9/20/2018
WHAT: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Director Robert Ferris, M.D., Ph.D., welcomes a team of bicyclists stopping in Pittsburgh on a cross-country ride to raise awareness of, and funding for, cancer research. The Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer 2018 ride includes seven teams of 109 riders who are relaying nearly 3,000 miles from the Oregon Coast to the Jersey Shore. Two Pittsburgh natives, David Alan Johnson, riding in memory of his parents, and Kay Rose, riding in memory of several family members affected by cancer, are both participating in the final leg of the ride from Pittsburgh to Longbranch, New Jersey.
WHY: Funds raised support the V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by ESPN and longtime college basketball coach Jim Valvano, to support cancer research through grants awarded to scientists, including those from UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Bristol-Myers Squibb will match funds raised for the V Foundation, dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $500,000.
WHO:
- Robert Ferris, M.D., Ph.D., director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
- Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer 2018 riders
- Sherrie Mazur, vice president of communications, the V Foundation for Cancer Research
WHERE: Sheraton Station Square (river side of parking lot), 300 West Station Square Dr., Pittsburgh, 15219.
WHEN: 3:30 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22
Note to Media: To cover this event, arrangements must be made in advance by contacting Cyndy Patton at 412-415-6085 or PattonC4@upmc.edu.