CHICAGO, IL — Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation is expanding the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium with the addition of Endeavor Health as its fourth research partner, strengthening a regional collaboration designed to accelerate breast cancer research and increase access to innovative clinical trials.
Convened by Lynn Sage, the Consortium brings together University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center, and now Endeavor Health. The addition marks the Consortium’s first expansion since its launch in 2024 and extends its reach to more suburban communities across the Chicago region.
The expansion was announced at Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital on October 8, with remarks from the Foundation and Consortium partners, U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, and Evanston Councilmember Parielle Davis.
The expansion comes during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and strengthens a collaborative model that allows participating institutions to share expertise, resources, data, and clinical trial opportunities while helping patients access research closer to where they live and receive care.
“Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an important opportunity to bring people together around the progress being made and the work still ahead,” said Kirstin Chernawsky, Executive Director of the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation and a breast cancer survivor. “Welcoming Endeavor Health to the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium represents a significant step forward. 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.”
The Consortium was established to reduce barriers to breast cancer clinical trials and address persistent disparities in outcomes. Endeavor Health brings an extensive clinical network, a robust clinical trial program, and a commitment to research and equitable cancer care.
“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 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.”
Poornima Saha, MD, a breast medical oncologist at Endeavor Health, serves 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 the Consortium,” said Dr. Saha. “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 participation strengthens the infrastructure supporting multi-site research across the Consortium’s institutions. The Consortium is also preparing to add a second collaborative clinical trial, further expanding opportunities for patients to participate in research.
“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.”
About the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation
The Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation is a Chicago-based nonprofit committed to eradicating breast cancer. Since 1985, we have raised more than $50 million to invest in research, education, and clinical trials – supporting the work of both early-career and established clinicians and researchers driven to find breakthroughs in breast cancer prevention, detection, and treatments. Through the powerful combination of innovation and hope, we aim to end breast cancer for everyone.
About the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium
The Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, convened by the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation in 2024, unites Chicago’s leading cancer centers to accelerate breast cancer research through collaboration, shared expertise, and expanded access to clinical trials. By bringing institutions together, the Consortium creates more opportunities for patients to participate in innovative clinical trials while staying connected to their trusted care teams. This collaborative model builds a more inclusive research ecosystem that reflects Chicago’s diverse communities and brings new discoveries closer to the patients who need them.
About Endeavor Health
Endeavor Health℠ is a Chicagoland-based integrated health system driven by our mission to help everyone in our communities be their best. As Illinois’ third-largest health system and third-largest medical group, we proudly serve an area of more than 4.1 million residents across seven northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 28,300 team members, including more than 1,900 employed physicians, are the heart of our organization, delivering seamless access to personalized, pioneering, world-class patient care across more than 300 ambulatory locations and nine hospitals, including eight Magnet-recognized acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights), Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital (Naperville). For more information, visit www.endeavorhealth.org.