Welcome remarks from incoming ICRF National Executive Director Beryl Chernov

Dear Friends –

Today, with unbridled excitement, I officially begin my tenure as the National Executive Director of ICRF.  For the last six months I have had the privilege of embarking on a” listening tour” where I met our amazing international staff, reached out to our brilliant scientists, spoke with dedicated members of the board, attended numerous virtual events, and learned the countless ways that ICRF is furthering its mission to end the scourge of cancer.

First, I must express profound gratitude to Dr. Mark Israel, ICRF’s immediate past Executive Director, and Rob Densen, immediate past International President, for their assistance during this transition.  Looking forward, David Abramson, our current International President, and Bryna Goldberg, International Chair, have been valuable and supportive partners. Together we dream and strategize about ICRF’s future….  To date, ICRF has awarded nearly $80 million for over 2,500 grants to hundreds of scientists conducting groundbreaking research across Israel.  One day we hope to say we have allocated $800 million for 25,000 grants.  With your help, and the palpable energy and determination of our staff and supporters, along with the remarkable ingenuity and genius of our researchers, we will reach this goal!

We will soon embark on several  new strategic initiatives.  These include a new marketing, communications, and branding strategy.  ICRF will no longer be the greatest hidden secret, but rather a household name.  We will improve on our technology and CRM infrastructure, which will enable us to make smart, data-driven decisions.  We will assist our scientists in ways that go beyond traditional funding.  Under the leadership of Dr. Nancy Maizels, ICRF’s International Scientific Council Chair, and Drs. David Malkin and Matthew Weitzman, Chair and Co-Chair respectively of two of our Scientific Review Panel Committees, we will offer essential grant writing seminars to our new young scientists to enable them to build the necessary skills to develop high quality grant applications.

These are just some of the ideas and paths that you can expect from ICRF going forward.  I am humbled and honored to be given this opportunity to lead this extraordinary organization as we  begin a new chapter.

Remember… the answer to cancer is research. This is a partnership of many minds; I welcome your input and will continue to share my thoughts with you through this forum. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and ideas. Together we can make this happen!

Beryl Chernov
ICRF National Executive Director