Philanthropists Richard and Carol Dean Hertzberg have committed $2.1 million to develop and maintain the Dean-Hertzberg Breast Cancer Database System (BCDS). The gift will support the work of Anne Wallace, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at UC San Diego Health and her collaborators at Moores Cancer Center.
The BCDS will combine data from several sources and include biological, biographical, and demographic data to allow researchers to study breast cancers with similar clinical features, including rare cancer subtypes.
“I am excited about the BCDS’s potential to bring research collaborators together with practicing providers to use advanced technologies, data and knowledge to find better ways to improve each patient’s experience, based on their specific breast cancer,” Wallace said in a press release. “I am grateful to Carol and Dick for helping us launch this project.”
An immediate benefit of the donation has been to allow Wallace and colleagues at UC San Diego Health to collaborate with the laboratory of Thomas J. Kipps, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of research operations for UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. The intent is to use the system as flagship for data analysis and accessibility.
The latest gift from the Hertzbergs of $1.8 million comes on the heels of contributions of $100,000 and $200,00 the couple made previous to help create the BCDS. The new funds will support the addition of a clinical data manager to help foster the program.
“When we asked Dr. Wallace how we could help, she had a wish list of projects that could not be funded by traditional grant sources,” said Carol Hertzberg. “She described this project to us and we knew it was something we wanted to support. We are excited to see the impact that this collaboration will make for research and care.”
