2018 Annual Report
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ANNUAL REPORT<br />
<strong>2018</strong>
Through biomedical research and science education,<br />
Van Andel Institute is committed to improving the health and<br />
enhancing the lives of current and future generations.<br />
Table of Contents<br />
2 A Letter from David Van Andel<br />
4 Research<br />
6 Rare Diseases, Big Impact<br />
8 Keeping Watch On Our Cellular Clock<br />
10 Fueling Innovation<br />
11 An Art Gallery at the Near-Atomic Level<br />
22 Meeting the Grand Challenge<br />
24 Van Andel Research Institute Scientists Help<br />
Create Cancer “Atlas”<br />
26 Making a Difference Early On<br />
28 Van Andel Institute Graduate School Students<br />
30 Education<br />
32 Honoring and Empowering Teachers<br />
33 High School Students Spend Their Summer<br />
Days at Van Andel Education Institute<br />
44 Donors and Philanthropic Partners (cont.)<br />
44 Purple Community Football Games<br />
46 Purple Community 5K<br />
47 Running Like the Wind<br />
48 Purple Community Breaks a Record<br />
49 Duncan Lake Middle School Students<br />
50 Never Stop Giving Back — Sally Schaafsma<br />
51 Memorials<br />
12 A Surprising Discovery<br />
34 Donors and Philanthropic Partners<br />
51 Society of Hope<br />
14 Meet the Scientist Behind the Science<br />
36 Donor Profile: Alvin and Hylda Tuuk<br />
52 Signature Special Event Sponsors<br />
15 Stand Up To Cancer Global Telecast<br />
37 Donor Profile: Duke Suwyn<br />
53 Institute Leadership Team<br />
16 Van Andel Research Institute’s Principal<br />
Investigators<br />
38 Event Photos<br />
54 Board and Council Members
A LETTER FROM DAVID VAN ANDEL<br />
Dear Friends,<br />
Last fall, Van Andel Institute announced that a team led by<br />
our scientists uncovered groundbreaking new insights into<br />
the appendix’s possible role in Parkinson’s disease. The<br />
team’s discoveries were published in Science Translational<br />
Medicine, and covered by hundreds of major publications<br />
and news networks in every corner of the world. It was a<br />
moment that gave hope to people with Parkinson’s, while<br />
giving scientists new avenues for designing treatments for<br />
this devastating disease. It also was a shining example of<br />
what we are capable of when we work together, guided by<br />
imagination, vision and an unwavering desire to improve<br />
human health.<br />
Discoveries like this are possible because of you — our<br />
most valued donors and supporters. Your belief in our<br />
work and your dedication, commitment and generosity<br />
have served as the Institute’s bedrock since it was founded<br />
in 1996. We are eternally grateful.<br />
You have been with us as we have grown from a small<br />
research institute in West Michigan to an internationally<br />
known epicenter for incredible science, extensive<br />
collaboration and powerfully bold ideas. During the last<br />
year, you’ve stood by our side as we invested in new talent<br />
and technology, created new research programs and<br />
built on the vision articulated by our family more than<br />
two decades ago. We also have continued to move new<br />
discoveries from the lab into clinical trials — thanks to our<br />
collaborative partnerships with organizations like Stand Up<br />
To Cancer and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.<br />
In the following pages, you’ll read about new findings in<br />
cancer and Parkinson’s, and the launch of an exciting<br />
metabolism program; meet the talented scientists who<br />
call the Institute home; and learn how we are working<br />
with students and teachers to transform K–12 education.<br />
You’ll also see how your generosity has made a significant,<br />
positive impact on every aspect of our mission.<br />
On behalf of everyone at the Institute, I would like to thank<br />
you for your support, your generous hearts and, most<br />
importantly, your friendship. As we take time to reflect<br />
on the work we’ve done and celebrate a year of great<br />
accomplishments, let’s continue to move ahead together<br />
and build on the amazing achievements described in<br />
these pages.<br />
Warmly,<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO<br />
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Van Andel Research Institute<br />
is a world leader in cancer epigenetics and Parkinson’s disease research.<br />
Collaborating with academia, industry and philanthropy, the Institute<br />
orchestrates cutting-edge clinical trials to improve human health.<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
develops future leaders in biomedical research through an intense,<br />
problem-focused Ph.D. degree in molecular and cellular biology.<br />
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RARE DISEASES, BIG IMPACT<br />
RESEARCH<br />
A bench-to-bedside effort to better understand and treat rare diseases aims to<br />
provide answers where there are now only questions.<br />
“Rare diseases are often understudied, which is a real problem when it comes to helping<br />
patients,” said Dr. Matt Steensma, a Van Andel Research Institute scientist, a surgeon at<br />
Spectrum Health and an assistant professor at Michigan State University. “It’s very difficult<br />
to tell someone, ‘we know what you have, but we don’t know what to do about it.’”<br />
More than 7,000 such disorders have been identified to date; some, like Aicardi syndrome,<br />
affect a handful of people while others, such as Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), affect<br />
thousands, but still fall below the 200,000-person cap that marks a disease as rare. An<br />
estimated 25 million people in the U.S. have a rare disease, a large proportion of whom<br />
are children.<br />
Going after the outliers<br />
About nine years ago, Steensma teamed up with Dr. Bart Williams, a bone disease expert<br />
and now director of the Institute’s Center for Cancer and Cell Biology, to create the<br />
Outliers Program, an effort to identify the causes of rare diseases and to find ways to<br />
treat them. Their work is bolstered by the expertise of the Institute’s Bioinformatics and<br />
Biostatistics Core and collaborators at nearby Michigan State University College of<br />
Human Medicine.<br />
At the top of their list was oculoectodermal syndrome (OES), an exceedingly uncommon<br />
disorder first identified in two unrelated patients in Grand Rapids in 1993. When the<br />
Outliers Program began in 2009, only 18 patients had ever been diagnosed with the<br />
disorder, which causes severe lesions on the scalp and debilitating bone growths on<br />
the jaw.<br />
Using samples from one of Steensma’s patients, the team determined the cause of<br />
the disease — a mutation to KRAS, one of the most heavily studied cancer genes. This<br />
discovery placed OES, unquestionably a rare disease, in the middle of the incredible<br />
science and innovation surrounding KRAS and cancer.<br />
“More importantly, our care of the patient was changed for the better,” Steensma said.<br />
The ripple effect<br />
Progress in rare disease research often is hindered by a lack of funding, with dollars<br />
frequently going to more common or better-known diseases. Although this is beginning to<br />
change, philanthropic support remains critical for propelling this promising work forward.<br />
The Outliers Program is a prime example. It is completely funded by donations, including<br />
a grant from Wells Fargo that helped establish the program and continuing support from<br />
Steensma and Williams’ own colleagues through VAI’s Employee Impact Fund (EIF), which is<br />
sustained by the Institute’s employees.<br />
In May, Steensma’s team was awarded a second round of EIF funding, this time to support<br />
research into Aicardi syndrome, a disorder that almost exclusively affects females and<br />
that is characterized by developmental problems in the brain and eyes that may lead to<br />
seizures, learning disabilities and blindness. There have been fewer than 60 documented<br />
cases of the disease in the world.<br />
Finding the mutations that cause rare diseases like OES or Aicardi often have broad<br />
implications; because the systems that keep our bodies up and running are so intricately<br />
intertwined, a discovery in one disease can directly impact what we know about another.<br />
That’s the case with NF1, a disease diagnosed in childhood that causes benign tumors to<br />
grow throughout the body. In <strong>2018</strong>, Steensma and Dr. Carrie Graveel, a senior research<br />
scientist in Steensma’s lab, discovered that changes to the gene that causes NF1 also<br />
significantly ups breast cancer risk in women with and without neurofibromatosis.<br />
“We call it the ‘ripple effect’ — often, the science behind why a rare disease occurs is really<br />
the same science as why a cancer occurs,” Steensma said. “By studying rare diseases,<br />
we can help people battling these conditions, while also developing treatments for more<br />
common disorders. It really opens the window to studying the underlying biology in a<br />
different context.”<br />
“More importantly, our care of the patient was changed for the better.”<br />
— DR. MATT STEENSMA<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) DR. BART WILLIAMS,<br />
DR. MATT STEENSMA & DR. CARRIE GRAVEEL.<br />
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KEEPING WATCH ON OUR CELLULAR CLOCK<br />
RESEARCH<br />
In many ways, our futures are written in the history of<br />
our cells.<br />
But before this information can be deciphered, it must be<br />
measured, something that was difficult until recently.<br />
Now, thanks to a team led by investigators at Van Andel<br />
Research Institute (VARI) and Cedars-Sinai, scientists have<br />
a straightforward, computational way to measure cellular<br />
age, a feat that may lead to better, simpler screening and<br />
monitoring methods for cancer and other diseases.<br />
The findings, published in April, reveal a progressive,<br />
measurable loss of special chemical tags that regulate<br />
our genes and are detectable at the earliest stages<br />
of development. These changes continue throughout<br />
a person’s life, correlating with cellular rather than<br />
chronological age and foreshadowing alterations found in<br />
cancer cells.<br />
The work is the result of a long-time collaboration between<br />
senior authors Dr. Peter W. Laird and Dr. Hui Shen of VARI<br />
and Dr. Benjamin Berman then at Cedars-Sinai in Los<br />
Angeles. It builds on a 2011 discovery by Berman and Laird<br />
that first determined loss of these DNA marks — called<br />
methyl groups — occurs in specific areas of the genome in<br />
cancer. However, the techniques used back then were not<br />
able to detect this process occurring in normal cells.<br />
“Our cellular clock starts ticking the moment our cells<br />
begin dividing,” Laird said. “This method allows us to track<br />
the history of these past divisions and measure age-related<br />
changes to the genetic code that may contribute to both<br />
normal aging and dysfunction.”<br />
Each of the nearly 40 trillion cells in the human body<br />
can trace its lineage back to a single, fertilized egg cell<br />
containing the original copy of an individual’s DNA.<br />
Throughout a person’s lifetime, these cells divide, replacing<br />
old or damaged cells at different rates based on factors<br />
such as their function in the body, environmental insults<br />
and wound healing.<br />
Despite undergoing elaborate biological quality control<br />
checks, each cell division chips away at the genome’s<br />
integrity, leaving behind an accumulating number of<br />
changes. Chief among these is a dramatic shift in the<br />
number and location of methyl groups on the genome,<br />
part of a process that begins during fetal development and<br />
continues throughout a lifetime.<br />
“What is striking about the results from our new method is<br />
that they push back the start of this process to the earliest<br />
stages of in utero development,” Berman said. “That was<br />
completely surprising, given the current assumption that<br />
the process begins relatively late on the path to cancer.<br />
This finding also suggests that it may play a functional role<br />
relatively early in the formation of tumors.”<br />
While loss of DNA methyl groups, known as hypomethylation,<br />
is a common feature of many cancers, the mechanisms<br />
behind this phenomenon have until now been largely<br />
unknown. It is more profound in cancers that arise in<br />
tissues with a high turnover rate, such as the skin and the<br />
epithelium, the thin layer of cells that line many organs.<br />
It also features prominently in pediatric cancers such as<br />
medulloblastoma, a rare brain tumor.<br />
“Tissues with higher turnover rates are typically more<br />
susceptible to cancer development simply because there<br />
are more opportunities for errors to accumulate and force<br />
the change from a normal cell to a malignant one,” Shen<br />
said. “What we’re seeing is a normal process — cellular<br />
aging — augmented and accelerated once a cell becomes<br />
cancerous. The cumulative effect is akin to a runaway<br />
freight train.”<br />
Analysis and data interpretation for the project were led<br />
by Dr. Wanding Zhou, a postdoctoral fellow in the labs of<br />
Laird, Shen and VARI Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter A.<br />
Jones, along with co-first author Dr. Huy Q. Dinh, at the<br />
time a project scientist in Berman’s lab at the Cedars-Sinai<br />
Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics. The<br />
study encompassed 39 diverse tumors and more than<br />
340 human and 200 mouse datasets — the most in-depth<br />
study of its kind — and would not have been possible<br />
without massive swaths of publicly accessible data from<br />
large-scale sequencing projects, including The Cancer<br />
Genome Atlas.<br />
“This research project is a great example of combining<br />
our own data with externally available datasets to<br />
discover something new,” Zhou said. “If the project had<br />
been completed three years ago, the storyline would<br />
have been slightly different. Now, thanks to access to<br />
broader data, we can see that our method reveals a more<br />
general principle that extends all the way back to early<br />
development.”<br />
In addition to Zhou, Dinh, Shen, Laird and Berman, authors<br />
include Zachary Ramjan of VARI; and Dr. Daniel J. Weisenberger<br />
and Dr. Charles M. Nicolet, of University of Southern California<br />
Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.<br />
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FUELING INNOVATION THE INSTITUTE ESTABLISHES METABOLISM AND NUTRITION PROGRAM<br />
AN ART GALLERY AT THE NEAR-ATOMIC LEVEL<br />
RESEARCH<br />
On the surface, diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and<br />
diabetes appear vastly different.<br />
But go deeper and you’ll find that they are linked by a<br />
common thread, one that scientists hope will lead to new<br />
ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these disorders along<br />
with a range of other health problems that plague people<br />
around the world.<br />
That connector is metabolism, a set of chemical reactions<br />
that fuel everyday life, from keeping the heart beating<br />
to powering the body’s immune defenses. Although<br />
metabolism is a central part of human health and wellbeing,<br />
there’s still much that we don’t know about how it<br />
works and how it contributes to a host of health problems.<br />
That’s why, in the fall, Van Andel Research Institute (VARI)<br />
established the most comprehensive metabolism research<br />
program of its kind, aimed at developing scientifically<br />
driven strategies for improving health and for preventing<br />
and treating disease.<br />
“Metabolism is involved in every process in the body, from<br />
big, system-level things like our immune system down to<br />
smaller-scale things like the life cycles of individual cells,”<br />
said Dr. Russell Jones, the program’s leader, who joined the<br />
Institute in <strong>2018</strong>. “We have so much to learn. It is our hope<br />
that we can leverage what we find to prevent disease and<br />
to better treat it when it does occur.”<br />
Metabolism is akin to a biological power plant — when<br />
there’s an outage, people who depend on that plant’s<br />
electricity aren’t able to go about their business efficiently<br />
or, perhaps, even at all. The same is true for our cells; if<br />
the body’s metabolism doesn’t supply enough energy, cells<br />
can’t carry out the necessary functions to keep us healthy.<br />
This collaborative effort comprises six laboratories, four<br />
of which are new, to investigate the full spectrum of<br />
metabolism, from dietary influences and their impact<br />
through the generations to how cancer cells hijack<br />
metabolic processes to invade healthy tissue.<br />
It’s an urgent mission, spurred by a looming increase in the<br />
incidence of many of the world’s most challenging diseases.<br />
This new program is a catalyst, one that will rally the<br />
collaborative spirit of the Institute and connect all aspects<br />
of its research to create a healthier future.<br />
Learn more at vai.org.<br />
METABOLIC & NUTRITIONAL PROGRAMMING TEAM (LEFT TO<br />
RIGHT) DR. ADELHEID LEMPRADL, DR. NING WU, DR. J. ANDREW<br />
POSPISILIK, DR. CONNIE KRAWCZYK, DR. RUSSELL JONES &<br />
DR. BRIAN HAAB.<br />
Two years ago, Van Andel Research Institute became home to one of the world’s most powerful microscopes,<br />
which is capable of visualizing the building blocks of life in stunning clarity. Called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-<br />
EM), this technique is rapidly changing how we understand the very basis of biology and could lead to improved<br />
therapies for dozens of diseases. Here is a quick look at a few of the molecules and molecular complexes imaged<br />
by VARI’s cryo-EM in <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Assembly mechanism of E. coli pili<br />
Dr. Huilin Li<br />
E. coli bacteria are the main culprit behind<br />
urinary tract infections, which affect more<br />
than 150 million people worldwide each<br />
year. Using cryo-EM, Dr. Huilin Li and<br />
collaborators determined the architecture<br />
of the mechanism responsible for building<br />
the hair-like structures, or pili, that the<br />
bacteria use to infect the kidneys and<br />
bladder. Their work may lead to more<br />
precise antimicrobial therapies that target<br />
E. coli but spare healthy cells.<br />
The protein TRPM2<br />
Dr. Juan Du and Dr. Wei Lü<br />
TRPM2 is a protein found throughout<br />
the body that aids in regulating core<br />
body temperature, mediating immune<br />
responses and governing apoptosis, the<br />
programmed death of cells. This central<br />
role in so many important processes<br />
makes it a promising drug target,<br />
particularly for Alzheimer’s disease and<br />
bipolar disorder. TRPM2 belongs to TRP<br />
superfamily, a group of proteins that play<br />
an important role in the body’s response<br />
to sensory stimuli, such as pain, pressure<br />
and temperature. It is the second TRP<br />
protein determined by Lü and Du; in<br />
2017, they visualized TRPM4, which helps<br />
regulate blood supply to the brain.<br />
The protein TRPC3<br />
Dr. Wei Lü and Dr. Juan Du<br />
The protein TRPC3 can be found in the<br />
brain and smooth muscles, where it<br />
helps regulate the formation of nerves.<br />
Problems with TRPC3 can contribute to<br />
neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal<br />
thickening of the heart muscle and ovarian<br />
cancer. Now that its structure is known,<br />
scientists have high hopes that it may be<br />
useful as a drug target for treating these<br />
diseases and many others.<br />
A GPCR bound to an inhibitory G protein<br />
Dr. Eric Xu and Dr. Karsten Melcher<br />
For the first time, scientists have<br />
visualized the interaction between two<br />
critical components of the body’s cellular<br />
communication network, a discovery that<br />
could lead to more effective medications<br />
with fewer side effects for conditions<br />
ranging from migraine to cancer. The<br />
near-atomic resolution images, made<br />
possible by cryo-EM, show a G-protein<br />
coupled receptor (GPCR) called rhodopsin<br />
bound to an inhibitory G protein, and<br />
provides a blueprint for designing more<br />
precise, selective drugs while also solving a<br />
longstanding problem in the field.<br />
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A SURPRISING DISCOVERY HOW THE APPENDIX IS TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PARKINSON’S<br />
RESEARCH<br />
When it comes to Parkinson’s disease, the appendix is<br />
usually not the first thing that springs to mind — but<br />
perhaps it should be, according to Van Andel Research<br />
Institute’s (VARI) Dr. Viviane Labrie.<br />
In October, she and her colleagues published revolutionary<br />
new findings that peg the appendix as a starting point for<br />
Parkinson’s, a discovery that provides a path forward for<br />
devising powerful new ways to predict and possibly prevent<br />
the disease. The findings were hailed as a major — and<br />
surprising — breakthrough by scientists around the world.<br />
“We’re in the midst of a watershed moment in Parkinson’s<br />
research,” Labrie said. “Right now, there are no ways to<br />
prevent, slow or stop Parkinson’s, or even to objectively<br />
diagnose it prior to the onset of motor symptoms. We are<br />
extremely hopeful that our work will help change that.”<br />
The findings come at a time when experts are warning of a<br />
looming Parkinson’s epidemic, largely the result of an aging<br />
global population. Between 1990 and 2015, the prevalence<br />
of Parkinson’s doubled to an estimated 7 million people<br />
worldwide. By 2040, the number is expected to double<br />
again.<br />
The team’s research shows that removing the appendix —<br />
a surgery called an appendectomy — significantly reduces<br />
the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by eliminating a<br />
major reservoir for abnormal proteins linked to its onset.<br />
Called alpha-synuclein, these proteins travel from cell<br />
to cell, clumping together and clogging up the cellular<br />
machinery required for normal, healthy function.<br />
Their results also indicate that people who have had their<br />
appendix removed early in their lives are 19 percent less<br />
likely to develop Parkinson’s. In people who live in rural<br />
areas, that number is even higher, with appendectomies<br />
reducing the risk of developing the disease by 25 percent.<br />
Parkinson’s often is more prevalent in rural populations,<br />
which studies suggest may be related to pesticide<br />
exposure.<br />
That’s not all. The findings also show that appendectomy<br />
may slow the disease’s progress, pushing back diagnosis by<br />
an average of 3.6 years. Because diagnosing Parkinson’s is<br />
closely tied to onset of movement-related symptoms, this<br />
means people have more time before these symptoms<br />
become pronounced enough to be noticed.<br />
There is an important caveat, however. Removal of the<br />
appendix — and the Parkinson’s-associated alphasynuclein<br />
proteins contained within it — must occur before<br />
the disease process begins to impact risk. This window<br />
of time can vary from person to person, with evidence<br />
suggesting the disease process starts as early as 20 years<br />
before diagnosis.<br />
Removal of the appendix also doesn’t appear to prevent or<br />
delay Parkinson’s in people whose disease has an evident<br />
genetic cause — a group that comprises less than 10<br />
percent of those with Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Labrie and her colleagues stress that people shouldn’t<br />
opt for an appendectomy as a way to mitigate risk for two<br />
major reasons. First, despite its undeserved reputation<br />
as useless, the appendix actually acts as an important<br />
storehouse for bacteria that play a role in the immune<br />
system. Secondly, appendectomy only demonstrated<br />
benefit decades before the onset of Parkinson’s and would<br />
not be protective in people who have already developed<br />
the disease. It’s also worth noting that all surgeries carry<br />
risk and that, while appendectomy reduced the chances of<br />
developing Parkinson’s, it did not eliminate the disease.<br />
Instead, Labrie said, this discovery could lead to new ways<br />
to more effectively reduce the levels of alpha-synuclein<br />
proteins before they cause Parkinson’s.<br />
“There are up-and-coming new medications designed to<br />
break up these problematic protein clumps undergoing<br />
rigorous testing in clinical trials,” she said. “If successful,<br />
we could have a new way to interfere with disease<br />
progression, an urgent unmet need and something current<br />
treatments can’t do.”<br />
“Right now, there are no ways to prevent, slow or stop Parkinson’s, or even to objectively diagnose it prior to the<br />
onset of motor symptoms. We are extremely hopeful that our work will help change that.”<br />
— DR. VIVIANE LABRIE<br />
In an unexpected turn, Labrie and her team also found<br />
alpha-synuclein pathology in the appendixes of healthy<br />
people of all ages as well as people with Parkinson’s,<br />
raising new questions about the mechanisms that cause<br />
the disease and propel its progression. Prior to this study,<br />
alpha-synuclein pathology was thought to only be present<br />
in people with Parkinson’s.<br />
“We found alpha-synuclein pathology in people of all ages,<br />
and with and without the disease, which suggests that it<br />
is not unique to Parkinson’s,” Labrie said. “Parkinson’s is<br />
relatively rare — less than 1 percent of the population —<br />
so there has to be some other mechanism or confluence<br />
of events at play that allows the appendix to affect<br />
Parkinson’s risk. That’s what we plan to look at next —<br />
which factor or factors tip the scale in favor of Parkinson’s?”<br />
Data for the study was gleaned from an in-depth<br />
characterization and visualization of alpha-synuclein forms<br />
in the appendix, which bore a remarkable resemblance<br />
to those found in the Parkinson’s disease brain, as well<br />
as analyses of two large health-record databases. The<br />
first dataset was garnered from the Swedish National<br />
Patient Registry, a one-of-a-kind database that contains<br />
de-identified medical diagnoses and surgical histories for<br />
the Swedish population beginning in 1964, and Statistics<br />
Sweden, a Swedish governmental agency responsible for<br />
official national statistics. The VARI team collaborated with<br />
researchers at Lund University, Sweden, to comb through<br />
records for 1,698,000 people followed up to 52 years, a<br />
total of nearly 92 million person-years. The second dataset<br />
was from the Parkinson’s Progression Marker Initiative<br />
(PPMI), which includes details about patient diagnosis, age<br />
of onset, demographics and genetic information.<br />
“The expansion of Parkinson’s disease<br />
research into areas outside of the brain<br />
and affecting the GI tract and immune<br />
system has really opened the door for<br />
understanding this illness,” Labrie said.<br />
“We know more about disease initiation<br />
than ever before and are committed to<br />
leveraging our findings to improve patients’<br />
lives.”<br />
In addition to Labrie, authors include<br />
Dr. Bryan A. Killinger, Zachary Madaj,<br />
Dr. Lena Brundin, Dr. Patrik Brundin, Alec J.<br />
Haas, Yamini Vepa of Van Andel Research Institute; Dr. Jacek W.<br />
Sikora and Dr. Paul M. Thomas of Northwestern University; Dr.<br />
Nolwen Rey of Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience; Dr. Daniel<br />
Lindqvist of Lund University; and Dr. Honglei Chen of Michigan<br />
State University.<br />
(FROM TOP CLOCKWISE) DR. VIVIANE LABRIE, DR. LENA BRUNDIN, DR. PATRIK BRUNDIN, DR. BRYAN A. KILLINGER & ZACHARY MADAJ.<br />
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MEET THE SCIENTIST BEHIND THE SCIENCE: Q&A WITH DR. VIVIANE LABRIE<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Dr. Viviane Labrie is an assistant professor<br />
in Van Andel Research Institute’s Center<br />
for Neurodegenerative Science. Her team<br />
studies the dynamic interplay between<br />
the human genome and its control system<br />
— the epigenome — to understand how<br />
neurodegenerative diseases start and<br />
progress in an effort to develop improved<br />
diagnostics and treatments.<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, Labrie was the senior author of<br />
a study published in Science Translational<br />
Medicine that suggested the appendix<br />
may contribute to Parkinson’s disease and<br />
revealed it as a major reservoir for abnormally<br />
folded alpha-synuclein proteins, which are<br />
closely linked to Parkinson’s onset and<br />
How would you describe your research to someone<br />
unfamiliar with science?<br />
I work as a neuroscientist and a geneticist. I study the<br />
origins of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. I<br />
try to understand what is happening at the cellular level<br />
that may cause changes that could lead to these two<br />
neurodegenerative diseases.<br />
Specifically, I study different mechanisms in the cells that<br />
affect the way DNA works. There is the DNA code, then<br />
there is a second code that sits on top of the DNA called<br />
epigenetics. Epigenetics is almost like a coat the DNA<br />
wears. When the coat opens, readers of the DNA can come<br />
in, and then that part of the DNA can be activated — but<br />
when it’s closed, these readers can’t access the DNA and<br />
those genes in that section of DNA remain silent. In this<br />
way, the epigenetic code is able to guide how genes work<br />
and determine how they affect the function of cells.<br />
The epigenetic code can be inherited, meaning you can<br />
get it from your mom and dad, but it can also change<br />
because of environmental factors throughout a lifetime.<br />
The foods you eat, how much sleep you get or how much<br />
stress you have can also play a role in epigenetics. The<br />
epigenetic code greatly affects how your cells work and<br />
can be both inherited and changed by your environmental<br />
experiences. We think that changes in this epigenetic code<br />
might have a significant function in the development of<br />
neurodegenerative diseases.<br />
In your field of study what do you see on the horizon?<br />
We are trying to understand how epigenetic changes play<br />
a part in the development of neurodegenerative diseases,<br />
and we are also trying to understand the mechanisms<br />
behind these changes.<br />
We are also very interested in the role of the<br />
gastrointestinal (GI) tract in Parkinson’s disease. We’ve<br />
noticed that the pathology associated with Parkinson’s<br />
disease, which is a clumped protein called alpha-synuclein,<br />
can be seen in the GI tract many years before the<br />
symptoms of Parkinson’s occur. There is a hypothesis<br />
that suggests environmental factors might play a role<br />
in clumping of the protein in the GI tract, and we are<br />
interested in how epigenetics might influence this<br />
process because of how responsive epigenetics is to the<br />
environment.<br />
How does alpha-synuclein get from the gut to the<br />
brain?<br />
Alpha-synuclein can travel from neuron to neuron, and<br />
we think that it can spread through conduits like the<br />
vagus nerve that connects the GI tract to the brain.<br />
Scientists have found that Parkinson’s pathology often<br />
starts where the vagus nerve connects to the brain. Once<br />
the pathology occurs at this spot, it can move between<br />
neurons, eventually reaching an area where there are a<br />
lot of dopaminergic neurons that it destroys, which leads<br />
to the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. We<br />
are studying the factors that could be responsible for the<br />
initiation of Parkinson’s pathology in the GI tract and its<br />
eventual transit to the brain.<br />
STAND UP TO CANCER<br />
GLOBAL TELECAST<br />
The Institute was part of the <strong>2018</strong> Stand Up To Cancer<br />
(SU2C) telecast, which raised a record-breaking $123<br />
million for cancer research.<br />
The Institute has worked closely with Stand Up To<br />
Cancer since 2014, when it became home to the<br />
Van Andel Research Institute–Stand Up To Cancer<br />
Epigenetics Dream Team, a multi-institutional effort to<br />
move more effective cancer therapies into clinical trials<br />
and onto the patients who need them most.<br />
Ann Schoen, a cancer survivor and VAI employee<br />
for 22 years, was featured in the special’s Everyday<br />
Heroes segment honoring cancer survivors.<br />
progression.<br />
DR. VIVIANE LABRIE<br />
DR. STEPHEN BAYLIN, ANN SCHOEN & DR. PETER A. JONES.<br />
14 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong><br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 15
MEET VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Van Andel Research Institute is home to a growing team of scientists dedicated to improving the health and enhancing<br />
the lives of current and future generations through groundbreaking biomedical research. In <strong>2018</strong>, eight new principal<br />
investigators joined the Institute, growing the number of faculty to 39 — an all-time high for VARI.<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon), is<br />
a pioneer in epigenetics, a growing<br />
field that explores how genes<br />
are regulated and provides new<br />
avenues for developing therapies<br />
for cancer and other diseases. His discoveries have helped<br />
usher in an entirely new class of drugs that have been<br />
approved to treat blood cancer and are being investigated<br />
in other tumor types. Dr. Jones is a member of the National<br />
Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts<br />
and Sciences among other prestigious societies. He and his<br />
colleague Dr. Stephen Baylin co-lead the Van Andel Research<br />
Institute–Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team.<br />
Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Associate Director of Research;<br />
Director, Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science<br />
Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
investigates molecular mechanisms<br />
in Parkinson’s disease with the goal<br />
of developing new therapies aimed at slowing or stopping<br />
disease progression and repairing damage. He is one of<br />
the top-cited researchers in the field of neurodegenerative<br />
disease and leads international efforts to repurpose drugs<br />
to treat Parkinson’s.<br />
J. Andrew Pospisilik, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Center for<br />
Epigenetics; Professor,<br />
Metabolic and Nutritional<br />
Programming, Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
J. Andrew Pospisilik, Ph.D., seeks<br />
to understand how we become who we become, and how<br />
our disease susceptibility is defined from early on in life,<br />
even before conception, with the long-term goal of being<br />
able to predict lifelong health outlook at birth.<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Center for Cancer<br />
and Cell Biology; Professor,<br />
Skeletal Disease and Cancer<br />
Therapeutics, Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D., studies the<br />
building blocks of bone growth on behalf of the millions<br />
suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis. He seeks<br />
new ways of altering cell signaling pathways to encourage<br />
healthy bone development and deter the spread of cancer<br />
to the skeleton.<br />
Scott Jewell, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Core Technologies<br />
and Services<br />
Scott Jewell, Ph.D., leads Van Andel<br />
Research Institute’s Core<br />
Technologies and Services,<br />
which provides technology and<br />
specialized expertise for research investigators. Services<br />
include bioinformatics and biostatistics, cryo-EM, optical<br />
imaging, flow cytometry, genomics, pathology and<br />
biorepository, vivarium management and transgenics.<br />
Jewell is a past president of the International Society for<br />
Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER).<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.<br />
Dean, Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D., is<br />
the dean of Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School. His lab, which<br />
closed in <strong>2018</strong> after 31 years of<br />
productive research, explored the genetic and epigenetic<br />
control systems of viruses to understand how infections<br />
progress and to reveal new ways to stop them. His<br />
discoveries with herpes simplex viruses opened up<br />
new possibilities for antiviral drug development and<br />
revealed new insights into how human cells control gene<br />
expression.<br />
CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS<br />
Stephen Baylin, M.D.<br />
Director’s Scholar<br />
Stephen Baylin, M.D., studies the<br />
body’s genetic control systems —<br />
called epigenetics — searching for<br />
vulnerabilities in cancer. Baylin is a<br />
leader in this field, ranking among<br />
the first to trace epigenetic causes of cancer. His studies<br />
have led to new therapies for common cancers, like breast,<br />
lung, colorectal and many others. He is co-leader of the<br />
VARI–SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team with Dr. Peter A.<br />
Jones, co-director of Johns Hopkins’ Cancer Biology Division<br />
and associate director for research at Sidney Kimmel<br />
Comprehensive Cancer Center.<br />
Stefan Jovinge, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Professor, VARI; Medical<br />
Director of Research,<br />
Spectrum Health Frederick<br />
Meijer Heart and Vascular<br />
Institute; Director, DeVos<br />
Cardiovascular Research<br />
Program (a joint effort between Van Andel<br />
Research Institute and Spectrum Health)<br />
Stefan Jovinge, M.D., Ph.D., develops ways to help the heart<br />
heal itself and has led dozens of clinical trials in regenerative<br />
medicine. As a critical care cardiologist and scientist, he<br />
uses a bench-to-bedside approach in an effort to give<br />
patients with serious heart conditions longer, healthier lives.<br />
The clinical platform for his research is the Cardiothoracic<br />
Intensive Care Unit at Spectrum Health’s Fred and Lena<br />
Meijer Heart Center, and the basic science effort in<br />
regenerative medicine is performed at VARI.<br />
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D., seeks<br />
a detailed understanding of<br />
the molecular foundations of<br />
cancer with a particular focus<br />
on identifying crucial epigenetic<br />
alterations that convert otherwise healthy cells into cancer<br />
cells. He is widely regarded as an international leader<br />
in this effort and has helped design some of the world’s<br />
state-of-the art tools to aid in epigenetics research. Laird is<br />
a principal investigator for the National Cancer Institute’s<br />
Genome Data Analysis Network and played a leadership<br />
role in The Cancer Genome Atlas, a multi-institutional effort<br />
to molecularly map cancers.<br />
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D., studies how<br />
the body switches genes on and<br />
off, a biological process called<br />
methylation that, when faulty,<br />
can lead to cancer or other<br />
diseases. His studies range from the effects of tobacco<br />
smoke on genetic and epigenetic systems to the discovery<br />
of a mechanism that may help protect the brain from<br />
neurodegeneration. Pfeifer’s studies have implications<br />
across a range of diseases, including cancer, Parkinson’s,<br />
diabetes and many others.<br />
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D., studies<br />
the ways in which cells pack and<br />
unpack DNA. This complex process<br />
twists and coils roughly two meters<br />
of unwound DNA into a space less<br />
than one-tenth the width of a human hair. Although this<br />
process is impressive, it is also subject to errors that can<br />
cause cancer and other disorders. Rothbart seeks new<br />
targets for drug development in this process.<br />
Hui Shen, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Hui Shen, Ph.D., develops new<br />
approaches to cancer prevention,<br />
detection and treatment by studying<br />
the interaction between genes<br />
and their control systems, called<br />
epigenetics. Her research focuses on women’s cancers,<br />
particularly ovarian cancer, and has shed new light on the<br />
underlying mechanisms of other cancer types, including<br />
breast, kidney and prostate cancers.<br />
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the mechanisms that regulate<br />
DNA and gene expression in an<br />
effort to better understand how<br />
they impact cancer development.<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 17
MEET VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D., studies the<br />
flow of epigenetic information<br />
from parents to their offspring,<br />
with a focus on how epigenetic<br />
markers are remodeled during<br />
egg and sperm production and how these markers<br />
are rewritten after fertilization. These processes<br />
have profound implications for fertility and embryo<br />
development. Disturbances in epigenetic remodeling are<br />
thought to contribute to disease conditions lasting well<br />
into adulthood.<br />
Timothy J. Triche, Jr., Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
As a statistician and computational<br />
biologist with an interest in clonal<br />
evolution and cancers of the<br />
blood, Tim Triche, Jr.’s, Ph.D., work<br />
focuses on wedding data-intensive<br />
molecular phenotyping to adaptive clinical trial designs<br />
in an effort to accelerate the pace of drug targeting and<br />
development in rare or refractory diseases.<br />
Hong Wen, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Hong Wen, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the fundamental mechanisms<br />
of pediatric cancers caused<br />
by dysregulation of epigenetic<br />
regulators, in hopes of developing<br />
new, improved therapies for these devastating diseases.<br />
CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE<br />
José Brás, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Dr. José Brás is a molecular<br />
geneticist whose research focuses<br />
on how variations in our genes<br />
impact the onset and progression<br />
of neurodegenerative diseases<br />
such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia with Lewy<br />
bodies.<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
As a psychiatrist and a scientist,<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
seeks ways to diagnose and<br />
treat depression and suicidality<br />
by studying inflammation of<br />
the nervous system. Her findings may lead to earlier<br />
interventions for depressive patients and to the<br />
development of a new class of antidepressants that<br />
targets the immune system. She also investigates how<br />
inflammatory mechanisms can damage nerve cells in<br />
Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Hong-Yuan Chu, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professo<br />
Hong-Yuan Chu, Ph.D., investigates<br />
how and why dopamine-producing<br />
cells die off in Parkinson’s, a<br />
process that underlies many of<br />
the disease’s hallmark symptoms.<br />
He plans to leverage this new knowledge to develop new,<br />
more precise ways to slow or stop disease progression.<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D., searches<br />
the human genome for minuscule<br />
changes that contribute to the onset,<br />
progression and drug resistance of<br />
many diseases, including cancer,<br />
Parkinson’s, and rare and heritable disorders. His team<br />
deploys genome sequencing technologies and highpowered<br />
computational arrays to tease out patterns and<br />
interactions of markers and treatment targets from among<br />
the human genome’s more than 3 billion DNA base pairs.<br />
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D., is a<br />
neurogeneticist who studies<br />
the genomic contributors to<br />
neurodegenerative diseases such<br />
as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s<br />
disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.<br />
Viviane Labrie, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Viviane Labrie, Ph.D., studies<br />
the dynamic interplay between<br />
the human genome and<br />
its control system — the<br />
epigenome — to understand how<br />
neurodegenerative diseases start and progress in an effort<br />
to develop improved diagnostics and treatments. Labrie’s<br />
scientific pursuits have deepened the understanding of<br />
conditions including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia<br />
and lactose intolerance. She has also developed new<br />
methods for epigenome analysis.<br />
Jiyan Ma, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Jiyan Ma, Ph.D., studies<br />
abnormal proteins that cause<br />
neurodegenerative diseases,<br />
including Parkinson’s disease<br />
and prion diseases. His lab has<br />
developed new ways to understand how these proteins<br />
spread and cause diseases in humans and animals. The<br />
lab is also developing new approaches to diagnose and<br />
treat these devastating disorders.<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D., seeks<br />
new diagnostic and treatment<br />
approaches for Parkinson’s by<br />
investigating the inherited form<br />
of the disease, which accounts<br />
for 5 to 10 percent of cases. He aims to translate the<br />
understanding of these genetic mutations into better<br />
treatments and new diagnostic tools for Parkinson’s, both<br />
inherited and non-inherited. Discoveries in Moore’s lab<br />
routinely elucidate the faulty molecular interactions that<br />
transform healthy, functioning neurons into diseased ones.<br />
CENTER FOR CANCER AND CELL BIOLOGY<br />
Skeletal Disease and Cancer Therapeutics<br />
Patrick Grohar, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Program Leader and Associate<br />
Professor<br />
Patrick Grohar, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
develops new drugs to treat bone<br />
cancer in children, in addition to<br />
pursuing a deeper understanding<br />
of the mechanisms underlying sarcomas and related<br />
conditions. Once proven safe and effective in the lab, his<br />
team translates these potential therapies into clinical trials<br />
for children with few other options. He is program leader<br />
of the Skeletal Disease and Cancer Therapeutics team,<br />
an associate professor in the Center for Cancer and Cell<br />
Biology and a pediatric oncologist at Spectrum Health<br />
Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.<br />
Xiaohong Li, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Xiaohong Li, Ph.D., studies how and<br />
why various cancers, particularly<br />
prostate and breast cancer cells,<br />
migrate from their original site<br />
and spread to the bone. These<br />
cells stay dormant but might wake up years later and<br />
grow to become bone metastases, causing debilitating<br />
pain and complicating treatment. Li hopes that a better<br />
understanding of metastatic cancers will lead to new<br />
diagnostic tests and targeted therapies.<br />
Matt Steensma, M.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Matt Steensma, M.D., studies the<br />
genetic and molecular factors<br />
that cause benign tumors to<br />
become cancers in order to<br />
find vulnerabilities that may<br />
be targeted for treatment. As a scientist at VARI and a<br />
practicing surgeon at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos<br />
Children’s Hospital, he is committed to translating scientific<br />
discoveries into treatments that improve patients’ lives.<br />
Tao Yang, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Tao Yang, Ph.D., studies the<br />
signaling systems that govern<br />
skeletal stem cells and the role<br />
they play in diseases such as<br />
osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.<br />
Bones are the largest producer of adult stem cells, which<br />
mature into cartilage, fat or bone tissue — a process<br />
that falters with age. Yang seeks a better understanding<br />
of these systems in search of new treatments for<br />
degenerative bone disorders.<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 19
MEET VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Structural Biology<br />
Huilin Li, Ph.D.<br />
Program Leader and Professor<br />
Huilin Li, Ph.D., uses cryo-electron<br />
microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal<br />
the most basic building blocks of<br />
DNA replication and other systems<br />
vital for life. He has been at the<br />
vanguard of cryo-EM for more than 20 years, and his<br />
research has implications for some of the world’s most<br />
critical public health concerns, including tuberculosis,<br />
cancer, mental illness and many more.<br />
Juan Du, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Juan Du, Ph.D., seeks to understand<br />
