Medical College of Wisconsin
Press Release

Community leaders celebrate 40 years of MACC Fund

Wisconsin families who have children with cancer have access to some of the best medical care in the country.

By - Apr 29th, 2016 07:57 am

MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin families who have children with cancer have access to some of the best medical care in the country. A big reason for that is the leadership and advocacy provided by the MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., which was founded 40 years ago on Dec. 10, 1976. On Friday, April 29, leaders from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), alongside elected officials, will recognize the advancements made in fighting childhood cancer and what is next in research and clinical care.

Opening remarks will be made by Peggy Troy, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and John R. Raymond, MD, president and CEO of MCW. U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Wisconsin Representative Peter Barca and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele will provide short reflections on the MACC Fund’s impact on the community. The program will be emceed by Kevin Steiner, president and CEO of West Bend Mutual Insurance and board vice chair of the MACC Fund.

After the remarks, Steiner will lead a panel discussion with Mike Kelly, PhD, MD, Dave Margolis, MD, and Jeffrey A. Medin, PhD. Dr. Kelly, director of Children’s Cancer Program and associate professor at MCW will discuss the ongoing importance of clinical trials to drug discovery. Dr. Margolis, director of Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program and professor at MCW, will address the growth of pediatric cancer care since the launch of the MACC Fund. Dr. Medin, MACC Fund Professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Pediatrics at MCW, will discuss the future of pediatric cancer and blood disorder treatments.

“Children’s Hospital is so fortunate to have the MACC Fund and MCW as partners in the fight against pediatric cancer and blood disorders,” said Troy. “The MACC Fund has inspired hope for Wisconsin children, families and health care providers for four decades. This has had a tremendous impact on the level of care and innovation Children’s has been able to provide.”

“This community has a vision, thanks to the MACC Fund, to fight pediatric cancer. That vision has meant that some of the most consequential cancer research has been undertaken right here at MCW and Children’s,” said Dr. Raymond. “I am excited about the potential the future holds as together we take the next great steps in the fight against pediatric cancer.”

The MACC Fund supports translational research in the MACC Fund Center at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and scientific research in the MACC Fund Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin and in the MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing at the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center. The MACC Fund was founded in 1976 during a Milwaukee Bucks game to commemorate the retirement of the “Original Buck”, Jon McGlocklin. McGlocklin co-founded the MACC Fund with Eddie Doucette, the voice of the Bucks, whose son’s diagnosis in November of 1975 led to the organization’s creation. Since the MACC Fund began, it has contributed more than $56 million to pediatric cancer and blood disorder research in Wisconsin which has impacted the treatment and cure of children throughout the state, the nation and the world.  Thanks in part to the research support of the MACC Fund, the overall cure rate for childhood cancer has risen from 20 percent to 80 percent since its inception.  However, even children in the 80% can relapse and have “late effect” issues which require more research.

About the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school.  Founded in 1893, it is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement.  More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, and 26 medical students are enrolled at MCW-Green Bay.  A regional medical education campus is scheduled to open in Central Wisconsin in 2016.   MCW’s School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students.  A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin.  In FY 2013-14, faculty received approximately $154 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes, of which approximately $138 million is for research.  This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,350 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 425,000 patients annually.

About Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is the region’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. The hospital, with locations in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wisconsin, is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is ranked in nine specialty areas in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015-16 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Children’s provides primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. In 2014, Children’s invested more than $102 million in the community to improve the health status of children through medical care, advocacy, education and pediatric medical research. Children’s achieves its mission in part through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations and is proud to be a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For more information, visit the website at chw.org.

About the MACC Fund
The MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., is celebrating its 40th Birthday in 2016.  It has contributed nearly $56 million to pediatric cancer and blood disorders research for diseases like aplastic anemia and sickle cell disease since its inception in 1976. The MACC Fund has played an important role in helping the overall cure rate for childhood cancer to rise from 20% to 80% during this time yet children can still relapse and have “late effect” issues. MACC Fund supported research conducted in the MACC Fund Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin, in the MACC Fund Center at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and in the MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing at the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center impacts the treatment of children throughout the state, the nation and the world.  The MACC Fund is committed to give every child a fighting chance to provide “Hope for Kids.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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