Meet the pioneering researchers who are the recipients of this year’s Victoria’s Secret Global Fund.
VS&Co is a year-round advocate for those impacted by breast cancer. In 2023-2024, we’re continuing and advancing our support by amplifying the VS Global Fund for Women’s Cancers and recent Awardees whose projects are geared toward transforming outcomes as they pertain to the disease.
Our fund awards millions of dollars annually to women researchers and clinicians. Recipients become part of a collaborative network, mentoring awardees in their area of expertise, and breaking down silos to go further, faster, together. Created in partnership with our longstanding impact partner Pelotonia, the fund builds on more than $22 million already raised by us for innovative cancer research since 2011.
MEET THE RECENT AWARDEES
VALENTINA HOYOS VELEZ, MD
After her grandfather died of cancer, along with a number of patients while she was in medical school, Hoyos Velez decided to dedicate her career to working on treatments for it. An assistant professor specializing in breast oncology at Baylor College of Medicine, her research is focused specifically on T-cell therapies and how they can be wielded against the hard-to-treat, triple-negative breast cancer.
MYA ROBERSON, MSPH PhD
An assistant professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Public Health and a member of the Lineberger Cancer Center, Roberson’s research is aimed at improving cancer outcomes for Black women. Her work focuses specifically on genetic testing, where there has been innovation and advancement particularly in the past 10 years.
MARLEEN KOK, MD, PhD
A medical oncologist and associate professor in translational cancer research at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Kok’s work centers around breast cancer immunotherapy and the immune systems of breast cancer patients. What gives her great hope is witnessing the instances of research benefiting individual patients.
SANDRA MCALLISTER, PhD
An associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and in the hematology division at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. McAllister’s work focuses on the aging process, how the immune system declines as women get older, and how that contributes to cancer. She notes that consistent exposure to race-related stress can play a significant role.
PRISCILLA BRASTIANOS, MD
As the Director of the Central Nervous System Metastasis Program at Boston’s Mass General Cancer, Brastianos is intent with her research on identifying the drivers and, in turn, new therapies, of brain metastasis from breast cancer.
VS VOICES: SPOTLIGHT ON DR. LISA NEWMAN
Listen to host Amanda de Cadenet as she sits down with the renowned breast cancer surgeon and researcher to discuss her important work.