the brain’s intricate communication<br />
systems using state-of-the-art<br />
structural biology approaches,<br />
such as cryo-EM. Her work has<br />
expanded knowledge of these important systems and may<br />
aid in development of new therapies in the future.<br />
Wei Lü, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Wei Lü, Ph.D., is working to unravel<br />
how brain cells communicate with<br />
each other. Using techniques<br />
such as cryo-EM, his work<br />
has contributed to the field’s<br />
understanding of molecules that play crucial roles in the<br />
development and function of the nervous system.<br />
Karsten Melcher, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Karsten Melcher, Ph.D., studies<br />
molecular structure and cellular<br />
communication, which have<br />
implications for finding new<br />
treatments for serious health<br />
threats, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. His<br />
expertise extends beyond human cells — his research into<br />
plant hormones may one day lead to heartier crops that<br />
resist drought and help meet the nutritional demands of a<br />
growing global population.<br />
H. Eric Xu, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
H. Eric Xu, Ph.D., explores the<br />
structure of molecules in the body’s<br />
complex hormone signaling system,<br />
which plays a vital role in health and<br />
disease. He is particularly known for<br />
his discoveries in defining the structure of molecules critical<br />
to the development of new drugs for cancer, diabetes and<br />
many others. He is a professor in VARI’s Center for Cancer<br />
and Cell Biology and serves as director of VARI–SIMM<br />
Research Center in Shanghai, China.<br />
Metabolic And Nutritional Programming<br />
Russell Jones, Ph.D.<br />
Program Leader and Professor<br />
Russell Jones, Ph.D., investigates<br />
metabolism at the cellular level<br />
to understand how it affects cell<br />
behavior and health, with a specific<br />
eye on cancer and the immune system. By revealing how<br />
cancer cells use metabolic processes to fuel their growth<br />
and spread, he hopes to develop new treatments that help<br />
patients by changing the standard of care for cancer.<br />
Brian Haab, Ph.D.<br />
Professor; Assistant Dean,<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate<br />
School<br />
Brian Haab, Ph.D., searches for<br />
new ways to diagnose and stratify<br />
pancreatic cancers based on the<br />
chemical fingerprints tumors leave behind. Part of the<br />
problem Haab aims to solve is that cancers often look<br />
and behave normally — until after they’ve started making<br />
people sick. Haab is sleuthing out clues to build a library of<br />
diagnostic tools that will help providers diagnose tumors<br />
earlier and optimize treatment.<br />
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.,<br />
investigates the links between<br />
metabolism, epigenetics and the<br />
immune system, with the goal of<br />
understanding how they work<br />
together to keep us healthy and, when things go wrong, to<br />
promote disease.<br />
Adelheid Lempradl, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Adelheid Lempradl, Ph.D., is<br />
investigating how the dietary<br />
choices of parents may impact<br />
the health of their offspring in the<br />
hopes of translating her findings<br />
into new ways to prevent disease and create a healthier<br />
future.<br />
Ning Wu, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Ning Wu, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the interface between cellular<br />
metabolism and cellular signaling,<br />
particularly as they relate to cancer.<br />
On the most basic level, cancer is a<br />
disease of uncontrolled cell growth, and Wu believes that<br />
understanding a tumor’s voracious energy requirements<br />
and altered signaling pathways will lead to new treatments<br />
that optimize existing combination therapies and identify<br />
novel therapeutic targets.<br />
EMERITUS FACULTY<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scientific Fellow,<br />
Emeritus<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D., is a<br />
titan in cancer biology. He is the<br />
founding director of Van Andel<br />
Research Institute, which he led<br />
for a decade. His discovery and description of the MET<br />
receptor tyrosine kinase as an oncogene, together with<br />
its activating ligand hepatocyte growth factor, have led to<br />
new possibilities for cancer therapies and revolutionized<br />
the way scientists view the disease, especially in tumor<br />
progression. He is a member of the National Academy of<br />
Sciences.<br />
By the Numbers<br />
118 peer-reviewed<br />
publications<br />
8 new faculty<br />
39 total faculty<br />
32 countries<br />
represented by<br />
VAI employees<br />
20 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong><br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 21
MEETING THE GRAND CHALLENGE OF NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE<br />
RESEARCH<br />
In September, the Institute hosted its annual Grand<br />
Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease scientific symposium<br />
and parallel Rallying to the Challenge meeting.<br />
Nearly 300 scientists, physicians and people with<br />
Parkinson’s spent two days intensely focused on the<br />
non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, a diverse group of<br />
problems that include depression, loss of sense of smell,<br />
gastrointestinal issues, cognitive decline, trouble sleeping<br />
and fatigue. Not only do these issues play a major role in<br />
quality of life, they also provide important clues for better<br />
understanding a condition that affects 7 to 10 million<br />
people worldwide.<br />
Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease and Rallying to the<br />
Challenge also provide a platform to recognize scientific<br />
excellence and service to the Parkinson’s community. We<br />
were honored to present the <strong>2018</strong> Jay Van Andel Award for<br />
Outstanding Achievement in Parkinson’s Disease Research<br />
to Prof. K. Ray Chaudhuri, an international authority whose<br />
research and scientific expertise has greatly expanded<br />
understanding of non-motor symptoms and reinforced the<br />
importance of addressing them to improve quality of life.<br />
The <strong>2018</strong> Jay Van Andel Award<br />
for Outstanding Achievement in<br />
Parkinson’s Disease Research<br />
was given to scientists who have<br />
made exceptional contributions to<br />
Parkinson’s disease research and<br />
who have positively impacted<br />
human health.<br />
The award was established in 2012 in memory of Institute<br />
founder Jay Van Andel, who battled Parkinson’s disease<br />
for a decade before his death in 2004. The award is given<br />
to scientists who have made exceptional contributions<br />
to Parkinson’s disease research and who have positively<br />
impacted human health.<br />
The Institute and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust also<br />
presented Dr. Simon Stott and Prof. Bastiaan Bloem with<br />
the Tom Isaacs Award, which was established in memory<br />
of the Trust’s co-founder and champion of the Parkinson’s<br />
community Tom Isaacs. The annual honor recognizes<br />
individuals who have had a significant impact on the lives<br />
of people with Parkinson’s and/or involved people with<br />
Parkinson’s in a participatory way in their work.<br />
Since 2015, Stott has run Science of Parkinson’s, a website<br />
dedicated to translating the complex research surrounding<br />
the disease and new breakthroughs into an accessible,<br />
patient-friendly format.<br />
Bloem is the co-founder and medical director of Parkinson<br />
Centre Nijmegen and co-director of ParkinsonNet at<br />
Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.<br />
ParkinsonNet provides patients across the Netherlands<br />
increased access to Parkinson’s experts via the internet<br />
and in person, making it easier for patients to get the care<br />
they need.<br />
Chaudhuri, Stott and Bloem are tireless advocates for<br />
the Parkinson’s community, whose inclusive work and<br />
extensive outreach helps shrink the gap between scientists<br />
and people with the disease. They embody the spirit of<br />
Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease and Rallying to the<br />
Challenge — that together, we can find ways to slow or<br />
stop the disease and improve quality of life for people<br />
around the world.<br />
THE <strong>2018</strong> GRAND CHALLENGES IN<br />
PARKINSON’S DISEASE SYMPOSIUM &<br />
RALLYING TO THE CHALLENGE MEETING.<br />
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VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS HELP CREATE CANCER “ATLAS”<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Just as a map (or these days, a GPS) can help you get to your destination, a new<br />
comprehensive atlas is helping scientists hit the mark when it comes to more<br />
accurately classifying cancers.<br />
In April, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network, an initiative spearheaded by<br />
the National Institutes of Health, published its final batch of 29 studies detailing precise<br />
— and often subtle — molecular variations in 33 major types of cancer. The findings are<br />
the result of more than a decade of work by scientists in the U.S. and abroad, including<br />
Institute investigators Dr. Peter W. Laird and Dr. Hui Shen, and already are impacting how<br />
cancers are classified and studied.<br />
“TCGA’s findings have greatly deepened our molecular understanding of the major cancer<br />
types,” Laird said. “It is our hope that this work will serve as a guide for scientists who plan<br />
to harness TCGA’s robust data to develop new, more personalized methods of patient<br />
care.”<br />
This research, which represents the initiative’s capstone, joins dozens of other papers that<br />
have been published since TCGA’s inception in 2005. Collectively, they provide a highly<br />
detailed description of molecular changes occurring in all major human cancers along<br />
with insights that could revolutionize cancer treatment.<br />
“It is our hope that this work will serve as a guide for<br />
scientists who plan to harness TCGA’s robust data to<br />
develop new, more personalized methods of patient care.”<br />
— Dr. Peter W. Laird<br />
Major takeaways include:<br />
Cancers should be classified based on genetic, epigenetic and molecular<br />
differences.<br />
Historically, cancers have been categorized and named based on the organ or tissue in<br />
which they arose — for example, cancers that start in the esophagus have been called<br />
esophageal cancers and were believed to have a lot in common with other cancers found<br />
in the esophagus.<br />
TCGA’s findings urge a shift away from this view, based on new insight into the incredibly<br />
complex factors that influence and differentiate one cancer from another. In short, this<br />
means that a cancer found in the lower part of the esophagus may actually have more in<br />
common with a stomach cancer than other esophageal cancers.<br />
Better classifying cancers is a game-changer for cancer research and treatment.<br />
When it comes to combating cancer, the old adage, “Know thine enemy,” is incredibly<br />
apt. Not only do the specific characteristics identified by TCGA reveal new vulnerabilities<br />
that can be targeted by future medications, but they also may help simplify treatment<br />
decisions today.<br />
For example, if physicians know that an individual’s cancer is marked by a certain<br />
characteristic, they can choose medications designed specifically for that subtype and<br />
avoid other treatments that are better suited for another subtype.<br />
Working together is the way forward.<br />
TCGA’s work was a massive, decade-long undertaking that required the time and talent<br />
of hundreds of scientists from around the world, who painstakingly analyzed more than<br />
10,000 samples from 33 different cancer types. None of this would have been possible<br />
without an extraordinary level of cooperation, teamwork and a singular dedication to<br />
creating a resource that may revolutionize cancer research and treatment.<br />
“Team science endeavors like TCGA are the future,” Laird said. “By sharing resources,<br />
expertise and data, we were able to do more together than we ever could have apart.”<br />
DR. PETER W. LAIRD<br />
DR. HUI SHEN<br />
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE EARLY ON<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Van Andel Research Institute is home to a thriving community of graduate students working toward their<br />
Ph.D.s and postdoctoral fellows gaining additional experience after earning their doctorates. These young<br />
scientists are an integral part of the Institute’s research enterprise and make important contributions to the<br />
discoveries that are changing how we view health and disease.<br />
Postdoctoral fellows<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, several of our graduate students and postdoctoral<br />
fellows earned awards to support their research, which enables<br />
them to conduct groundbreaking and impactful studies that<br />
investigate the basis of disorders like cancer and Parkinson’s.<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School students<br />
Dr. Alison Lanctot Chomiak, Rothbart<br />
Laboratory<br />
National Cancer Institute Ruth L. Kirschstein<br />
National Research Service Award<br />
Dr. Chomiak studies the molecular changes<br />
that give rise to colon cancer, a disease that is<br />
becoming more prevalent in younger people.<br />
To do so, she’s focusing on an epigenetic<br />
process called DNA methylation, an ensemble<br />
of small tags on DNA that tell our genes when<br />
they should be expressed and to what extent.<br />
Dr. Manpreet Kalkat, Laird Laboratory<br />
Canadian Institutes for Health<br />
Research Fellowship<br />
Dr. Kalkat is investigating how epigenetics,<br />
which regulate how and when the instructions<br />
in our genes are interpreted and acted upon,<br />
can contribute to colorectal cancers. Each<br />
year, more than 145,000 people are diagnosed<br />
with colon or rectal cancers in the U.S. alone,<br />
making these diseases the third most common<br />
cancers among both men and women.<br />
Maggie Chassé, Grohar Laboratory<br />
National Cancer Institute Ruth L. Kirschstein<br />
Predoctoral Individual Service Award<br />
Maggie Chassé is searching for the Achilles’<br />
heel of rhabdoid tumor, an aggressive<br />
pediatric cancer with no effective treatment<br />
options, by investigating compounds that<br />
starve cancer cells of the resources they need<br />
to survive.<br />
Dr. Madalynn Erb, Moore Laboratory<br />
Parkinson’s Foundation Postdoctoral<br />
Fellowship<br />
Dr. Erb studies the genetic underpinnings<br />
of Parkinson’s disease, in particular a gene<br />
called LRRK2 that is a major player in cases of<br />
the disease genetically passed down through<br />
families. This award supports her research into<br />
LRRK2 and its relationship with another gene,<br />
ATP132A, which may protect brain cells against<br />
damage caused by mutations in LRRK2.<br />
Dr. Xiaotian Zhang, VARI Fellow, Pfeifer<br />
Laboratory<br />
Edward P. Evans Foundation —<br />
EvansMDS Young Investigator Award<br />
American Society of Hematology,<br />
Basic Research Fellow<br />
Dr. Zhang seeks to understand how changes<br />
in epigenetic mechanisms can give rise to<br />
myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a bone marrow<br />
disorder than can rapidly progress to an aggressive<br />
blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML).<br />
Jamie Grit, Steensma Laboratory<br />
Children’s Tumor Foundation<br />
Young Investigator Award<br />
Jamie Grit studies Neurofibromatosis Type<br />
1 (NF1), a rare genetic disorder that causes<br />
benign tumors to grow throughout the body<br />
and increases cancer risk. She is seeking new<br />
treatments for malignant peripheral nerve<br />
sheath tumors, a rare type of cancer that<br />
causes malignant growths along the spine and<br />
nerves.<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDENTS — GREAT SCIENCE, GLOBAL REACH<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Kajang, a bustling city on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, is a long way away from Grand Rapids, Michigan. But for Menusha Arumugam, a doctoral<br />
