NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Deerfield Foundation, a philanthropic affiliate of New York City-based healthcare investment firm Deerfield Management, today announced the awarding of $1.5 million in support for 14 not-for-profit organizations in seven countries to improve the health of children and their families in 2025.

“At the Deerfield Foundation, we’ve been dedicated for nearly 20 years to funding initiatives that drive positive change in health, innovation and equity – especially for children and the communities where they live,” said Mark Veich, Board Member of the Deerfield Foundation. “Through our targeted grants, we support organizations working to create breakthrough therapies, expand access to care, and strengthen public health efforts, all with the goal of improving lives at the individual and community level.”

Since its establishment as a private, not-for-profit entity in 2005, the Deerfield Foundation has awarded more than $50 million to over 125 organizations. The Foundation administers grants in support of a key pillar of Deerfield Management’s mission: to advance healthcare through investment, information, and philanthropy. Its funding is supported not only by Deerfield profits but also by the continued generosity of Deerfield employees, who contribute to the Foundation’s effort to create lasting improvements in health and well-being across communities.

Organizations selected by the Deerfield Foundation will receive one-year grants to support initiatives focused on pediatric and adolescent health beginning in January 2025. This year, a volunteer program committee of 30 Deerfield employees reviewed funding proposals based on their potential to achieve direct, measurable impact, as well as opportunities for Deerfield employees to engage in meaningful collaboration with grantees. In alignment with the Foundation’s commitment to fostering partnerships, all grantees are invited to submit proposals by Deerfield employees, as the Foundation does not accept unsolicited funding requests.

Of the 2025 grantees, eight are based in the United States and an additional six are global organizations. The 2025 grantees are:

• African Mission Healthcare (Uganda)
• Achilles International (New York, NY)
• Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation (United States)
• The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors (Iron Matt) (Tri-State Area)
• May We Help (Cincinnati, OH)
• Peace Island Childrens Center (Uganda)
• Piers Park Sailing Center (Boston, MA)
• The Pradiya Foundation (Nepal)
• Project Sunshine (New York, NY)
• Swifty Foundation (United States)
• Health and Education for All (Bangladesh, Myanmar)
• Jeffrey Modell Foundation (Global)
• Manjushree Vidyapith Inclusion School (India)
• Pakistan Children’s Heart Foundation (Pakistan)

Augmenting the impact of its annual grants, the Deerfield Foundation and Deerfield Management established the Advancium Health Network in 2022. This public charity is committed to removing barriers to healthcare advancement and aims to be a leading force in health technology and innovation, focusing on areas of urgent need. Additionally, in June 2023, the Deerfield Foundation introduced a research award created in memory of longtime Deerfield Partner, Peter Steelman. The American Society of Hematology Peter Steelman Scholar Award supports research into acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a form of cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow.

About the Deerfield Foundation
An affiliate of Deerfield Management, the Deerfield Foundation is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strive to improve health, accelerate innovation, and promote human equity. Since its inception in 2005, the Foundation has formed numerous partnerships and invested in the advancement of children’s health from clinics in the South Bronx to Nepal. Funds are provided through employee contributions and directly from Deerfield’s profits.

Deerfield contact:

Julianna Santamaria

[email protected]

Phone: (212) 583 – 8324

SOURCE Deerfield Management Company, L.P.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – May 6, 2024 – Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation announced today they will honor the 2023-2024 recipients of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Peter Steelman Scholar Award at the second annual Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Summit. The AML Summit convenes industry experts, leaders, and partners across healthcare to further advance research on this cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

The AML Summit will recognize Emily Heikamp, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., and Sascha Haubner, M.D., as the 2023-2024 recipients of the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award for their academic achievements and contributions to AML research:

• Dr. Heikamp, a physician-scientist at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, specializes in epigenetic chromatin regulators in a rare, often fatal type of AML. Her research has identified novel molecular dependencies in this AML subtype, contributing to the development of targeted epigenetic drugs that are in early-phase clinical trials.
• Dr. Haubner is a physician-scientist specializing in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapies for safe and efficient targeting of AML. As a senior research scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), he developed a novel combinatorial CAR T cell therapy (termed ADCLEC.syn1) which is currently undergoing clinical testing for AML patients at MSKCC.

