2017 Annual Report
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ANNUAL REPORT<br />
<strong>2017</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.
Table of Contents<br />
2 A Letter from David Van Andel<br />
4 Research<br />
6 Beyond the Brain<br />
8 Translating Discovery into Life-Changing Care<br />
10 Meet Van Andel Research Institute’s<br />
Principal Investigators<br />
16 Investigating Life's Smallest Components<br />
18 Going Further, Together<br />
20 Education<br />
22 Connecting Two Worlds<br />
24 Van Andel Education Institute, NASA & the<br />
Girl Scouts Team Up to Take Girls to the Stars!<br />
25 Bea Aldrink Idema Foundation Provides<br />
Students with a Summer of Discovery<br />
26 Donors & Philanthropic Partners<br />
28 Profiles in Hope — Van Andel Institute Donors<br />
Turn Love & Loss into Action<br />
30 Events Photos<br />
36 A Perfect Day, an Unforgettable Memory<br />
38 Sources of Funding<br />
39 Society of Hope<br />
40 Signature Special Event Sponsors<br />
41 Institute Leadership Team<br />
42 Board & Council Members<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
A Letter from David Van Andel<br />
Dear Friends,<br />
This has been a year of extraordinary progress. Your<br />
generous support has helped us expand collaborations,<br />
achieve record levels of grant funding, publish more<br />
scientific advances than ever before and move closer to<br />
solving the mysteries surrounding some of humanity’s<br />
most devastating diseases.<br />
Our collaborations with researchers, educators and worldclass<br />
organizations have united us all with a common<br />
goal — to conquer diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s as<br />
quickly as possible. In Grand Rapids, we are discovering<br />
new ways to work together and build a critical mass of<br />
talent in the region. At the same time, we’re reaching<br />
out across the world, expanding collaborations with an<br />
impressive list of leading organizations, scientists and<br />
physicians.<br />
External recognition for the work we do has reached<br />
an all-time high and is reflected in the 37 new funding<br />
awards our scientists earned in <strong>2017</strong> totaling $27.7<br />
million, including $23.6 million in federal grants. We also<br />
broke another Van Andel Institute record in <strong>2017</strong>, with<br />
publications of scientific discoveries reaching an all-time<br />
high — 145 scientific papers, 132 of them peer-reviewed.<br />
Many of these studies were published in prestigious<br />
journals, such as Nature and Proceedings of the National<br />
Academy of Sciences, which reinforces the real-world impact<br />
of our work.<br />
Discoveries at VAI are providing important clues to better<br />
understand how our bodies function in health and disease.<br />
To aid in this endeavor, we installed one of the world’s most<br />
powerful microscopes, called a cryo-electron microscope.<br />
Already, it is revealing intricate molecular secrets, detailing<br />
three-dimensional, atomic-level portraits of life’s smallest<br />
components, which will help us understand disease and<br />
devise new targets for drug therapies. In addition, our<br />
Parkinson’s research is unlocking vital clues to how the<br />
disease may be triggered through inflammation and factors<br />
in the nose and gut.<br />
As we move into our third decade, we continue to push<br />
toward creating a better tomorrow through the work we do<br />
today. Your encouragement and generosity help us build<br />
that brighter future for generations to come. Thank you for<br />
all you’ve done to help us achieve these vital goals.<br />
Warmly,<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO<br />
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VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 3
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 />
4 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE<br />
ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 5
Beyond the Brain Do the secrets of Parkinson's lie in the nose, the gut and inflammation?<br />
In 1817, British surgeon James Parkinson penned the<br />
first medical description of the disease that now bears<br />
his name. He chronicled a singular, inexplicable disorder<br />
that afflicted his patients — usually people advanced in<br />
age — with tremors and rigidity, eventually robbing them of<br />
their ability to move.<br />
Two hundred years have passed since then, and in many<br />
ways, the causes of Parkinson’s have continued to defy<br />
definition. But now, thanks to recent breakthroughs and<br />
technological advancements, scientists are chipping away at<br />
the seemingly impenetrable façade of Parkinson's disease,<br />
revealing a complex tapestry of causes, symptoms and<br />
molecular mechanisms that may revolutionize patient care<br />
and improve the lives of millions around the globe.<br />
Connecting the dots<br />
For much of the time since the initial publication of James<br />
Parkinson’s Essay on the Shaking Palsy, Parkinson’s disease<br />
was considered a purely motor condition, largely attributed<br />
to a brain progressively starved of the neurotransmitter<br />
dopamine, which controls voluntary movement. Like many<br />
other conditions, Parkinson's was viewed as one disease<br />
with likely one cure out there somewhere, waiting to be<br />
discovered.<br />
The reality, said Dr. Patrik Brundin, Van Andel Research<br />
Institute associate director of research, isn’t quite so<br />
clear cut.<br />
“Parkinson’s is an incredibly diverse disease and can vary<br />
widely from person to person,” Brundin said. “Its study<br />
and treatment necessitate a sophisticated approach and<br />
require us to recognize there may not just be one solution<br />
but many.”<br />
Under Brundin’s leadership, scientists in the Institute’s<br />
Center for Neurodegenerative Science working with<br />
collaborators around the world are tackling Parkinson’s<br />
from every angle, investigating its risk factors, its causes<br />
and its vulnerabilities. Their goal? To find ways to slow or<br />
stop its progression, something no current therapy can do.<br />
Moving past motor symptoms<br />
We now know that a host of seemingly unrelated<br />
symptoms can predate a Parkinson’s diagnosis by years, or<br />
even decades. Chief among them are the loss of a person’s<br />
sense of smell and intestinal issues, such as constipation.<br />
“For a long time, we didn’t entirely grasp the significance<br />
of these other, non-motor symptoms,” Brundin said. “Now,<br />
we understand they are not only important precursors<br />
but also hint at the very basis of the disease itself. If we<br />
understand what’s happening early on in the disease,<br />
before motor symptoms appear, we can harness that<br />
knowledge to find ways to slow or possibly prevent it.”<br />
In a series of discoveries, the most recent published in<br />
<strong>2017</strong>, Brundin’s team revealed how a toxic protein called<br />
alpha-synuclein, long linked to Parkinson’s, travels from<br />
the nose into the olfactory bulb, the area of the brain<br />
responsible for processing scents. From there, these<br />
proteins move from cell to cell, clogging up the molecular<br />
machinery required to keep cells healthy and functioning.<br />
These proteins eventually reach a region rich with<br />
dopamine-producing cells, where scientists theorize alphasynuclein<br />
wreaks havoc, killing cells and starving the brain<br />
of the chemical needed for movement.<br />
The nose isn’t the only place harboring a reserve of toxic<br />
proteins with a direct route to the brain. Something similar<br />
may also be happening in the gut, which is connected to<br />
the brain via the “superhighway” of the vagus nerve, one<br />
of the longest nerves in the human body. It’s here that<br />
Assistant Professor Dr. Viviane Labrie is searching for<br />
reasons why normal alpha-synuclein changes into its toxic<br />
form and how this process — and its spread to the brain —<br />
could be prevented.<br />
“While the gut and the nose are clearly very different,<br />
