Executive Director
The Life Raft Group
As Executive Director, Sara Rothschild brings 17 years of experience with the LRG and in-depth knowledge of the challenges faced in healthcare, and broad experience working in the international community to The Life Raft Group.
Formerly as VP of Program Services, she has successfully facilitated the growth of The LRG to become the premier source of education and support for the international GIST community. Her priority has been the dissemination of health information and education through in-person and virtual events for patients and their families. She has organized and coordinated previous GIST Days of Learning, Life Fest, New Horizons GIST, and Salud con Datos meetings in different locations around the world.
Sara was part of the initial team that supported the start of the first NIH in-person clinic for Pediatric GIST patients. When challenged by decreased funding, she found a solution in virtual technology, helping to create the collaborative NIH/LRG Virtual Tumor Board, a vehicle that enables medical professionals worldwide to convene and discuss challenging cases in a virtual environment.
In recent years, Sara convened the SDH-Deficient GIST Consortium with the aim of extending and sustaining current research efforts, and ultimately finding a cure for SDH-deficient GIST through global collaboration. The Consortium was recognized as one of ten speakers on stage at the 2018 Biden Cancer Summit as an innovative solution to accelerate cancer research.
Sara has grown to be a globally respected patient advocacy leader and works well with a diverse network of stakeholders such as medical key opinion leaders, fellow patient advocates, pharmaceutical industry as well as government authorities. Passionate about working with the patient community, Sara is dedicated to supporting and educating patients about their health choices. She continually seeks and finds innovative strategies to help those living with a rare cancer find access to life-saving treatments.