“Congratulations to Dr. Heikamp and Dr. Haubner, whose outstanding work embodies the legacy of the award itself, which honors former friend and Deerfield colleague, Peter Steelman, and his shared commitment to advancing healthcare,” said Ross L. Levine, M.D., Senior Vice President, Memorial Hospital Translational Research at MSKCC, and Chair of The AML Summit. “We are thrilled to offer this award in partnership with ASH, which we hope will help support and pave the way for improved therapies for those affected by AML.”

As keynote speakers at this year’s summit, Dr. Heikamp and Dr. Haubner will share more about their ongoing research efforts. Attendees will also hear from Simone Riedel, Ph.D., a Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Oncology) at the University of Pennsylvania and the 2022 recipient of the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award.

“Receiving this award as the inaugural recipient has been instrumental in further shaping and developing my research on epigenetic gene regulation over the past year. It has not only provided crucial financial support but also opened doors to invaluable relationships and resources within the research community,” said Dr. Riedel. “I offer my heartfelt congratulations to both Dr. Heikamp and Dr. Haubner, as well as future recipients – I’m excited and optimistic about the future of our work and its potential to make a profound difference in the field.”

The AML Summit will be held on Tuesday, June 18at Cure®, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City, and will showcase innovative clinical initiatives and cutting-edge research in AML. Additional featured guest speakers will include:

• Ross Levine, M.D., Leukemia Specialist & Physician-Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Chair of the AML Summit
• Simone Riedel, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Oncology) at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• Emily Heikamp, M.D. Ph.D., M.Sc., Instructor in Pediatric Hematology – Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Sascha Haubner, M.D., Senior Research Scientist | CAR Therapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Scott Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., President, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center; Chairman, Department of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Associate Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital; and David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School
• Manuel Aivado, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Stelexis
• Julian Adams, Ph.D., President and CEO of Stand Up To Cancer
• Jeff Spear, LLP

About AML

Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that occurs when bone marrow generates immature white blood cells that do not develop normally.  Types of AML are defined by the maturity of the cancer cells at diagnosis, and the degree of their abnormalities. AML is the most common acute leukemia in adults. About 20,000 new AML diagnoses and 11,220 AML-related deaths, mostly in adults, will occur in the United States during 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates. Annually, about 75,266 people are living with AML in the United States, according to the CDC, and their five-year survival rate is 31.9 percent.

About the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award

Designed by Deerfield Management and Deerfield Foundation in partnership with ASH, the ASH-Peter Steelman Scholar Award supports exceptional academic research efforts focused on AML, and is part of ASH’s Scholar Award program. For many researchers, the period between the completion of training and the establishment of an independent career can be a perilous and uncertain time. Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award program has helped ease this difficult transition by providing support during that critical period required for the completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator.

Recipients of the award will receive an extensive benefits package from the Deerfield Foundation, including: full funding for participation in the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting; an annual invitation, stipend, and research presentation opportunity at the AML Summit; biannual meetings with Deerfield Management’s Oncology Working Group and ongoing collaboration with Deerfield Management; and ongoing access to Deerfield and Advancium Health Network’s Science to the Street.

Named in honor of former Deerfield Management Partner Peter Steelman, the award commemorates his lasting impact as a dedicated team member and a compassionate individual who embraced everyone with acceptance and kindness. In his tenure at Deerfield, Peter was instrumental in the creation of Deerfield’s academic network, which today spans nearly 30 of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Peter will always be missed and forever remembered. 

About Deerfield Foundation

An affiliate of Deerfield Management, the Deerfield Foundation is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strive to improve health, accelerate innovation and promote human equity. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has formed numerous partnerships and invested in the advancement of children’s health, from clinics in the South Bronx to Nepal. Funds are provided through employee contributions and directly from Deerfield’s profits.

About Deerfield Management

Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.

Deerfield contact:

Rachel Pelletier

[email protected]

(440) 409-6274

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Deerfield Foundation (“Deerfield”), the philanthropic affiliate of Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm, today announced the awarding of $1.497 million to support 13 grantee not-for-profit organizations in seven countries in their 2024 healthcare initiatives to benefit children and their families from underserved communities.

