Karen Brown Scleroderma Foundation

Result of KBS 2010 Pilot Research Grant ~ Northwestern

lauren — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:52:34 +0000

The final report for KBS grant awarded to John Varga, MD at Northwestern University are in! Northwestern was the recipient of KBS’ 2010 Pilot Research Grant which was two-fold: to develop a novel mouse model of scleroderma lung disease, and to identify biomarkers for scleroderma that could be ultimately used in the clinical setting to evaluate the activity, severity or progression of fibrotic complications of the disease. Read more

Results of Northwestern Grant

lauren — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:44:30 +0000

The final report for KBS’ grant awarded to John Varga, MD at Northwestern University is now available! Northwestern was the recipient of KBS’ 2010 Pilot Research Grant. Read more

KBS Awards Grant to Stanford Scleroderma Center

lauren — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:44:11 +0000

Dr. Lori Chung has a mission and it is personal. Her commitment to scleroderma was prompted by her sister’s diagnosis. “I am devoted to providing superb care to patients with scleroderma & I am absolutely committed to further developing the Stanford Scleroderma Center of Excellence where we will perform state-of-the-art research to better understand scleroderma, & ultimately to develop new treatments for this devastating disease,” says Lori Chung, MD, MS, KBS’ 2011 grant recipient.

KBS is proud to award Dr. Chung its 2011 grant. Dr. Chung is an Assistant Professor of Immunology, Rheumatology, and Dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the Director of Stanford’s Scleroderma Center and Co-Director of the Multi-disciplinary Rheumatologic Dermatology Clinic. Dr. Chung is actively involved in clinical, translational and epidemiologic research on scleroderma. She is the principal investigator for multiple clinical trials of new potential therapies for scleroderma patients.

Dr. Chung is focused on teaching and mentoring medical students and fellows, and encouraging the brightest minds of the future to pursue careers in scleroderma research.

Her passion, enthusiasm and determination to put Stanford’s Scleroderma Center on the map for patient care and research is perfectly aligned with the KBS mission.

Announcing Our 2011 Grant Recipient

lauren — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:32:08 +0000

KBS Awards Grant to Dr. Lori Chung at Stanford

KBS is proud to award Dr. Lori Chung its 2011 grant. Dr. Chung is an Assistant Professor of Immunology, Rheumatology, and Dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Read more…

12th Annual Gingerbread Workshops

lauren — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:05:01 +0000

12th Annual Gingerbread House Workshops ~ Mark Your Calendar!

Announcing the dates for the 12^th annual Gingerbread House Workshops benefiting the Karen Brown Scleroderma Foundation. Each participant is provided with a gingerbread house ready for decorating. There are candies and decorations for every taste, color scheme and décor. With a professional pastry tube filled with royal icing, participants create their dream house of gingerbread. Children as young as 3 (with some adult help) have a great time and their creativity is amazing. No kids or grandkids? Treat your “inner pastry chef” to a workshop. Better yet, bring a friend, too. The houses can be decorated for Hanukkah, Christmas, or just for fun. When finished, each house is wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow. It makes a wonderful centerpiece for a holiday party or a unique hostess gift. Some have even donated their houses to charitable organizations. All this fun for a minimum donation of $35 per house. The icing on the cake? 100% of the proceeds from the workshops are donated directly to KBS. Please check your calendar and make your reservations early, as we expect to sell out again this year. Each workshop begins at 1:00 PM and ends when the last house is wrapped and ready to go home.

This year’s dates are:

Saturdays: December 10^th and December 17^th

Sundays: December 4^th and 11^th

All Workshops Being in 1:00 PM

For reservations, information or encouragement to join in the fun, contact Melody Feige at mfeige@ecwest.com or call (323) 931-6103!

KBS Earthquake Kits Now Available For a Limited Time

lauren — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 03:47:24 +0000

A perfect way to support a worthy non-profit organization while preparing for one of Californiaʼs potential natural disasters – Give them to people you love!