student enrolled in Van Andel Institute Graduate School (VAIGS), both cities are home. Arumugam is part of a community of international students who come to the Institute from all<br />
over the world to train as the scientific leaders of the future. They hail from diverse backgrounds and cultures, but they are bonded by a common desire to use their talents and skills in<br />
the service of something they all feel strongly about — the idea that great science can change the world for the better.<br />
Menusha Arumugam (Malaysia)<br />
Arumugam’s love of science comes from a deep desire to<br />
help people. As a young student growing up in Malaysia,<br />
Arumugam had dreams of becoming a doctor and helping<br />
cure people suffering from disease.<br />
“When I was a student in high school, I shadowed a doctor<br />
and, while I liked the idea of improving human health, I quickly<br />
learned that I was really interested in figuring out how the<br />
diseases come about and how we can improve treatments for<br />
patients,” Arumugam said.<br />
From that moment on, Arumugam has worked toward her<br />
goal of being a scientist. That choice led her to leave her<br />
hometown of Kajang to study, first at the University of Michigan–Flint, and now at VAIGS.<br />
“When I received a scholarship from the Malaysian government to study abroad, I decided<br />
to come to Michigan to further my education,” Arumugam said. “Grand Rapids is such a<br />
great city, and the Institute’s location on the Medical Mile allows for a lot of collaboration<br />
with other scientists, clinicians and organizations like Michigan State University and<br />
Spectrum Health.”<br />
Arumugam works alongside a team of scientists in the laboratory of physician-scientist<br />
Dr. Matt Steensma, an expert in orthopedic oncology and rare diseases such as<br />
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). This direct connection between research and patient<br />
care is something that Arumugam loves about her work in the Steensma lab, where she<br />
studies breast cancer in NF1 patients.<br />
“When you’re a scientist working in a lab, sometimes you can forget why you’re doing what<br />
you’re doing,” Arumugam said. “In our lab, the work might directly impact patients, and I<br />
think when you’re constantly reminded that your work impacts real people, you’ll never<br />
lose the passion for what you’re doing.”<br />
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Eric Cordeiro-Spinetti (Brazil)<br />
Eric Cordeiro-Spinetti speaks about science<br />
in a soulfully enthusiastic way, like a dancer<br />
talking about music or an architect talking<br />
about geometry.<br />
“I want everyone to be a scientist in their own<br />
way,” he said. “Being a scientist is not just a job,<br />
it’s a lifestyle, and being curious and thinking<br />
critically means you’re living your life to the<br />
fullest.”<br />
His passion for science began as a small boy<br />
in Rio de Janeiro watching American television<br />
shows and movies. The scientists he saw on the glowing screen were larger than life<br />
characters, but they were important, and they were making sense of the world.<br />
“I have a vivid memory of being 5 or 6 years old and watching scientists on television<br />
shows and movies, and I loved how they were always curious and trying to figure things<br />
out,” Cordeiro-Spinetti said.<br />
Today, Cordeiro-Spinetti is a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Rothbart,<br />
where he collaborates with a team of scientists to better understand the role of<br />
epigenetics in human diseases. In addition to his work as a graduate student, he uses his<br />
love of communication and his big personality to create educational videos he hopes will<br />
inspire others to pursue science and examine their world.<br />
“I’m always challenging myself and trying to reach people,” Cordeiro-Spinetti said. “I want<br />
to tell people in Brazil and around the world, ‘Hey, I’m working at this really cool place in<br />
Michigan where I am training to become a great scientist, and if I can do it, you can do it<br />
too.’”<br />
Wooyoung Choi (South Korea)<br />
Wooyoung Choi is both a scientist and an<br />
explorer. He has traveled to almost every<br />
country in Asia and has recently started to<br />
explore Canada and the United States. In 2016,<br />
he took the most significant trip of his life when<br />
he traveled to Grand Rapids after finishing<br />
his master’s degree at Tsinghua University<br />
in Beijing, China. Drawn to the Institute’s<br />
reputation for great science and intrigued by<br />
the opportunity to work with the Institute’s<br />
state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscope (cryo-<br />
EM), Choi decided to move halfway around the<br />
world to continue his studies at VAIGS.<br />
“I thought this was a great opportunity to be a<br />
part of an institute with this incredibly advanced technology and answer really complex<br />
biological questions,” Choi said. “I wanted to use this technology to better understand the<br />
structures of proteins, which can be used to understand mechanisms in cells and help<br />
develop new treatments.”<br />
Choi’s mentor at the Institute, Dr. Wei Lü, is an expert in cryo-EM and structural biology.<br />
Working and learning alongside a scientist with such a specialized focus is the opportunity<br />
of a lifetime.<br />
“Dr. Lü is very knowledgeable and experienced with using cryo-EM, and his enthusiasm<br />
for his work is incredible,” Choi said. “Everyone here is passionate about teaching me, and<br />
everyone I work with treats me like family. Being here is life-changing.”<br />
The close-knit bonds Choi has with his mentor and classmates helped him navigate the<br />
complexities of a new culture and new environment, and these relationships have helped<br />
him succeed in this new adventure.<br />
“People are really kind here and care about teaching me not just science but American<br />
culture. They really want me to learn,” Choi said. “I am happy to be at a graduate program<br />
that provides such great opportunities and lets me seek out and achieve my goals for the<br />
future.”<br />
Minge Du (China)<br />
On her family’s farm in China, Minge Du tended<br />
to the bountiful corn and wheat crops. As a<br />
child working directly with the natural world,<br />
Du developed a keen interest in animals and<br />
plants, that eventually led her to pursue a<br />
career in science.<br />
“I loved nature and animals when I was young,<br />
but I became really interested in science in<br />
college, where I studied a lot of biology,” Du<br />
said. “I have always been a very curious person<br />
and, while most of my family members are farmers, I decided I wanted to be a scientist.”<br />
Du began her graduate education in the U.S. at Stony Brook University in New York. There,<br />
she worked alongside Dr. Huilin Li, whose research uses cryo-EM to determine the<br />
structures of molecules. When Li accepted a position at the Institute, Du and her husband,<br />
who is also a scientist in Li’s lab, followed him to Grand Rapids.<br />
“I never imagined I would be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but I am happy to be here<br />
because it’s such a good graduate school program,” Du said. “The size of the Institute<br />
allows students to work collaboratively and get to know each other, and that is very good<br />
for me.”<br />
Du’s work with Li focuses on uncovering the molecular structure of specific proteins using<br />
tools such as cryo-EM. Her experience at the Institute is unlike any she’s ever had, and she<br />
is excited to work with program peers who share her interest in technology and scientific<br />
discovery.<br />
“Every day, I am discussing newly published papers, working and collaborating with other<br />
scientists, and living a life much different than I ever expected,” Du said. “I am glad I am<br />
following my dreams.”<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 29
Van Andel Education Institute<br />
is dedicated to creating classrooms where curiosity, creativity and critical<br />
thinking thrive.<br />
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HONORING AND EMPOWERING TEACHERS — VAN ANDEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE’S INAUGURAL SCIENCE ON THE GRAND CONFERENCE<br />
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SPEND THEIR SUMMER DAYS<br />
AT VAN ANDEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE<br />
EDUCATION<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, more than 130 teachers, administrators and<br />
education professionals visited Van Andel Education<br />
Institute (VAEI) for the inaugural Science on the Grand<br />
conference.<br />
Terra Tarango, VAEI’s director and chief education officer,<br />
and her team designed the conference to honor the work<br />
of teachers and provide them with the opportunity to gain<br />
practical, purposeful strategies to incorporate inquirybased<br />
instruction into their teaching.<br />
“During this event we literally and figuratively rolled out<br />
the red carpet for teachers,” Tarango said. “We wanted<br />
teachers to be inspired by world-class speakers, as well as<br />
empowered with classroom-proven strategies and lessons<br />
to create extraordinary classrooms. But more than that,<br />
we wanted them to feel honored and appreciated for the<br />
extraordinary work they do.”<br />
Lori Corley, principal of Springfield Elementary in<br />
Greenwood, South Carolina, traveled hundreds of miles<br />
to attend the conference along with two science teachers<br />
from her school. Corley was introduced to the Institute<br />
while attending the National Science Teachers Association<br />
Conference, where she met VAEI education specialists<br />
and learned about the Institute’s science education and<br />
professional development programs.<br />
“After meeting representatives from the Institute, I<br />
recognized that the beliefs that go into VAEI’s education<br />
philosophy are very similar to the beliefs that I hold as a<br />
principal,” she said.<br />
While at the conference, Corley and members of her team<br />
went on a tour of an Institute lab, met with scientists,<br />
participated in breakout sessions, heard inspirational<br />
TEACHERS DISCUSS INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING AT THE<br />
INAUGURAL SCIENCE ON THE GRAND CONFERENCE.<br />
“We wanted teachers to be<br />
inspired by world-class speakers,<br />
as well as empowered with<br />
classroom-proven strategies and<br />
lessons to create extraordinary<br />
classrooms.”<br />
— Terra Tarango<br />
speakers and networked with teachers, where they<br />
discovered new ways to view education and new insights<br />
into their profession.<br />
“One of the takeaways I received from the conference<br />
is the importance of teaching students to think like<br />
scientists,” Corley said. “We want to let students know<br />
that if you think like a scientist in the classroom, there is<br />
no reason why you can’t be one in the future. I think this<br />
understanding is really important.”<br />
Tarango is optimistic that the conference will serve<br />
as a way for teachers and administrators to become<br />
familiarized with both the Institute and its mission, which<br />
focuses on inquiry-based instruction.<br />
The two-day conference was divided into two sections<br />
— day one focusing on classroom culture and day two<br />
focusing on practical, inquiry-based lessons and STEAM<br />
(science, technology, engineering, art and math) content.<br />
Tarango views the conference structure as a reflection of<br />
VAEI’s framework, which emphasizes both the classroom<br />
learning environment and content-area knowledge.<br />
“I think the conference was a perfect forum for reminding<br />
teachers why they entered this noble profession and<br />
inspiring them to continually grow and improve their<br />
craft,” she said. “I have heard from many teachers who<br />
were frustrated with teaching, tempted to leave education<br />
altogether, and then they heard an inspiring speaker or<br />
learned an innovative strategy at a conference, and just<br />
like that — they are recommitted to their students and all<br />
the promise of this remarkable profession.”<br />
High school students from across West Michigan spent<br />
their summer days exploring their world and making<br />
new discoveries during Van Andel Education Institute’s<br />
(VAEI) week-long summer camp.<br />
Students used hands-on interactive investigations and<br />
inquiry-based learning techniques to delve into a series<br />
of complex projects including using electrophoresis to<br />
identify DNA, testing the quality of river water, exploring<br />
what it would be like to live on Mars, and building and<br />
testing robotic devices. VAEI’s summer camp is one of<br />
several student programs in which young scientists can<br />
explore their world, collaborate with other students and<br />
learn in an environment where curiosity, creativity and<br />
critical thinking thrive.<br />
Esther Vanderwey, Sophomore<br />
“I like science very much, so I really enjoyed this camp.<br />
Today, we were using DNA to figure out how to solve<br />
crimes. We used samples and gel electrophoresis to match<br />
DNA and learn about forensics. My interests are in zoology,<br />
but I love all sciences and I had a lot of fun.”<br />
Eli Lake, Freshman<br />
“The instructors we had at the camp are really nice. What I<br />
really loved is that we were doing things that scientists in a<br />
big university lab do right here in a classroom, and that is<br />
really cool. I really like science and one day I would like to<br />
be a molecular biologist.”<br />
Alex Kempston, Freshman<br />
“Everyone at the camp is interested in science, and it was<br />
a good opportunity for me to be around other people who<br />
like science as much as I do. I’m really interested in science<br />
as a career.”<br />
Sophia Maisel & Lucie Kovarik, Freshmen<br />
“The camp was good because it was very hands-on, and<br />
compared to doing online courses, this was more fun. We<br />
did a lot of trial and error in our projects, which is cool<br />
because it’s all up to you and your group if you succeed<br />
or fail. I liked working with other people and collaborating,<br />
and it was fun seeing people succeed.”<br />
VAEI’s summer camp is one of several<br />
student programs in which young<br />
scientists can explore their world,<br />
collaborate with other students and<br />
learn in an environment where curiosity,<br />
creativity and critical thinking thrive.<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 33
Van Andel Institute’s donors and philanthropic partners are connected by<br />
a shared sense of commitment to the Institute’s mission. Their creativity,<br />
passion and dedication have helped the Institute become a thriving center<br />
for innovative biomedical research and science education.<br />
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DONOR PROFILE: ALVIN AND HYLDA TUUK — A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY<br />
Alvin and Hylda Tuuk believed in the American<br />
dream. Second generation Dutch immigrants, they met<br />
and married after Al served his country in World War<br />
II. Together, they raised a family, started a successful<br />
business and later became examples of the American<br />
dream in the West Michigan community. People of modest<br />
means, the couple’s drive for a better life was shaped<br />
equally by the Great Depression and the experiences<br />
they lived through during World War II. They worked hard<br />
and instilled in their four children the value of education,<br />
THE TUUK FAMILY<br />
the power of American capitalism and the importance<br />
of charitable giving. In 1985, Hylda lost Al to prostate<br />
cancer before they had the chance to enjoy their golden<br />
years. Committed to making a difference, she arranged<br />
to donate a portion of her estate to fund research that<br />
could give hope to people facing this difficult disease.<br />
In February 2017, Hylda passed away at the age of 93.<br />
She left a generous planned gift that will benefit prostate<br />
cancer research pilot studies in the laboratories of Dr.<br />
Xiaohong Li and Dr. Bart Williams.<br />
“It is heartwarming to know that our<br />
gift will go directly to fund important<br />
