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News from Mission: Cure

Apr 09
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Now Hiring a Program and Communications Coordinator!

By News

Your career at Mission: Cure can help improve the lives of people who are suffering and change the way diseases are cured

Job Overview and Requirements:

Are you ready to apply your talents in program development and communications to help grow an innovative nonprofit that is changing the model for curing disease while improving the lives of people who are suffering? Mission:Cure is a young, growing organization that has made great strides in record time. We bring a sense of urgency, efficiency and innovation to the disease-curing ecosystem, starting with pancreatitis. We are determined, collaborative and smart problem-solvers. If you want to join us on our journey to improve the lives of those dealing with pancreatitis while demonstrating a faster, better way to cure disease, we invite you to submit your resume with a short but thoughtful cover letter. We would also love to see a sample of your work so feel free to share your best social media posts, presentations, proposals or other relevant documents.

About Us:

Mission: Cure was founded in 2017 to find effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for pancreatitis, an extremely painful, degenerative and costly disease. Led by Megan Golden, a leader in innovative, outcome-based financing such as “Social Impact Bonds,” and Linda Martin, a veteran technology entrepreneur, Mission: Cure is pioneering a new funding model that creates new incentives for patient outcomes when market incentives fail and brings in capital from impact investors. Innovation in curing disease is even more needed in the post-COVID-19 world.

Position Summary:

The Program and Communications Coordinator will help drive the organization’s growth by creating strategies, conducting analyses and implementing plans that will build our brand, grow our audience and deepen engagement with our patient community and other stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be analytical and data-driven as well as passionate and creative.

 Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate patient education program, including determining topics of importance to patients, whether they should be conveyed through webinars, blog posts or other media, identifying speakers and authors, scheduling and project-managing webinars and blog posts
  • Prepare PowerPoint presentations for key stakeholders.
  • Assist with proposal writing and fundraising.
  • Develop and manage data-driven communications strategy to publicize webinars, blog posts and other announcements.
  • Manage social media accounts to maximize participation in our patient education programs and organizational goals.
  • Monitor the success of our communications and program strategies, recommend and implement strategies for improvement. Use Google Analytics and other social media analytical tools to provide in-depth insights on all campaigns and monthly analytics reports.
  • Recommend and implement improvements to our website, mission-cure.org, to better serve patients and their families (WordPress programming ability a plus); draft articles for website.
  • Develop and manage creative materials to ensure a cohesive image and message.
  • Serve as an integral member of our small staff, contributing ideas and taking on tasks as needed.

Essential Requirements:

  • Commitment to our mission and values
  • Bachelor’s degree and proven relevant experience; preference given to those with nonprofit experience, especially in a health-related field
  • Strong project management skills; ability to work independently, problem-solve and do what it takes to complete a project on time
  • A team player who takes initiative to identify what needs to be done to advance our mission and makes it happen
  • Strong writing, communication and people skills
  • Background or strong interest in health and curing disease
  • Successful track record in developing and managing social media and email strategies and campaigns
  • Proficient in MS Office, Google/Social media analytics and SEO; Experience with WordPress, Salesforce CRM and Zoom webinars a plus

Compensation and Benefits:

  • Salary 55-60K based on experience
  • Full-time position
  • Ultimately based in New York City; given coronavirus situation, initially work from home
  • Competitive medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability insurance benefits

How to Apply:

Email your resume, cover letter and work samples to hiring@mission-cure.org.

Mission: Cure is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Join the team that’s improving lives and changing the model for curing disease.

Jan 30
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Pancreatitis Pain: The Latest Treatment & Policy Perspectives on Opioids

By News, Pain Management, Webinars, Webinars: Pain Management

Mission: Cure’s most recent webinar is now online:
Pancreatitis Pain: The Latest Medical & Policy Perspectives on Opioids

Watch It Now!

On this webinar, Kate Nicholson, J.D., a civil rights attorney, pain patient advocate, and expert on the so-called opioid or overdose crisis, and Dr. Eva Szigethy, a leading UPMC psychiatrist focused on the management of chronic pain and psychotropic medication management in patients, discuss:

  • Barriers to care for patients who use opioids
  • The opioids policy environment and how patients can use recent policy changes to self-advocate
  • Pain treatment options, including opioids
  • Dealing with anxiety and depression

Headshot of Dr. Szigethy, one of the speakers of the webinarDr. Eva Szigethy
is a professor of psychiatry, medicine and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and the Clinical Director of several integrated behavioral health medical homes in gastoenterology. She is an expert in pain management for chronic pancreatitis as well as inflammatory bowel disease.

