Susan Udelson Named New Director of the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Oct. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Susan Udelson has been named Director of the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research in Charlotte, NC.

Since 2011 the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research has donated nearly $340,000 for sarcoma research, making it one of the most successful grassroots sarcoma foundations in the country.

Udelson has served on the foundation’s Board of Directors, helping plan and execute all aspects of the annual Sarcoma Stomp fundraiser. Udelson also helped structure a new sarcoma research funding initiative with the Carolinas Healthcare System’s Levine Cancer Institute. Udelson’s previous positions include careers in institutional brokerage at Morgan Stanley & Co. and fraud investigation at the NASDAQ Exchange.

“Sue Udelson’s knowledge about sarcoma, intensive work for the foundation, and background in finance make her the ideal person to lead the foundation,” said Geoffrey Takacs, who co-founded the organization with his late wife, Paula Takacs.

The Charlotte-based foundation intends to direct an additional $100,000 donation to the Levine Cancer Institute in 2014 to support the growth of its sarcoma research program.

Sarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissue, is a severely under-funded and under-researched disease. Few specialized treatments are available to patients, making a sarcoma diagnosis particularly grim. The Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research invests in promising sarcoma research to improve patient outcomes.

Udelson has a unique understanding of sarcoma, its current medical treatments, and promising research initiatives, after losing her brother, Alan Stoller, and friend, Paula Takacs, to the disease.

“Watching a loved one suffer and die from a disease that offers so little hope and that is so distant from a cure inspired me to get involved,” said Susan Udelson. “With this foundation, Paula Takacs made it possible for families and the wider community to support future sarcoma patients. I am honored to serve as director.”

The previous director, Paula Takacs, led the foundation until her death in April 2014.

The foundation’s annual fundraiser, the Sarcoma Stomp, will take place on April 18, 2015. The Sarcoma Stomp is a timed, family-friendly 5k walk/run in Charlotte, NC. More information will be available soon at http://paulatakacsfoundation.org.

   “The foundation’s work will thrive under Sue Udelson’s steady and thoughtful leadership,” said Kara Deir, member, Board of Directors, Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research. “Her dedication is a formidable weapon in the fight against sarcoma.”