdipg) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/defeatdipg).

For more information about Avery Huffman Defeat DIPG Foundation, visit their website (https://averystrongdipg.org) and follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/averystrongdipg) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/averystrongdipg).

For more information about Connor Man Defeat DIPG Foundation, visit their website (https://connorman.org) and follow them on Facebook (facebook.com/ConnorManFoundation) and Twitter (twitter.com/cmodefeatDIPG).