Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Mission Statement

The mission of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation to providing financial assistance to families impacted by childhood cancer, funding pediatric cancer research, raising awareness, and spreading positivity. NOVAdance is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment to carry out this mission on Villanova’s campus and in the wider community, spreading the B+ message. 

NOVAdance has constantly sought growth since its founding in 2013. Part of this ongoing journey included the implementation of the Internal Relations and Inclusion (IRI) Committee. These individuals are dedicated to educating themselves and other members of the NOVAdance committee leadership on important DEI topics as they seek to foster a more inclusive environment. The IRI committee facilitates conversations, presents workshops, writes monthly DEI focused emails, and encourages the bonding of a diverse group of volunteers. They seek out training from campus resources like the Center for Dialogue in order to more effectively serve their peers. They are the heart of NOVAdance’s commitment to being a community of positivity for everyone on our campus. 

Participation in NOVAdance is open to all on campus, but we continue to seek improvement in cultivating an environment where all feel welcome, united by the passion of fighting childhood cancer. Our commitment to developing and uplifting why we NOVAdance emphasizes the unique perspective of each member of our campus community.  This centering on our unique Whys is an effort to motivate all students -  regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation - to get involved. NOVAdance seeks to welcome every student, even if they are early in developing and understanding their Why. 

In recent years, our cumulative 12-hour dance marathon has been modified to be more physically accessible, and NOVAdance is always looking for ways to improve the celebratory event to accommodate all. NOVAdance extends itself within and beyond Villanova’s campus, making connections with other on-campus organizations, local small businesses, and the general public of the greater Philadelphia region. 

Our commitment to equity is rooted in the understanding that each child and family we serve faces unique challenges, and we strive to provide resources and support that address their individual needs. Our unwavering passion for our B+ Heroes and their families helps us understand that cancer doesn’t discriminate, and neither do we.

NOVAdance continues to work at bringing inclusion to life at Villanova, celebrating the success along the way while remaining conscious of the work still ahead. We are committed to working hard so that every Villanovan can find purpose and positivity within NOVAdance.


Monthly DEI Spotlights!

  • January

    The month of January is designated as National Blood Donor Month in the United States. Due to holiday celebrations, inclement weather, and cold and flu season, the winter months are often a time of reduced donations and an increased risk for blood shortages. National Blood Donor Month celebrates blood donors during this critical time and reminds people of the importance of donating blood.

    Blood transfusions can be crucial to children undergoing treatment for cancer. It is vital to these young patients that there is a strong blood supply, especially in terms of platelets, which aid in a patient's ability to create healthy blood cells.

    How to help:

    If you’re interested in donating blood, find blood donation centers near you by inputting your zipcode. Also, be on the lookout for on-campus blood drives in the future, and remember that these donations are crucial for B+ heroes everywhere.

  • February

    As February is widely known as Black History Month, we want to take a moment to share our appreciation for those who are contributing to Black History, as well as cancer research, which aligns with the mission of NOVAdance. We're excited to spotlight Portia Thomas, an inspiring M.D. student who aspires to become a pediatric oncologist and conduct research for pediatric brain tumors as a physician-scientist.

    Portia's journey is deeply rooted in personal experience. She shared, "I experienced pediatric cancer within my own family. I had a 7-year-old cousin who died from a brain tumor. It was devastating to me at the time because we were very close, and I didn't fully understand everything that was happening. As I got older, I started to realize that maybe his death could have been prevented if he had received an earlier diagnosis. I want to be able to help families as much as possible, so they don’t have to go through that same experience of losing a child to cancer."

    To learn more about Portia and her Cancer Systems Biology Research, please click the link below:

    https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/organization/dcb/research-programs/csbc/portia-thomas Quote source

  • March

    arch is Women’s History Month! B+ has so many women who contribute to helping families battling childhood cancer. As this is our last DEI email of the year, we wanted to reflect on childhood cancer today and highlight the amazing strides female doctors on the B+ Scientific Advisory Board are making in pediatric cancer research.

    Dr. Sarah K. Tasian is a pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who is interested in the development of molecularly targeted therapeutics for children with high-risk leukemias. She specializes in the clinical care of children with hematologic malignancies and is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric ALL and AML. Her bench-to-bedside and bedside-back-to-bench translational laboratory research program focuses on testing of kinase inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapies in genetic subsets of childhood ALL and AML. Dr. Tasian has leadership roles in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) ALL and Myeloid Diseases committees and Leukemia Lymphoma Society PedAL/EUpAL consortium is the COG Developmental Therapeutics committee Vice-Chair of Biology for Hematologic Malignancies, and leads or co-leads several national or international early phase clinical trials testing precision medicine therapies in children with high-risk leukemias.

    Rebecca Gardner, MD is a pediatric oncologist and clinical researcher at Seattle Children’s Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her area of research is focused on the development of cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of pediatric malignancies, with a special focus on leukemia and lymphoma.

    Dr. Gardner is the medical director for immunotherapy at Seattle Children’s. She has led the development of 9 CAR T cell trials for pediatric patients with leukemia and lymphoma. She is an active participant on national and international committees in the cell therapy field, focusing on the development and implementation of novel cell therapy products with improved efficacy and tolerability. She is also an active member of the Children’s Oncology Group’s Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Committee and recently served on the NCCN guideline committee for pediatric mature B cell lymphoma.