March Forth, a national initiative to increase colorectal cancer screening rates through targeted interventions, has announced its inaugural Leadership Council.

Members of the Leadership Council are powerful national and local influencers who have pledged their support for March Forth’s mission and offer invaluable insight:

• Independence Blue Cross, which serves more than 8 million people nationwide as the leading health insurance company in the Philadelphia region
• Genentech, a biotechnology company dedicated to pursuing groundbreaking science to discover and develop medicines for people with serious diseases
• Taiho Oncology, which works to urgently discover and develop innovative cancer treatments that address today’s unmet patient needs
• US Digestive Health, a leading gastroenterology practice on the East Coast at the forefront of the rapidly advancing science of digestive health

The March Forth Leadership Council brings together expertise and resources from a variety of stakeholders to improve colorectal cancer screening in targeted communities.

“We’re incredibly humbled by these leaders’ commitment to end colorectal cancer and to ensure that we’re doing all we can to improve screening and prevent this horrible disease both in Philadelphia and across the country,” said Michael Sapienza, Chief Executive Officer at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which manages March Forth.

The March Forth initiative kicked off in Philadelphia and will expand nationally, under the Leadership Council’s guidance. The goal of this initiative is to save 100,000 lives in 10 years through increased awareness, education, and screening.

Philadelphia’s large population of at-risk individuals is drastically under-screened for colorectal cancer in comparison to other major cities. With a cohesive and wide-ranging set of initiatives aimed at outreach, education, and awareness, March Forth Philadelphia will mobilize the city’s residents to eradicate colorectal cancer in their community.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s national March Forth project plans to expand beyond Philadelphia in the next two years.

About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is a national nonprofit committed to ending colorectal cancer. Working with our nation of passionate allies, we diligently support the needs of patients and families, caregivers, and survivors; eagerly raise awareness of preventative screening; and continually strive to fund critical research. As allies in the struggle, we are fiercely determined to end colorectal cancer within our lifetime. For more information, please visit colorectalcancer.org.