Lou Glenn’s generosity and determination in the fight against breast cancer has enabled Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute to be a pacesetter, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for both diagnosis and treatment.
The profound generosity of Louise R. “Lou” Glenn, a founding trustee of The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation and a steadfast supporter of Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute, led to the 2013 establishment of the Glenn Family Breast Center — Winship’s first named center for a specific type of cancer.
Glenn and the foundation also established the Louisa and Rand Glenn Family Chair in breast cancer research at the center in honor of the Glenns’ daughters, Louisa Glenn D'Antignac and Rand Glenn Hagen.
The foundation’s work, in addition to cancer research, includes civil and human rights, as well as health and wellness. Beyond her work in support of Winship, Glenn is a dedicated community volunteer who has served the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is also a supporter of the ARCS Foundation, whose mission is to provide financial awards in science, engineering and medical research to graduate and undergraduate scholars.
Glenn and her family were inspired to give to Winship by appreciation for the care provided in 2003 to their daughter Louisa. At that time, the family was gratified to find a center in Atlanta at the leading edge of breast cancer research and treatment. One example is the focus on better understanding triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that disproportionately affects Black women.
Helping all families beat breast cancer
“We have experienced the uncertainty of this disease, and Winship helped our family fight back with excellent care at the forefront of medical advances,” says Glenn.
Recognizing that breast cancer is a life-changing diagnosis, the Glenn Family Breast Center elevates breast cancer care in a variety of ways, including the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and tissue banking, as well as facilitating basic and translational research relevant to the disease. The center’s multidisciplinary team of experts — in medical, surgical and radiation oncology; plastic surgery; breast imaging; pathology; and genetic counseling — treats 1,300 patients annually.
Glenn, a founding member of the Winship Board of Advisors, has helped make Winship a vital hub for innovation and discovery in the institute’s encouraging research efforts against all cancers.
“While our gifts target breast cancer, we hope that others will invest in Winship’s research and exceptional care for all types of cancer so many more families can be helped. Just as we benefited from investments made years before we were touched by this disease, we are confident that this investment will help future patients survive and thrive,” Glenn noted at the time of her family’s gift.
Glenn’s determination in the fight against breast cancer has enabled Winship to be a pacesetter, offering hope to so many Georgians by pushing the boundaries of diagnosis and treatment of a disease that represents about 30 percent of new female cancers each year.