Reveal Your True Bald Self at UC Santa Cruz’s Hair Razing Event

SANTA CRUZ, CA – November 7, 2018 – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered organization dedicated to raising money for children's cancer research, will host one of its signature head-shaving events outside UC Santa Cruz's Science & Engineering Library on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 1-3pm, where more than a dozen shavees, including UCSC staff and students, have RSVPed to shave their heads to raise money for potentially lifesaving cancer research. UC Santa Cruz won its first Battle of the Bald St. Baldrick's competition in 2016 when it shaved 28 heads and raised $29,488. Read about it in St. Baldrick’s blog, www.stbaldricks.org/blog/post/the-2016-battle-of-the-bald-champion.Treehouse's Brave the Shave Fundraiser, sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, is once again open to the public. Anyone who wants to support those shaving or sign to up to go bald can do so at www.stbaldricks.org/events/UCSC2018.

“It’s a totally fun way to demonstrate your support for kids undergoing treatment for childhood cancer,” said Katrina Learned, a UCSC Treehouse staff member who shaved the winning year in honor of her four-year-old daughter Aurora. Aurora, a childhood cancer survivor, was also one of the inspirations for founding the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute’s Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative.Every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer; one in five won’t survive, and those who do often suffer long-term effects from treatments. Donations raised at events like this have made it possible for St. Baldrick’s to fund more than $200 million to support the development of childhood cancer treatments that are as unique as every kid. Some of this is invested in projects St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds at UCSC Treehouse in our continued battle against childhood cancer — like an 11,000+ tumor database available for use by all researchers in the pediatric cancer community and beyond. Learn more at treehousegenomics.ucsc.edu/explore-our-data.

About the Treehouse Childhood Cancer InitiativeThe mission of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute’s Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative is to change the story for childhood cancer patients by employing genomic data and computational approaches that could identify less toxic and more effective treatments. Treehouse analyzes a child’s cancer data against both childhood and adult patient cohorts across all types of cancer. This “pan-cancer” analysis of adult and pediatric tumors may identify situations where an adult drug is predicted to work on a subset of pediatric patients.

About the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute
Comprising diverse researchers from a variety of disciplines across academic divisions, the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute leads UC Santa Cruz’s efforts to unlock the world’s genomic data and accelerate breakthroughs in health and evolutionary biology. Our platforms, technologies, and scientists unite global communities to create and deploy data-driven, life-saving treatments and innovative environmental and conservation efforts.

About the Baskin School of Engineering
Home to the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, the Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz offers unique opportunities for education, research and training. Faculty and students seek new approaches to critical 21st century challenges within the domains of data science, genomics, bioinformatics, biotechnology, statistical modeling, high performance computing, sustainability engineering, human-centered design, communications, cyberphysical systems, optoelectronics and photonics, and networking. By leveraging novel tools that emerge from changing technologies, we have pioneered new engineering approaches and disciplines, examples of which include biomolecular engineering, computational media, and technology and information management.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS St. Baldrick’s Volunteer Organizer
Katrina Learned, 831.588.8891 klearned@ucsc.edu
UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative: treehousegenomics@ucsc.edu

St. Baldrick’s Media Contact
Cristine Lovato 626.792.8247 ext.275 cristine.lovato@stbaldricks.org

UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute
Alexis Morgan, Communications Manager, (831) 459-4046 or amorgan1@ucsc.edu