2026 Lung Cancer Research Foundation Gala Spotlights Women

Foundation Honors Rose Ann Weinstein and Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO

NEW YORK, April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation's 2026 Gala will spotlight women facing lung cancer with courage and resolve, women we have lost to the disease, and physicians and scientists whose leadership is reshaping outcomes for women everywhere. The gala will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at Cipriani 25 Broadway in Manhattan.

This year, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) will honor long-time board member, Rose Ann Weinstein, and renowned thoracic oncologist and researcher, Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO. LCRF's Board of Directors and Gala Committee have chosen to celebrate two remarkable honorees: one whose unmatched commitment to LCRF and lung cancer research has left an indelible mark on the field, and another whose tireless efforts to improve patient outcomes through research capture the very heart of LCRF's mission. These honorees, through their leadership, represent the strength, resilience and vision of women making a difference in the lung cancer community. Jill Frizzley will be the event's patient advocate speaker, whose personal lung cancer journey underscores the urgent need for more lung cancer research.

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of women in the United States, taking as many lives as breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined. Worldwide, more than 600,000 women die of lung cancer annually. Although lung cancer diagnoses have been declining, women with no known risk factors are twice as likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than men. Lung cancer, once thought to be a disease of older men, is now affecting younger people in general, and young women in particular. At this year's LCRF gala, the stories of women will be at the center of lung cancer experience, care, advocacy, leadership, and research breakthroughs.

Rose Ann Weinstein has been supporting lung cancer research with LCRF since 2006, following her mother's battle with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. In her two decades as a lung cancer research champion, she has co-chaired the Strides for Life event and served as chair of the New York-based gala event committee, instrumental in creating one of the most impactful and anticipated events in the lung cancer community, all while serving as a member of LCRF's board of directors. Ms. Weinstein's generosity, commitment, fundraising prowess and influence has been instrumental in transforming LCRF from a community-focused foundation to a national leader in lung cancer research.

"LCRF is indebted to Rose Ann for her decades of service to LCRF," says Aubrey Rhodes, Executive Director, LCRF. "A tireless champion of lung cancer research, Rose Ann has dedicated the last twenty years to raising funds for breakthrough science that has led to more and better treatment options and increased survival for people with lung cancer. She has turned her personal loss into driving the mission of LCRF forward – changing what it means to receive a lung cancer diagnosis."

"Twenty years ago, spurred on by the loss of my mother, I showed up because I believed that by helping to remove the stigma surrounding lung cancer, raising awareness, and raising money for lung cancer research, I could have a small part in finding answers that could spare others from the same loss," remarks Rose Ann Weinstein. "My involvement with LCRF is my way of honoring my mother's memory and hopefully giving others more time with the people they love. While I am proud of how far we have come, there is still so much more we need to do."

The foundation will also honor Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO, Co-Director of the Young Lung Cancer Program, Associate Medical Director of the Cancer Care Access Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Florez is a thoracic oncologist, lung cancer researcher, and advocate whose life's work is built on a radical premise: that women deserve to be believed. As founder of the Florez Lab, she leads bold, equity-driven research at the intersection of translational science, patient care and community outreach with a fierce focus on the women historically left out of both clinical trials and the clinical conversation. For too long, women with lung cancer have faced symptom dismissal, delayed diagnoses, and a research landscape that simply wasn't built with them in mind. Dr. Florez is changing that. She has pioneered women-centered clinical care and spearheads groundbreaking studies on how lung cancer and its treatments uniquely affect people under 50 — from fertility and sexual health to barriers in access and diagnosis. Her international campaign, #HearHer co-created with her mentee Student Doctor Angela Morabito, is a direct call to clinicians: listen to women. Not as a courtesy — as a clinical imperative. Because earlier detection starts with being heard.

"Receiving this honor means so much to me," says Dr. Florez. "I am so proud to be part of this wonderful community. Making sure that underserved and understudied individuals, especially women, receive the information, care and respect they need and deserve while navigating a lung cancer diagnosis is something I am passionate about. The studies that we lead in my lab are specifically to understand the increasing rates of lung cancer in young women, develop screening tools for never tobacco users at risk for lung cancer and improve access for ALL – whether it is delays in receiving diagnoses or lack of understanding how cancer and cancer treatment affect young people's lives – and we are showing how to overcome these inequities with data and realistic and long-lasting interventions. I'm grateful to LCRF to be part of their mission, too."

The LCRF New York gala is scheduled to take place at 6 pm on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City. Attendees will hear from the many people whose lives were influenced by Ms. Weinstein and Dr. Florez and will have opportunities to make their own impact on lung cancer research. More details can be found at LCRF.org/gala.

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation^® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 450 research grants, totaling nearly $53 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit lcrf.org.

Contact:
Sheila Sullivan, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, LCRF - [email protected]

SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation