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Ovarian Cancer Initiative at Michigan Medicine Receives Bequest

Date Visible: 
10/07/2020 - 2:15pm

Media contact: Nicole Fawcett, 734-764-2220 |  Patients may contact Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125

The Ovarian Cancer Initiative at Michigan Medicine has received a generous bequest from Beth J. Johnson

Karen McLean, MD, PhD and Beth J. Johnson
Karen McLean, M.D., Ph.D. (left) and Beth J. Johnson

The Ovarian Cancer Initiative at Michigan Medicine has received a generous bequest from Beth J. Johnson. It is the culmination of her dedicated efforts and extensive volunteer work for the initiative. From serving as a mentor for ovarian cancer patients like herself to helping strategize the initiative’s official vision when it was in its infancy, Ms. Johnson, who died in December of 2017, left a lasting legacy.

“All women have the potential to get ovarian cancer,” says Karen McLean, M.D., Ph.D., a gynecologic oncologist at the Rogel Cancer Center and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who leads the initiative. The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 22,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year alone, and approximately 15,000 women will die of their disease.

When Ms. Johnson received her diagnosis, she was determined to fight it personally and as an advocate for others. In addition to her work for the Ovarian Cancer Initiative, she was also actively engaged with both the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance in order to educate others about the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer.

Per her wishes, Ms. Johnson’s bequest will be used to support further program development in the Ovarian Cancer Initiative as well as the education and training of those focused on improving ovarian cancer care and outcomes -- a truly meaningful way to support a mission that she had a hand in creating.