“For more than 15 years, the Deerfield Foundation has made annual grants to help fuel the activities and initiatives of organizations that share our mission to improve health, innovation and equity, with a focus on children and where they live,” said Mark Veich, Vice President, Philanthropy and Executive Director of The Deerfield Foundation. “Our strategic giving helps outstanding organizations develop therapies, deliver treatments or improve public health services to make a positive impact to individual children as well as whole communities.”

Since its inception as a private not-for-profit in 2007, the Deerfield Foundation has awarded more than $45 million to more than 100 organizations to deliver on Deerfield Management’s mission of advancing healthcare through philanthropy. The Deerfield Foundation’s funding reflects contributions from employees of Deerfield Management Company as well as its profits.

This year’s grantees will receive one-year grants in December 2023 to carry out 2024 initiatives focused on pediatric and adolescent health. A program committee of the Deerfield Foundation selected grantees based on the direct and measurable impacts of their proposals. The committee also considered  opportunities where Deerfield employees could  provide their support through meaningful collaborations. The Deerfield Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding, and all potential grantees are invited by Deerfield employees.

Of the 2024 grantees, six are based in the United States and together received almost $560,000. An additional seven global organizations received nearly $939,000.  The 2024 grantees are:

Achilles International (NYC)
A-Z Children Ltd (Nurture Africa) (Uganda)
Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) (Global)
Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Foundation (Egypt)
Manjushree Vidyapith Inclusion School (India)
Many Hopes (Malawi)
May We Help (Cincinnati, OH)
Project Healthy Minds (NYC)
Red Door Community (NYC)
The Family Center (NYC)
The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors (Iron Matt) (Franklin Lakes, NJ)
The Pradiya Foundation (Nepal)
The Water Trust (Uganda)

In addition to annual grants, the Deerfield Foundation, together with Deerfield Management, launched in 2022 the Advancium Health Network, a public charity dedicated to eliminating barriers for the advancement of healthcare and to becoming a leading organization in the advancement of health technology and innovation in areas of compelling need. Deerfield Foundation also created, in June 2023, the American Society of Hematology Peter Steelman Scholar Award in honor of former, longtime Deerfield Partner, Peter Steelman. The award supports research focused on acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

About The Deerfield Foundation
An affiliate of Deerfield Management, the Deerfield Foundation is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strive to improve health, accelerate innovation and promote human equity. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has formed numerous partnerships and invested in the advancement of children’s health, from clinics in the South Bronx to Nepal. Funds are provided through employee contributions and directly from Deerfield’s profits.

Deerfield contact:
Elise Wang
[email protected]
Phone: (212) 583-7267

The Pradiya Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of empowering the people of India and Nepal to improve living conditions for people suffering from illness, poverty, discrimination and a lack of human rights.

The organization seeks to provide people with tools to improve their lives in a sustainable way. Pradiya’s mission is inspired by the lived realities in India and Nepal– where education, employment opportunities, and healthcare are currently lacking significantly. The Pradiya Foundation vows to support people on their journey to create the changes they want to see in their own communities and within their own lives.

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected people. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, river blindness, mycetoma, dengue, pediatric HIV, advanced HIV disease, cryptococcal meningitis, and hepatitis C. Its research priorities include children’s health, gender equity and gender-responsive R&D, and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has joined with industry, academia, government, and philanthropic partners across the globe to deliver 12 new treatments, saving millions of lives.

Project Healthy Minds is a Millennial & Gen Z-driven mental health tech non-profit startup. Project Healthy Minds is democratizing access to mental health services by building the world’s first digital mental health marketplace, destigmatizing mental health by partnering with culture-makers, and improving access and affordability by advocating for innovative workplace investments in employee mental health.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – June 8, 2023 – Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation announced today the creation of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Peter Steelman Scholar Award and the first Annual AML Summit in honor of former, longtime Deerfield Partner Peter Steelman. Both efforts aim to further advance research for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

The 2022 inaugural recipient of the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award is Simone Riedel, Ph.D. who will be a keynote speaker at the AML Summit. Dr. Riedel currently serves as a doctoral fellow at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Bernt Lab, as part of a team of researchers focused on investigating the role of epigenetic gene regulation in hematopoietic stem cells and their relation to leukemia. More specifically, Dr. Riedel works on a protein called Meningioma-1 (MN1) that, when overexpressed, causes a highly aggressive AML.

