News & Press
Melanoma Research Foundation Announces Doug Brodman as Board Chair
WASHINGTON, DC, March 30 – The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2021. Today it announced the appointment of Douglas (Doug) Brodman as Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective April 1, 2021. Brodman, an accomplished senior executive and stage 4 melanoma survivor, succeeds Steven Silverstein, who served as Board Chair since 2013 and will now become Vice Chair during a hybrid term to offer guidance in the transition.
“It has been an incredible honor to have served as Board Chair during such a transformational era for the melanoma community,” said Silverstein. “When I was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma seventeen years ago, there was only one FDA-approved treatment. Today, thanks to innovative research advances like those made possible by the MRF, more than a dozen approved therapies are available to patients. Through Doug’s leadership, I am confident that we will continue to support the development of new, more effective treatments and, one day, a cure for melanoma.”
Under Steve’s stewardship, the MRF has vastly expanded its impact in the melanoma community through innovative new partnerships, highly effective advocacy efforts and assisted in the establishment of the Global Coalition for Melanoma Patient Advocacy. These initiatives have resulted in millions of dollars in new federal funding and scientific collaborations that unite researchers.
Doug Brodman has more than three decades of experience in leading international business operations in the United States, Latin America and Europe. He is a highly effective role model and strategic leader with a reputation for developing talent to enhance team effectiveness while building high growth businesses. Brodman is a stage 4 melanoma survivor, clinical trial participant and has served on the MRF Board since 2018.
“I first became involved with the MRF like so many others, as a newly diagnosed patient looking for answers,” said Brodman. “The educational information, support and sense of community that I found at the MRF were invaluable to me during the most challenging time of my life. I’m honored to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that is unmatched in its commitment to melanoma patients and caregivers, while supporting the cutting-edge research advances that will lead us to a cure.”
“In addition to an incredibly successful career in the business world, Doug has the invaluable, if unenviable, firsthand experience of facing advanced melanoma and what patients need to face this battle,” said Kyleigh LiPira, MRF CEO. “As we celebrate a milestone anniversary and look ahead to the promise of the future, I’m grateful for his leadership as we grow the foundation and make strides towards a world free of melanoma.”
For more information about the MRF Board of Directors and Scientific Leadership, visit www.melanoma.org/about-us.
About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Since 1998, the MRF has funded over $20.1 million in melanoma research, transforming the landscape of treatment development. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is a committed advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of the disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at https://www.melanoma.org. Find the MRF on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.