“It’s okay to fall down.
It’s not okay to stay down.”
– Harold “Hal” Eisenberg
Since 1999, after Harold “Hal” Eisenberg lost his life to liver and pancreatic cancers, the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation has honored his memory by funding breakthrough research to fight gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and increase survivorship.
We work in partnership with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, a national leader in the battle to overcome cancer. Our shared goal is to raise awareness and funds to advance life-saving cancer medicine.
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is cancer of the organs of the digestive system, including the pancreas, liver, stomach, colon, esophagus, gallbladder, small intestine and rectum.
The Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, led by Director Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD and Director for Cooperative Groups Al Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO. Since 2001, we have committed over $3 million to advancing GI cancer research and patient care.
OncoSET is an unprecedented initiative to deliver personalized, effective cancer treatments to patients who currently have very limited options.
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The Harold E. Eisenberg GI Cancer Tissue Bank — the first of its kind in the Midwest — is at the forefront of cancer medicine. Samples allow researchers to study what characterizes cancer tissue to improve prevention, detection and treatment. The bank stores over 25,150 samples and grows each month.
In 2023, we awarded $50,000 to support the work of Research Scholars Shannon Lauberth, PhD and Hidayatullah Munshi, MD. Dr. Lauberth’s work will be focused on RNA based therapeutics for treatment of colorectal cancer. Dr. Munshi’s work will be focused on the KRAS mutation for pancreatic cancer. The research scholar award gives scientists the necessary resources and time needed to ask novel research questions and explore new ideas related to GI cancers.
The Foundation continues to invest in professionals like Victoria Maurer, the program’s clinical research nurse, who plays a vital role in the tissue bank’s activities. Nurse Maurer coordinates all ongoing clinical trials, identifies participants for studies and works with patients and their families during testing and follow-up care.
We continue to improve patient care offerings by supporting clinical trial efforts and annual events like Conversations about Colorectal Cancer, which helps colorectal cancer patients and their families network and learn about new treatments, clinical trials and survivorship.
Donations from generous supporters like you allow the Lurie Cancer Center to collect, store and research cancer tissue samples. Each dollar brings us closer to personalized medicine and life-saving treatments.
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