By Steffanie Goodman

Last Friday, WISDOM’s founder Dr. Laura Esserman had the distinct opportunity to introduce the study to First Lady Jill Biden, Ed.D, and her team. During the meeting at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Esserman discussed how the study is leading the way to screen smarter, and reduce the toll of breast cancer across all communities. 

Dr. Biden first visited UCSF in 2016 as part of the launch of the Cancer Moonshot, which aimed to accelerate progress against cancer and develop new and swifter cancer therapies.  On this visit, marked by October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the first lady came to San Francisco to promote the Biden administration’s efforts to cut the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people living with and surviving cancer. A key theme throughout her visit was the importance of UCSF’s community outreach and various initiatives to engage diverse populations in clinical trials.

There are currently around 30 clinical trials open related to cancer treatment at UCSF, including trials focused on prevention, treatment, and survivorship, with WISDOM leading the charge to develop more effective ways to detect breast cancer.  Dr. Esserman shared her perspective and the WISDOM motto that “One size doesn’t fit all”. 

Biden shared her own personal experience with cancer on Friday, including how four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. President Joe Biden’s late son Beau died of a brain tumor at age 46. As vice president in 2016, Joe Biden led the Cancer Moonshot with the mission to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer.

This story was covered by several news outlets. Read more about Dr. Biden’s visit to UCSF at the SF Examiner and the University of California, San Francisco Campus News.