they have one important thing in common — frequent<br />
contact with the outside world, through breathing and<br />
food consumption, respectively,” Labrie said. “Although<br />
environmental factors play a role in Parkinson’s disease,<br />
they can’t be the only things. We all breathe, and we all eat,<br />
but we all don’t get Parkinson’s. There has to be something<br />
else at play.”<br />
The tipping point<br />
The secret may lie, at least partially, in yet another normal<br />
process gone haywire. Inflammation is the body’s response<br />
to insult or injury, a manifestation of a marshaled immune<br />
system that sends a chemical flood to help heal a wound<br />
or respond to a stressor. There is a catch though — for<br />
inflammation to help rather than hurt, it must be silenced<br />
when it’s no longer needed. When inflammation sticks<br />
around, it can disrupt normal cellular function, interfering<br />
with processes such as the removal of toxic forms of alphasynuclein.<br />
“We’re learning, thanks to intense research in our lab and<br />
in the labs of our colleagues, that inflammation likely plays<br />
a central role in the incredibly complicated process that<br />
triggers Parkinson’s,” said Associate Professor Dr. Lena<br />
Brundin. “Reducing inflammation is a promising therapeutic<br />
strategy that may provide a tremendous opportunity to<br />
6 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
attack the disease from a new direction.”<br />
Here again, the nose may harbor important clues. Fueled<br />
by a set of new Department of Defense grants totaling<br />
$4.37 million, Dr. Patrik Brundin and collaborators at<br />
University of Southern California and Michigan State<br />
University are investigating the role of air pollution as a<br />
potential contributing factor to Parkinson’s. Their theory?<br />
That environmental factors such as pollution build on<br />
a person’s specific genetic influences and age — the<br />
single greatest risk factor for Parkinson’s — setting off an<br />
uncontrolled inflammatory chain reaction.<br />
Bringing it together<br />
In all, Parkinson’s is likely the result of a complex mix of<br />
genetics, epigenetics and environmental triggers that<br />
set a cascade of problems into motion. Some cause the<br />
abnormal clumping of alpha-synuclein, turning it from a<br />
harmless protein into a toxic one, while others bog down<br />
cellular machinery, interfering with processes designed to<br />
keep cells healthy. Genetic and epigenetic factors almost<br />
certainly are at play as well, influencing individuals’ risk of<br />
developing the disease. Each newly identified contributing<br />
factor reveals a chink in the armor of Parkinson’s, ripe for<br />
targeting by new or repurposed medications.<br />
“We’ve come a long way since James Parkinson put ink to<br />
paper, from viewing the disease as a one-size-fits-all motor<br />
disorder to our current understanding of Parkinson’s as a<br />
diverse multi-system event,” Dr. Patrik Brundin said.<br />
“Together with collaborators around the world, our<br />
scientists are pushing forward quickly. We’re on the edge<br />
of ushering in a monumental change in how Parkinson’s<br />
patients are diagnosed and treated. I’m more excited —<br />
and hopeful — now than ever before.”<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) DR. VIVIANE LABRIE, DR. LENA BRUNDIN & DR. PATRIK BRUNDIN.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 7
Translating Discovery into Life-Changing Care<br />
When it comes to defeating cancer and Parkinson’s<br />
disease, collaboration is one of our strongest assets.<br />
That’s why Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) teamed up<br />
with Stand Up To Cancer, the American Association for<br />
Cancer Research, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, The Michael J.<br />
Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and other leading<br />
organizations, scientists and physicians — to see what we<br />
can do when our collective expertise and resources are<br />
combined. The result is a slate of clinical trials, critical steps<br />
on the road from the lab to the doctor’s office that ensure<br />
new treatments are safe and effective. If successful, these<br />
therapies could help improve the lives of millions of people<br />
suffering from these devastating diseases. Active clinical<br />
trials include the following.<br />
Cancer<br />
The VARI–SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team has six ongoing<br />
clinical trials at medical centers across the U.S. and in<br />
Copenhagen, Denmark. Two of these trials — non-small<br />
cell lung cancer and bladder cancer — are supported by<br />
two of 10 inaugural SU2C Catalyst ® grants, totaling nearly<br />
$5.5 million. The trials are evaluating new combination<br />
treatments for:<br />
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive blood<br />
cancer that is notoriously difficult to treat and has poor<br />
long-term survival.<br />
Bladder cancer, a tough-to-treat cancer that is the sixth<br />
most common type of cancer diagnosed in the U.S.<br />
*Supported by a SU2C Catalyst ® grant<br />
Metastatic colorectal cancer, the second leading cause<br />
of cancer death in men and women combined in the U.S.<br />
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML, which<br />
also are the subjects of a small pilot study that is<br />
investigating whether a simple addition to the standard<br />
care regimen may improve the current therapy’s ability to<br />
impede cancer cell growth and destroy cancer cells. This<br />
combination is also being explored in patients with clonal<br />
cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) — thought<br />
to be a potential precursor to MDS in some patients.<br />
MDS and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML),<br />
two blood cancers that are incurable with current drugs<br />
and that may progress to AML, a much more aggressive<br />
cancer.<br />
Non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of<br />
lung cancer, which accounts for more than 80 percent of<br />
cases. Lung cancers are a major public health problem and<br />
claim more lives annually than any other type of cancer.<br />
*Supported by a SU2C Catalyst ® grant<br />
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RESEARCH<br />
Parkinson's disease<br />
The Linked Clinical Trials (LCT) initiative, spearheaded by<br />
The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and supported by VARI, aims<br />
to shift the paradigm on Parkinson’s treatment from<br />
managing symptoms to slowing or stopping the disease’s<br />
progress. By investigating medications that are already<br />
approved to treat other conditions and that impact the<br />
same biological processes that are at play in Parkinson’s,<br />
scientists hope to cut the time it takes for new, more<br />
effective medications to be approved, getting them to<br />
the people who need them faster. Medications being<br />
investigated by LCT include the following.<br />
Ambroxol, a medication originally developed to treat<br />
respiratory ailments, which has shown promise in<br />
correcting an underlying molecular problem in Parkinson’s.<br />
Deferiprone, a medication that removes excess iron from<br />
the blood and that is being investigated for its potential<br />
to reduce high iron levels in the area of the brain most<br />
affected by Parkinson’s.<br />
EPI-589, an experimental drug originally designed to treat<br />
rare mitochondrial diseases in children.<br />
A growing body of evidence suggests similar dysfunctions in<br />
mitochondria, the power plants of cells, may also contribute<br />
to Parkinson’s.<br />
Exenatide, a Type 2 diabetes medication that has shown<br />
outstanding promise in lab experiments and clinical trials as<br />
a therapy that may slow the progression of Parkinson’s.<br />
Following positive results from a phase two trial reported in<br />
<strong>2017</strong>, plans for a larger, phase three trial are in the works.<br />
Liraglutide, a Type 2 diabetes medication that belongs<br />
