Ian Macara, PhD, Louise B. McGavock Professor and Chair of Cell and Developmental Biology and co-leader of the Signal Transduction and Chemical Biology Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been named one of the Pink Tie Guys for the Susan G. Komen Central Tennessee organization.
The Pink Tie Guys are an exclusive group of men committed to the local fight against breast cancer. They demonstrate their commitment by raising funds to support Susan G. Komen Central Tennessee’s mission to save lives by meeting the most critical needs of the community and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
The 2018 Class of Pink Tie Guys includes 13 men, many of whom have lost family members, friends or other loved ones to breast cancer.
“As a research scientist at Vanderbilt University studying breast cancer I am delighted to have been nominated as a Pink Tie Guy,” Macara said. “The importance of seeking to understand and cure breast cancer was brought home to me recently by the passing of a colleague, Donna Webb, at Vanderbilt. She was a dedicated scientist and teacher and is greatly missed.”
Macara has already supported the Komen mission by reviewing applications for the funding of research by young scientists.
“In the past, I have received such support for important projects in my own laboratory. We are at a very exciting moment in breast cancer research when new technologies are finally revealing the underlying causes of the disease. But it is expensive, and with wavering support from the federal government for scientific research, Komen helps fill a vital niche,” Macara said.
Each Pink Tie Guy is vying for donations in a friendly online fundraising competition and the fundraising results will be revealed during the annual dinner. This year’s event will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, 5:30 – 8 p.m., at Jonathan’s Green Hills, 3805 Green Hills Village Drive.
To make a donation for a favorite Pink Tie Guy or to buy tickets for the event, visit https://komencentraltennessee.org or call 615-383-0017.
