Coming Together Against Cancer Expands Unique Engagement Model

Coming Together Against Cancer (CTAC) announced the expansion of its unique physician/researcher/donor engagement model by adding four new pioneering physicians to the upcoming CTAC 2019 event being held on Saturday, April 13th from 9 to 11:30 AM at Eloise Werlin Park on the east side of the Ringling Bridge Causeway in Sarasota, Florida.

Coming Together Against Cancer (CTAC) is a donor driven community-uniting donors with pioneering physicians, researchers and institutions as ‘Partners in Discovery’ with the common goal of eradicating cancer.  CTAC’s medical advisory staff, led by Dr. Dean Hautamaki, helps select leading edge programs from candidates across the country in order to bring four new pioneering physicians each year to Sarasota.

“We are excited to invite our expanding CTAC community to welcome and engage with the incoming CTAC 2019 Pioneering Physicians on April 13th,” said CTAC CEO and cancer survivor Lori Kayser. “Their work is ground-breaking. We are grateful for the opportunity to be of service to these amazing physicians and to our donors by maximizing the impact of their philanthropy. Once again, 100% of the monies raised are passed through to the donor-directed cancer research programs and cancer-support organizations. I am excited to announce that CTAC has already been offered over $250,000 in matching funds.”

Joining CTAC 2019 as Pioneering Physicians are Paul Chomiak, MD, Director of Thoracic Surgical Oncology at the Cancer Institute of the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Health Care System; Paul Crispen, MD, Research Leader GU Disease Site Group, UF Health Cancer Center at the University of Florida College of Medicine; Douglas Evans, MD, the Donald C. Ausman Family Foundation Professor & Chair, Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin; and Susan J. Hoover, MD; Associate Professor of Surgery, Breast Surgical Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center.

Attendees at this year’s free event will be treated to presentations by the physicians about their research, their progress and a look ahead at the treatments for cancer by the people most in the know.

Participants in the inaugural 2018 CTAC event collectively donated $750,000 and 100% of the funds went to directly benefit 35 cancer programs from coast to coast. These institutions included Johns Hopkins, Duke, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Moffitt, M.D. Anderson, U.N.C.-Lineberger, Sloan Kettering, Cleveland Clinic, University of Florida Cancer Center, NYU Lagone Health and Dana-Faber Cancer Institute to name just a few.

According to CTAC visionary Ernest ‘Doc’ Werlin, “I founded CTAC in great part because of my personal experience with cancer. All of my siblings and our spouses, myself included, have battled cancer. I’ve dedicated this chapter of my life to searching out and helping to facilitate the most promising research, and then bringing together the pioneering physicians leading those programs with interested and invested donors to forge a new model of active philanthropic engagement. I hope you can join us for this free event on April 13th to meet the new 2019 CTAC Pioneering Physicians and learn about their programs as well as be brought up to date on the 2018 CTAC physician research supported by CTAC donors.”

Local organizations supported through CTAC include Breast Health Sarasota, Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Team Tony Cancer Foundation