Letter from the President
Kelly Shanahan, M.D.
Our 2026 grant cycle is open, so if you are a researcher – or know a researcher doing MBC focused research – learn about how to apply for a grant here. Last year we received double the number of letters of intent (LoIs) we normally do, so it will be interesting to see what this year brings. Hopefully, the federal budget with a proposed increase in NIH/NCI funding will actually come to fruition. We are always looking for scientists AND patients to review LoIs and full grant applications – check out how.
I love talking to researchers and being a part of research. I’m writing this from Nashville, TN, where I’m participating in a clinical trial at Sarah Cannon Research Institute. While I’m hoping to eventually be able to transfer to a site closer to my home in California (because flying across the country is both financially and time toxic, and I miss my husband, my dog, but not the 4 feet of snow Tahoe got in less than 48 hours), I’m enjoying seeing how a different cancer center operates, and also enjoying Southern hospitality – everyone is so nice here! If you’re ever in Nashville I can highly recommend the Museum of African American Music and I plan to also check out the Country Music Hall of Fame to see the Taylor Swift exhibit.
Speaking of talking to researchers, check out the flyer in this month’s newsletter, about a trial lead by Dr. Lior Braunstein at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I had a great conversation with him about this trial to see if adding surgery to remove the primary breast tumor and radiation to metastatic sites in people with oligometastatic (minimal metastases) HER2+ MBC can improve outcomes. Right now the trial is opening at MSK sites in New York and New Jersey, but may expand elsewhere in the future.
We cannot do the work we do without you, our supporters. If you are planning a fundraiser in 2026, please email info@metavivor.org so we can add it to our event calendar, and also let you know about the fundraising platforms we use. You can also check out our fundraising FAQs. We also want to expand our peer-to-peer support groups, which are led by trained volunteers – learn more here. Finally, we’re looking for volunteers to join other committees, so if you’d like to get involved, please email info@metavivor.org.
For those of you living in parts of the country where spring arrives in March, I’m envious. For the rest of us, hang in there – good weather will eventually arrive!
-Kelly