Linda Wenger
lwenger@LUNGevity.org
(973) 449-3214
WASHINGTON, DC (September 10, 2019) — LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, announced today that Michael Parisi, CEO at Guidemark Health, has joined LUNGevity’s Board of Directors. His experience at Guidemark Health, a diversified healthcare communications agency with a focus on oncology and rare diseases, will be instrumental to the Foundation in its work of changing outcomes for people with lung cancer.
Michael brings an indispensable perspective with his many years of experience working in healthcare communications. His knowledge from other diseases can be translated and adapted to lung cancer, allowing him to help strategically guide the Foundation. Michael’s professional connections will also help ensure the Foundation is partnering with the best organizations for each of its initiatives, resulting in important progress for patients.
“We are honored to have Michael join our board,” said Andrea Ferris, CEO of LUNGevity Foundation. “His specialized knowledge and expansive professional experience make him uniquely situated to help us have the greatest impact for patients. We look forward to working with him to achieve LUNGevity’s mission.”
Michael has over 25 years of diverse healthcare industry experience with an intense focus on biotechnology and oncology. Prior to Guidemark Health, he spent 17 years within the Ogilvy Healthcare organization, where he worked across all aspects of the oncology marketplace, creating long-standing partnerships with many biopharma companies and academic centers on the cutting edge of cancer research. He is a critical thinker, problem solver, and someone who thrives in new emerging approaches to solving the world’s biggest healthcare challenges.
Named to the PharmaVOICE 100 Most Inspiring Healthcare Leaders in 2016 for his leadership and innovation in cancer and rare diseases, Michael is a recognized leader and cancer advocate. He currently serves as the President of the Board of Trustees of CancerCare, a partner of LUNGevity. Additionally, for the past 7 years, he served on the board of the NCCN Foundation, an organization that represents 28 of the world’s leading cancer centers.
LUNGevity looks forward to working with Michael to help improve outcomes for and the lives of people affected by lung cancer.
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity is the nation's leading lung cancer organization investing in lifesaving, translational research and providing support services and education for patients and caregivers. LUNGevity’s goals are three-fold: (1) accelerate research to patients, (2) empower patients to be active participants in their treatment decisions, and (3) remove barriers that patients face in accessing the right treatments.
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. LUNGevity’s comprehensive resources include a medically vetted website, a toll-free HELPLine in partnership with CancerCare®, a unique Lung Cancer Navigator app, peer-to-peer mentoring for patients and caregivers (LUNGevity LifeLine), and survivorship conferences. LUNGevity also helps patients find and navigate clinical trials through our Clinical Trial Finder tool, a Clinical Trial Ambassador program, and participation with EmergingMed.
Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, a four-star Charity Navigator organization, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.
About Lung Cancer in the U.S.
- About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 228,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined
- Only 19% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically