The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is a powerful voice for everyone touched by ovarian cancer. We connect survivors, women at risk, caregivers and health providers with the information and resources they need. The Alliance ensures that ovarian cancer is a priority for lawmakers and agencies in Washington, DC, and throughout the country. We help our community raise their voices on behalf of every life that has been affected by this disease.

When the Alliance was founded, doctors and medical textbooks flatly insisted that there were no symptoms of ovarian cancer. The Alliance helped coordinate the first survey of survivors.  This initial information later became the seminal published research on ovarian cancer symptoms that are now widely accepted by the medical community. This research is also used to educate thousands of future health professionals each year through our acclaimed Survivors Teaching Students: Saving Women’s Lives® program. We now reach 86 of the nation’s 133 accredited medical schools, as well as 68 nursing schools, 11 nurse practitioner programs, 21 physician assistant programs and 8 allied health programs. It is taught in 33 states, DC, Virgin Islands, United Kingdom and Canada.  In 2014, we reached 9,240 medical students through STS®.

The Alliance's voice has also been critical in securing federal funds for research and education. We are the only group working on Capitol Hill to ensure that Congress understands the impact of ovarian cancer and continues to appropriate funds for these initiatives. One example of our impact is the Department of Defense’s Ovarian Cancer Research Program, an innovative research scheme that has led to important discoveries, including a compound that potentially inhibits a form of ovarian cancer making up 40 percent of ovarian cancer tumors. Thanks to our efforts, legislators have set aside $196 million for this program over the past 15 years. We were also instrumental in the passage and reauthorization of Johanna’s Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act.