One of the Many Reasons I’m Proud to Work at CureSearch: The Catapult Summit

Written by Tess Mattingly, Director, Industry Relations.

Last week, CureSearch did something exciting.

2017 Catapult Summit

We brought together 80 of the most innovative minds in science, drug development, advocacy, and health funding to focus on one very important challenge: Getting more and better treatments to children with cancer…NOW.

Tess Mattingly at the Catapult SummitWe called it the Catapult Summit.

My name is Tess Mattingly and I am the Director of Industry Relations here at CureSearch focused on bringing our latest initiative, CureSearch Catapult, to life – engaging all the necessary people, supporting the creation of our strategy, and with the help of our awesome team here at CureSearch and Healthspottr, planning and executing the Catapult Summit. On the right, you can see me at the Summit, clearly deep in thought.

On Sunday, February 26 CureSearch CEO, Laura Thrall, let out the rally cry, “We have the right team assembled, we have a strong strategy, now we need to go out there and do it – Catapult the best research out of the lab and into commercialization, where it actually reaches children!”

It was exciting to sit among my fellow CureSearch staff, Board Members, long-time supporters, and brand new friends and collectively commit to this challenge.

Greg Simon and Jeff BluestoneGreg Simon (Founding Executive Director, White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force) and Jeff Bluestone, PhD (President & CEO, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy) kicked off the Summit sharing the latest innovations in cancer treatment and the importance of initiatives like CureSearch Catapult to ensure children live the long healthy lives they deserve.

Monday’s daylong program put several obstacles facing children’s cancer treatment under a microscope and laid the groundwork for CureSearch to lead the way in overcoming these hurdles. We discussed how to build an evergreen funding source, how and where to find the strongest research projects, how to take advantage of regulatory and legislative incentives, and how to manage challenges like intellectual property rights and international clinical trial recruitment.

2017 Catapult SummitThroughout the two days, the room was bursting with enthusiasm and passionate discussion – but unlike so many conferences and meetings I have attended, we set out to do something different – not merely talk, but instead turn great ideas into real, tangible action.

We left the Summit energized by the opportunity we have through CureSearch Catapult to accelerate treatments to kids.

Next week will be my 3-year anniversary with CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. It is moments like these – when you know that the work you support is going to matter for real children and families – that make me proud and energized to go to work each day.

Our team is hard at work finalizing our plan and in the coming weeks and months we look forward to sharing these exciting updates with you, our community. Please stay tuned!

Together, we will Catapult new and better treatments to kids.

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