In 1985, George and Jennifer Forbeck lost their son, Billy Guy, to neuroblastoma. He was 11 years old. During his treatment, they saw firsthand how rarely the scientists and clinicians working to save children like him ever spoke to one another: research happening in isolation, insights going unshared, progress slowed by distance and disconnection. Out of that loss came a conviction. Cancer research would move faster if its best minds were in the same room.
That conviction is still our strategy, four decades later. The Forbeck Foundation exists to drive communication and collaboration between scientists and clinicians, building the relationships that turn isolated discoveries into shared breakthroughs. We convene the field's leading researchers, support the work they do together, and invest in the next generation of investigators who will carry it forward.
Our programs are overseen by the Scientific Advisory Board, a distinguished panel of physicians and scientists, and take two forms:
Our cornerstone program brings together a small group of leading international cancer researchers for an intimate three-day think tank. Rather than a single annual gathering, we now hold several Forums each year, each centered on a specific “hot topic” in cancer research, from genomics to immunotherapy to emerging therapeutics. This shift lets us respond faster to where the science is moving and reach more of the field's top minds each year. The format pairs rigorous thinking with an unhurried, beautiful setting, and it has been widely adopted by other organizations since we pioneered it in 1985.
We're committed to developing the next generation of cancer investigators. Each year, the Forbeck Scholar Award recognizes four early-career oncology researchers with exceptional promise. Over a three-year term, Scholars attend our Scholar Retreat in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, an intimate three-day meeting with senior scientific mentors focused on career development, mentorship, and networking, and take part in our Forums alongside the field's established leaders.
At the heart of WGFRF is an enduring commitment to neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer with a bleak prognosis. WGFRF was established by George and Jennifer Forbeck in honor of their son, Billy Guy Forbeck, who succumbed to neuroblastoma at age 11. Since1985, WGFRF has supported the formation and growth of the International Neuroblastoma Staging System and International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INSS/INRG). This is a consortium of over 60 international neuroblastoma researchers and clinicians that has developed the first universal classification criteria for neuroblastoma diagnosis and clinical management.
Centered at the University of Chicago under the guidance of Dr. Susan Cohn, the INRG database has accrued clinical data on over 18,000 neuroblastoma patients, contributed by member sites of the international INRG community. In 2011, WGFRF commenced a co-funding effort with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to support the development of an interactive, online version of the INRG Database. This will accelerate clinical research by connecting the INRG database electronically with tissue repositories and other clinical resources around the world.
In 2015, the Foundation tripled its programming with the Collaborative Research Program. Available only to past and current Forbeck Scholars, this program promotes collaboration between scientists at different institutions. The funding is for two years with the possibility of a third year pending review. Like the Annual Forum and Scholar Retreat, the Foundation is continuing to support new methods of promoting collaboration and communication.
In 2020 the world came to a standstill trying to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a huge challenge to figure out how the Forbeck Foundation fit into a landscape where people are no longer able to convene. In 2020, we were scheduled to host ten meetings per year with an annual program budget over $300k. Unfortunately, we were only able to host one meeting in 2020.
The COVID Recovery Grant was dedicated to Forbeck Scholars who had research destroyed or lost due to the pandemic. The grant was able to cover existing projects that could not continue without this assistance. Requests covered very specific needs including the recovery of lab materials (such as medications or materials that expired), the loss of investigational animals, materials that are harder to get or more expensive due to shortages, and employees such as a lab technician that would otherwise not be able to be kept on and are needed to finish an experiment.
An unfortunate side effect of the global pandemic has been that cancer research has been put on the back burner, even though in 2020 it will kill over 600k loved ones. This funding will help resuscitate crucial research.
