The Life Raft Group, a Non-profit Supporting Patients with GIST Cancer, Announces Members of the 202

The Life Raft Group (LRG), a patient advocacy organization supporting patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST), a rare cancer, announced today the members of their 2021 Medical Advisory Board.

Comprised of experts from leading academic and medical institutions around the world, the goal of the MAB is to share scientific and research expertise to provide strategic direction on LRG initiatives to ensure the survival and well-being of GIST patients.

The recognized experts and key opinion leaders are:

Suzanne George, MD is the Clinical Research Director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She also serves as senior physician to the affiliate staff in the Division of Adult Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Michael Heinrich, MD is a medical oncologist and Professor of Medicine and Cell/Developmental Biology at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU School of Medicine).

Sameer Rastogi, MD is a faculty member in the Department of Medical Oncology at All India institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, a leading tertiary care center in North India.

Peter Reichardt, MD is Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Oncology and Palliative Care at the Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch in Berlin, Germany, and is Director of the Cancer Center Berlin-Buch and the Sarcoma Center Berlin-Brandenburg.

Gary K. Schwartz, MD is a board-certified medical oncologist and internist and chief of Columbia University Medical Center's Division of Hematology and Oncology.

Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS is an NIH and FDA R01 funded investigator, Professor of Surgery, Executive Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Surgery, and Co-Leader of the Sarcoma Disease Team at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

Jonathan Trent., MD, PhD the Associate Director for Clinical Research, the Director of the Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcoma Group and Medical Director of the Precision Medicine Initiative at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

To quote Norman Scherzer, Executive Director of the Life Raft Group, ""The Life Raft Group is excited to collaborate with our Medical Advisory Board to address the vital issues affecting the survival and well-being of GIST patients."

Further information can be found in the latest issue of LRG Science: https://indd.adobe.com/view/04f2627d-693d-4a0d-a7f5-c509d99d742f

About the Life Raft Group

The Life Raft Group is a non-profit with a simple focus: to cure a form of cancer - GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumors) - and to help those living with it until then. The mission is to ensure the survival of GIST patients through a comprehensive approach connecting individual patients' needs, the worldwide community of GIST advocates and the global health and research environment. This is achieved by focusing on three key areas: Patient Support & Education, Advocacy and Research.

To learn more, visit www.liferaftgroup.org