Humana Foundation gifts target childhood cancers, McConnell Center

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    LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville has received two gifts from the Humana Foundation totaling $2.5 million. The donations will help fund research on a vaccine for childhood cancers, provide scholarships for outstanding undergraduates interested in health-related fields and enhance health and wellness initiatives at UofL’s McConnell Center.

    The Foundation is supporting the Dr. Salvatore and Kathy Bertolone Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research with a $500,000 gift. Dr. Kenneth Lucas was recently named the first chair of the endowment and he is leading a team engaged in a Phase 1 clinical trial of a vaccine to prevent recurrence of neuroblastoma and sarcoma, among the most common and deadly of all childhood cancers.

    “The Humana Foundation believes in the high quality research and academic work taking place at the University of Louisville,” said Mike McCallister, chairman of the Humana Foundation. “We hope our gift will further UofL’s mission and spur others to make similar commitments.”

    The Humana Foundation also is donating $2 million for initiatives at the McConnell Center that will:

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    Mark Hebert
    Following a 28-year career as a radio and television reporter, Mark Hebert joined the University of Louisville as the Director of Media Relations in 2009, serving as the main spokesperson. In 2015, Mark was named Director of Programming and Production. He’s now producing and hosting a radio show about “all things UofL”, overseeing the university’s video and TV productions and promoting UofL’s research operation. Mark is best known for his 22 years as the political and investigative reporter for WHAS-TV in Louisville where he won numerous awards for breaking stories, exposing corruption and objectively covering Kentucky politics. In 2014, Mark was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.