Event
2020 Advocacy Summit & Hill Day
The MRF’s Advocacy Summit and Hill Day is the largest melanoma advocacy event of the year. This two-day event in Washington, DC unites melanoma advocates on Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress to urge them to make melanoma a national priority. Patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and community partners travel from across the country to share their stories and take their message to the Hill.
Experience with talking to members of Congress is not required for this event. The MRF will provide you with the tools, resources and training you need to make your voice heard! Anyone who is passionate about telling their story and making a difference for the millions of Americans impacted by melanoma can attend this annual event. Learn more here.
Speakers
MRF Congressional Champion Award Recipient, Congresswoman Carolyn B Maloney (NY-12)
Representative Kelly Cassidy (IL)
Treska James, Founder & President, Brown Skin Too Foundation
Kristina Baum, Director of Communications at Office of Science and Technology Policy at Executive Office of the President, THe White House
David McGinness, LCSW, OSWC, Oncology Clinical Therapist, Inova Life with Cancer
Adam Taliaferro, Esq.
Strategic Alliance Lead, Mid-Atlantic & Southeast
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Stephanie Krenrich
Director, Federal Relations, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Donna M. Kimbark, Ph.D.
Program Manager
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
Victoria Pasko
Assistant Director, State Policy
American Academy of Dermatology Association
Your Voice Matters!
The federal government is the largest source of research funding for melanoma research and each year, your members of Congress determine how much funding will be allocated to cancer research. In 2018 you made your voices heard and Congress listened awarding melanoma $10 million in dedicated Department of Defense (DOD) funding for melanoma. In 2019, advocates went back to the Hill and rallied for continued funding and were able to successfully urge the House to pass $10 million in DOD-funding for 2020.
The MRF’s Advocacy Summit and Hill Day is your opportunity to bring your story to Washington, DC and raise awareness about melanoma, speak on behalf of those who could not and provide hope for those fighting this disease!
I was fortunate to find the MRF early after my diagnosis. I decided to join the MRF for Hill Day exactly one year post diagnosis and this exhilarating experience rewarded me with the strength I felt I lost. – Laura Wells, survivor and MRF advocate
Event Outline
Sunday, March 8, 2020: 5:00 PM – Welcome Reception & Event Check-In
Monday, March 9, 2020: 8:00 AM – Breakfast and Advocacy Summit/Training
Tuesday, March 10, 2020: 9:00 AM – Breakfast, Advocacy Briefing and Hill Visits
Thank you to our Silver Level Partners
Thank you to our Bronze Level Partner