 

Kate Nicholson, JD, one of the speakers of the webinar

Kate Nicholson, J.D.,
is a civil rights and disability rights attorney, formerly of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and a nationally-recognized expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is also a person with chronic pain and a pain patient advocate.

Please share this webinar with your care providers and others!

If you missed our last webinars in our series on pancreatic pain, you can find them here:

Psychological Approach Called Pain Self-Management
Medical Approach with a Patient Focus

Oct 28
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Pancreatitis Pain: A Medical Approach with a Patient Focus

By News, Patient Resources, Webinars, Webinars: Pain Management, Webinars: Pediatric Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis Pain: A Medical Approach with a Patient Focus

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain from pancreatitis, you won’t want to miss the second in Mission: Cure’s series on managing chronic pancreatitis pain. The first webinar in this series discussed a psychological approach called pain self-management. In this webinar, Dr. Steven Freedman discussed a range of medications and medical procedures that have been successful in reducing or managing pain, including:

·      Analgesics
·      Medical Marijuana
·      Uncoated pancreatic enzymes
·      Neuropathic pain treatments
·      Hormones for women
·      Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation

Dr. Freedman shared his patient-centered, problem-solving approach to finding solutions that work best for each patient.

What are the causes of pancreatic pain
Dr. Steven D. Freedman

Leading international expert and
Director of the Pancreas Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Chief of the Division of Translational Research, and
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Freedman received his Ph.D. from Yale University School of Medicine followed by the M.D. degree at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Freedman’s expertise is in exocrine pancreatic disease with a particular focus on pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis. He is an internationally recognized leader in these areas with an extensive research program that encompasses both basic science discovery and clinical trials. He has also been a leader in identifying the site in the brain where pancreatic visceral pain is represented, has developed molecular signatures of pain using MR Spectroscopy, and has successfully developed pain therapies using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Dr. Freedman also presented Mission: Cure’s webinar on pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy that was very well attended and highly rated.

Doctors now have a new tool: international consensus guidelines on treating chronic pancreatitis pain.  You can learn more about the international guidelines here.

Sep 06
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Depicting a child suffering from chronic pain on a couch.

Pancreatitis and Chronic Pain: How Can I Manage?

By News, Patient Resources, Webinars, Webinars: Pain Management

On this Mission: Cure webinar, Dr. Tonya Palermo discusses pain self-management techniques

If you or a family member have chronic pain from pancreatitis, Mission: Cure’s webinar with Dr. Tonya Palermo will be helpful as it explores the impact of chronic pain on children, adults and families dealing with pancreatitis. “Chronic Pain and Pancreatitis” was selected as the topic for this webinar in Mission: Cure’s ongoing Patient Education Webinar series based on input from patients and families who identified pain as their number one pancreatitis-related issue.

Depicting a child suffering from chronic pain on a couch.

Our speaker : Dr. Tonya Palermo

University of Washington, Psychologist, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute

Dr. Palermo shared the latest best practices and innovations in chronic pain assessment and treatment, emphasizing how mind-body skills play an important role in pain management.

This session addressed these questions:

  • What causes chronic pain?
  • Who is at higher risk for chronic pain?
  • What factors influence a person’s pain experience?
  • What is the impact of pain from chronic pancreatitis on children, adults and families?
  • How is chronic pain assessed?
  • What is evidence-based pain treatment?
  • How can mind-body skills help?
  • What should be the role of medical pain therapies?

Dr. Palermo is the author of Managing Your Child’s Chronic Pain, a practical guide to improving quality of life for both children and adults.

Dr. Palermo took attendees’ questions following her presentation. You may submit your questions to Mission: Cure if you watched the webinar and have unanswered questions.

Sep 05
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Shows Mission: Cure's team at PancreasFest 2019.

Mission: Cure Update: PancreasFest and Progress

By Clinical Trials, Genetics, News, Patient Stories, Repurposing Drugs

PancreasFest 2019 unveiled promising scientific discoveries and exciting collaboration opportunities, and Mission: Cure was there!

Shows Mission: Cure's team at PancreasFest 2019.

Mission: Cure’s Team at PancreasFest 2019. Big thanks to our amazing interns from Brown University and Amy Jensen who shared her story of living undiagnosed with chronic pancreatitis.

