Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX-10) is the Founder and Co-Chairman of the Childhood Cancer Caucus, and has been attendant upon the accelerated progress in the childhood cancer community over the last 13 years in legislation and overall awareness for the #1 disease-related killer of children in the United States. Featured in this episode which opens Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2022, is Congressman McCaul’s opening remarks to the Moonshot4Kids Childhood Brain Cancer Briefing on May 17, 2022.
A unique window into testimony follows his remarks which will be included in a video briefing for Members of the House Health Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce regarding the importance of the DIPG Awareness Resolution as a catalyst for needed systemic change to better accommodate research for the deadliest childhood cancers. Ripley Martin and Gerald McDougall, Board Member and Chairman of the Board for the Carson Leslie Foundation in Dallas, TX, share their unique perspective on what challenges are faced in prioritizing research for childhood brain cancer for industry and pre-clinical research, #1 being that “people just don’t know” the struggle in the pediatric cancer research space. Michelle LeBeau, Chief Scientific Officer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas shares with us CPRIT’s leadership and innovation in pediatric cancer research, being second only to the NCI in its investment commitments.
Also presenting is Dr. Brigitte Widemann, Special Advisor the the NCI Director on pediatrics, with the latest and most hopeful developments and innovations at NCI and the Cancer Moonshot Initiative for childhood cancer research. Dr. Will Parsons, Principle Investigator for the Pediatric Match Trial shares the latest developments for pediatrics in precision medicine and the shared challenges in medulloblastoma and DIPG research. This represents a fraction of the briefing material to be submitted to the Health Subcommittee and House Leadership this September in support of a floor vote for H. Res. 404, the DIPG Awareness Resolution.