KBS’s Earthquake Kits were developed using guidelines of the International Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department and FEMA. Each comprehensive kit is packed in a bright yellow bucket (which doubles as an emergency toilet) and contains everything you’ll need for the next disaster, including:

Backpack Flashlight/radio/cell phone charger
Emergency food bars First aid kit
Jelly beans (in case of jaw injury) Pry bar
Leather palm gloves Toilet liners
Solar blankets Utility knife
Water pouches Whistle
Dust masks Water purification tablets
Ponchos Nylon cord
Wet Naps Waterproof matches
Light Sticks Chemical ice packs
Chemical toilet disinfectant Gel hand sanitizer
Duct tape Can opener
Gas & water shut off tool Survival candles

Now offering 1 person, 2 person, or 4 person kits. Pet kits also available.

For more information or to place your order, download the KBS Earthquake Kit Flyer.

11th Annual Gingerbread House Workshops

lauren — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:14:13 +0000

Announcing the dates for the 11th annual Gingerbread House Workshops benefiting the Karen Brown Scleroderma Foundation. Each participant is provided with a gingerbread house ready for decorating.There are candies and decorations for every taste, color scheme and decor. With a professional pastry tube filled with royal icing, participants create their dream house of gingerbread. Children as young as 3 (with some adult help) have a great time and their creativity is amazing. No kids or grandkids? Treat your “inner pastry chef’ to a workshop. Better yet, bring a friend, too. The houses can be decorated for Hanukkah, Christmas, or just for fun. When finished, each house is wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow. It makes a wonderful centerpiece for a holiday party or a unique hostess gift. Some have even donated their houses to charitable organizations. All this fun for a minimum donation of $35.00 per house. The icing on the cake? 1000/0 of the proceeds from the workshops are donated directly to the Karen Brown Scleroderma Foundation. Please check your calendar and make your reservations early, as we expect to sell out again this year. Each workshop begins at 1:00 PM and ends when the last house is wrapped and ready to go home.

This year’s dates are:

Saturdays: December 11th and December 18th
& Sundays: December 5th and 12th

For reservations, information or encouragement to join in the fun, contact Melody Feige at mfeige@ecwest.com or call 323 931-6103.

Melody’s Gingerbread House Workshops

lauren — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:06:31 +0000

KBS Awards Pilot Research Grant

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:01:47 +0000

Internationally recognized scleroderma expert Dr. John Varga has been awarded the Karen Brown Scleroderma Foundation’s (KBS) Pilot Research Grant for 2010. Dr. Varga is the director of the Scleroderma Program at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and is a prolific researcher and author having published over 160 original research articles and two books.Focusing mostly on the fibrosis that scleroderma causes, the Varga Lab conducts “translational” research, which attempts to turn the discoveries made in the lab into treatment for patients.

The purpose of the KBS Pilot Research Grant is to provide money for a small and innovative project that, if successful, will help prove a theory. Pilot research studies are often needed before major public or private institution will consider funding research. This KBS “seed” money is what makes the larger study possible.

The goal of Dr. Varga’s Proposal is to identify biomarkers in scleroderma patients that can predict progressive lung disease at an the early stage. The KBS Pilot Research Grant is for $83,579.

The KBS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to creating new sources of funding for scleroderma research that will help accelerate the pace of discovery.

KBS Website Gets A Face Lift!

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:31:06 +0000

Welcome to our new website! It is the centerpiece of our strategy of taking our grass roots organization to the next level. It is designed to educate—and to ultimately motivate— new supporters to step forward to help KBS create new research money to combat scleroderma. As you click through the site, you will see many new links and features. One of the most dramatic features is a video that was produced and edited by Doug Freel. Doug is a professional videographer who has generously donated his time and talent to create a video that provides a compelling look at how KBS was created 10 years ago, and what it does today.

As you continue to check us out, you will see that we have created a site that is straightforward and easy: easy for donors to donate; easy for volunteers to volunteer; and easy for scleroderma researchers to apply for KBS research grants; and in the process, everyone will see how dedicated our volunteers and supporters are to the cause.