to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists and prompts the<br />
release of insulin, thereby lowering glucose levels in the<br />
blood when bound to its receptor.<br />
Recent findings suggest that when liraglutide activates<br />
these receptors in the brain, the drug provides protection<br />
against degenerative damage to key brain cells, specifically<br />
those affected in Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Nilotinib, a medication originally developed to treat the<br />
blood cancer leukemia. This multicenter trial is supported<br />
by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research,<br />
The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and VARI.<br />
Simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering medication that is<br />
part of the PD-STAT trial, which is underway at 21 medical<br />
centers across the United Kingdom.<br />
Learn more at vai.org/clinical-trials.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 9
Meet Van Andel Research Institute’s Principal Investigators<br />
Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) is composed of three centers and 32 principal<br />
investigators, each with their own area of expertise and research projects.<br />
VARI Leadership<br />
Peter Jones<br />
Chief Scientific Officer;<br />
Director, Center for<br />
Epigenetics<br />
Peter Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc., is a<br />
pioneer in epigenetics, a growing<br />
field that explores how genes<br />
are regulated and provides new avenues for developing<br />
therapies for cancer and other diseases. His discoveries<br />
have helped usher in an entirely new class of drugs that<br />
have been approved to treat blood cancer and are being<br />
investigated in other tumor types. Dr. Jones is a member<br />
of the National Academy of Sciences and the American<br />
Academy of Arts & Sciences. He and his colleague<br />
Dr. Stephen Baylin co-lead the Van Andel Research<br />
Institute–Stand Up To Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team.<br />
Dr. Jones is the Institute's chief scientific officer and<br />
director of its Center for Epigenetics.<br />
10 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><br />
Patrik Brundin<br />
Associate Director of<br />
Research; Director, Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science<br />
Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
investigates molecular mechanisms<br />
in Parkinson’s disease, and his<br />
goals are to develop new therapies aimed at slowing<br />
or stopping disease progression or repairing damage.<br />
He is one of the top-cited researchers in the field of<br />
neurodegenerative disease and leads international efforts<br />
to repurpose drugs to treat Parkinson’s. Brundin is director<br />
of the Center for Neurodegenerative Science and associate<br />
director of research for VARI.<br />
Bart Williams<br />
Director, Center for Cancer<br />
and Cell Biology<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D., studies the<br />
building blocks of bone growth on<br />
behalf of the millions suffering from<br />
diseases such as osteoporosis.<br />
He seeks new ways of altering cell signaling pathways<br />
to encourage healthy bone development and deter the<br />
spread of cancer to the skeleton. Williams is director of the<br />
Center for Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg<br />
Dean, Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School; Professor,<br />
Center for Epigenetics<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.,<br />
explores the genetic and epigenetic<br />
control systems of viruses to<br />
understand how infections progress and to reveal new<br />
ways to stop those infections. His discoveries with herpes<br />
simplex viruses have opened up new possibilities for<br />
antiviral drug development and have revealed new insights<br />
into how human cells control gene expression. In addition<br />
to running a lab at VARI, Dr. Triezenberg is the founding<br />
dean of Van Andel Institute Graduate School.<br />
Scott Jewell<br />
Director, Core Technologies<br />
and Services<br />
Scott Jewell, Ph.D., leads<br />
Van Andel Research Institute’s<br />
Core Technologies and Services,<br />
which provides technology and<br />
specialized expertise for research investigators. Cores and<br />
services include bioinformatics and biostatistics, cryo-<br />
EM, confocal microscopy and quantitative imaging, flow<br />
cytometry, genomics, pathology and biorepository, smallanimal<br />
imaging, vivarium management and transgenics.<br />
Jewell is a past president of the International Society for<br />
Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER).
RESEARCH<br />
Center for Epigenetics<br />
Research areas: Epigenetics, cancer, heart disease,<br />
neuroepigenetics and structural biology<br />
Stephen Baylin<br />
Stephen Baylin, M.D., studies the<br />
body’s genetic control systems —<br />
called epigenetics — searching<br />
for vulnerabilities in cancer. Baylin<br />
is a leader in this field, ranking<br />
among the first to trace epigenetic<br />
causes of cancer. His studies have led to new therapies for<br />
common cancers, like breast, lung, colorectal and many<br />
others. He is co-leader of the VARI–SU2C Epigenetics<br />
Dream Team with Dr. Peter Jones, co-director of Johns<br />
Hopkins’ Cancer Biology Division and associate director for<br />
research at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.<br />
Stefan Jovinge<br />
Stefan Jovinge, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
develops ways to help the heart<br />
heal itself and has led dozens<br />
of clinical trials in regenerative<br />
medicine. As a critical care<br />
cardiologist and scientist, he uses<br />
a bench-to-bedside approach in an effort to give patients<br />
with serious heart conditions longer, healthier lives. The<br />
clinical platform for his research is the Cardiothoracic<br />
Intensive Care Unit at Spectrum Health Hospital's Fred and<br />
Lena Meijer Heart Center, and the basic science effort in<br />
regenerative medicine is performed at VARI. He serves as<br />
director of the DeVos Cardiovascular Research Program.<br />
Peter W. Laird<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<br />
healthy cells into cancer cells. He is widely regarded<br />
as an international leader in this effort and has helped<br />
design some of the world’s state-of-the-art tools to aid in<br />
epigenetics research. Laird is a principal investigator for the<br />
National Cancer Institute’s Genome Data Analysis Network<br />
and played a leadership role in The Cancer Genome Atlas, a<br />
multi-institutional effort to molecularly map cancers. He is a<br />
professor in the Center for Epigenetics.<br />
Huilin Li<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<br />
20 years, and his research has implications for some of<br />
the world’s most critical public health concerns, including<br />
tuberculosis, cancer, mental illness and many more. He is a<br />
professor in the Center for Epigenetics.<br />
Gerd Pfeifer<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, can<br />
lead to cancer or other diseases.<br />
His studies range from the effects<br />
of tobacco smoke on genetic and epigenetic systems<br />
to the discovery of a mechanism that may help protect<br />
the brain from neurodegeneration. Pfeifer’s studies<br />
have implications across a range of diseases, including<br />
cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes and many others. Pfeifer is a<br />
professor in the Center for Epigenetics.<br />
Scott Rothbart<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 2 meters<br />
of unwound DNA into a space less<br />
than 1/10 th the width of a human<br />
hair. Although this process is impressive, it is also subject<br />
to errors that can cause cancer and other disorders.<br />
Rothbart seeks new targets for drug development in this<br />
process. He is an assistant professor in the Center for<br />
Epigenetics.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 11
Meet Van Andel Research Institute’s Principal Investigators (continued)<br />
Hui Shen<br />
Hui Shen, Ph.D., develops new<br />
approaches to cancer prevention,<br />
detection and treatment by<br />
studying the interaction between<br />
genes and their control systems,<br />
called epigenetics. Her research<br />
focuses on women’s cancers, particularly ovarian cancer,<br />
and has shed new light on the underlying mechanisms of<br />
other cancer types, including breast, kidney and prostate<br />
cancers. She is an assistant professor in the Center for<br />
Epigenetics.<br />
Piroska Szabó<br />
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D., studies the<br />
flow of epigenetic information from<br />
parents to their offspring, with a<br />
focus on how epigenetic markers<br />
are remodeled during egg and<br />
sperm production and how these<br />
markers are rewritten after fertilization. These processes<br />
have profound implications on fertility and embryo<br />
development. Disturbances in epigenetic remodeling are<br />
thought to contribute to disease conditions lasting well into<br />
adulthood. Szabó is an associate professor in the Center<br />
for Epigenetics.<br />
Tim Triche<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<br />
clinical trial designs, in an effort to accelerate the pace<br />
of drug targeting and development in rare or refractory<br />
diseases. Triche is an assistant professor in the Center for<br />
Epigenetics.<br />
Center for Neurodegenerative Science<br />
Research areas: Parkinson’s disease, depression/<br />
suicide, aging, prion disease, Alzheimer’s disease and<br />
neuroepigenetics<br />
Lena Brundin<br />
As a psychiatrist and a scientist,<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D., seeks<br />
ways to diagnose and treat<br />
depression and suicidality by<br />
studying inflammation of the<br />
nervous system. Her findings may<br />
lead to earlier interventions for depressive patients and<br />
for the development of a new class of antidepressants<br />
that targets the immune system. She also investigates<br />
how inflammatory mechanisms can damage nerve cells in<br />
Parkinson’s disease. She is an associate professor in the<br />
Center for Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
Gerhard Coetzee<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D., searches<br />
the human genome for minuscule<br />
changes that contribute to the<br />
onset, progression and drug<br />
resistance of many diseases,<br />
including cancer, Parkinson’s and<br />
rare and heritable disorders. His team deploys genome<br />
sequencing technologies and high-powered computational<br />
arrays to tease out patterns and interactions of markers<br />
and treatment targets from among the human genome’s<br />
more than three billion DNA base pairs. Coetzee is a<br />
professor in the Center for Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
Jeffrey Kordower<br />
Jeffrey Kordower, Ph.D., is an<br />
international authority on the onset<br />
of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and<br />
Huntington’s diseases, and works<br />
to develop new procedures aimed<br />
at slowing disease progression<br />
or reversing damage to the brain. He holds a primary<br />
appointment at Rush University in Chicago and is a<br />
Director’s Scholar at VARI, where he focuses on designing<br />
preclinical studies and clinical trials to translate these new<br />
approaches into meaningful changes for people suffering<br />
with movement disorders.<br />
12 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
Viviane Labrie<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<br />
and progress in an effort to develop improved diagnostics<br />
and treatments. Labrie’s scientific pursuits have deepened<br />
understanding of conditions including Parkinson's,<br />
Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and lactose intolerance.<br />
She has also developed new methods for epigenome<br />
analysis. She is an assistant professor in the Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
Jiyan Ma<br />
Jiyan Ma, Ph.D., studies<br />
abnormal proteins that cause<br />
neurodegenerative diseases,<br />
including Parkinson’s disease and<br />
prion diseases in humans and<br />
animals. His lab has developed<br />
new ways to understand how these proteins spread and<br />
cause diseases in humans and animals. The lab is also<br />
developing new approaches to diagnose and treat these<br />
devastating disorders. Ma is a professor in the Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
Darren Moore<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D., seeks<br />
new diagnostic and treatment<br />
approaches for Parkinson’s by<br />
investigating the inherited form of<br />
the disease, which accounts for 5<br />
to 10 percent of cases. He aims to<br />
translate the understanding of these genetic mutations<br />
into better treatments and new diagnostic tools for<br />
Parkinson’s, both inherited and non-inherited. Discoveries<br />
in Moore’s lab routinely elucidate the faulty molecular<br />
interactions that transform healthy, functioning neurons<br />
into diseased ones. Moore is a professor in the Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
An award-winning year<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, we celebrated the election of two of our<br />
own into prestigious societies, reflecting a lifetime of<br />
scientific achievement and reinforcing the Institute’s<br />
growing reputation as a home for innovative and<br />
impactful research.<br />
Dr. Peter Jones<br />
Chief Scientific Officer<br />
In addition to being awarded a 7-year, $7.8 million<br />
Outstanding Investigator Award from the National<br />
Institutes of Health, Dr. Jones was inducted into the<br />
American Academy of Arts & Sciences, an elite group that<br />
includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60 Pulitzer<br />
Prize winners. His election comes a year after he was<br />
named to the National Academy of Sciences.<br />
Dr. Stephen Baylin<br />
Director’s Scholar, VARI<br />
Co-Head of Cancer Biology, Johns Hopkins University<br />
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center<br />
In May <strong>2017</strong>, Dr. Baylin became the third VARI-affiliated<br />
scientist to be elected to the prestigious National Academy<br />
of Sciences, which was founded in 1863 to advise the<br />
country on matters of science and technology. He joins<br />
Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter Jones and Dr. George<br />
Vande Woude, the Institute’s founding research director<br />
and distinguished scientific fellow, emeritus, among the<br />
society's storied ranks.<br />
With the elections of Drs. Jones and Baylin,<br />
VARI is now home to:<br />
3 members of the National Academy of Sciences<br />
3 members of the American Association for the<br />
Advancement of Science<br />
3 fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research<br />
2 members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 13
Meet Van Andel Research Institute’s Principal Investigators (continued)<br />
Center for Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
Research areas: Asthma, diabetes, neurofibromatosis<br />
Type 1, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sarcoma, tuberous<br />
sclerosis and blood, bone, breast, colorectal, pancreatic<br />
and prostate cancers<br />
Juan Du<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. She is an<br />
assistant professor in the Center<br />
for Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
Patrick Grohar<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<br />
sarcomas and related conditions.<br />
Once these potential therapies are proven safe and<br />
effective in the lab, his team translates these potential<br />
therapies into clinical trials for children with few other<br />
options. He is an associate professor in the Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology and a pediatric oncologist at<br />
Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.<br />
Brian Haab<br />
Brian Haab, Ph.D., searches for new<br />
ways to diagnose and stratify<br />
pancreatic cancers based on the<br />
