PHASE ONE Announces New Board Chair: Marc Lebowitz
Marc Lebowitz (right) with his wife Deanne and children Jeremy and Jaclyn at the 2023 PHASE ONE Gala
PHASE ONE Foundation is excited to announce Marc Lebowitz as the new Chair of our Board of Directors. Marc has been a passionate and dedicated member of the PHASE ONE Board for years, most recently chairing our 2023 Gala with his wife, Deanne, and serving as Co-Chair on our Granting Committee—a role that gave him a front-row seat to the ground-breaking clinical trials we support and the researchers driving them forward.
Marc’s connection to PHASE ONE’s mission is deeply personal, and his commitment to expanding access to early-phase cancer clinical trials has only grown stronger over time. As he steps into this leadership role, Marc brings a clear vision: to broaden PHASE ONE’s impact and find more game-changing clinical trials.
Below, Marc shares more about his journey with PHASE ONE, the trial that holds special meaning for him, and what excites him most about the road ahead.
How long have you been involved with PHASE ONE, and how did you first learn about the organization?
“I've been involved for about seven years now, and I first learned about the organization maybe 15 years ago through some friends of mine. Then, I ran into Stacy Valner at an event, and told her I was incredibly interested in PHASE ONE, and I would like to get involved– and we took it from there.”
Why are you passionate about cancer research, and specifically Phase I/II clinical trials?
“Well, I think PHASE ONE is an incredible organization and it's kind of personal to everybody. For me, I lost my father-in-law and my brother-in-law to cancer and a couple of very dear friends, and understanding what Phase I clinical trials actually do gives me hope.
Getting involved with PHASE ONE was incredibly important because this was a way for me to create awareness about clinical trials and meet the incredible doctors who are creating game-changing and innovative treatments for all types of cancer.”
What other positions have you held at PHASE ONE?
“I've been the Granting Chair, which has really allowed me to be in the forefront of understanding what these treatments are all about, and that has been incredibly rewarding.”
What are your goals as the new Chairman of the Board?
“I want to get our platform out on a wider scale. There's no question that the Southern California hospitals, whether it be CHLA, City of Hope, St. John’s, Cedars-Sinai, have been incredible in submitting clinical trials to us, and I'd like to see that done on a wider basis. I want our reach to be broader, and I would love to see hospitals throughout the United States submit to us so that we can be exposed to more clinical trials.
The great news is that over the last few years, we've expanded our outreach to hospitals like Dana-Farber, Weill Cornell, and other hospitals around the country. But I would love to see us presented with more clinical trials so that we can invest in the future and achieve our goal which is supporting what we think is the next game-changing and innovative trial. ”
What is one ongoing project you are most excited about?
“That question is a little bit difficult because there's so many things, but I would say the one trial I'm really excited about is Dr. Li's trial at City of Hope. It's a little bit near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, we lost my brother-in-law through bile duct cancer, but this trial is exactly what I was talking about earlier, that it's innovative, game-changing, and incredible technology that I think could really change the future of how bile duct cancer and potentially other cancers are treated. ”
What’s your favorite PHASE ONE Gala memory?
“It's easy to say that was chairing the 2023 Gala with my wife because that was an incredible experience having all my friends and family there. But I think that the memory I take away, it's not just from one gala, but from all of them, and that’s the connection that everybody has there. I think that sometimes when you're going through cancer, whether it's with you or your friends or your family, that you think you're on an island by yourself but you're not and the one great takeaway from the gala is that everyone's there for the same purpose and that is how can we do better to find a cure.”
What do you see PHASE ONE’s role as in the greater cancer research landscape?
“Without clinical trials, there would be no cancer treatments. PHASE ONE has been around for more than 25 years now, and our goal is to continue funding game-changing Phase I and II clinical trials. With all of the new immunotherapies and innovative treatments that are being presented to us on a weekly basis, I think we're getting closer to a cure. ”