Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
Research. Advocacy. Prevention. Support.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Woman to Woman
OCRAs Woman to Woman (W2W) Peer Mentor program is a unique support program for individuals impacted by gynecologic cancer.
Woman to Woman provides gynecologic cancer patients, survivors, or loved ones with a trained Mentor who has a similar personal experience and can share their own insights and perspective. These trained Woman to Woman Mentors are available to connect from the moment of diagnosis through the end of treatment and beyond. Woman to Woman Mentors are here to ensure that you are not alone.
Mentors are carefully matched based on the patient's specific concerns, and by factors like diagnosis, age, language, culture, and familial role. They are professionally trained in active listening, communication skills, and methods for addressing the patient's concerns without giving medical advice.
Mentors inspire hope and offer the kind of unique insights that can only come from someone who has experienced their own cancer journey.
Ovarian Cancer National Conference
OCRAs Ovarian Cancer National Conference is the largest and longest running national ovarian cancer conference devoted to ovarian cancer survivors. It brings together patients, caregivers, survivors, advocates and friends to learn about the latest developments in research, diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for women with ovarian cancer.
Our Conference provides attendees with the tools and resources to effectively advocate for themselves and their fellow patients and survivors. We also provide information on ways to better educate policy makers, healthcare professionals and the public in their local communities. The Conference gives survivors the opportunity to meet hundreds of others whose lives have been touched by ovarian cancer and form lifelong bonds with those who have walked in their shoes. It also delivers what the survivor community so desperately needs: information, connection, empowerment, reassurance, energy, strength and hope.
Survivors Teaching Students (STS)
Survivors Teaching Students brings ovarian cancer survivors and caregivers into medical education programs to educate future healthcare providers about ovarian cancer by sharing stories of diagnosis, treatment and survivorship, along with facts about the disease. Medical/healthcare students interact with and learn from ovarian cancer survivors in a classroom setting. By equipping these future doctors and nurses with firsthand knowledge, OCRA empowers them to make a difference in the lives of countless women. STS has reached over 125,000 medical and healthcare students since inception.
Research Grants
OCRA invests more funds into ovarian cancer research than any other public charity--more than $9 million annually and a total of $122 million in ovarian cancer and related research initiatives from top scientists at leading medical centers, ensuring that science continues to break new ground on the path to a cure. Since entering the field in the 1990s, OCRA has become a beacon for brilliant ovarian cancer researchers at all stages of their careers, providing vital funding for bold, innovative projects in a field where scientific research is sorely underfunded. We take a chance on innovative projects, enabling young scientists to develop pilot data needed for larger government grants, attracting promising minds and new energy, and cementing a lifelong commitment to the field of ovarian cancer research. OCRA also supports mid-career scientists when they need it most, and invests in large grants for senior researchers to encourage collaboration among institutions.
Advocate Leaders
Since 2013, OCRA Advocate Leaders have raised awareness through news articles and earned media, developed relationships with their elected officials, and fought for increased funding for ovarian cancer research throughout the country.
Advocate Leaders receive training in the basics of effective advocacy, communicating with elected officials and their staff, and understanding of legislative issues important to the ovarian cancer community. Advocate Leaders attend OCRA's annual Fly-In in Washington, DC, to advocate on Capitol Hill, mentor advocates at the Ovarian Cancer National Conference, and respond to calls to action from OCRA.
Patient Support
No one should face ovarian cancer alone. Understanding the power of companionship and the solace found in shared experiences, OCRAs support services offer comfort, guidance, and healing to all those in need. OCRA's Patient Support oncology social work team is available to anyone touched by ovarian cancer, and any other gynecologic cancer, offering a comprehensive array of programs, including a patient helpline and a wide range of virtual support services.
Our Staying Connected program provides weekly and monthly virtual support groups for ovarian and gynecologic cancer patients, survivors and caregivers around the nation to provide those diagnosed with a place to meet others, feel supported, and gain a sense of community. Our monthly Expressive Arts program provides an opportunity to engage in creative activities, explore thoughtful reflection, and connect with others while also having a bit of fun.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Ultimately, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance's goal is to eradicate ovarian cancer-- the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers. Our mission is to promote, advocate for and support scientific research as it relates to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure for ovarian cancer; to provide education about ovarian cancer; to promote, advocate for and provide supportive services to persons affected by ovarian cancer; and to foster alliances to further those purposes.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance unites the ovarian cancer community as one strong voice, propelling the ovarian cancer field forward at an accelerated pace—exactly what is needed at a critical time when scientific discoveries are rapidly increasing. We funding research through our own grant programs, we simultaneously work in Washington DC to increase federal dollars for research, and offer comprehensive education and patient engagement programs for women at all stages of diagnosis and survivorship.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
OCRFA is the oldest and largest charity funding ovarian cancer research in the United States, and awards grants through a competitive peer-review process conducted by OCRFA's prestigious Scientific Advisory Committee. The Scientific Advisory Committee is comprised of the nation's top gynecologic oncologists and ovarian cancer researchers. OCRFA is nimble in its ability to fund the most novel approaches to combating this disease. OCRFA is able to solicit, review, and fund worthy applications in a relatively short time-frame, which leads to more rapid scientific progress.
OCRFA is deeply engaged in advocacy, and has successfully advocated for over $2.2 billion in federal funding for ovarian cancer research and education for the past two decades.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
OCRFA has been the driving force behind many important discoveries. In the past several years, OCRFA grantees have:
*Developed innovative strategies for early detection: OCRFA-funded research has shown that glycans (small sugar molecules in the blood) appear to distinguish between healthy women and those with ovarian cancer. OCRFA researchers are developing a pilot test.
*Discovered changes that increase risk for ovarian cancer: OCRFA funding has led to the identification of a new genetic polymorphism—like BRCA1/2 but more common—that may significantly increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
*Illuminated the origins of ovarian cancer: OCRFA researchers developed a laboratory model that mimics the process by which fallopian tube cells may morph into cancer cells that appear to have come from the ovaries. This demonstration of what happens in patients furthers the theory that some ovarian cancers begin in the fallopian tube.
*Identified new and better targets for treatment: OCRFA researchers discovered that elevated blood platelet levels in ovarian cancer patients fuel tumor growth and reduce survival. These findings reveal a new factor in cancer progression, and also suggest that drugs that interfere with coagulation might be a useful addition to conventional therapies.
In our mission to educate future medical professionals about ovarian cancer, we are also making progress. In the last year alone our Survivors Teaching Students program, in which ovarian cancer survivors come into the classroom and present their unique stories along with facts about the disease, reached nearly 11,000 medical, nursing and physician assistant students. Program participants consistently report that the presentation is effective in increasing their knowledge about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. We are also successfully providing supportive services to women and families facing an ovarian cancer diagnosis. Over 400 women have benefitted from our Woman to Woman peer support program to date.
While great progress has been made, there's much that OCRFA—and the entire ovarian cancer community—would like to accomplish. We need to find a way to identify who is most likely to get ovarian cancer, we need to find ovarian cancer earlier or prevent it all together, and we need more effective, less toxic treatments.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
Board of directorsas of 12/04/2023
Mr. John Orrico
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
No data