chemical fingerprints tumors left<br />
behind. Part of the problem Haab<br />
aims to solve is that cancers often<br />
look and behave normally — until after they’ve started<br />
making people sick. Haab is sleuthing out clues to build a<br />
library of diagnostic tools that will help providers diagnose<br />
tumors earlier and optimize treatment. He is a professor in<br />
the Center for Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
Xiaohong Li<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<br />
up years later and grow up to become bone metastases,<br />
causing debilitating pain and complicating treatments. Li<br />
hopes that a better understanding of metastatic cancers<br />
will lead to new diagnostic tests and targeted therapies.<br />
She is an assistant professor in the Center for Cancer and<br />
Cell Biology.<br />
Wei Lü<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<br />
play crucial roles in the development and function of the<br />
nervous system. He is an assistant professor in the Center<br />
for Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
Karsten Melcher<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<br />
and obesity. His expertise extends beyond human cells<br />
— his research into plant hormones may one day lead<br />
to heartier crops that resist drought and help meet the<br />
nutritional demands of a growing global population.<br />
Dr. Melcher is an associate professor in the Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
14 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
Lorenzo Sempere<br />
Lorenzo Sempere, Ph.D., studies<br />
the role of microRNAs in the origin<br />
and growth of cancer. These very<br />
short strands of genetic material<br />
were discovered just over 15<br />
years ago and are now recognized<br />
as dynamic regulatory modules of the larger human<br />
genome. Sempere targets microRNAs in an effort to<br />
develop new cancer drugs, specifically for pancreatic and<br />
breast cancers. He is an assistant professor in the Center<br />
for Cancer and Cell and Biology.<br />
Matt Steensma<br />
Matt Steensma, M.D., studies<br />
the genetic and molecular<br />
factors that cause benign<br />
tumors to become cancers to<br />
find vulnerabilities that may be<br />
targeted for treatment. As a<br />
scientist at VARI and a practicing surgeon at Spectrum<br />
Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, he is committed<br />
to translating scientific discoveries into treatments that<br />
improve patients’ lives.<br />
George Vande Woude<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.,<br />
is a titan in cancer biology. He<br />
is the founding director of<br />
VARI, which he led for a decade.<br />
His discovery and description<br />
of the MET receptor tyrosine<br />
kinase as an oncogene, together with its activating ligand<br />
hepatocyte growth factor, have led to new possibilities<br />
for cancer therapies and revolutionized the way scientists<br />
view the disease, especially in tumor progression. He is a<br />
distinguished scientific fellow, emeritus, in the Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology and a member of the National<br />
Academy of Sciences.<br />
Ning Wu<br />
Ning Wu, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the interface between cellular<br />
metabolism and cellular signaling,<br />
particularly as they relate to<br />
cancer. On the most basic<br />
level, cancer is fundamentally 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. She is an assistant professor in<br />
the Center for Cancer and Cell Biology.<br />
H. Eric Xu<br />
H. Eric Xu, Ph.D., explores<br />
the structure of molecules in<br />
the body’s complex hormone<br />
signaling system, which plays a<br />
vital role in health and disease.<br />
He is particularly known for his<br />
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 />
Tao Yang<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<br />
adult stem cells, which mature into cartilage, fat or bone<br />
tissue — a process that falters with age. Yang seeks a<br />
better understanding of these systems in search of new<br />
treatments for degenerative bone disorders. He is an<br />
assistant professor in the Center for Cancer and<br />
Cell Biology.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 15
Investigating Life's Smallest Components<br />
At first glance, the image rotating on Dr. Huilin<br />
Li’s computer screen looked like a tangled mass of<br />
ribbons, with teal whorls looping through blue ones<br />
and an elegantly spiraling pink whorl running through<br />
the middle.<br />
But Li’s trained eyes saw so much more — a critical piece<br />
of molecular machinery responsible for helping copy DNA,<br />
the instructions for life, revealed in never-before-seen<br />
detail thanks to a revolutionary technology called<br />
cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).<br />
For Li and his colleagues in Van Andel Research Institute’s<br />
(VARI) growing team of structural biologists, cryo-EM offers<br />
an unprecedented look at a world that is minuscule in size<br />
and massive in impact, a realm of tiny molecular workers<br />
that control every aspect of biological function in health<br />
and disease.<br />
“Cryo-EM is like space exploration in reverse — rather<br />
than seeking out the cosmos with powerful telescopes,<br />
technology is turned inward, revealing the structures of<br />
life’s smallest components in remarkable clarity,” Li said.<br />
“Because the shape of molecules is intimately linked to<br />
their role in the body, understanding exactly what they look<br />
like has immense potential for improving human health.”<br />
The right tools and the right people at the right time<br />
Although cryo-EM has been around for decades, advances<br />
in technology and technique have only recently turned it<br />
into a scientific juggernaut, even landing cryo-EM a coveted<br />
spot as Nature Method’s Breakthrough of the Year in 2015.<br />
Discovery after discovery continue to reinforce cryo-EM's<br />
value as a research tool, evidenced by the breathtaking<br />
images of previously elusive molecules that frequently<br />
adorn the covers of scientific journals around the world.<br />
16 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><br />
One thing was clear — to be a structural biology<br />
powerhouse, VARI needed to join the cryo-EM community.<br />
With the generous support of CEO David Van Andel and the<br />
hard work of people across the Institute, VARI’s $10 million<br />
David Van Andel Advanced Cryo-Electron Microscopy Suite<br />
was up and running by early <strong>2017</strong> — a massive undertaking<br />
and an even more impressive achievement given the<br />
extensive renovations, installations and recruitment efforts<br />
required for completion.<br />
“The opening of our cryo-EM facility is a testament to the<br />
Institute’s commitment to life-changing science and the<br />
exemplary vision of our leadership, board and scientific<br />
team,” said Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter Jones. “Cryo-EM<br />
gives us insight that has never before been attainable. We<br />
believe the result will be nothing short of a revolution in<br />
our biological understanding that will lead to more effective<br />
medications for a multitude of diseases.”<br />
The crown jewel of the facility is an FEI Titan Krios from<br />
Thermo Fisher Scientific, a behemoth of a microscope that<br />
can visualize molecules 1/10,000 th the width of a human<br />
hair. There are fewer than 120 Krioses in use globally,<br />
placing the Institute in the elite company of some of the<br />
world’s top-tier research organizations.<br />
As the suite was being built, VARI also grew its structural<br />
biology team, recruiting cryo-EM experts whose strengths<br />
aligned with the Institute’s mission of impacting human<br />
health. These new recruits joined VARI scientists<br />
Dr. H. Eric Xu and Dr. Karsten Melcher, both internationally<br />
recognized structural biologists who played key roles in<br />
bringing cryo-EM to VARI.<br />
