2023

September 9th: Coast to the Cure

The 12th Annual Coast to the Cure ride to benefit NF Northeast will take place on Saturday, September 9th, 2023 at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, MA. Participants will have the option to choose from 24, 40, or 66 mile courses. Day of registration opens at 6:30 am and staggered starts will begin at 7:00 am. To learn more and sign up, click here.

May 17th: World NF Day LIVE

The Children’s Tumor Foundation is celebrating World NF Day on May 17th by live streaming the world premiere of CTF’s new two-part short documentary at their World NF Awareness Day Live Blue & Green Watch Party! You can check on their website for a local watch party, host your own, or stream the watch party from your own home! And don’t forget to wear your blue and green as a reminder to #EndNF.

May 13th: Steps2Cure NF Walk

The 15th Annual Steps2Cure NF Walk took place Saturday May 13th at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA! To learn more and see the results, please visit: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/steps2curewakefield2023/.

May: NF Awareness Month

May is NF Awareness Month, a time when those affected by NF1, NF2, and Schwannomatosis work to bring awareness to the public. More information about NF Awareness Month can be found through the Children’s Tumor Foundation here. As part of NF Awareness Month, CTF has launched their annual Shine a Light campaign to help bring NF out of the darkness. You can learn more about this endeavor below:

April 29th: NF Family Symposium at Massachusetts General Hospital

The NF Family Symposium at Massachusetts General Hospital will take place on April 29th 2023, and the Walker Lab will be participating. To participate, please see below and register here: https://2023symposiumnf.eventbrite.com/

NF Tuesday Takeaway Educational Series 2023

Dr. Jim Walker will be speaking as part of Tuesday Takeaways, a four-part lunch and learn speaker series beginning in February of 2023 hosted by NF Northeast! These one-hour educational lunch time sessions are geared towards learning about updates and relevant information for our NF community. Please join us for any or all of the following sessions taking place via Zoom the last Tuesday of the month February-May at 12pm EST. To register, click here.

February 16th: Neurofibromatosis Northeast – Lab Visit

The Walker Lab was pleased to host members of Neurofibromatosis Northeast in February for a research lab tour and Q&A about the work we are undertaking to help end NF. We were excited to share the different facets of the lab and connect with new and familiar faces in person! Check out some photos below! (Photos courtesy of Kristina Rath)

2022

July: NF Summit 2022 in Chicago

The NF Summit, organized by the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF), brings together volunteers, organizers and researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, friends, and supporters that have a connection to NF for a three-day symposium filled with education, empowerment, networking, and ways to connect with others on a similar journey. This year, the Walker and Saxena labs were represented at the NF Summit in Chicago by Dr. Stephanie Joy Bouley, who spoke about the Sleep studies we are actively recruiting for, and Anika Fernandez, who consented patients on site to participate! We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to participating in future events. Learn more about the NF Summit and how to get involved here: https://www.ctf.org/events/nf-summit

May 22nd: Steps2Cure NF Walk/Run – Wakefield MA

The Steps2Cure NF Walk/Run is an annual walk hosted by Neurofibromatosis Northeast at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA to raise money for NF research. If you’d like to join our team Walker’s Walkers or donate, you can do so here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/wakefield/team/894834/

UPDATE: The Steps2Cure NF Walk/Run took place on Sunday May 22nd, 2022 where several members from the Walker and Saxena Lab were in attendance. In addition to completing the 5k on an abnormally hot day for the season, lab members were able to discuss their research with other participants. Check out some photos from the walk below!

May: NF Awareness Month

May is NF Awareness Month, a time when those affected by NF1, NF2, and Schwannomatosis work to bring awareness to the public. More information about NF Awareness Month can be found through the Children’s Tumor Foundation here.

March: Beacon Hill Seminars

Dr. Stephanie Joy Bouley gave a guest lecture as part of the “Emerging Biosciences – Straight from the Lab” Beacon Hill Seminar series. Her lecture focused on implementing novel gene editing strategies to treat Neurofibromatosis type 1.