The first annual AML Summit will be held on Tuesday, June 13 at Cure®, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City.

Guest speakers at the inaugural AML Summit will include:

• Omar Abdel-Wahab, M.D., Director of the Center for Hematologic Malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering;
• Lore Gruenbaum, Ph.D. | Vice President, Therapy Acceleration Program;
• Ross Levine, M.D., Leukemia Specialist & Physician-Scientist, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Chair of The AML Summit;
• Alicia Loffler, former Executive Director of the Innovation and New Ventures Office at Northwestern University;
• Simone Riedel, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;

• Ulrich Steidl M.D., Ph.D., Chair of Cell Biology and co-director of the Blood Cancer Institute at Albert Einstein College of Medicine;
• Aaron Viny, M.D., Cancer Care, Hematology at Columbia​.

Each year there are approximately 18,000 new cases of diagnosed AML, with about 126,000 diagnosed prevalent patients per year in total. The AML Summit will bring together thought leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem to advance scientific research and bring us closer to a cure.

About the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award

Designed by Deerfield Management and Deerfield Foundation in partnership with ASH, the ASH-Peter Steelman Scholar Award supports exceptional academic research efforts focused on AML, and is part of ASH’s Scholar Award program. For many researchers, the period between the completion of training and the establishment of an independent career can be a perilous and uncertain time. Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award program has helped ease this difficult transition by providing support during that critical period required for the completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator.

Dr. Riedel and future recipients of the award will receive an extensive benefits package from the Deerfield Foundation, including:

• Complete funding support to participate in the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.
• A yearly invitation and a travel stipend to participate in Deerfield Management’s AML Summit.
• A designated research presentation slot at the AML Summit.
• Biannual meetings with Deerfield Management’s Oncology Working Group, a team of oncology-focused colleagues spanning science and investment.
• Ongoing collaboration with Deerfield Management personnel that focuses on the translation of innovation to a commercially viable therapeutic.
• (For female recipients), ongoing access to Deerfield and Advancium Health Networks Women in Science Translational Research Symposia.

About Peter Steelman

The award was named in honor of former Deerfield Management Partner, Peter Steelman, who will always be remembered as a genuinely kind person who accepted everyone on their own terms. He was a hard worker and a great team player. Peter was devoted to supporting his family (his wife Sara and three boys, Grant, Trent and Kurt) and ensuring they had every opportunity that he could provide. Peter enjoyed going to the beach, running and keeping fit, traveling, and spending time in New York City. While at Deerfield, he was instrumental in the creation of Deerfield’s academic network, which today spans nearly 30 of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Peter will always be missed and forever remembered.  

“We are proud to offer this award in memory of former friend and Deerfield colleague, Peter Steelman, who, throughout his life and career, was a passionate advocate of Deerfield’s mission to advance healthcare,” said Jim Flynn, Managing Partner of Deerfield Management and Cure® Founder. “We thank ASH for its partnership and are honored to name Dr. Riedel as the first recipient. We hope our support of the field will bring us closer to a cure for this difficult and painful disease.”

About The Deerfield Foundation

An affiliate of Deerfield Management, the Deerfield Foundation is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to strive to improve health, accelerate innovation and promote human equity. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has formed numerous partnerships and invested in the advancement of children’s health, from clinics in the South Bronx to Nepal. Funds are provided through employee contributions and directly from Deerfield’s profits.

About Deerfield Management

Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.

Media Contact

Caroline Drucker

[email protected]

917-588-3016

Since 2007, The Matthew Larson Foundation has financially supported families living with pediatric brain tumors and funded research in the hopes of finding a cure. 

Red Door Community is New York City’s preeminent nonprofit cancer support organization helping everyone and anyone impacted by cancer. A welcoming place that provides a full complement of FREE cancer support, emotional and educational programs, and healthy lifestyle workshops online and in‐person. We are committed to expanding our program and broadening our reach to meet the growing needs of individuals living with cancer, in more ways, and in more places than ever before. Because only Red Door Community is committed to providing unwavering support at every stage of the cancer experience, so no one faces cancer alone. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

Nurture Africa’s mission is empowering vulnerable children, adolescents and families to be positive influences on society. Nurture Africa aims to achieve this through health, education and sustainable livelihoods projects.