Yes, PancreasFest is the name of a scientific conference held annually in Pittsburgh, PA in July where leading physicians, researchers and patient advocates share new discoveries, discuss results of the latest research and identify best practices for diagnosing and treating pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer and other pancreatic diseases. Two of Mission: Cure’s projects were featured before this highly collaborative and committed group. Read More

Mar 08
Love3

Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy – New Information for Pancreatitis Patients on Treating EPI

By Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, News, Patient Resources, Topics, Webinars, Webinars: Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) & Pancreatic Enzymes

Busting the Myths about Pancreatic Enzymes for Pancreatitis and EPI

Dr. Steven Freedman, MD, Ph.D., a worldwide expert on pancreatic disease and cystic fibrosis, presents Busting the Myths about Pancreatic Enzymes for Pancreatitis. In this webinar, the fifth in Mission: Cure’s Patient and Family Webinar Series, Dr. Freedman explains:

  • What causes exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)?
  • How is EPI diagnosed and treated?
  • When should you take PERT and how do you calculate the correct dose?
  • Is PERT helpful in treating the pain of chronic pancreatitis?
  • How does PERT affect patients with diabetes?
  • What new developments are in the pipeline to treat EPI?

Dr. Freedman address these questions and more in this webinar replay as he debunks the myths and solves the mysteries that surround pancreatic insufficiency and pancreatic enzymes, followed by a robust Q & A session with pancreatitis patients who participated in the live webinar.

Mar 01
Love1

Potential Chronic Pancreatitis Treatments Identified

By News

On February 28, 2019, Rare Disease Day, an alliance of leading life-science companies, in partnership with Mission: Cure, announced the promising results of a 4-month “datathon” aimed at identifying potential treatments for chronic pancreatitis. Using artificial intelligence and statistical techniques, datathon participants identified 4 existing, approved drugs as repurposing candidates worth testing as possible cures for pancreatitis.

New Pancreatitis Treatment Candidates

The drugs identified are believed to address (target) specific defective genes or processes that lead to pancreatitis.

  • Lacosamide, targeting Cathepsin B
  • Dapsone, targeting the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR gene)
  • Rolipram, targeting Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a)
  • Prednisolone, targeting TNF-a

Megan Golden, Mission: Cure’s co-founder and co-director, says, “We look forward to taking the promising candidates to the next step where we hope they will help us find effective treatments for this difficult, rare disease.”

A Unique Public-Private Partnership

Mission: Cure would like to thank its collaborators in the datathon: Elsevier, a data analytics firm that supplied the innovative artificial intelligence framework used in the datathon, the Pistoia Alliance, a nonprofit consortium founded by major life science companies that works to lower barriers to innovation, and Cures Within Reach, a nonprofit leader in research to apply already-approved drugs to treat new diseases.

Academic Partners

Two academic scientists played major roles in the project. Mission: Cure is grateful for their work and hopes to continue to collaborate with them.

Dr. Bruce Aronow is the John Hutton MD Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Co-director of the Computational Medicine Center at Cincinnati Children’s and has developed a computable data model network for chronic pancreatitis that helped determine which drugs were most likely to correct the biological problems causing pancreatitis.

Dr. Aleksandar Poleksic, Professor, University of Northern Iowa, used data science to predict which drug candidates would have the least side effects for patients.

Successful Collaboration Between Patients, Industry and Academia

The success of this project highlights the role that partnering with pharma and life sciences companies and academic institutions can play in bringing us closer to discovering a cure. It is by pooling our expertise that we will achieve our mission and bring new treatments to those who need it the most.

To get updates on Mission: Cure’s efforts to test these drugs and bring those that work to patients, sign up for Mission: Cure’s email list.

JOIN US!
Dec 09
Love2

Curing Pancreatitis: It’s Time for a New Approach!

By Genetics, News, Patient Resources, Repurposing Drugs, Webinars

On December 8th, Mission: Cure hosted an informational webinar for chronic and recurrent acute pancreatitis patients, their families and clinicians on their new approach to curing pancreatitis. It featured co-directors Megan Golden and Linda Martin, who gave presentations on the gap Mission: Cure is working to address, their innovative financing model, and how patients and families can get involved and help! Attendees gained unique insights to the projects Mission: Cure is spearheading to provide promising pathways toward effective treatments and cures.

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