Inspired to Support Cutting-Edge Research
Marilyn Skony Stamm’s Commitment in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Mission to End Cancer
As president and chief executive of Stamm International Corp., Marilyn Skony Stamm leads more than 300 employees and three subsidiaries worldwide. Philanthropy served as a shared interest between Marilyn, and her late husband, Arthur, and for many years they’ve dedicated their support to causes in education and mentorship, science and medicine, and the cultural arts.
A Crucial, Inspiring Time for Cancer Research
Marilyn Skony Stamm’s commitment to Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) grew from her personal experience, as a caregiver to her husband, Arthur Stamm, who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2016. “I saw the incredible care Arthur received from Dr. [Joseph] Jurcic and his care team,” says Marilyn. “The care was not just about the cancer, but it was about my husband as a patient. That combination really struck me.”
When her husband’s condition worsened and he was enrolled in a cancer clinical trial, Marilyn became more interested on the research side of cancer and its critical role in helping to advance novel therapeutics. Witnessing this as part of her husband’s cancer journey inspired her to support cancer research at Columbia.
In 2019, Marilyn joined the Cancer Advisory Council at the HICCC, and has since supported innovative cancer research at the HICCC. In addition to funding researchers and programs at the HICCC, Marilyn helped launch a pilot grants program in the spring of 2020 to fund researchers working rapidly to address COVID-19. She is also involved in the validation fund at Columbia University that provides seed funding to early career researchers with promising new concepts to get their innovations off the ground.
With the establishment of the Edward P. Evans Center for MDS at Columbia, Marilyn has forged ties with the center’s co-directors, Stavroula Kousteni, PhD, and Azra Raza, MD, to support their mission to improve outcomes for patients suffering from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a precursor to AML.
“When I met with Stavroula and Dr. Jurcic to learn more about the multi-disciplinary work the center is conducting, I was blown away. How can you not be excited?” says Marilyn.
“This is a very inspiring time. Even six years ago, I would have never even used the word, ‘cure.’ But I think today certainly, there's no doubt that life is being extended by so many of the immunotherapies, new therapies, and new drug regimens that are being discovered that I really do feel comfortable saying ‘cure.’ I feel more than hopeful.”
“I saw the incredible care Arthur received from Dr. [Joseph] Jurcic and his care team. The care was not just about the cancer, but it was about my husband as a patient. That combination really struck me.”
—Marilyn Skony Stamm
Member, Cancer Advisory Council, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Inspired to Support Cutting-Edge Research
Marilyn Skony Stamm’s Commitment in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Mission to End Cancer
As president and chief executive of Stamm International Corp., Marilyn Skony Stamm leads more than 300 employees and three subsidiaries worldwide. Philanthropy served as a shared interest between Marilyn, and her late husband, Arthur, and for many years they’ve dedicated their support to causes in education and mentorship, science and medicine, and the cultural arts.
Marilyn Skony Stamm and her late husband, Arthur Stamm
A Crucial, Inspiring Time for
Cancer Research
“I saw the incredible care Arthur received from Dr. [Joseph] Jurcic and his care team. The care was not just about the cancer, but it was about my husband as a patient. That combination really struck me.”
—Marilyn Skony Stamm
Member, Cancer Advisory Council,
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Marilyn Skony Stamm’s commitment to Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) grew from her personal experience, as a caregiver to her husband, Arthur Stamm, who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2016. “I saw the incredible care Arthur received from Dr. [Joseph] Jurcic and his care team,” says Marilyn. “The care was not just about the cancer, but it was about my husband as a patient. That combination really struck me.”
When her husband’s condition worsened and he was enrolled in a cancer clinical trial, Marilyn became more interested on the research side of cancer and its critical role in helping to advance novel therapeutics. Witnessing this as part of her husband’s cancer journey inspired her to support cancer research at Columbia.
In 2019, Marilyn joined the Cancer Advisory Council at the HICCC, and has since supported innovative cancer research at the HICCC. In addition to funding researchers and programs at the HICCC, Marilyn helped launch a pilot grants program in the spring of 2020 to fund researchers working rapidly to address COVID-19. She is also involved in the validation fund at Columbia University that provides seed funding to early career researchers with promising new concepts to get their innovations off the ground.
With the establishment of the Edward P. Evans Center for MDS at Columbia, Marilyn has forged ties with the center’s co-directors, Stavroula Kousteni, PhD, and Azra Raza, MD, to support their mission to improve outcomes for patients suffering from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a precursor to AML.
“When I met with Stavroula and Dr. Jurcic to learn more about the multi-disciplinary work the center is conducting, I was blown away. How can you not be excited?” says Marilyn.
“This is a very inspiring time. Even six years ago, I would have never even used the word, ‘cure.’ But I think today certainly, there's no doubt that life is being extended by so many of the immunotherapies, new therapies, and new drug regimens that are being discovered that I really do feel comfortable saying ‘cure.’ I feel more than hopeful.”