The Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (WOCA) was founded in May 2001 to bring attention to ovarian cancer, as well as provide education, encourage advocacy and garner support for research and an eventual cure. WOCA is a tax-exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The organization falls under the umbrella, and is a working partner of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance . The Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance mission is to overcome ovarian cancer through the following:
Education - WOCA pledges to create awareness of early warning signs that may be indicative of ovarian cancer. This means educating individuals, the medical community and organizations to recognize the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer. In so doing, WOCA hopes to increase early detection and improve treatment methods.
Support - WOCA works to support Wisconsinites and their families in their battle against ovarian cancer. This includes developing and distributing educational material, promoting support systems and creating networking groups.
Advocacy - WOCA's membership supports the advocacy efforts of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance to secure additional funds and advance research toward a cure.
WOCA achieves its mission through grassroots campaigns, annual events and fundraisers, [1] support groups, industry partnerships and educational activities.
While working as a volunteer on the Komen Foundation's Milwaukee Race for the Cure in 1999, Joan Sagan, an oncology nurse with more than 20 years experience, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She wanted to start a Wisconsin organization that would provide education, encourage advocacy, and generate support for ovarian cancer research and awareness.
After her treatment, Sagan assembled family, friends, medical professionals and fellow survivors to launch the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (WOCA). Key actions have included the formation of a medical advisory board; identification of outreach partners in Green Bay and Madison, as well as Metropolitan Milwaukee; creation of the Comedy for the Cure fundraising event; and the launch of an informational web site.
WOCA is run by a board of directors composed of officers, members and advisors from all over the Metropolitan Milwaukee area, and includes founders, supporters, survivors and medical professionals .
Ovarian Cancer Support Groups are available via WOCA in Metropolitan Milwaukee, Appleton, Madison and Waukesha. [2]
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research. The center, which conducts clinical research on cancer as well as the development new drugs, provides advanced treatment for all forms of adult and pediatric cancer, and serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is currently the only upstate New York facility to hold the National Cancer Institute designation of "comprehensive cancer center".
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, education and advocacy.
Susan G. Komen is a breast cancer organization in the United States.
Nancy Goodman Brinker is the founder of The Promise Fund and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization named after her only sister, Susan, who died from breast cancer. Brinker was also United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003 and Chief of Protocol of the United States from 2007 to the end of the George W. Bush administration. Brinker, a breast cancer survivor, uses her experience to heighten understanding of the disease. In 2011 she was appointed to be a Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control by the World Health Organization.
The Alliance for Aging Research is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that promotes medical research to improve the human experience of aging. Founded in 1986 by Daniel Perry, the Alliance also advocates and implements health education for consumers and health professionals.
Health advocacy or health activism encompasses direct service to the individual or family as well as activities that promote health and access to health care in communities and the larger public. Advocates support and promote the rights of the patient in the health care arena, help build capacity to improve community health and enhance health policy initiatives focused on available, safe and quality care. Health advocates are best suited to address the challenge of patient-centered care in our complex healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines patient-centered care as: Health care that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families to ensure that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs, and preferences and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care. Patient-centered care is also one of the overreaching goals of health advocacy, in addition to safer medical systems, and greater patient involvement in healthcare delivery and design.
Patient advocacy is a process in health care concerned with advocacy for patients, survivors, and caregivers. The patient advocate may be an individual or an organization, often, though not always, concerned with one specific group of disorders. The terms patient advocate and patient advocacy can refer both to individual advocates providing services that organizations also provide, and to organizations whose functions extend to individual patients. Some patient advocates work for the institutions that are directly responsible for the patient's care.
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is a public school district headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves the cities of Madison and Fitchburg, the villages of Shorewood Hills and Maple Bluff, and the towns of Blooming Grove, Burke, and Madison.
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), previously named Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization dedicated to childhood cancer.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), formerly the Society of Nuclear Medicine, is a nonprofit scientific and professional organization that promotes the science, technology and practical application of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. SNMMI's mission is to improve human health by advancing molecular imaging and therapy.
The National Health Council (NHC) is a nonprofit association of health organizations.
Sharsheret is a nonprofit organization with the goal of supporting Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Through its work and research efforts, Sharsheret provides healthcare resources, financial assistance, communal support, and educational programs to thousands of women and their families in the United States. Sharsheret has offices in California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. They are headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. Sharsheret primarily works with young women and Jewish families as Ashkenazi Jews are at higher risk of carrying a BRCA gene mutation, but also aids men and women from other backgrounds.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC) is a Canadian health charity for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Active in communities right across Canada, the Society partners with Alzheimer Societies in every Canadian province to offer information, support and education programs for people with dementia, their families and caregivers. The Alzheimer Society of Canada acts as the national voice for the thousands of Canadians living with dementia and advocates on their behalf for positive change. The Society also funds young and established Canadian researchers working to find the causes and a cure through the Alzheimer Society Research Program.
Breast cancer awareness is an effort to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of breast cancer through education on symptoms and treatment. Supporters hope that greater knowledge will lead to earlier detection of breast cancer, which is associated with higher long-term survival rates, and that money raised for breast cancer will produce a reliable, permanent cure.
Myeloma Canada is the only national non-profit organization uniquely devoted to the Canadian myeloma community. The organization helps myeloma patients and raises awareness about this rare form of cancer.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) charity that funds research, provides patient/caregiver support, conducts community outreach and advocates for increased federal research funding for those affected by pancreatic cancer.
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on ovarian cancer research, advocacy and patient support. The organization was formed in January 2016 when the former not-for-profit organization Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, which focused primarily on ovarian cancer research, combined with Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, which focused primarily on ovarian cancer advocacy and support programs, to form one organization.
Natalie Sue Miller was an American fashion model, breast cancer survivor, breast cancer activist, counselor, and author. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, she moved to Denver, Colorado at age 19 as a newlywed and started a career in fashion modeling. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34 and undergoing a mastectomy, she created a fashion show featuring models who had also had breast cancer. In 1981, she founded the Sue Miller Day of Caring, a non-profit organization for breast cancer education and awareness. In its first 35 years, the Day of Caring has been a resource for over 17,500 survivors of breast cancer, providing educational forums and support services at its annual event, held in nine U.S. cities. Miller earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at age 60 and 75, respectively, and wrote her autobiography, I'm Tougher Than I Look, in 2004. In 2002, Miller was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.
Beth Young Karlan is an American gynecologic oncologist. In 2008, she was named editor-in-chief of the medical journals Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Reports. In 2012, Karlan was appointed by the White House to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.