The following is a statement from The Eye Cancer Foundation, reprinted here with their permission:
The Eye Cancer Foundation (ECF) today announces a bold new strategic direction with a focus on bringing patients in every country access to an #EyeCancerCure. This will be accomplished through the Eye Cancer Working Day events, sponsored fellowships to train specialists in underserved countries, and the Bioinformatics Grid (BIG) project. The ECF seeks to broaden participation in its efforts, facilitate information sharing, and promote more rigorous research practices.
To this end, the Foundation has revamped its website at the new domain of eyecancercure.com, launching a truly international effort to achieve an #EyeCancerCure for as many patients as possible. Typing “eyecancercure” will now take you to the Foundation’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, and the web.
This new strategic vision reflects both a focusing of scope and a widening of participation. The Eye Cancer Foundation got its start some two decades ago through the efforts of our Chairman Dr. Paul T. Finger to fill the need for an online resource with essential information for eye cancer patients and physicians. The result was The Eye Cancer Network, which has grown and remained essential reading for anyone affected by or treating eye cancer. In the meantime, the ECF built a Board of committed benefactors, a truly global network of eye cancer specialists, and a brigade of passionate volunteers. Together, we have accomplished many important projects, especially developing an international, scientific, AJCC-UICC language used to describe most types of eye cancers.
Today, the ECF has reached a point that we are ready to diversify participation and focus our mission. Dr. Finger generously furnished the vast majority of content on The Eye Cancer Network. He will henceforth be personally developing this trove of information into an “online textbook” for continued use by patients and practitioners for years to come. Meanwhile, the new Foundation website highlights our key projects, inspiration and support for patients, and the world’s largest eye cancer specialist directory. In the coming years, we will be reaching out to eye cancer specialists around the world to provide new community-based content contributed by our many affiliated physicians and patient members. Dr. Finger remains dedicated to his role as Chairman of The Eye Cancer Foundation Board as we seek more contributors to accomplish the ambitious goals we have set for the next 5 years.
Are you ready to achieve an #EyeCancerCure? Now is the time to get involved. Contact us for more information.
