The Consortium, convened by Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation, is aimed at accelerating breast cancer research and increasing patient access to innovative clinical trials
Evanston, Ill., – Endeavor Health is joining the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, convened by the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation, expanding a hyper-local network dedicated to accelerating breast cancer research and increasing patient access to innovative clinical trials.
The Consortium currently unites University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center. With Endeavor Health joining the collaboration, four of the region’s leading health systems will share expertise, resources, data and clinical-trial opportunities. The addition of Endeavor Health expands the Consortium’s reach beyond Chicago, connecting more suburban communities to this collaborative work and extending its geographic footprint across the region.
“A patient’s ZIP code should never determine their access to the latest cancer therapies,” said Ted James, MD System Physician Executive, Endeavor Health Cancer Institute and Surgical Oncologist. “This partnership builds on Endeavor Health’s longstanding commitment to bringing advanced cancer care and research closer to where patients live. By joining the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, we can extend our clinical trial capabilities through a broader collaborative network and make cutting-edge trials more accessible to patients across our communities.”
The Consortium was established to reduce barriers to breast cancer clinical trials and address persistent disparities in outcomes. Its collaborative model allows researchers to share knowledge and infrastructure while helping more patients access innovative studies closer to where they live and receive care.
“Welcoming Endeavor Health to the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium represents a significant step forward,” said Kirstin Chernawsky, Executive Director of the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation and a breast cancer survivor. “By expanding this collaboration, we can connect more patients with innovative clinical trials, support research that reflects the communities we serve, and move promising discoveries closer to the people who need them.”
Endeavor Health brings an extensive clinical network, a robust clinical trial program and a commitment to research and equitable cancer care. Poornima Saha, MD, Program Director of Breast Medical Oncology and Breast Cancer Clinical Research Lead at Endeavor Health Cancer Institute, will serve as the institution’s principal investigator for the Consortium. Dr. Saha specializes in treating all types and stages of breast cancer, with a particular focus on young-onset breast cancer, survivorship and research designed to improve long-term outcomes.
"We cannot outsmart breast cancer in isolation, which is why I’m so proud Endeavor Health is joining this consortium,” said Dr. Saha, who also is a clinical associate professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. “As an oncologist, I believe some of the greatest advances in cancer care come from bringing together diverse perspectives, sharing ideas and translating research into meaningful improvements and real-world cures for our patients. This partnership broadens our impact on patients and rigorously reinforces our commitment to advancing equitable research that serves all demographics."
Endeavor Health’s addition marks the Consortium’s first expansion since its launch in 2024, strengthening the collaborative infrastructure designed to support multi-site research across participating institutions.
“The strength of the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium is that it brings institutions together around a shared commitment to advancing breast cancer research,” said Rita Nanda, MD, Director of the Breast Oncology Program at UChicago Medicine and principal investigator of the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium. “By aligning our expertise, infrastructure and resources, we can pursue research that would be difficult for any one institution to accomplish alone. Endeavor Health’s participation strengthens that collaborative model and creates new opportunities to move promising science forward.”
The expansion comes as the Consortium prepares to add a second collaborative clinical trial in early fall. Together, the addition of Endeavor Health and the launch of another collaborative trial represent the next step in building a more coordinated and inclusive breast cancer research network.