The first to arrive were facility manager Dr. Gongpu Zhao,<br />
“Each day, our scientists<br />
are pushing the boundaries<br />
of what was once thought<br />
to be impossible, always<br />
with an eye on building a<br />
better tomorrow.”<br />
Dr. Peter Jones<br />
whose previous achievements included producing the<br />
first cryo-EM images of the HIV-1 virus’s inner shell, and Li,<br />
whose work has revealed mechanisms at the very basis of<br />
life. They were joined in <strong>2017</strong> by Dr. Wei Lü and<br />
Dr. Juan Du, who use cryo-EM to investigate molecules<br />
crucial to development and function of the brain and the<br />
nervous system.<br />
The team didn’t waste any time getting to work.<br />
From idea to application<br />
The beauty of cryo-EM lies in its speed and its ability to<br />
allow scientists to view molecular structures in their natural<br />
state, rather than the tough-to-produce crystallized form<br />
that some gold standard methods require. It works by flash<br />
freezing molecules and scanning them with an electron<br />
beam, a process that generates hundreds of thousands<br />
of two-dimensional images that are then assembled via<br />
computer into a three-dimensional portrait.<br />
The results are stunning in their clarity, allowing novel
RESEARCH<br />
observations that push scientific research into new<br />
directions and open additional avenues for therapeutic<br />
development. Because the function of a molecule is closely<br />
tied to its shape, the ability to see a molecule's structure in<br />
intricate detail gives scientists powerful insights that may<br />
be translated into new medications for a host of diseases.<br />
Think of it like a lock and key: If you know what the lock<br />
looks like, you can cut a key to fit it. In much the same way,<br />
scientists can design medications that link up with specific<br />
proteins, correcting a dysfunctional process. The result? A<br />
new, hopefully more effective treatment.<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, the first two structures determined wholly on the<br />
Institute’s Krios were announced in prestigious journals.<br />
In October, Li and collaborators at Cold Spring Harbor<br />
Laboratory and Imperial College London published a<br />
portrait of Mcm2-7 helicase, a molecular complex that<br />
triggers DNA replication and plays a key role in the cell<br />
divisions that sustain life, in the Proceedings of the National<br />
Academy of Sciences. In December, Lü and Du’s images of<br />
the TRPM4 receptor, a protein that may be an important<br />
drug target for stroke and traumatic brain injury, appeared<br />
in the pages of Nature.<br />
Both are exceptional achievements on their own, but<br />
together, they are a herald of discoveries to come.<br />
“Science often comes down to the details, meaning that<br />
sometimes the smallest things may help solve the biggest<br />
problems,” Jones said. “Each day, our scientists are pushing<br />
the boundaries of what was once thought to be impossible,<br />
always with an eye on building a better tomorrow.”<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) 3D STRUCTURE OF TRPM4 RECEPTOR; 3D STRUCTURE OF MCM2-7 HELICASE.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 17
Going Further, Together Building a culture of collaboration in Grand Rapids<br />
In the past 30 years, Grand Rapids has undergone<br />
a renaissance — one that has revitalized the city's<br />
economy and transformed a formerly sleepy hilltop<br />
into a thriving center of scientific discovery and<br />
innovation.<br />
Once known as a manufacturing hub, the city is becoming<br />
a leader in research aimed at improving human health,<br />
a reputation that grows each day thanks to a vibrant<br />
community of scientists, educators and health care<br />
professionals who call Grand Rapids home.<br />
Nowhere is this more evident than the city’s Medical Mile,<br />
a stretch of Michigan Avenue that includes Van Andel<br />
Institute (VAI), Spectrum Health, Michigan State University<br />
(MSU) College of Human Medicine, Grand Valley State<br />
University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community<br />
College and University of Michigan-Metro Health, and is<br />
close to collaborators such as Mercy Health and Mary<br />
Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The impact of these<br />
organizations and of the community’s investment in their<br />
success is undeniable — since the groundbreaking of<br />
Breaking records<br />
As the economic impact of the Medical Mile continues to<br />
grow, so, too, does the amount of external funding earned<br />
by VARI scientists.<br />
Attaining federal funding is of special importance because<br />
it serves as a stamp of scientific validation, thanks in<br />
part to rigorous application and peer-review processes,<br />
and communicates to the world at large that third-party<br />
experts have found the work robust and valuable.<br />
the Institute in 1996, the Medical Mile has sparked more<br />
than $3 billion in research, education and health care<br />
infrastructure and is now home to more than 65 scientists<br />
and their labs.<br />
“The spirit of teamwork is alive and well in Grand Rapids,<br />
and is propelling the city to international prominence,”<br />
said Dr. Peter Jones, the Institute’s chief scientific officer.<br />
“No single organization did this alone; instead, it was a<br />
collaborative effort bolstered by a dedicated, passionate<br />
community that achieved the success we have today.”<br />
In September <strong>2017</strong>, the Medical Mile continued its<br />
trajectory with the opening of Michigan State University’s<br />
Grand Rapids Research Center, just down the hill from VAI.<br />
The six-story, 162,800-square-foot facility will house 44 labs<br />
dedicated to a mission that parallels the Institute’s — to<br />
enhance health through cutting-edge biomedical research.<br />
VAI and MSU have long collaborated on an institutional<br />
and an individual level, thanks in part to the many MSU<br />
scientists whose labs resided at the Institute until the<br />
Another important metric used to measure the Institute’s<br />
scientific impact is the publication of discoveries in<br />
scientific journals.<br />
We’re pleased to report that in <strong>2017</strong>, VARI scientists<br />
excelled on both fronts, earning more peer-reviewed<br />
federal grant funding and publishing more scientific papers<br />
than any other year in the Institute’s history.<br />
Grand Rapids Research Center opened in the fall and<br />
the close proximity of MSU College of Human Medicine’s<br />
Secchia Center, just across Michigan Avenue. With both<br />
organizations charting a course toward ambitious growth,<br />
which will at least double the number of world-class<br />
scientists in Grand Rapids, we plan to take our partnership<br />
to the next level.<br />
By sharing core scientific services, such as high-powered<br />
sequencing technology and analytical expertise,<br />
investigators at MSU and VAI will have an even more robust<br />
scientific support system bolstering their efforts. The goal<br />
is to further build a dynamic scientific environment, one<br />
in which investigators can focus on their life-changing<br />
research with easy access to the necessary resources.<br />
“We expect the results of our continued collaboration to<br />
be nothing short of transformative,” Jones said. “Together<br />
with all of our colleagues in Grand Rapids, we look<br />
forward to making our vision of a healthier, better<br />
tomorrow a reality.”<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, VARI scientists ...<br />
• Received 37 new awards totaling $27.7 million<br />
(life of award)<br />
• Of those, 18 awards, or $23.6 million, are federal grants<br />
(life of award)<br />
• Published 145 publications, 132 of which are<br />
peer-reviewed<br />
18 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 19
Van Andel Education Institute<br />
is dedicated to creating classrooms where curiosity, creativity and critical<br />
thinking thrive.<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
