Evelyn H. Lauder: A Major Force in the War on Breast Cancer

At this past June’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, there were the usual hundreds of talks on basic, translational, and clinical aspects of oncology. Among them were those major talks which merited plenary sessions, the talks that were attended by thousands of the attendees at the ASCO meeting. These plenary speakers were the leading biomedical scientists in the area of cancer research in the nation and world. And there among the scientific talks was the presentation of the Partners in Progress Award by the President of ASCO to Evelyn H. Lauder, a leading business executive, in recognition of her career-long commitment to ending breast cancer.

Mrs. Lauder is recognized around the world for her skills as a corporate executive, serving as Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estée Lauder Companies, and responsible for the development of innovative skin care, makeup and fragrance products, including the creation of such globally successful scents as Beautiful, Estée Lauder pleasures, and fragrances in other corporate brands. She has had a major role in the success of this major corporation, and Crain's New York has just included her in its list of top 100 businesswomen. Not content with this, however, she has also devoted her incredible energies to women’s health and the fight against breast cancer.

In 1992, she and Alexandra Penney, then editor of Self Magazine, were responsible for the creation of the pink ribbon which has become the worldwide symbol of breast health. Ultimately, more than 65 million of these ribbons have been distributed around the world. Years later, in 2000, Mrs. Lauder helped to launch the Estée Lauder Companies’ annual “Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative” in which historic landmarks around the world are illuminated in pink light during the month of October- Breast Cancer Awareness Month- to bring global attention to the disease. Sites have included the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Tokyo Tower in Japan.

Another major accomplishment by Mrs. Lauder was the establishment of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. This Center, completed in 1992, incorporated diagnostic and treatment services into one center together, something which had not been done previously and has now been emulated in multiple other centers worldwide.

One of Mrs. Lauder’s most remarkable achievements has been her establishment and leadership of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Since its inception in 1993, this widely recognized charitable organization has raised more than $190 million for research aimed at the prevention and cure of breast cancer, with $32 million to be awarded to deserving scientists in October of 2007. Because of its contributions, several new drugs are in pre-clinical or clinical development. Hundreds of researchers have been aided by its support and major progress has resulted in the fight against breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has received exceptional recognition from several organizations that monitor and provide comprehensive, unbiased information on charities. Most notably, the Foundation has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, four stars, for six consecutive years, which means it has outperformed 99% of more than 5,000 evaluated charities in efficiently managing its finances.

Mrs. Lauder’s energy does not limit itself to her breast cancer philanthropy and her contributions in the corporate arena. She is also a widely recognized and published photographer who has exhibited in many one-woman exhibitions in multiple galleries across the country and around the world, with 100% of all proceeds of sales going directly to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Remarkably, Mrs. Lauder has also published a cookbook, the royalties from which benefit the Foundation.

In a world where funding is essential to the growth and sustenance of biomedical research, Evelyn H. Lauder has truly made a remarkable contribution to the fight and the progress against breast cancer.