Mother-Daughter Kayaking Team to Complete 300-Mile Trip in Baltimore to Honor Late UM SOM Scientist Dr. Angela Brodie

Breast Cancer Survivor Embarks on Trip to Raise Awareness and Support for Future Research at UM SOM

Patients who receive life-saving care from a physician or surgeon are often so grateful that they make generous gifts to medical schools and hospitals where they were treated.

One grateful patient --breast cancer survivor Carolyn Choate, 59, -- has taken her gratitude a step further, or in this case, 300 miles further. Not just thankful for the breast cancer treatment she received, she is forever indebted to the scientist, the late Angela Brodie, PhD, who originally discovered the treatment, and she wants others to know about it.

As a result, Carolyn and her daughter Sydney Turnbull, 27, have just launched a 300-mile “River of Life” kayaking journey that will take them from Port Jervis, NY, on the Delaware River, all the way to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where they will arrive on August 27. Their goal: Raise awareness and support along the way for future generations of breast cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), where Dr. Brodie conducted her groundbreaking research for nearly 40 years, until her passing in June of this year.

The mother-daughter team, which is expected to complete their 17-day kayaking journey in Baltimore on August 27 at 9:00 a.m. near the amphitheater between the Pratt and Light Street Pavilions, have been raising support for a Distinguished Professorship in honor of Dr. Brodie, Ph.D., who is recognized internationally for pioneering the use of aromatase inhibitors to treat a common form of breast cancer.

Ms. Choate credits Dr. Brodie’s work with saving her life. “It’s important to me that I do whatever I can to honor Dr. Brodie and continue to support the kind of innovation that, quite literally, saved my life, and the lives of countless other women,” said Ms. Choate, who has raised money and awareness for breast cancer research by advocating at home and abroad.

With the goal of raising $500,000 to complete a $2.5 million Distinguished Professorship in honor of Dr. Brodie, the mother-daughter team said they are celebrating the millions of women diagnosed and recovering from breast cancer, the exceptional research and development like Dr. Brodie’s that has saved many lives so far, and the promise of future generations of research in this critical area.

On August 28, Ms. Choate will be recognized by the Baltimore Orioles during their game against the Seattle Mariners. Learn more about this event.

“Dr. Angela Brodie’s impact on the treatment of breast cancer has been unparalleled, saving thousands of lives around the world. We are appreciative of this tremendous effort to honor her work and support future generations of life-saving research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine,” said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

About Angela Hartley Brodie, PhD

Dr. Brodie, a fourth-generation scientist, passed away on June 7. She was professor emeritus of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at UM SOM and an internationally recognized researcher at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. She pioneered the development of aromatase inhibitors, which help to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with estrogen-sensitive cancer by reducing the level of the estrogen in the body. Dr. Brodie’s distinguished career at the University of Maryland spanned 37 years until her retirement in 2016.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Commemorating its 210th Anniversary, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically-based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and nearly $450 million in extramural funding, with more than half of its academic departments ranked in the top 20 among all public medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has a total budget of $5 billion and an economic impact of nearly $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th-highest public medical school in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu/

Learn More

• UM Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

• River of Life Tribute Challenge: Honoring Dr. Angela Brodie Website

•  Donate to Support Breast Cancer Research at UMSOM