News
Congratulations to Dr. Stanley M. Marks on Distinguished Scholar Award!
The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund proudly congratulates our founder, Stanley M. Marks, M.D., as the recipient of the prestigious 2026 PNC Elsie Hillman Distinguished Scholar Award.
The award was presented at the BeSpoke Bash, a prelude to Rush to Crush Cancer, a community-driven initiative that raises funds for innovative cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center through bike rides and survivor walks.
Dr. Marks was given special recognition for his extraordinary leadership and lifelong commitment to advancing cancer research and patient centered care. His vision and dedication have been instrumental in accelerating discoveries in blood cancer research and expanding access to innovative treatments for patients at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and beyond.
In addition to The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund, founded in 2019, Dr. Marks has two other research- focused funds including The Dr. Stanley M. Marks Endowed Research Fund (est. 2006 by grateful patients), which has raised more than $20 million for cancer research at UPMC Hillman and The Stanley M. Marks-OHA Endowed Chair in Hematology/Oncology Leadership (est. 2016), created by UPMC and his partners at Oncology Hematology Associates to support the recruitment and retention of top clinician-scientists at the University of Pittsburgh.
All reflect Dr. Marks' enduring passion for discovery, collaboration and improving outcomes for patients with blood cancers. This award is a fitting tribute to his impact-as a physician, leader and champion for research that brings hope to patients and families.
We celebrate this meaningful recognition and Dr. Marks' continued commitment to advancing cures for blood cancers.
UPMC Hillman Academy
The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund has long supported the UPMC Hillman Academy, an immersive eight‑week cancer research program for high school students. This mentorship‑driven experience spans basic, translational, computational, and clinical research and has earned both regional and global recognition. Over 17 years, the Academy has provided more than 900 internships to nearly 750 students from diverse backgrounds, with outstanding results: 98% pursue higher education, and 93% of those with declared majors choose STEM or healthcare fields.
The Henry Hillman Foundation recently commissioned a video offering a closer look at the students whose journeys this support has made possible.
Bowser Subaru Shares the Love with the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund
We are thrilled to announce that Bowser Subaru will once again support UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund.
As part of the annual Subaru Share the Love® Event, the Marks Fund has been selected as a local charitable organization to receive $350 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased at Bowser Subaru when chosen by the buyer.
These contributions have already fueled groundbreaking cancer research projects at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center-directly benefiting patients across our region who rely on care from the area's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
How Your Subaru Purchase Drives Breakthroughs in Cancer Research
Carola A. Neumann, MD
Breast Cancer Researcher, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh
We are very grateful to be granted support from Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund. My lab at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center focuses on developing a drug that will improve the lives of women suffering from an aggressive form of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and ovarian cancer. These funds will allow us to continue pre-clinical studies which are needed to apply to the FDA to bring this novel therapeutic to human Phase 1 clinical trials. Targeted research and development of new treatment options is vital for patient survival.
Antony Michealraj Kulandai Manuvel, PhD
Pediatric Cancer Researcher, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Asst. Professor, Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh
Support from the Dr. Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund will enable us to pursue innovative research and therapeutic discovery for devastating pediatric brain tumors. Our work has revealed that pediatric cancer stem cells outcompete normal stem cells for nutrients and convert these nutrients into molecules that cause tumor growth. The support from the Marks Research Fund allows us to map the specific pathway of this process and develop a combination therapy that targets the cancer cells. This approach is now being further investigated, and we are hopeful this will advance quickly into clinical trials and ultimately benefit children affected by these tumors.
Bowser Subaru Shares the Love with the Marks Research Fund
We are pleased to announce that Bowser Subaru has once again shown their unwavering support for the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund and critical cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Recently, several Bowser staff members gathered at UPMC Hillman to present a generous donation of $25,484 to Dr. Marks. This contribution is part of the annual Subaru Share The Love Campaign, where Subaru and Bowser Subaru donate $325 for every new Subaru purchased or leased during the six-week event. Buyers can choose from national and local charities to receive this donation.
In addition to the monetary donation, the Bowser Subaru team brought comfort items for cancer patients receiving treatment at the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers at UPMC Hillman in Shadyside, PA. Together with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, they delivered heart-shaped pillows that transform into blankets, along with care kits filled with socks, pillowcases, water bottles, and other comfort items.
This annual event is always uplifting for the staff and their patients.
Gary and Barb Bowser, along with their sons Gary Jr. and Kurt, have been steadfast supporters of Dr. Marks and UPMC Hillman for nearly 30 years. This is just one of the many ways the Bowser family has contributed to the Marks Fund.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Bowser Subaru and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for their continued generosity and for making a significant difference in the lives of our patients. Thank you for sharing your love and support!
The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund Celebrates 10 years
A Message from Dr. Stan Marks
Chairman, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
As we look back on the 10th Anniversary of the Dr. Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund Dinner and Golf Classic, I am extremely grateful to the Pittsburgh community for coming together in continued support of our shared goal to end blood cancers.
This year, with the help of our donors and sponsors, we raised an incredible $1.2 million for vital cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
The Stanley M. Marks Cancer Endowed Research Fund now stands as the largest endowed fund at UPMC Hillman and among the largest at the University of Pittsburgh. This milestone is a testament to your unwavering generosity and commitment.
