What is the Army of Women?
A
program of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, the Army of Women
initiative is dedicated to recruiting one million women of all ages,
ethnicities, with or without breast cancer, to sign up and participate
in innovative breast cancer research studies. After signing up at www.armyofwomen.org,
members are then contacted via email blast about new studies seeking
volunteers. They can either sign-up for the studies online, or if they
do not qualify, they are encouraged to forward the information to a
friend or family member. Every woman over 18 is welcome to participate,
whether a breast cancer survivor or someone never affected. There are
currently more than 20 breast cancer studies seeking volunteers through
the Army of Women. The full list of open studies seeking volunteers
like you are listed at: www.armyofwomen.org/current.
I am constantly checking these studies and have yet to qualify for one but you never know when one you qualify for could make a big difference. This is the type of stuff that NEEDS to be done to find a cure so that no more kids have to watch their mothers, grandmothers, aunts etc suffer with this horrible disease!!
WHAT
The Love/Avon Army
of Women is an opportunity for women to be a part of breast cancer research
studies aimed at determining the causes of breast cancer – and how to prevent
it. The Army of Women is a groundbreaking initiative that connects breast
cancer researchers with real women who are willing to participate in wide
variety of research studies. All women
are encouraged to join the Army of Women, including breast cancer survivors and
those who have never had breast cancer. The goal of the Army of Women is to
recruit one million women of all ages and ethnicities. The Army of Women was launched in October of
2008 and over 358,000 women have joined with close to 50,000 participating in 52
breast cancer studies.
WHY
Since declaring
“war on cancer” more than 40 years ago, the scientific community has made great
strides in some areas. However, the number of women diagnosed with and dying
from breast cancer is virtually the same as it was in 1969. Currently, the vast majority of resources for
research are focused on early detection and treatment of breast cancer. More resources need to be spent on determining
the cause of breast cancer, which isn’t just going to take more research – it’s
going to take a different type of research. Studying mice and rats isn’t
enough. Mice and rates do not get breast
cancer. More studies must be done with
actual women. The Army of Women is jumpstarting this type of research providing
quick access to a diverse group of women for various studies.
HOW
Any women
interested in joining the Army of Women can register at www.armyofwomen.org by providing some
basic information including, name, age, city and state of residence. Army of Women members will receive email
updates announcing new research studies along with a brief description. Members who fit the criteria and are
interested in participating simply reply to the email. Participation in studies
is not mandatory. Army of Women members
make the decision to take part in studies. There are many different types of
studies. Some may require the completion of a questionnaire, while others may
require blood, urine, saliva, breast fluid or breast tissue. Since launching,
the response from women volunteers willing to participate in studies is
overwhelming. Researchers have been able to recruit volunteers in hours or days
rather than months or years it typically takes.
WHO
Dr. Susan Love
Research Foundation (DSLRF) launched the Love/Avon Army of Women in October
2008 thanks to a generous grant from the Avon Foundation for Women. The mission
of DSLRF is to eradicate breast cancer and improve the quality of women’s
health through innovate research, education and advocacy. Dr Susan Love is
known world-wide as one of the founding mothers of breast cancer advocacy and
sits on the boards of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and the Medical
Advisory Board of Young Survival Coalition. She is a clinical professor of
surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. For more information: www.dslrf.org.
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