Mission and Goals
To fulfill its mission, the National Pancreas Foundation provides research grants on an annual basis that are made directly to researchers to provide ground-breaking research for pancreas disease. NPF is the only foundation dedicated to patients who are suffering from all forms of pancreas disease – pancreatic cancer, acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pediatric pancreatitis and FCS.
Founded in 1997, the NPF has given over $5 million to fund over 130 ground-breaking research projects. The Foundation’s advocacy efforts have also been very effective, actively participating on the advisory council for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Cancer Institute Gastrointestinal Steering Committee, and as Department of Defense Consumer Reviewers. Furthermore, NPF has supported initiatives that have led to millions of dollars of additional research funding by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and other institutions.

History Timeline
Meet Our Board of Directors

Eileen M. O’Reilly, M.D.
NPF Chair
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Thomas E. Birsic
NPF Vice Chair
K&L Gates

Chris E. Forsmark, M.D.
NPF Past Chair
University of Florida

Michael Farrell
NPF Treasurer
Willis Towers Watson

Patricia S. Birsic
NPF Co-Founder

Jane M. Holt
NPF Co-Founder

Thomas Holt Jr.
K&L Gates

Maisam Abu-El-Haija, M.D.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Melena D. Bellin, M.D.
University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital

Randall Brand, M.D.
UPMC Shadyside

James M. Cain
Of Counsel, Eversheds Sutherland

Eric Golden
Fluential Partners, LLC

Yasmin G. Hernandez-Barco, M.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital

Calvin Kennedy
Associate General Counsel, Corporate for Envision Healthcare

Rajesh Keswani, M.D.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Anne H. Kruczek
Federated Hermes

Vikesh K. Singh, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Medicine

John Lieb II, M.D.
University of Florida

Christyn Taylor
Rebecca’s Wish

Ashok Saluja, PhD
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Aliye UC, M.D.
University of Iowa, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics

Ellen Vandenberg
New Leaf Literary & Media

Joseph M. Titlebaum
BlackLab Venture Studio

Diane Tonelli

Charles Vollmer, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Kerry lord
SVP, Information Technology, Dragonfly Health
















