A Powerful Partnership
Dean Jay Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, Indiana University School of Medicine
The research team at the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research includes 37 breast cancer researchers who have a diverse array of skills.
The lineup includes physicians and scientists who are capable of dissecting cancer at the cellular level, taking findings from the lab and turning them into potential treatments, and, eventually, bringing them to patients in the form of clinical trials.
Researchers are now working to identify trace fragments in the bloodstream that can point to cancers that otherwise would remain hidden. They are looking at why Black women tend to have more aggressive breast cancers. They are studying why some women are more likely to see their cancer recur after initial treatments. And, with the support of the Vera Bradley Foundation, Indiana University is tailoring treatments to each patient.
“We have built an interdisciplinary team and created good laboratory space so our people can work together. We’ve also built a broad portfolio of research,” Hess said.
As part of the larger Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, breast cancer researchers benefit from collaborations with many other scientists. This includes those who are working to enhance the immune system’s ability to help fight cancer, a field known as immunotherapy.
IU’s team also includes collaborators from other medical schools around the country. It includes researchers in Africa who are part of the AMPATH consortium that has brought cancer treatment to the people of western Kenya and has the added benefit of diversifying the base of subjects for research. Additionally, IU’s Precision Health Initiative means patients with triple negative breast cancer can have their tumor genetically sequenced.
A young Jay Hess with his family and his mother
With crucial support from the Vera Bradley Foundation, IU has been able to recruit key people such as Matt Opyrchal, MD, PhD, the Vera Bradley Foundation Scholar in Breast Cancer Discovery. Opyrchal is helping take discoveries from the lab to patients, and he’s working to bring immunotherapy to breast cancer patients.
For Hess, who lost his mother to breast cancer, this fight is personal. He knows the same is true of the Vera Bradley Foundation and their army of supporters.
“This genuine and longstanding relationship is ultimately about addressing a big health problem.”
Hess, who is completing his 10th year as Dean of the medical school, has developed friendships with Vera Bradley co-founders, Pat Miller and Barb Baekgaard. He’s hiked mountains in Arizona with Pat, and shares a common interest in the arts and aesthetics with Barb.
Hess recalls his first trip to the Foundation to meet members of the Vera Bradley Foundation board. He was touched by their warmth and kindness. When the Foundation made a new $15 million pledge, he was determined to be a hands-on steward of the gift to ensure it was used wisely. “We have a clear focus and plan for the people we need to recruit to strengthen the science and our impact,” he said.
The Foundation’s pledge to breast cancer research at IU now totals $50 million. Beyond the financial support, Hess smiles when he remembers a visit to Fort Wayne with a busload of his department chairs. Barb was there and greeted them with hugs. “We all got back on the bus feeling even more energized about the work we are doing,” he said. “I haven’t really worked with many people like that. I’m fond of all of them and want to make sure we deliver results.”
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