develops future leaders in biomedical research through an intense<br />
problem-focused Ph.D. degree in cell and molecular genetics.<br />
20 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 21
Connecting Two Worlds<br />
Dylan Dues is a graduate student on a decidedly<br />
difficult path — a path that requires long hours<br />
spent absorbing information, laboratory work and<br />
multiple rotations in a clinical setting. Dues is on his<br />
way to becoming a physician–scientist — a rare specialty<br />
that serves as a bridge between the research lab and<br />
clinical work with patients. Enrolled in the unique M.D./<br />
Ph.D. Dual Degree Program established by Van Andel<br />
Institute Graduate School (VAIGS) and the Michigan<br />
State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine, he is<br />
at the very beginning of a lifelong professional journey.<br />
Dues became interested in pursuing this demanding<br />
degree after working as a lab technician in one of VAI’s<br />
Parkinson’s disease research labs and volunteering as<br />
an undergraduate student on a neurology team at Le<br />
Bonheur Children's Hospital in Germantown, Tennessee.<br />
As a volunteer working alongside a team of physicians,<br />
he got to see firsthand the limits of therapeutic options<br />
available for epilepsy and other neurological disorders.<br />
He also developed a deeper understanding of the<br />
importance of biomedical research in the development<br />
of new therapies.<br />
“Volunteering at the children’s hospital made me reflect<br />
on the multitude of reasons people seek medical care,<br />
and how limited we really are regarding what we can<br />
offer them,” Dues said. “Because of biomedical research,<br />
we know more than ever about human diseases,<br />
but there are still a lot of barriers between what we<br />
understand scientifically and how that knowledge can be<br />
translated into effective therapies for patients.”<br />
Working as a physician–scientist will give Dues the<br />
opportunity to cross the many barriers that separate the<br />
lab from the clinic and focus on providing the best care<br />
possible for his patients and those who might benefit<br />
from his research.<br />
“If I am working as a physician and I find something<br />
interesting or difficult to treat, as a trained scientist, I<br />
can take what I’ve learned in the clinic back to the lab<br />
and study it further — and being able to do that is pretty<br />
rare,” Dues said. “And conversely, working as a scientist<br />
with direct access to the clinic, I can be the missing link<br />
between what is known now, what we might discover<br />
later and how these lab discoveries might impact a<br />
patient’s treatment in the future.”<br />
Uniquely positioned for translational research<br />
Started in 2010, the collaborative M.D./Ph.D. Dual<br />
Degree Program was designed to offer a path for<br />
students who wanted to work in two symbiotic but<br />
separate worlds. Students enrolled in the program work<br />
toward a medical degree at MSU’s College of Human<br />
Medicine while also pursuing a Ph.D. degree at VAIGS.<br />
The program integrates curriculum and hands-on lab<br />
and clinical training that is tailor-made for ambitious<br />
students like Dues who want to work in the lab and the<br />
clinic. According to Dr. Steven J. Triezenberg, president<br />
and dean of VAIGS, the program is a continuation of the<br />
Institute’s commitment to science education that has a<br />
lasting and profound impact on human health and<br />
well-being.<br />
“Van Andel Institute Graduate School’s mission is to<br />
train scientists who are working on medically relevant<br />
questions that might one day impact patient care,”<br />
Triezenberg said. “Physician–scientists are uniquely<br />
positioned for translational research because they have<br />
the opportunity to see problems in the clinic firsthand<br />
that need to be solved, and then they can use their skills<br />
in the lab to develop new therapeutic solutions.”<br />
“Graduate students at the<br />
Institute are treated like<br />
budding professionals. It’s<br />
exciting to be in a program<br />
where faculty have a real<br />
interest in seeing you become<br />
a physician–scientist.”<br />
Dylan Dues<br />
As medicine becomes more personalized and granular,<br />
Triezenberg sees physician–scientists playing a greater<br />
role in medicine.<br />
“I think we will see interest in this program increase in<br />
the next few years,” Triezenberg said. “National studies<br />
have highlighted the importance of people who can<br />
function comfortably in two worlds and can find ways<br />
to make connections between them in order to benefit<br />
patient care.”<br />
The Institute’s mission to develop improved treatments<br />
22 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
EDUCATION<br />
for patients, focus on basic as well as translational<br />
research and culture of collaboration gives Dues a<br />
learning experience that is tailor-made for his passion.<br />
“Graduate students at the Institute are treated like<br />
budding professionals. It’s exciting to be in a program<br />
where faculty have a real interest in seeing you become<br />
a physician–scientist,” Dues said. “People tell me I’m<br />
crazy all the time for taking so much on, but I’ve never<br />
been one to shy away from a difficult problem or an<br />
insurmountable task. I’m where I need to be.”<br />
DYLAN DUES<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 23
Van Andel Education Institute, NASA & the Girl Scouts Team Up to Take Girls to the Stars!<br />
The sky was not the limit for Girl Scouts who attended<br />
Van Andel Education Institute’s (VAEI) inaugural Journey<br />
Through a Life in Space camp in early June <strong>2017</strong>. Young<br />
space explorers participated in hands-on activities, learning<br />
about space travel and rocket science, navigating the solar<br />
system and discovering how life in space might affect the<br />
human body. The camp was a partnership between VAEI,<br />
NASA and the Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore,<br />
and featured a curriculum developed by NASA. Campers<br />
also met with a NASA engineer and a Van Andel Research<br />
Institute scientist to learn about future career opportunities<br />
in science-related fields.<br />
“It’s wonderful to see so many young women passionate<br />
about science — working together collaborating, and<br />
24 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><br />
learning what it means to be a scientist working for NASA<br />
or Van Andel Research Institute,” said Lisa Neeb, VAEI<br />
instructional specialist. “The camp experience we were able<br />
to give these girls was the result of different organizations<br />
coming together to create a learning experience unlike<br />
anything we’ve ever done before. Collaborating with wellknown<br />
organizations like NASA and the Girl Scouts enabled<br />
us to create a very special program.”<br />
VAEI’s summer space camp is one of the many ways the<br />
Institute partners with local and national organizations<br />
to bring new and exciting science education programs<br />
to students.<br />
“It’s really encouraging to see that organizations are<br />
GIRL SCOUTS AT VAEI<br />
interested in working with Van Andel Education Institute<br />
to make science education more engaging and impactful,”<br />
Neeb said. “I know we will continue to look for more<br />
ways to work with national science organizations,<br />
community groups, nonprofits, museums and zoos in<br />
order to continue to provide the very best educational<br />
opportunities we can for our students. It’s exciting to<br />
think of what we can do next.”<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, Van Andel Education Institute<br />
worked directly with 925 students and<br />
more than 1,300 teachers.<br />
Since NexGen Inquiry ® was launched in<br />
April 2015, more than 4,000 teachers<br />
have signed up to use it, and more<br />
than 114,000 student assignments<br />
have been issued through this<br />
groundbreaking platform.
