A Message from the Chairman

Dear Friends of ICRF,

My name is Prof. Benjamin Bonavida and I am the Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of ICRF, having succeeded our highly devoted and accomplished past Chairwoman, Jacqueline Bell. I am a Professor in Cancer Research at UCLA. I have also trained as a Fellow at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. I am married and have two sons and a granddaughter. I have been involved with ICRF for over 20 years and served on the Scientific Review Panel. I also serve on the Executive Committee as well as the International Scientific Advisory Board of ICRF.

The present ICRF-LA Board consists of dedicated volunteers, several of whom are young professionals. I am proud to work with such a talented and committed group that shares the goal of fulfilling the mission of ICRF.

The ICRF-LA chapter continues to grow.  We have established “Visions,” comprised of young professionals, under the inspired leadership of Rachel Tanenbaum. In addition, we have the Rachel Society, chaired by Beverly Cohen and Jeannine Sefton, dedicated to funding research on women’s cancers. We also have an outreach program that introduces ICRF to the LA community via presentations by local and invited ICRF scientists. Our annual gala recognizes the generosity and leadership of special individuals, and we also have an annual Women of Action luncheon.

The ICRF-LA chapter is devoted to contributing significantly to funding highly competitive Israeli scientists in cancer research. It is my personal belief as a cancer scientist, and the belief of others, that research is the backbone of the development of new cancer drugs that will lead to both the prolongation of survival and cure. Cancer research in Israel is in the mainstream of innovative developments in the field of cancer, on-par with Western Europe and North America.

We were proud to have witnessed the first Israeli Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, awarded to Drs. Hershko and Ciechanover, who have been and are currently funded by ICRF. Their work has resulted in the development of FDA approved drugs for various cancers. Several ICRF-funded scientists are currently developing additional new drugs and early diagnostic devices. In addition, our scientists have been investigating the new approach of treatment, mainly targeting methods that are selective and specific to particular cancers, absent the toxic side effects observed with conventional treatments.

Your generous support will enable you to become an ICRF partner, and directly participate in these exciting scientific accomplishments. I look forward to your continued support, and also your help in reaching out to friends and families for their support. I hope to see and meet you at one of our various upcoming ICRF events.

Thanks again for your kind generosity. I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Benjamin Bonavida, Ph.D