Our theme this year, Ten Years of Giving, a Lifetime of Hope, truly captures our mission.
In a time when many federal research grants have been paused or canceled, your contributions are bridging critical gaps-backing early-career investigators, sustaining innovative research, and fast-tracking discoveries.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts the number of people with cancer is expected to increase by 50% by 2050, our determination to eradicate blood cancers remains unstoppable.
Whether you have been with us from the beginning or joined us along the way, your contributions are making a real and lasting difference.
For the past decade, the funds raised at this event have ensured doctors and scientists are equipped with the resources needed to develop treatments and cures, offering hope to patients and families across our region.
Each of us has been affected by cancer in some way. Together, we remain lockstep in our efforts to forge scientific breakthroughs that translate into new, promising therapies for our blood cancer patients.
Thank you for standing with us.
I look forward to seeing you at our 11th dinner and golf classic.
With deepest appreciation,
Stan Marks, MD
Super Bowl Ticket Winner Takes Dad to Cheer on the Eagles!
Scott Amitrano has been a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan for, well, his entire life! He knew he had to see his beloved Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and he planned to take his best friend - his father - Stephen Amitrano, who would be celebrating his 67th birthday that weekend.
The Amitrano's are lifelong Eagles fans and Stephen waited 60 years before Philadelphia's first Super Bowl win!
"We went to Super Bowl LII, when they won against the Patriots, and went to Super Bowl LVII, when they lost to the Chiefs," said Scott Amitrano. "That game ended abruptly on a penalty flag in the Chiefs favor, so it was pretty disheartening leaving the stadium."
Amitrano was determined that he and his dad would head to Super Bowl LIX and get revenge!
"When we learned we had the opportunity to witness a rematch and make things right, we just had to go," he said.
But ticket prices were astronomical, since most were already scooped up by the scalpers.
Amitrano then learned about Charity Buzz and that's where he found the pair of tickets put up for auction by the Marks Fund after they were generously donated by The National Football League Referee Association in memory of Beth Anne Bergman, wife of Jeff Bergman, retired NFL referee and Pittsburgh native.
Amitrano had one-week to bid. He was up against several others who were also anxious to get to this year's Super Bowl! When the week was up, he was thrilled to learn that he and his father would be headed to New Orleans and Super Bowl 2025!
"I was especially happy knowing the money would be going to charity and helping others," said Amitrano. "The donation factor made the decision a no brainer."
Amitrano said the experience was thrilling and the stadium was loud! He told us, "As Eagles fans, we noticed a lot of red in the stands at the outset of the game. Once the game started, however, those in red were largely quiet, and it immediately sounded like an Eagles Home Game!"
The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund extends a sincere thank you to Scott and The National Football League Referee Association for making our first Super Bowl Ticket Auction a huge success! Now, hopefully OUR beloved Pittsburgh Steelers will get there soon!
Dunkin for a Cure!
Thank you to the Heartland Restaurant Group and their more than 70 Dunkin' Restaurants in southwestern PA for an outstanding promotion to support the Dr. Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund.
In honor of Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September, Heartland created the Dunkin' for a Cure promotion and donated a portion of the sale of each 2-pound bundle of Dunkin' whole bean or ground packaged coffee and Dunkin K-cup packages at Heartland owned restaurant locations to support the Marks Fund.
The Heartland Restaurant Group leadership team gathered recently at the Dunkin' restaurant on William Penn Highway near Monroeville to present Dr. Stanley M. Marks with a $10,000 donation to support blood cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. This Dunkin' location led all restaurants in the sale of coffee for this promotion.
"I am thankful to the Heartland Group for knowing that cancer cures take research and research takes funding," said Stanley M. Marks, MD, founder of the Marks Fund and chairman of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. "It's partnerships like these that strengthen all of our efforts for the cancer patients, their families, caregivers and communities throughout our region."
The Marks Fund was established to support the highly innovative and specialized research projects at UPMC Hillman, the regions only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and one of only 57 such centers in the country. It's also the largest cancer network in the United States.
Bowser Subaru Shares the Love with the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund
Bowser Subaru has selected the Dr. Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund as one of its local charities for the 2024 Subaru Share the Love® Event! When you purchase or lease a new Subaru at Bowser Subaru, between Nov. 21, 2024, and Jan. 2, 2025, Subaru will donate $250 to your choice of charities, including The Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund.
In addition, the Bowser Family, longtime supporters Dr. Stanley M. Marks, chairman of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, will donate an additional $75 for every sold or leased vehicle purchased! The Marks Fund supports highly innovative cancer research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, right here to benefit cancer patients in our community.
Subaru of America, Inc. on behalf of Bowser Subaru presents check for Stanley M. Marks, M.D., Endowed Research Fund.
People's presents check to Dr. Stanley M. Marks for the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund.
The check presentation by PGT Trucking, for both the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund and the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department.
Subaru of America, Inc. on behalf of Bowser Subaru presents check for Stanley M. Marks, M.D., Endowed Research Fund. Left to Right: Megan Erney, Marketing Director; Jeanne Caliguiri; Barb Bowser, patient and owner of Bowser Subaru; David Ross, General Sales Manager.
Jeanne Caliguiri was presented with a check by Chairman Giuseppe Frandioni. The check was for $10,500 from the Tropical 5K Classic for Stanley M. Marks, M.D. Endowed Research Fund.