New York Gala 2005

Gala 2005 Update - November 29, 2006: 100 Women in Hedge Funds Foundation was welcomed for inclusion in the Sir Harold Acton Society of New York University. The Society honors donors who have made gifts of $1 million to the University. A formal presentation will take place in January 2007 and the Foundation will be included on the Sir Harold Acton Society plaque which is displayed year-round on campus in the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for University Life.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal disease women face today. The National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program (NOCEDP) is a clinical research program designed to identify those women who are at increased risk for developing ovarian cancer and to apply new research and tests to help detect ovarian cancer at an early, treatable stage. The NOCEDP effort, led by Dr. David A. Fishman, is specifically validating a blood test that can be used worldwide to detect ovarian cancer in its early stages. Currently, there are no reliable tests to detect ovarian cancer resulting in alarming statistics.

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 24,000 women are diagnosed annually with ovarian cancer. Over 75 percent of the women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed after the disease has reached an advanced, incurable, stage. The overall 15 percent five-year survival rate for women with advanced stage ovarian cancer has remained constant, over the past 30 years. Women, however, diagnosed with early stage ovarian cancer have an overall five-year survival rate approaching 90 percent.

Clearly, early detection of ovarian cancer is the best way to improve survival rates. Dr. Fishman and his colleagues at New York University are dedicated to developing new ways of detecting ovarian cancer at a center that provides cutting edge clinical care that will ultimately impact cancer patients around the world.