research being conducted right here<br />
in Grand Rapids.” — Mary Tuuk<br />
“Growing up and living for much of their lives in West<br />
Michigan, both my parents were impressed by the<br />
business success and the generous spirit of the Van Andel<br />
family. My siblings and I were proud to make a gift to<br />
benefit the Institute’s cancer research on their behalf,”<br />
said Hylda and Al’s daughter, Mary Tuuk, vice president<br />
and chief compliance officer at Meijer.<br />
“Van Andel Institute has been an incredibly positive force<br />
both in the health science community and the community<br />
as a whole. It has been a tremendous catalyst for growth<br />
in the region while making an impact on a global scale. It is<br />
heartwarming to know that our gift will go directly to fund<br />
important research being conducted right here in Grand<br />
Rapids.”<br />
In recognition of Alvin and Hylda Tuuk’s legacy of<br />
generosity, they were posthumously inducted as<br />
members of Van Andel Institute’s (VAI) Society of Hope.<br />
The Society of Hope recognizes individuals who have<br />
notified us they are including VAI in their will or another<br />
deferred giving plan. The Tuuks’ spirit of purposeful giving<br />
will live on in the work of the Institute’s scientists and the<br />
impact they have on improving the health of current and<br />
future generations.<br />
DONOR PROFILE: DUKE SUWYN — A SENSE OF HOPE<br />
Duke Suwyn is one of Van Andel Institute’s most<br />
committed donors, and his belief in philanthropy<br />
and the Institute’s mission comes from a very<br />
personal place — a life-long love.<br />
When Duke Suwyn first met his wife, Sue, at a church<br />
function, his world opened up and he was never the same.<br />
Suwyn grew up on a family farm in the lush Michigan<br />
countryside. Sue was from Chicago — the city of big<br />
shoulders — and was filled with ambition, drive and<br />
determination.<br />
“The first time I saw her, I knew she was unlike anyone<br />
I’d ever met,” Suwyn said. “She was extremely talented,<br />
gregarious and full of life. And from that moment on, she<br />
was my mentor, coach and my teammate.”<br />
Sue and Duke got married, started a family, built successful<br />
careers and discovered their love for giving back to their<br />
community. Together, they were active in their children’s<br />
school, Ada Christian, and, guided by a deep faith, they<br />
served on the school’s various foundations and boards.<br />
Through their philanthropic work, they met community<br />
leaders David and Carol Van Andel, who also volunteered<br />
and gave of their time and talent to benefit the school.<br />
“They were some of the most hardworking, focused,<br />
visionary people I’d ever met. They didn’t just come with<br />
ideas — they really rolled up their sleeves and helped us<br />
improve the school for the better,” Suwyn said.<br />
Impressed by the Van Andels’ generosity, the Suwyns<br />
decided to get involved with Van Andel Institute and soon<br />
became some of the Institute’s most ardent advocates and<br />
donors. Duke pursued a career in commercial real estate<br />
and became an executive with Colliers International. In his<br />
leadership position, he encouraged the company to focus<br />
a portion of its charitable giving on the Institute in support<br />
of research. The gift, totaling more than $100,000, provided<br />
Institute scientists with the funds to facilitate research into<br />
rare childhood diseases.<br />
In 2016, Suwyn’s connection to the Institute became<br />
extraordinarily personal when Sue was diagnosed with<br />
glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive type of brain<br />
cancer. Suddenly, and without warning, the woman who<br />
gave his life meaning was facing an incredible battle.<br />
“When Sue was diagnosed, we knew we needed help, and<br />
we felt fortunate to live in a community where we have<br />
these great hospitals and research centers right here in<br />
our city,” Suwyn said. “The facilities in Grand Rapids on the<br />
Medical Mile are just amazing, and when you go into these<br />
places, you don’t go in there thinking negatively, you go in<br />
with such a sense of hope.”<br />
During this difficult time, both Sue and Duke were<br />
comforted with the idea that the Institute’s scientists<br />
were working on new treatments that might one day help<br />
others affected by cancer. Sue passed away in August<br />
2017, and one of her last wishes was that memorial gifts<br />
be given to the two organizations that were held closest to<br />
her heart.<br />
“There were two places Sue wanted people to think about<br />
when they thought of her — Ada Christian and Van Andel<br />
Institute,” Suwyn said. “When you see the passion that the<br />
Institute’s scientists have for their work, and you know<br />
that these scientists are going to work every day for the<br />
benefit of other people, you really can’t help but fall in love<br />
with this place.”<br />
DUKE SUWYN<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
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WINTERFEST • THE ART OF FASHION & RESEARCH<br />
THE CAROL VAN ANDEL ANGEL OF EXCELLENCE DINNER & AWARD PRESENTATION<br />
• BOARD OF GOVERNORS ANNUAL DINNER<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) GEORGE<br />
SHARPE JR. & MISSY SHARPE & SALLY MURDOCK;<br />
DAVID VAN ANDEL; MODEL WALKING THE ART<br />
OF FASHION & RESEARCH CATWALK; KEN DEWEY,<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL & RENEE JANOVSKY; DAVID<br />
BRONKEMA; MARK & JENN BUGGE; LAURA<br />
FABRIZIO & EILEEN BRADER; DALE & DIANE<br />
EVERETT, RON & MARY RUTKOWSKI.<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) THERESE ROWERDINK, SUSAN STAFFORD & CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL; CAROL VAN ANDEL & MEMBERS OF WEST OTTAWA PURPLE POWER; VICKY LUDEMA; DR.<br />
PETER A. JONES & WIFE, VERONICA; ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, CAROL VAN ANDEL & RYAN GRAHAM;<br />
JEFFERY ROBERTS & CAROL VAN ANDEL; DAVID VAN ANDEL & TIM LONG.<br />
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AROUND THE WORLD • VAI GOLF OUTING<br />
COUTURE FOR A CURE<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) RACHEL MRAZ & CHAD BASSETT;<br />
VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS; CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL; DAVID VAN ANDEL & JASON HANSON; SARAH TUPPER, ABBIE<br />
BENTON, MOLLY CHELOVICH & KATHY TUPPER; DOYLE A. HAYES, BRUCE<br />
COURTADE & TIM WILLIAMS; LYNN TENHARMSEL, MOLLY HUNTING; TINA<br />
EMERMINE & KASIE SMITH; HELMET SIGNED BY JASON HANSON.<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) SCOTT & REBECCA<br />
WIERDA, CAROL & DAVID VAN ANDEL; MISSY SHARPE,<br />
ALLISON BURR, DAVID BRACIAK & CHRISTINE HUGUES;<br />
JORDAN CARSON FROM WOOD TV8 & WOTV 4 WOMEN;<br />
GUESTS MINGLE AT THE AMWAY ARTISTRY BEAUTY BAR.<br />
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HOPE ON THE HILL<br />
A CONVERSATION ABOUT PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH & TREATMENT<br />
HOSTED BY CAROL VAN ANDEL<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) EVENT GUESTS MINGLING;<br />
DAVID VAN ANDEL, VICKY LUDEMA & TIM LONG; LIGHT BALANCE<br />
PERFORMING; TERESA HENDRICKS-PITSCH, JIM NICHOLS & JAMIE MILLS;<br />
DR. STEVEN TRIEZENBERG & WIFE, LAURA; DANA STENSTROM,<br />
GINNY BAYSHORE & PATTI BOYD.<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE;<br />
DR. JAMES FAHNER GIVING HIS KEYNOTE<br />
PRESENTATION; DR. JENNA GEDMINAS; CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL WITH EVENT GUESTS; DR. MATT<br />
STEENSMA ANSWERS A QUESTION DURING<br />
THE EVENT Q&A.<br />
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PURPLE COMMUNITY FOOTBALL GAMES — IGNITING SPIRIT AND TAKING ON CANCER<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
On any given weekend during the fall, people across<br />
the country gather under the Friday night lights,<br />
braving the cold weather to cheer on their hometown<br />
high school football teams.<br />
Football games help bring people together, uniting<br />
students, teams and the community around a common<br />
cause. Teams across Michigan hosted Purple Community<br />
games to benefit cancer research at Van Andel Institute<br />
(VAI). The games, filled with emotion and camaraderie,<br />
honored people affected by cancer and gave everyone in<br />
attendance a reason to be hopeful.<br />
Scott Merchant, head coach at Chippewa Valley High<br />
School in Clinton Township, Michigan, has coached<br />
hundreds of young athletes during the past nine years, but<br />
there’s one player he will never forget.<br />
SOUTH CHRISTIAN SAILORS<br />
CHIPPEWA VALLEY BIG REDS<br />
One day, a junior, just starting out on the varsity team,<br />
didn’t show up for practice because he was experiencing<br />
back pain and fatigue. The student received a diagnosis<br />
of testicular cancer and he learned that it had spread<br />
throughout his body. He wasn’t able to play in a single<br />
game, but even after surgery and aggressive treatments,<br />
he remained there for his team and cheered them on<br />
throughout the season from the sidelines. Sadly, before<br />
he could graduate, his life was tragically cut short, and he<br />
passed away from the disease.<br />
“So many people are affected by cancer, but when it gets<br />
one of your players, and it happens right in front of your<br />
face, it really hits home and inspires you to take action,”<br />
Merchant said.<br />
Mary Woltjer, a mother of three and one of the lead<br />
organizers of the South Christian High Purple Out game,<br />
rallies her school in support of VAI’s mission, and believes<br />
her school’s generosity stems from faith, community and<br />
a culture of compassion. In 2017, the school hosted a<br />
game that raised more than $37,000 to benefit cancer<br />
research at VAI. In total, Woltjer has helped organize five<br />
years of Purple events, and to date the school has raised<br />
more than $70,000. While this amount is impressive, the<br />
events have become more than a source for fundraising<br />
— they have become a way to honor those who have been<br />
impacted by this indiscriminate disease.<br />
TRAVERSE CITY WEST TITANS<br />
“One of the boys we honored during the game was a<br />
student and football player who was diagnosed with<br />
Hodgkin’s lymphoma — he’s now in remission, but we still<br />
wanted him to know how much support he has in our<br />
community,” Woltjer said.<br />
The game also honored Bob Blacquiere, who had served<br />
as South Christian’s head football coach for nearly 40 years<br />
and was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2016.<br />
“Most people know someone who has been affected by cancer, and supporting<br />
research at VAI is something our community has really embraced...”<br />
A member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame,<br />
Blacquiere helped generations of South Christian Sailors<br />
achieve their dreams. During the game, members of<br />
the football team, students, friends and family joined<br />
Blacquiere on the field to say “thank you” for his spirit and<br />
his service.<br />
A deep and significant sense of community support also<br />
connects the students, parents and teachers of Traverse<br />
City West High School. Terra Walters, mother and Pink<br />
— Terra Walters<br />
Game event coordinator, is proud of her school’s spirit and<br />
sense of togetherness and activism, which have helped<br />
raise more than $19,000 to benefit cancer research.<br />
“Giving back to our community and helping others is part<br />
of Traverse City West Football’s philosophy,” Walters said.<br />
“Most people know someone who has been affected by<br />
cancer, and supporting research at VAI is something our<br />
community has really embraced, and everyone looks<br />
forward to our Purple Community Pink Game.”<br />
TRAVERSE CITY WEST TITANS<br />
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PURPLE COMMUNITY 5K — STRONG COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS MEAN MORE THAN A CHECK<br />
RUNNING LIKE THE WIND —<br />
PURPLE COMMUNITY MARATHON RUNNERS MAKE BIG STRIDES<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
On a cool, spring Saturday morning, hundreds of<br />
people rallied together on the grounds of the Mary<br />
Free Bed YMCA in Grand Rapids for the annual<br />
Consumers Credit Union Purple Community 5K (PC5K).<br />
Enthusiastic runners, walkers and volunteers participated<br />
in a day of activism and fundraising in support of Van Andel<br />
Institute’s (VAI) research into cancer, Parkinson’s and other<br />
diseases. The event has grown from a small gathering in<br />
2015 into one of West Michigan’s premier 5K races, thanks<br />
to an outpouring of community support and sponsors<br />
like Consumers Credit Union and the Mary Free Bed<br />
YMCA. Both organizations have built bridges between the<br />
Institute’s mission and the people they serve and have<br />
amplified Purple Community’s message of hope to spirited<br />
new audiences.<br />
Lynne Jarman-Johnson, chief marketing officer for<br />
Consumers Credit Union, views the organization’s title<br />
sponsorship of the PC5K as an extension of the company’s<br />
corporate values and community-focused business model.<br />
Jarman-Johnson’s contagious enthusiasm for giving back,<br />
and the efforts of Consumers Credit Union, expanded the<br />
PC5K’s reach and developed it into a day of exceptional<br />
engagement and fundraising.<br />
“Since the beginning, helping our community has been<br />
part of our organization’s mission,” Jarman-Johnson said.<br />
“For us, it’s very personal — we are proud to be the title<br />
sponsor for this event and see it as a way to serve our<br />
Consumers family and our region as a whole. Giving back is<br />
part of our culture.”<br />
For Paul Petr, district executive director for the Mary Free<br />
Bed YMCA, working for the YMCA is not just a job, it’s a<br />
calling. The Y’s focus on the critical needs of the community<br />
and its roots in faith and human wellness are things Petr<br />
feels deeply passionate about. These values, integral to the<br />
Y’s mission, are some of the many reasons Petr believes<br />
the partnership with Purple Community is such a good fit.<br />
“Whether we are leading an initiative, convening an event<br />
or partnering with another organization, making our<br />
community healthier is one of our main goals,” Petr said.<br />
“I think our partnership with Purple Community is strong,<br />
and I think we can do more when we are working together.”<br />
By hosting the PC5K, the Mary Free Bed YMCA has given<br />
Purple Community members access to a beautiful course<br />
and top-tier facilities for the event and provided the Y’s<br />
members who have been impacted by cancer with a<br />
powerful way to connect and support one another.<br />
“Speaking through the lens of a husband who recently lost<br />
his wife to cancer, a framework of support is so critical, not<br />
only to those who are going through cancer treatment, but<br />
for those family members and friends who are there caring<br />
for them. This event is a way for us to come together as<br />
a community and say, ‘you’re not alone,’” Petr said. “I’ve<br />
(TOP TO BOTTOM) CONSUMERS CREDIT UNION TEAM.<br />
PC5K RUNNER CROSSING THE FINISH LINE.<br />
always believed that people want to be involved with<br />
something that’s bigger than themselves, and I think the<br />
PC5K is an event that gives people that opportunity. It’s an<br />
event we are really proud to support.”<br />
Van Andel Institute’s (VAI) Purple Community Team<br />
Hope members had a busy year, competing in both the<br />
Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the TCS New York<br />
Marathon.<br />
The dedicated runners trained for months to get ready for<br />
the two races that collectively raised more than $90,000<br />
to support VAI’s cancer and Parkinson’s disease research.<br />
Team Hope’s ranks grew in <strong>2018</strong> to include more than 44<br />
participants, including runner Brenda Gardner who ran the<br />
Chicago Marathon in honor of her husband, Todd, who was<br />
diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2004 at the age of 41.<br />
“To watch Todd’s internal and external struggles with<br />
Parkinson’s, I thought what better way to support him<br />
than by running in the <strong>2018</strong> Chicago Marathon, alongside<br />
