Merit Society

Moffitt Merit Society^®

Our motto is: "Women Helping Women Defeat Cancer."

Moffitt Merit Society^® carries on the legacy of Merit Ptah, the first known woman in medicine nearly 5,000 years ago. This group was established in 2009 by Celia Ferman, Carol Morsani and Barbara Ryals as a women-only philanthropic society to encourage and support female cancer researchers and physicians, and to provide funding for women’s cancer initiatives at Moffitt Cancer Center. The skills, achievements and compassionate care of female physicians and scientists at Moffitt reflect a deep commitment to providing hope and improving quality of life for those touched by cancer. 

Help us keep the momentum going by renewing your membership or joining today!

Champion - $10,000 Crusader - $5,000 Advocate - $2,500 Contributor - $1,000

Your Impact

Since its inception, nearly $500,000 has been raised by the Moffitt Merit Society^® to support female researchers at Moffitt who are fighting to improve patient outcomes and working to discover research breakthroughs. The dollars raised by our Merit Society members play a critical role in funding research at Moffitt as our researchers cannot apply for the larger federal grants, without compelling data and results to show their research has promise. Your donations provide that pilot funding to launch an innovative study that can lead to thousands of dollars in additional federal funding, resulting in the next big research breakthrough that translates into life-changing treatments for our patients.

Prior awards have helped to support the prevention and detection of human papillomavirus (HPV); overcoming treatment resistance in triple-negative breast cancer; and evaluating therapeutic approaches for personalized lung cancer clinical trials.

Why

Moffitt Merit Society^® was created to celebrate women faculty members who are making a difference at the cancer center and in driving our mission to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. Our women faculty members come from different backgrounds and cultures across the globe. Their areas of research and clinical care cut across the entire cancer continuum, including clinical science and trials, basic science, epidemiology, health outcomes, integrated mathematical oncology, biostatistics and much more.

The opportunity to support the important work of women is available through the Moffitt Merit Society^® membership. Please join us!

Together, we:

• UNITE women as advocates to prevent and cure cancer
• OFFER educational and networking opportunities for members
• GRANT philanthropic support for the research and clinical work of female scientists
• PROMOTE Moffitt’s female physicians and their outstanding patient care
• ENCOURAGE female students aspiring to pursue careers in science and medicine 

One in three women will experience cancer in her lifetime. Merit Society members stand beside them and partner with Moffitt physicians, researchers and staff to ensure that our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends will have access to the most advanced research-based treatments. Combined, our individual passion, expertise and philanthropy make us much more powerful in the fight against cancer.

Don't miss this opportunity to make a difference! Secure your membership now. 

For more information about the Moffitt Merit Society, please contact Elizabeth Howard at 813-745-7805 or Elizabeth.Howard@Moffitt.org.