Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. representative for Florida’s 25th congressional district, presented a $963,000 check to the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy on Oct. 24. The check, which is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will be used to support research in detecting breast cancer and other diseases earlier.
PHOTO BY BRIELLE AGUAYO
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz talks about her experience as a breast cancer survivor.
“I am beyond thrilled to be able to announce today that I was able to secure $963,000 in federal funds to purchase cutting edge instruments for the use of early detection of cancer and other diseases,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Michelle Clark, dean of the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy, has been at NSU for 23 years. She said the college is grateful to have the funding and plans to put it to good use.
“The instruments to be purchased from this federally funded NIST award will allow for genetic and other analysis, to study how genetic differences among people at the cellular level may contribute to their likelihood of developing cancer, as well as other diseases,” Clark said.
George L. Hanbury II, NSU president and CEO, is also appreciative of Wasserman Schultz’s funding. He remembers when she helped fund the NSU Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center with $15 million.
“Any time NSU gets more money, it is a wonderful occasion. And Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has shepherded a lot of money to come here,” Hanbury said. “Thank God the citizens of her district keep electing her over and over and over.”
Wasserman Schultz, who is a breast cancer survivor, was diagnosed when she was 41. She said because she is an Ashkenazi Jewish woman, she was more likely to carry a BRCA mutation, which can lead to breast cancer.
Wasserman Schultz was able to take a genetic test, which analyzed her DNA, and she was positive for a BRCA2 gene mutation.
“One day I was the picture of health, and the next day I was a cancer patient,” Wasserman Schultz said. “The research that was done leading up to my diagnosis enabled me to be standing in front of you today. It likely helped save my life and the life of millions of others.”
Wasserman Schultz has worked with NSU since it was originally Nova University. She previously hosted the Cancer Survivorship Summit in October 2023 at NSU, featuring a keynote speech from First Lady Jill Biden. She also presented $3.8 million to NSU to fund coral reef research in February 2023.
“Nova, from the very beginning, was a forerunner, and a visionary educational institution,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Earlier on Oct. 24, Hanbury read an article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper about a 28-year-old breast cancer survivor. The patient received genetic testing, which analyzed her DNA and found she had a rare gene mutation.
“All of our researchers in the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy will be able to use this genetic testing for multiple cancers,” Hanbury said.
Dr. Harry K. Moon, NSU president-elect, executive vice president and COO, said as we age, our genes become unstable, which can make us more susceptible to mutations and cancer.
“These funds, these revenues, will help us at our ultimate cause in improving the health and wellbeing of our country, of society,” Dr. Moon said. “And we are committed as a university to fulfilling those dreams.”
Wasserman Schultz said that a second Cancer Survivorship Summit is planned for 2025 at NSU, to coincide with National Cancer Survivors Month.
“We look forward to Dr. Moon hosting us again next June,” Wasserman Schultz said
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