my sister, Ann Schneider, and great friend, Tammy<br />
Anderson, in support of Making the Turn Against<br />
Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute,” Gardner said.<br />
Team Hope runners come from all across West Michigan,<br />
but run together connected by their desire to give back<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT)<br />
PC5K RUNNERS;<br />
TEAM HOPE<br />
RUNNERS; BRENDA<br />
& TODD GARDNER.<br />
and to make a difference for those affected by cancer<br />
and Parkinson’s. Runner Kenny Gildersleeve completed<br />
the 26.2 miles of the Chicago Marathon, motivated by a<br />
deep desire to support biomedical research and a strong<br />
connection to the Institute’s mission of health and hope.<br />
“I’ve seen cancer impact several friends and loved ones in<br />
my life, including my own mother, who was diagnosed with<br />
breast cancer my senior year in high school,” Gildersleeve<br />
said. “Today, I’m happy to say that she is a cancer survivor<br />
and has been cancer free for over ten years. I know<br />
that cancer research is the key to making the disease<br />
more preventable, more treatable and to creating more<br />
survivors.”<br />
Team Hope runners move together mile after mile,<br />
bonded by their shared desire to honor those affected<br />
by cancer and Parkinson’s, and to support research that<br />
might change the future of human health.<br />
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PURPLE COMMUNITY BREAKS A RECORD — RAISING MORE THAN $700,000 FOR CANCER AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE RESEARCH<br />
GENERATIONS OF DUNCAN LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS<br />
RAISE $100,000 TO SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, Purple Community broke their yearly record<br />
for fundraising. Grassroots events, volunteers, schools<br />
and community partners helped raise more than<br />
$700,000 that directly benefits Van Andel Institute’s<br />
(VAI) biomedical research and education initiatives.<br />
Founded in 2009, Purple Community has grown into a<br />
widespread fundraising force and has raised more than<br />
$3.4 million for Van Andel Institute.<br />
“In <strong>2018</strong>, we were able to work with more than 80<br />
volunteers and help grassroots fundraisers host 121<br />
events,” said Ashley Owen, Purple Community senior event<br />
coordinator. “This year was also really special because<br />
we had the opportunity to team up with 44 marathoners<br />
who participated in both the Chicago and New York races,<br />
raising over $88,000.”<br />
Purple Community began with West Michigan-based events<br />
— working primarily with local grade schools and high<br />
schools, but has steadily increased its reach — spreading<br />
hope across the state of Michigan and beyond.<br />
“We are really grateful to work with such amazing and<br />
dedicated community and media partners, schools and<br />
business leaders,” Owen said. “Everyone knows someone<br />
who has been affected by cancer or Parkinson’s disease,<br />
and Purple Community exists to give people touched<br />
by these diseases the chance to come together and do<br />
something extraordinary, and make a real contribution to<br />
the Institute’s research right here in Grand Rapids.”<br />
Events like the Consumers Credit Union Purple Community<br />
5K, the Bee Brave 5K, and collaborations with schools,<br />
entertainers, musicians and local sports teams have<br />
brought VAI’s mission to a wide variety of new audiences.<br />
“Purple Community is exactly that — a community of<br />
people connecting and reaching out to businesses,<br />
schools, family, friends and coworkers to create hope.<br />
Hope for their loved ones facing devastating diseases<br />
we research right here at VAI — and our job at Purple<br />
Community is to help these individuals who have a<br />
passion for our mission by giving them the resources to<br />
host successful fundraising events,” Owen said. “Whenever<br />
I meet an event organizer, volunteer or participant, and<br />
they share their stories with me, those stories drive<br />
me and the entire team here at VAI to make Purple<br />
Community the force it is today — I’m just so humbled<br />
and honored to be a part of it all.”<br />
To learn more about Purple Community and how you can get<br />
involved, visit purplecommunity.org.<br />
ASHLEY OWEN WITH PURPLE COMMUNITY EVENT VOLUNTEERS.<br />
Duncan Lake Middle School in Caledonia, Michigan, sits<br />
tucked away between sprawling farmland and rolling<br />
country roads. From the outside, its brown brick building<br />
looks like an average middle school anywhere in the United<br />
States but inside, its students have achieved something<br />
extraordinary.<br />
For more than a decade, the school’s student council has<br />
planned and hosted an event that has inspired their quiet,<br />
rural community and raised more than $100,000 to benefit<br />
cancer research at Van Andel Institute (VAI). By working<br />
together and passing the torch to successive generations<br />
of students, Duncan Lake has redefined what young<br />
people can do when their hearts and minds are united by a<br />
common cause.<br />
Hannah Jablonski, a 23-year-old recent college graduate,<br />
remembers being a creative, expressive eighth-grader at<br />
Duncan Lake. As a member of the school’s student council,<br />
she worked with her classmates to plan and organize the<br />
very first Cancer Walk in 2008.<br />
“It all started because we wanted to do something to give<br />
back and support good causes and, because we knew a<br />
lot of people were affected by cancer, we decided to do<br />
the first Cancer Walk,” Jablonski said. “It was such a good<br />
experience. When you’re a student and you have the<br />
freedom to plan an event like this, and you know that you<br />
can make a difference in the world, it’s really impactful.”<br />
DUNCAN LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS AWARDED A CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL ANGEL OF EXCELLENCE AWARD IN <strong>2018</strong> FOR THEIR<br />
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & IMPRESSIVE FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.<br />
“This event really shows kids that they<br />
can give back to their community and that<br />
creating change is doable.”<br />
— Elizabeth Alexander<br />
“Every year, you can see the sixth-graders falling in love<br />
with the event and getting excited about how they can<br />
support cancer research and, the cool thing is, when those<br />
enthusiastic kids get to eighth-grade, they are the leaders<br />
taking charge,” Alexander said.<br />
Since the very first Cancer Walk was organized by Jablonski<br />
and her classmates, the event has become a source<br />
of fun, camaraderie and community that has unified<br />
students, teachers and their families and friends behind an<br />
important mission.<br />
“This event really shows kids that they can give back to<br />
their community and that creating change is doable,”<br />
Alexander said. “Personally, I lost two family members to<br />
cancer in the last few years, and this event is a source<br />
of hope — hope that the Institute’s researchers might<br />
one day find a treatment or cure that could help people<br />
survive.”<br />
Jablonski is proud that the Cancer Walk gives so many<br />
people hope for the future, and she continues to spread<br />
the message all these years later. While in college,<br />
Alexander surprised Jablonski by inviting her to speak<br />
at a pep rally to say a few words about the event she<br />
helped create. Jablonski was shocked that Alexander had<br />
remembered her after all these years and that the small<br />
event she and her classmates organized had raised more<br />
than six figures.<br />
“In <strong>2018</strong>, we were able to work with more than 80 volunteers and help grassroots fundraisers host 121 events.”<br />
— Ashley Owen<br />
Elizabeth Alexander, enrichment coordinator at Duncan<br />
Lake, has worked for the past decade with students like<br />
Jablonski to help them plan their Cancer Walk. Since the<br />
very first event, Alexander has been impressed with the<br />
students’ ability to take charge of their event and take pride<br />
in their work.<br />
DUNCAN LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS CELEBRATE AT THEIR<br />
ANNUAL CANCER WALK.<br />
“It’s really an inspiration to know that a few kids in middle<br />
school can organize an event, raise an impressive amount<br />
of money and make a difference in the lives of people<br />
living with cancer,” Jablonski said. “I have always believed<br />
that you get as much as you give into the world, and these<br />
kids are giving a lot.”<br />
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NEVER STOP GIVING BACK — SALLY SCHAAFSMA, PURPLE COMMUNITY CABINET VOLUNTEER CHAIR<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
As the Purple Community Cabinet volunteer chair,<br />
Schaafsma also has the opportunity to share her<br />
professional work experience and mentor the team’s<br />
junior volunteers and interns.<br />
Memorials<br />
Society of Hope<br />
For Sally Schaafsma, volunteering isn’t a hobby or<br />
an occasional activity — it’s a full-time job. When<br />
Sally retired from a successful career as a teacher and<br />
businesswoman, she knew she wanted to spend her days<br />
helping others, giving back to her community and making<br />
the world a better place. Today, Schaafsma volunteers<br />
with a number of Grand Rapids-based charities and<br />
organizations, including Van Andel Institute’s (VAI) Purple<br />
Community.<br />
SALLY SCHAAFSMA<br />
“I call myself a community volunteer, and I have always<br />
wanted to use my skills and abilities to help — wherever I<br />
could,” Schaafsma said.<br />
Working alongside Purple Community associates, interns<br />
and other volunteers, Schaafsma uses her organizational<br />
skills and leadership abilities to help the team prepare<br />
for the many grassroots fundraising events they organize<br />
throughout the year.<br />
“One of my favorite aspects of volunteering with Purple<br />
Community is working with people from all different age<br />
groups, and in particular with the younger people just<br />
starting their careers — I feel like I can really help them<br />
and share the knowledge that comes from my years of<br />
experience,” Schaafsma said. “It really gives me a great<br />
feeling to work with so many wonderful young people.”<br />
The Institute’s mission and work in biomedical research<br />
and science education drew Schaafsma to volunteer with<br />
Purple Community.<br />
“Like so many people, my family has been directly<br />
affected by the diseases VAI studies,” Schaafsma said.<br />
“It’s important to support scientists and organizations<br />
who are doing research that will help find new therapies<br />
and, ultimately, cures for these diseases. I love having the<br />
opportunity to share information about the Institute’s<br />
work with people at Purple Community events, and it’s<br />
even better when we get new people involved in our<br />
mission.”<br />
Schaafsma believes volunteering is one of the most<br />
meaningful things a person can do with their time, and<br />
she hopes others will join her in helping build the Purple<br />
Community volunteer program.<br />
“There are so many ways to volunteer,” Schaafsma said.<br />
“Everyone has skills they can give to an organization,<br />
whether it’s behind the scenes or working with the public.<br />
Every one of us can help our communities and the causes<br />
we believe in.”<br />
<strong>2018</strong> was a year of great loss for Van Andel<br />
Institute. We said farewell to longtime friends<br />
and supporters, Don Maine, Gordon Van Harn<br />
and John Canepa. They will remain forever in our<br />
hearts.<br />
Donald W. Maine<br />
A member of the Van Andel Education Institute Board<br />
of Trustees and Chair of the Finance and Compensation<br />
Committees for more than 11 years, Don was a devoted<br />
friend and enthusiastic champion of the Institute from our<br />
beginning.<br />
Don was a fixture on the educational scene in West<br />
Michigan. He was fascinated with entrepreneurial thinking,<br />
and his vision guided Davenport University from a small<br />
college into a fully accredited university. As the former<br />
president and chancellor, he was beloved at Davenport<br />
and throughout our community. A mentor to many, Don<br />
made people feel special in everything he did. He gave<br />
freely of his time and expertise, serving on multiple boards<br />
and receiving numerous accolades along the way.<br />
Gordon Van Harn<br />
An early leader of the Institute, Gordon Van Harn served<br />
with us for 18 years.<br />
Following a stellar academic career that included serving as<br />
Calvin College’s provost and academic dean for the natural<br />
sciences, Gordon joined the VAEI Board of Trustees in 2000<br />
and served with distinction as Director of VAEI from 2001<br />
to 2009. It was Gordon’s vision to create a Graduate<br />
School and he was instrumental, along with Dr. Steven J.<br />
Triezenberg, in securing the VAIGS charter from the<br />
state of Michigan to confer degrees. He was a passionate<br />
and creative leader who also brought great focus to the<br />
Institute’s efforts to impact K–12 science education.<br />
John Canepa<br />
A longtime friend and a dedicated supporter of the<br />
Institute, John founded the VAI Board of Governors and<br />
participated in governance for our Institute as a member of<br />
the Finance and Compensation Committees.<br />
John was a man of vision, talent and action. A gifted<br />
financial expert originally from Boston, he saw incredible<br />
possibility for Grand Rapids. He brought people and ideas<br />
together to infuse new life into our region. Through Grand<br />
Action, John was instrumental in revitalizing Grand Rapids,<br />
beginning with his support for the building of Van Andel<br />
Arena in 1996. Our community has been transformed by<br />
John’s belief in us.<br />
The Society of Hope recognizes individuals<br />
and couples who have notified us that they<br />
will include Van Andel Institute in their will<br />
or other deferred giving plan. Through our<br />
acknowledgment of and gratitude to these<br />
exceptional people, we hope that their<br />
generosity will inspire others.<br />
Vivian G. Anderson<br />
Stanley & Blanche Ash<br />
Kevin & Michelle Bassett<br />
Philip & Shirley Battershall<br />
John & Nancy Batts<br />
Fred & Julie Bogaert<br />
Bill & Marilyn Crawford<br />
Barbara Erhards<br />
J. Scott Grill<br />
Joan Hammersmith<br />
Arthur Joseph Jabury<br />
Ms. Maryanna Johnson<br />
Reneé Kuipers<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Long<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
LG & Helen Myers<br />
Jone E. Phillips<br />
Ronald Rutkowski<br />
Alan R. Ryan<br />
George Sietsema<br />
Eva Sonneville<br />
Fred L. Tape<br />
Hylda & Alvin Tuuk<br />
John E. VanFossen<br />
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SIGNATURE SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORS<br />
We are grateful to have extraordinarily dedicated signature event sponsors.<br />
Thank you for partnering with us and supporting our mission throughout the year.<br />
INSTITUTE LEADERSHIP TEAM<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Al & Robin Koop Foundation<br />
Alliance Beverage<br />
Amway<br />
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel<br />
Aon<br />
Aquinas College<br />
Artistry<br />
Autocam Medical<br />
B.D.’s BBQ<br />
Belwith Products<br />
Bengtson Center for Aesthetics<br />
& Plastic Surgery<br />
Betz Industries<br />
BHS Insurance<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
David & Jill Bielema<br />
Blue Water Custom Homes<br />
Bluewater Technologies<br />
Chuck & Christine Boelkins<br />
Buist Electric<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Cancer & Hematology Centers<br />
of Western Michigan, P.C.<br />
Carnelian Energy Capital<br />
Cascade Rental<br />
Center for Physical<br />
Rehabilitation<br />
Chad Bassett<br />
Cheeky Strut<br />
The Chop House<br />
CityFlatsHotel<br />
CitySen<br />
Coldwell Banker<br />
Colliers International<br />
Comfort Research<br />
Consumers Credit Union<br />
Cork Wine & Grille/Vintage<br />
Prime & Seafood<br />
Cornerstone University<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
Crowe LLP<br />
Mimi Cummings<br />
