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Gerstner Philanthropies Commits Over $1 Million to Combat Food Insecurity, Including $50,000+ in Support for Thanksgiving Meal Programs

Data released this fall from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed food insecurity increased in 2022 for the first time in more than a decade. This November, Gerstner Philanthropies has committed over $1 million to combat food insecurity, including $52,380 to provide food for struggling households over Thanksgiving. Eight organizations received support to continue to implement critical programs in 2024, such as mobile pantries and meal delivery for clients in food deserts and food rescue programs. In addition, three community-focused organizations received support to provide Thanksgiving meals to families in need across Boston, Palm Beach County, and Greenwich, three areas in which members of the Gerstner family reside. Over 1,050 households were impacted, ensuring families could access food during the holiday season. This work aligns with Gerstner Philanthropies’ mission to help hard-working individuals who are trying to help themselves and their communities but temporarily lack the resources to accomplish their goals.

Gerstner Philanthropies has committed an additional $20 million to the Gerstner Center for Cancer Diagnostics at the Broad Institute. This commitment will support the development and optimization of liquid biopsy technology to enable more precise cancer care for millions worldwide. Directed by Dr. Viktor Adalsteinsson, this technology allows physicians to detect cancer cells and cancer recurrence, earlier than ever before. “We always knew that detecting cancer recurrence with a blood test would be an incredible feat, and the scientists in the Gerstner Center have risen to the challenge," said Todd Golub, director of the Broad Institute. This development for early detection is key to measuring patients’ response and assessing treatment options. “I first partnered with the Broad to launch the Gerstner Center in order to impact clinical care for cancer patients, and I’ve been pleased to see that Viktor and his team have created an engine of innovation that could transform not only cancer treatment but possibly other fields as well,” said Gerstner.

On Thursday, October 26, 2023, Brilla Public Charter Schools and their Charter Management Organization, Seton Education Partners, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the Louis V. Gerstner III Seton Teaching Fellows House in the South Bronx. The Seton Teaching Fellows program is a one to two-year mission opportunity for recent college graduates to serve children in underserved communities in both the classroom, as teacher aides, and by running El Camino, Seton’s after-school faith formation program. The building was named in honor of Louis V. Gerstner III, the late son of Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. and former President of the Gerstner Family Foundation, who was a life-long champion of opportunities to pursue a high-quality education for under-privileged children. In addition to the Seton Teaching Fellows House, Brilla unveiled a newly renovated gym for the students of Brilla College Prep, and dedicated network offices for the organization. Support for the renovations came from Gerstner Philanthropies, the W. E. Simon Foundation and the Robert and Kate Niehaus Foundation.

Chi Nguyen, a PhD student attending the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSK), has been awarded the 2023 Chairman’s Prize. The $2,000 prize recognizes Nguyen's research on interactions between environmental factors, gut microbiota, and the immune system in acute graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). “Microbiota” refers to the fungi, bacteria and viruses that live in the intestines and play a pivotal role in regulating the immune system. Little is known about how different medications can impact this microbiota. Nguyen’s research aims to give physicians a better understanding of how they can protect the gut health of patients with cancer while they are undergoing treatment. Nguyen conducted her research under the mentorship of Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, Head of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies, who also has a lab in the Immunology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI). Of her research, Dr. van den Brink shared: “Chi was very brave to engage in this project, which was purely computational biology. Her background in this field was limited when she joined my lab. Therefore, I am even more proud of her accomplishments.” Nguyen was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam, and moved to the United States to attend Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. In 2018, after graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue graduate school with an eye on cancer research. “My parents have always inspired a sense of curiosity in me,” says Nguyen. “Curiosity about the natural world, biology, and how things work.”

The Mayo Clinic has announced the 2023 recipients of the Gerstner Family Career Development Awards. These awards are presented annually to researchers conducting innovative investigations to predict, prevent, treat, and cure diseases using individualized medicine approaches. This year, physician scientist Patrizia Mondello, M.D.,Ph.D., M.Sc., and medical oncologist Ryan Carr, M.D., Ph.D., have been selected to further develop their research in treating follicular lymphoma and pancreatic cancer resistance, respectively. For these studies, both of which aim to improve the outcomes for patients facing resistant forms of cancer, securing funding in these earliest stages is crucial.