Dana-Farber to steward and grow Bright Pink’s robust suite of cancer prevention resources

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As part of their ongoing work to help women better understand their cancer risk and make empowered health decisions, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is acquiring Bright Pink’s suite of award-winning breast and ovarian health resources that have educated more than 1.8 million women over the past 15 years.

Bright Pink, a nationally recognized leader in innovative digital tools and educational content that enables women to easily assess their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, recently sought a new home for its suite of engaging programs. Dana-Farber was selected among a competitive set of applicants as the entity with the infrastructure and leadership needed to sustain the long-term impact, mission, and integrity of these essential tools, as well as the focus on cancer health equity and comprehensive prevention and early detection services to help further their growth.

“Dana-Farber is the ideal partner to acquire, steward, and expand Bright Pink’s suite of tools and assets,” said Lindsay Avner, Founder & CEO of Bright Pink.

Janet Foutty, Chair of the Board for both Bright Pink and Deloitte US, added, “In addition to sharing Bright Pink’s deep commitment to addressing health inequities, Dana-Farber is laser-focused on ensuring women—especially young women—know their risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and have the resources, access and support to take life-saving preventative action.”

“We are thrilled to be the new stewards of the innovative educational health resources Lindsay and the Bright Pink team have developed so expertly over the past 15 years,” said, Magnolia Contreras, Vice President of Community Health at Dana-Farber. “Bright Pink’s portfolio of cancer risk tools and comprehensive educational programming will provide us with a new, innovative approach to continue educating those at high or increased risk for breast and ovarian cancers. We are particularly interested in optimizing these assets to serve our diverse community of people who could benefit from these early detection tools. We expect that will appeal to young women of color, in particular, to help them reduce their overall cancer risk.”

When Bright Pink was founded in 2007, there were few resources available for women with strong genetic or family histories of breast and ovarian cancer who wanted to be proactive about preventing a diagnosis. The organization quickly rose to become a prominent leader in the space, marked by their innovative breast and ovarian health programming focused on meeting young women where they are—online, at their doctor’s office, at school, in their workplace, and in their communities—with the information they need to understand their risk and take appropriate action to reduce their risk. In the following 15 years, the organization’s efforts have helped to shift the national conversation around breast and ovarian cancer from one focused on awareness and treatment to one focused on action and prevention through online and app-based cancer risk assessment tools, robust breast and ovarian health content, and actionable health care recommendations that empower women to make life-saving health decisions. 

Dana-Farber’s Community Health Department led by Magnolia Contreras, and Young and Strong, the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer, led by Ann Partridge MD, MPH, will integrate and now manage Bright Pink’s tools and resources—connecting young women to breast and ovarian online risk assessments, breast and ovarian health education, early screening, and other preventative care interventions.

As people gain an understanding of their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, Dana-Farber will use the tools to supplement existing programs and continue to help them access services such as screening, genetic testing, and other preventative services through the Institute’s robust network of clinical sites, community health centers, and the Dana-Farber Mammography Van.

“As oncologists, we increasingly have the ability to help women at risk for cancer avoid the disease altogether through genetic testing, screening, surgery, and other means,” said Ann Partridge, MD, MPH. “However, women need to be aware of their risk and this incredibly robust suite of tools will be a significant asset in that effort. We are enormously grateful to Bright Pink for entrusting us to be strong stewards of their tools and we will use these resources to their fullest potential."

In transitioning the assets to Dana-Farber, Bright Pink is adopting a new strategic framework as a non-profit venture philanthropy fund. Avner will continue to lead Bright Pink, along with its Board of Directors and a team of strategic advisors, as it accelerates, deepens, and expands the impact of the most innovative and promising life-saving breast and ovarian health interventions nationwide with a particular focus on efforts that serve underserved women who have additional barriers to care, and those at increased and high risk.


News Category
Ovarian Cancer
Cancer Genetics
Breast Cancer
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