Cumulus Media<br />
Tom & Tracy Curran<br />
The Currie Foundation<br />
Custer, Inc.<br />
CWD Real Estate Investment<br />
Czech Asset Management<br />
Davenport University<br />
David & Carol Van Andel<br />
Family Foundation<br />
Jerry & Karen DeBlaay<br />
Rachel Decker<br />
Deloitte<br />
Brian DeVries & Barbara Pugh<br />
Dick & Betsy DeVos Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Discovery Financial, LLC<br />
Divani<br />
Eastbrook Homes<br />
Edward Jones<br />
Eenhoorn, LLC<br />
Eileen DeVries Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Ellis Parking Company<br />
Emmanuel Hospice<br />
Erhardt Construction<br />
Eurest<br />
Everett’s Landscape<br />
Management Inc.<br />
Fifth Third Bank<br />
First National Bank of Michigan<br />
Foremost Insurance Group<br />
Fred L. Hansen Corporation<br />
Gallagher<br />
Grand Rapids Christian Schools<br />
Grand Rapids Griffins<br />
Grand Rapids Symphony<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Gravity Taphouse Grille<br />
Martin & Peggy Greydanus<br />
Dr. Jana Hall<br />
Paul & Sheryl Haverkate<br />
Harvey Automotive<br />
Kurt & Madelon Hassberger<br />
HealthBridge<br />
Ken Hoffman & Lisa Rose<br />
Hope College<br />
Howard Miller<br />
Huizenga Group<br />
Bill & Starr Humphries<br />
Ben & Molly Hunting<br />
Ice Sculptures, LTD<br />
iHeartMedia Inc.<br />
Integrated Architecture<br />
Iron<br />
Jandernoa Foundation<br />
Jeffery Roberts Design<br />
John Hancock Financial Services<br />
Dr. Peter A. & Veronica Jones<br />
K3NOW Neuroscience<br />
Optimized Wellness<br />
Kindel Grand Rapids<br />
King Street Capital Management<br />
Craig & Debra Kinney<br />
Kitchen 67<br />
Blake & Mary Krueger<br />
Lake Michigan Credit Union<br />
Lanning & Stafford Families<br />
Ray & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Leigh’s<br />
Leo’s<br />
Lighthouse Charitable Gift Fund<br />
Lighthouse Group<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
Macatawa Bank<br />
Making the Turn Against<br />
Parkinson’s<br />
McAlvey Merchant & Associates<br />
McDonnell Investment<br />
Management<br />
McShane & Bowie, P.L.C.<br />
Media 3 Design<br />
MedNow<br />
Meijer Foundation<br />
Deborah Meijer<br />
Mercy Health<br />
Metro Health — University of<br />
Michigan Health<br />
MGD Technologies, Inc.<br />
Michigan State University<br />
College of Human Medicine<br />
MLive Media Group/The<br />
Grand Rapids Press<br />
Modern Day Events & Floral<br />
Neiman Marcus<br />
Norris, Perné & French LLP<br />
NorthStar Commercial<br />
Nothing Bundt Cakes<br />
Oppenheimer & Company Inc.<br />
— Michael J. Murdock, Director<br />
of Investments<br />
Orthopaedic Associates<br />
of Michigan<br />
Osteria Rossa<br />
Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.<br />
John & Kristine Palmer<br />
Lee & Alexandra Perez<br />
Perper Design<br />
Peter C. & Emajean Cook<br />
Foundation<br />
Pioneer Construction<br />
Pitsch Companies<br />
Plante Moran<br />
Plastic Surgery Associates &<br />
Grand Pearl Spa<br />
Preusser Jewelers<br />
Priority Health<br />
Reds at Thousand Oaks<br />
Regal Financial Group<br />
Renew Family Dental<br />
Res-Com Electric<br />
Reserve Wine & Food<br />
Tom & Brenda Rinks<br />
Robert DeNooyer Chevrolet<br />
Rocket Science<br />
Rockford Construction<br />
RoMan Manufacturing Inc.<br />
Rowerdink Inc.<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
Ruth’s Chris Steak House<br />
Rycenga Building Center<br />
SanChez Bistro<br />
The Sandi Gentry Team — Re/Max<br />
Lakeshore<br />
Scott & Jan Spoelhof Foundation<br />
Secrest Wardle<br />
Tony & Dawn Semple<br />
Dan Shapiro & Joe Mangini<br />
The Sharpe Collection<br />
six.one.six<br />
Slows Bar BQ<br />
Sobie Meats, LLC<br />
Dan & Carol Springer<br />
Rob & Susan Stafford<br />
Standard Lumber<br />
Steelcase<br />
Stephen Klotz Family Foundation<br />
The Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Foundation<br />
Tom & Mary Stuit<br />
Suburban Landscapes<br />
Sweetie-licious<br />
Taconic Charitable Foundation<br />
Thomas S. Fox Family<br />
Todd Wenzel Automotive<br />
Townsquare Media<br />
The Tupper Group of<br />
Merrill Lynch<br />
Uccello’s Ristorante<br />
US Bank<br />
US Signal<br />
Mike & Michelle Van Dyke<br />
Van Dellen Steel, Inc.<br />
Van Eerden Foodservice<br />
Dave & Beth Van Portfliet<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
Marc & Ashley Veenstra<br />
The Veldheer, Long, Mackay<br />
& Bernecker Group of Merrill<br />
Lynch<br />
Veolia North America<br />
Virginia Tile<br />
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP<br />
Wells Fargo<br />
West Michigan Woman<br />
Wheelhouse<br />
Dr. Bart & Wendy Williams<br />
Williams Kitchen & Bath<br />
Greg & Meg Willit<br />
Wolverine Worldwide<br />
Women’s LifeStyle Magazine<br />
Zip Xpress Inc.<br />
Jim & Jane Zwiers<br />
“Your belief in our work and your<br />
dedication, commitment and<br />
generosity have served as the<br />
Institute’s bedrock since it was<br />
founded in 1996. We are eternally<br />
grateful.”<br />
— David Van Andel<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO<br />
David Van Andel is Chairman and CEO of Van Andel<br />
Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is also an<br />
entrepreneur involved in several other business interests<br />
in the natural and life science products industries.<br />
The son of Jay Van Andel, founder of Van Andel Institute<br />
and co-founder of Amway Corporation, David is currently<br />
a member of Amway’s Board of Directors and serves on<br />
its Executive, Governance and Audit committees. Before<br />
leading Van Andel Institute, he had held various positions<br />
at Amway since 1977, including chief operating officer<br />
of Amway’s Pyxis Innovations Business Unit, and was<br />
senior vice president — Americas and Europe, overseeing<br />
Amway business activities in North America and 22<br />
European and 11 Latin American affiliates.<br />
Jerry Callahan, Ph.D., M.B.A.<br />
Vice President, Innovation & Collaboration Officer<br />
Jana Hall, Ph.D., M.B.A.<br />
Chief Operations Officer<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer, Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Timothy Myers, M.B.A, C.P.A.<br />
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer<br />
Terra Tarango<br />
Director & Chief Education Officer, Van Andel Education Institute<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.<br />
President & Dean, Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
Linda Zarzecki, M.B.A<br />
Vice President of Human Resources<br />
52 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong><br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 53
BOARD & COUNCIL MEMBERS<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Van Andel Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
Joan Budden<br />
President & CEO, Priority Health<br />
John Kennedy<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer, Autocam Medical<br />
Mark Meijer<br />
President, Life E.M.S. Ambulance<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) MARK MEIJER, JOHN KENNEDY &<br />
DAVID VAN ANDEL (NOT PICTURED) JOAN BUDDEN.<br />
Van Andel Research Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
Tom R. DeMeester, M.D.<br />
Professor & Chairman Emeritus, Department<br />
of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of<br />
Southern California<br />
James B. Fahner, M.D.<br />
Chief, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology; Senior<br />
Administrative Physician for Philanthropy & Community<br />
Relations, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital<br />
Michelle Le Beau, Ph.D.<br />
Professor of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology;<br />
Director, University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer<br />
Center; Director, Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory,<br />
University of Chicago<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scientific Fellow, Founding Research Director,<br />
Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Max S. Wicha, M.D.<br />
Distinguished Professor of Oncology; Professor,<br />
Department of Internal Medicine; Founding Director,<br />
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center<br />
Van Andel Education Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
James E. Bultman, Ed.D.<br />
Former President, Hope College<br />
Susan Keipper Meell<br />
Chief Executive Officer, MMS Education<br />
Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D.<br />
President Emeritus, Aquinas College; Past President &<br />
CEO of Kalamazoo Foundation & Grand Rapids Community<br />
College<br />
Teresa Weatherall Neal<br />
Superintendent of Schools, Grand Rapids Public Schools<br />
Van Andel Research Institute External<br />
Scientific Advisory Board<br />
Tony Hunter, Ph.D. (ESAB Chair)<br />
Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology Laboratory; American<br />
Cancer Society Professor; Renato Dulbecco Chair; Deputy<br />
Director, Salk Institute Cancer Center<br />
Marie-Francoise Chesselet, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Professor of Neurology & Neurobiology,<br />
Emerita, UCLA<br />
Van Andel Research Institute External Scientific Advisory Board (continued)<br />
Sharon Y.R. Dent, Ph.D.<br />
Professor & Chair, Department of Epigenetics & Molecular<br />
Carcinogenesis; Director, Science Part; Director, Center for<br />
Cancer Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center<br />
Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Chancellor, Health Affairs; Dean, School of Medicine,<br />
University of California Irvine School of Medicine;<br />
CEO, UC Irvine Health System<br />
Theresa Ann Guise, M.D.<br />
Jerry W. & Peg S. Throgmartin Professor of Oncology,<br />
Professor of Medicine; Professor of Pharmacology,<br />
Department of Medicine, Indiana University School<br />
of Medicine<br />
Arthur D. Riggs, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City<br />
of Hope; Director Emeritus, Beckman Research Institute<br />
of City of Hope<br />
Max S. Wicha, M.D.<br />
Madeline & Sidney Forbes Professor of Oncology; Founding<br />
Director Emeritus; Director, Forbes Institute for Cancer<br />
Discovery, University of Michigan Comprehensive<br />
Cancer Center<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
Board of Directors<br />
James Fahner, M.D.<br />
Chief, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology; Senior<br />
Administrative Physician for Philanthropy & Community<br />
Relations, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital<br />
Michael J. Imperiale, Ph.D.<br />
Vice President of Research — Policy & Compliance;<br />
Professor & Associate Chair, Department of Microbiology &<br />
Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer, Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Pamela Kidd, M.D.<br />
Former Medical Director, Hematology & Flow Cytometry<br />
Laboratories of Spectrum Health & Helen DeVos Children’s<br />
Hospital<br />
Karen Klomparens, Ph.D.<br />
Former Dean of the Graduate School & Senior Advisor to<br />
the Provost, Michigan State University<br />
Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D.<br />
President Emeritus, Aquinas College; Past President &<br />
CEO of Kalamazoo Foundation & Grand Rapids Community<br />
College<br />
Danny R. Welch, Ph.D.<br />
Founding Chair, Department of Cancer Biology, University<br />
of Kansas Cancer Center<br />
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BOARD & COUNCIL MEMBERS (continued)<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Van Andel Institute Board of Governors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: TIM LONG & VICKY LUDEMA<br />
JBoard Ambassadors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: RACHEL MRAZ & CHAD BASSETT<br />
Kurt Arvidson<br />
Tony & Kathleen Asselta<br />
Jeffrey Battershall<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
David & Jill Bielema<br />
Chuck & Christine Boelkins<br />
Chuck & Sara Booth<br />
Patrick & Kristine Brady<br />
Joan Budden<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Tom & Tracy Curran<br />
Dave & Karen Custer<br />
Stephen J. Czech<br />
Thomas DeJonge<br />
Robert DeVilbiss<br />
Dick & Betsy DeVos<br />
Douglas & Maria DeVos<br />
Richard DeVos<br />
Mark Eastburg<br />
Michael & Lynette Ellis<br />
Mathew & Jennifer Fahrenkrug<br />
Thomas & Mickie Fox<br />
Dan & Lou Ann Gaydou<br />
Gary Granger<br />
Martin & Margaret Greydanus<br />
Jefra Groendyk<br />
Dr. Thomas J. Haas<br />
Dr. Jana Hall<br />
Tom Hammer<br />
Paul & Rosemary Heule<br />
Dirk & June Hoffius<br />
Earle & Kyle Irwin<br />
Mike & Sue Jandernoa<br />
Lynne Jarman-Johnson<br />
Dr. Peter A. & Veronica Jones<br />
John & Nancy Kennedy<br />
Craig & Debra Kinney<br />
Reneé Kuipers<br />
Raymond & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Kenneth Larm<br />
Wayne & Terry Lobdell<br />
Ray B. Loeschner<br />
Timothy & Kimberly Long<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
David Madiol<br />
Michael R. McGraw<br />
Hank & Liesel Meijer<br />
Mark & Mary Beth Meijer<br />
Rusty & Jennifer Merchant<br />
Jack H. Miller<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Dr. Juan & Mary Olivarez<br />
Garry & Pat Ringnalda<br />
Jeffery Roberts<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
H. Gideon Sanders<br />
Tim & Barbie Schowalter<br />
Peter & Joan Secchia<br />
Tony & Dawn Semple<br />
George & Missy Sharpe<br />
Kasie Smith<br />
John & Judy Spoelhof<br />
Robert & Susan Stafford<br />
Thomas & Mary Stuit<br />
Duke Suwyn<br />
Steve & Cheryl Timyan<br />
Dr. Steven & Laura Triezenberg<br />
Stephen & Anne Tuuk<br />
David & Carol Van Andel<br />
Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Maria Van Til<br />
Dr. George Vande Woude<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
Allen & Nancy VanderLaan<br />
Don VanDine<br />
David & Beth VanPortfliet<br />
Christopher & Dana Vinton<br />
Phillip & Kathleen Vogelsang<br />
Tom Welch<br />
Geoffrey & LeeAnne Widlak<br />
Scott & Rebecca Wierda<br />
James & Sue Williams<br />
Greg Willit & Meg Miller Willit<br />
Leslie & Jane Wong<br />
James & Jane Zwiers<br />
Dr. Dorothy C. Armstrong<br />
Keegan Balk<br />
Robert & Katie Barcelona<br />
Chad Bassett<br />
Lindsay Benedict<br />
Christopher Billmeier<br />
Paige Cornetet<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
Jenna DeBest<br />
Aaron & Afton DeVos<br />
Samuel DeVries<br />
Tad Dobre<br />
Alex Ehlert-VanBeveren<br />
Jennifer Fischer<br />
David Granger<br />
Mary Hilger<br />
April Hirdes<br />
Ken Hoffman & Lisa Rose<br />
Jordan Hoyer<br />
Jason & Brandi Huyser<br />
Eric Jones<br />
Alison Keutgen<br />
Kevin & Katie Kileen<br />
Eric Kovalak<br />
Michael & Andrea Leestma<br />
Michael Lomonaco<br />
Casey Lowery<br />
Geoff Ludema<br />
Peter Medema<br />
Elizabeth Mines<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Christopher & Alyssa Nance<br />
Dana Nicholson<br />
Kendra Osowski<br />
Matt & Beth Osterhaven<br />
Gregory Paplawsky<br />
Eric Payne<br />
Stacy Peck<br />
Leland & Alexandra Perez<br />
Justin Pinto<br />
Cody Pletcher<br />
Nicole Probst<br />
Jeff & Deidre Remtema<br />
Charlie & Tanya Rowerdink<br />
Alex Schrotenboer<br />
Lisa Schrotenboer<br />
Lindsay Slagboom<br />
Jon & Allison Sleight<br />
Meriden Smucker<br />
Joseph Spoelhof<br />
Timothy Streit<br />
Mark Stuit<br />
Elizabeth Terhorst<br />
Bob Tsironis<br />
Aaron & Hailey Van Andel<br />
Chris Van Andel<br />
Jesse & Heather Van Andel<br />
Kyle Van Andel<br />
Daniel VandenBosch<br />
Sarah Vander Baan<br />
David & Sarah Vanderveen<br />
Sydney Vinton<br />
Alison Waske Sutter<br />
Allie Wittenbach<br />
Aaron Wong<br />
Megan Zubrickas<br />
Thank you, Board of Governors.<br />
Thank you, JBoard Ambassadors.<br />
As members of the Van Andel Institute Board of Governors, you serve as ambassadors who help advance the Institute’s mission and vision in the local community.<br />
Thank you for being our partners and contributing significantly to our success.<br />
As JBoard Ambassadors, you are leaders who exhibit the power of young professionals to make a difference. We appreciate the energy and dedication you bring to the Institute.<br />
Thank you for your vision and your friendship in our efforts to improve the health and enhance the lives of current and future generations.<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2018</strong> | 57
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