About

Our Mission

We are passionate, visionary and tenacious volunteers dedicated to the Komen mission; to our promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality of care and energizing science to find the cures. The Indianapolis Affiliate is one of 121 affiliates in the nation and one of four affiliates in Indiana.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded in 1982 on a promise made between two sisters – Nancy Goodman Brinker and her dying sister, Susan Goodman Komen. More than 20 years later, the Komen Foundation is a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised nearly $1 billion for the fight against breast cancer.

Our 2006-2007 Annual Report is now available.  This inspiring report tells our story through the eyes of a grantee, a survivor and a volunteer.  Click here to download a copy.

The Indianapolis Affiliate Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Indianapolis Affiliate honored two medical stand-outs for their breast cancer treatment and research efforts at the Pink Tie Ball held February 23, 208 at the Scottish Rite Cathdral.

Individual Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Timothy Goedde is a surgeon specializing in breast disease but he is also an electrical engineer. By combining these skills, Dr. Goedde helped design and bring to commercial market a minimally invasive automated breast biopsy device called the ATEC. This device allows physicians to perform a diagnostic breast biopsy in the convenience of their office in a very short time and requires no incision, little or no discomfort and virtually no recovery time. This device and others that have followed with Dr. Goedde’s contributions and clinical study have changed the face of women’s diagnostic breast care. What was once a traumatic open surgical procedure has become a 1-minute biopsy that is performed at a fraction of the cost.

But to his patients, Dr. Goedde is known for so much more than his clinical expertise. He is an extremely compassionate, caring physician who will go above and beyond to help his patients understand their disease and their treatment options. He sees and cares for the whole patient – not just their disease – listening and gently guiding them through their treatment. One patient was known to say that when her treatments were over, she actually felt a sense of loss leaving his office.

Dr. Goedde has changed the world of breast cancer diagnosis and changed the lives of thousands of women, both who have had the distinct pleasure of being his patient and those who have never known him but receive the benefit of his engineering talents through medical device inventions.

Community Achievement Award

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center was awarded the local affiliate’s Community Achievement Award for its groundbreaking initiative in collecting tissue samples to advance breast cancer research. Founded by Connie Rufenbarger, Dr. Anna Maria Storniolo and Dr. Susan Clare, the Tissue Bank grew from a cross-collaborative effort among breast cancer scientists and clinicians gathering for the Amelia Project. These scientists reported a significant challenge to their ongoing research efforts due to a lack of normal breast tissue samples. Since the launch of its efforts at the 2005 Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure, the Tissue Bank has collected more than 2500 tissue samples, providing medical experts throughout the world with access to valuable and unprecedented research data.