DRAGON MASTER INITIATIVE MARKS DECADE OF CHILDHOOD CANCER ADVOCACY AND ACTION

Organization's tenth anniversary signals a push to make patient data more impactful. 

WICHITA, Kan., July 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dragon Master Initiative announces that it has reached ten years as a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization that champions cures for kids with a mission to eliminate childhood cancer and advance the way scientific research happens. The organization focuses on accelerating scientific advancements through the innovative use of shared data, changing regulatory attitudes, and decreasing the burden on families of children and young adults with cancer.

Dragon Master Initiative is marking the occasion with a year-long observance. The charity was formed in May 2013 by Amanda Haddock because of a request made by her 18-year-old son David Pearson shortly before he passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. David wished that no other child would have to suffer from cancer. This tragedy brought the need for better research tools to Haddock's attention.

Dragon Master Initiative has made significant progress toward its mission over the last 10 years, including:

• Championing the creation of CAVATICA, a data analysis and sharing platform designed to accelerate discovery in a scalable, cloud-based computing environment freely shared among the world's research community.
• Developing into a leading voice for patient rights, open science, and technology.
• Recognition of Amanda Haddock with the White House Champion of Change

Award for Precision Medicine in 2015.

• Appearances at the NCI Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) Kickoff in 2022, and recent participation in the Cancer Moonshot Childhood Cancer Forum at the White House. Haddock also serves on the CCDI Cross-Cutting Working Group and the NIH Cloud Compute Working Group.
• Became a founding member of the Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) Executive Council. CBTN empowers scientific research through data-driven discovery, working to support and advance collaborative research.
• Raising ~$1 million for collaborative childhood cancer research through activation of the running community and development of creative fundraising events.
• Administering Noah's G.I.F.T.S., which supports families who enroll children in cancer-related medical trials far from home. In addition, providing individualized patient services and support for those experiencing the childhood brain tumor journey.

"This is a remarkable time for childhood cancer research. Reflecting on the past ten years, we can offer more hope and progress for the young cancer patients my son David wanted to save," remarked Haddock. "And, while we've made strides, the work of Dragon Master is not done. Only by working together, developing robust resources, prioritizing funding, and empowering patients and their families will we cure childhood cancer, once and for all."

As Dragon Master Initiative moves forward, it is focused on tactics that strengthen the usefulness of data already available to researchers:

• Develop visualization tools that make it easier for researchers and clinicians to understand and explore massive amounts of data efficiently.
• Convert the analog parts of patient records to digital data to be computed for research.
• Activate natural language processing.
• Simplify database tools to elevate usability by clinicians. This allows practitioners to treat individual patients more precisely.
• Educate patient families to better use and understand research data.

In recognition of Dragon Master Initiative's 10^th anniversary, the organization launched a fresh, new brand identity and website at dragonmaster.org. The contemporary logo, designed with digital applications in mind, features a dragon with wings entwined with a DNA strand. The negative space of the dragon's wings depicts a cloud to represent the digital cloud, where much of the charity's work takes place. A special 10^th Anniversary version of the logo was also created for the milestone.

About Dragon Master Initiative
Founded in 2013 as a 501(c)3 charity by Amanda Haddock, Richard Haddock, and David Herrmann, the goal of Dragon Master Foundation is to find cures for cancer through scientific collaboration and build access to data to empower research. For more information, visit dragonmaster.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Amanda Haddock 
[email protected]
239-675-3120

SOURCE Dragon Master Initiative