Bea Aldrink Idema Foundation Provides<br />
Students with a Summer of Discovery<br />
EDUCATION<br />
STUDENT AT SUMMER CAMP<br />
Van Andel Education Institute (VAEI) hosted an<br />
inaugural summer camp program for 60 enthusiastic<br />
young students across West Michigan in July <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
Fourth- through seventh-grade students from a variety<br />
of backgrounds were offered a unique opportunity<br />
to experience the joy of discovery and embrace their<br />
curiosity, creativity and critical thinking skills through the<br />
program. Students learned how to develop supportive<br />
learning relationships and expand their understanding of<br />
basic scientific principles, all while building friendships and<br />
having fun.<br />
“Van Andel Education Institute<br />
encourages students to be<br />
passionate, engaged learners<br />
and helps them explore<br />
the incredible world<br />
of scientific discovery.”<br />
Bea Aldrink Idema<br />
The camp was made possible through a generous gift from<br />
the Bea Aldrink Idema Foundation, a West Michigan–based<br />
nonprofit organization that has long supported VAEI’s<br />
commitment to biomedical research and science education.<br />
While growing up in a farming family in Allendale, Michigan,<br />
Bea developed a zest for life, people and helping others<br />
in her community. Supporting educational initiatives has<br />
long been a passion for Bea and her extended family —<br />
in addition to investing in the Institute, the Bea Aldrink<br />
Idema Foundation has contributed generously to academic<br />
institutions throughout Grand Rapids.<br />
“Van Andel Education Institute encourages students to<br />
be passionate, engaged learners and helps them explore<br />
the incredible world of scientific discovery,” Bea said. “Our<br />
Foundation is proud to support the Institute’s programs<br />
that are inspiring students and illuminating the beauty and<br />
complexity of the natural world.”<br />
Because of the Foundation’s generosity, VAEI is able to<br />
extend the summer camp programming into 2018 and<br />
expand the curriculum to include second- through 12thgrade<br />
students. The Institute will also use these funds to<br />
partner with organizations such as NASA, the Girl Scouts<br />
of America, the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum and the<br />
Grand Rapids Public Museum to design summer camps<br />
that cover a variety of scientific subjects. Terra Tarango,<br />
VAEI director and education officer, is grateful to partner<br />
with the Foundation to create a unique program that takes<br />
learning out of textbooks and places it in an active, hands-on<br />
educational environment.<br />
“We are so appreciative of the Bea Aldrink Idema<br />
Foundation’s generosity and support for our mission,”<br />
Tarango said. “The Foundation’s gift has enabled us<br />
to broaden the number of students we serve and to<br />
enhance the experience for all campers. With professional<br />
equipment, creative curriculum and hands-on learning<br />
experiences, our campers will gain not only the science<br />
content they learn at camp but also treasured memories<br />
and a lifelong passion for learning!”<br />
STUDENTS AT SUMMER CAMP<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 25
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 />
26 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 27
Profiles in Hope — Van Andel Institute Donors Turn Love & Loss into Action<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
always looks for an<br />
opportunity to tell<br />
people about Purple<br />
Community and<br />
Van Andel Institute<br />
(VAI). As a past<br />
co-chair of the Purple<br />
Community Cabinet<br />
and a current member<br />
of the Institute’s JBoard<br />
Ambassadors, Crabb<br />
has given presentations, met with community members and<br />
worked hard to help organize successful fundraising events.<br />
For Crabb, the work is all deeply personal.<br />
“I discovered Purple Community within a month of my mom<br />
being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” Crabb said. “One<br />
of the first things I asked the Purple Community team was<br />
if VAI researches pancreatic cancer, and they said, ‘We<br />
absolutely do, and by the way, would you like to meet one of<br />
our scientists?’”<br />
Crabb’s mother fought the disease aggressively, but after<br />
two years of treatment, the cancer spread to her liver<br />
and even further, to her lymph nodes. Blake and his mom<br />
decided to take her off treatment to preserve her quality<br />
of life. He stayed by her side until the very end.<br />
“It was about 7:15 in the morning when she passed,”<br />
Crabb said. “I walked in to her room just after she took<br />
her last breath.”<br />
When Crabb’s mother passed away, it completely changed<br />
his perspective on what was important in life. He began<br />
searching for ways to cultivate hope.<br />
28 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><br />
“After you are somebody’s main caregiver, you end up with<br />
an amazing amount of time, which makes you shift your<br />
sense of purpose,” Crabb said. “It made me look for ways<br />
to be hopeful, and I’ve come to understand that if you’re<br />
looking for hope, you definitely have to take action. You<br />
have to be able to look at a challenge and ask yourself,<br />
‘What can I do?’”<br />
Over the past several years, Crabb has worked with Purple<br />
Community team members and volunteers, organizing<br />
and inspiring others and leveraging his skills to support<br />
research into pancreatic cancer.<br />
“Volunteering your time is not about some massive<br />
undertaking — it’s really as simple as getting involved on<br />
the ground level and figuring out what motivates you,”<br />
Crabb said. “When you spread positive energy around and<br />
bring people together, it’s more likely you are going to end<br />
up with something that results not just in hope but maybe<br />
one day, a cure.” Watch Blake's story at bit.ly/BlakeCrabb.<br />
Pat Ringnalda<br />
There’s an<br />
unmistakable joyful<br />
energy at the Bee<br />
Brave 5K — an event<br />
Pat Ringnalda and<br />
her friends and family<br />
have organized for<br />
more than a decade.<br />
Ringnalda is a<br />
passionate advocate<br />
for breast cancer<br />
research, and her<br />
contagious positivity makes the Bee Brave 5K not only a<br />
successful fundraiser but also a way for people to come<br />
together in the spirit of hope.<br />
Since partnering with Van Andel Institute’s Purple<br />
Community in 2016, the event has raised nearly $140,000<br />
to benefit breast cancer research at the Institute. Ringnalda<br />
is encouraged by the outpouring of support she’s received<br />
for Bee Brave and its mission of hope.<br />
“When I think back to when I first started the event and was<br />
recruiting volunteers, friends and family members to help,<br />
I thought it would be temporary, but 10 years later, we are<br />
still here, working together to make this such a wonderful<br />
event,” Ringnalda said.<br />
Hosting an event for 10 years takes a great deal of effort,<br />
but when the demands weigh on her, Ringnalda often<br />
reflects on the people she’s had the opportunity to meet<br />
who are in the toughest fight of their lives.<br />
“One of my first event sponsors was a women’s exercise<br />
business in West Michigan,” Ringnalda said. ”When I<br />
would visit, I would see this woman named Lupita on the<br />
treadmill, and I could see she was battling cancer and trying<br />
to get healthy. She came to our first event with her whole<br />
family — and then in less than a year, she passed away.<br />
Stories like that remind me that our efforts are important,<br />
and we need to keep making a difference for everyone<br />
fighting cancer.”<br />
Bee Brave’s partnership with Purple Community has helped<br />
Ringnalda grow her event and connect her to a network<br />
of like-minded supporters. It is a partnership that has<br />
helped build on her vision and grow her popular event into<br />
something extraordinary.<br />
“If you’re thinking about doing an event, my answer is …<br />
stop thinking and do it now,” Ringnalda said. “Working with<br />
Purple Community connects your passion to an incredible<br />
group of people who are there to support you and help
you give back for a cause you care deeply about.”<br />
Watch Pat's story at bit.ly/PatRingnalda.<br />
Chelsea Westra<br />
Chelsea Westra never<br />
thought she would<br />
be organizing golf<br />
outings or leading a<br />
team of volunteers,<br />
but for more than a<br />
year, she has helped<br />
run Eagles for Eric,<br />
a West Michigan–<br />
based fundraising<br />
committee. Together<br />
with Purple<br />
Community, Westra has helped raised thousands of dollars<br />
to benefit osteosarcoma research. Named after her late<br />
husband, Eric, the committee is a tribute to the life they<br />
shared together and to Westra’s need to help others who<br />
have been affected by cancer.<br />
Westra’s first child, Arie, had just been born when Eric<br />
underwent surgery due to recurrent osteosarcoma, a<br />
rare bone cancer. The couple was devastated by the<br />
unexpected news, but they fought through it and sought<br />
out the best treatment possible. Four months later, a<br />
full-body bone scan confirmed that tumors had spread<br />
throughout his body.<br />
“Eric needed everything I had to help him,” Westra said.<br />
“Our parents and siblings really stepped up. My son, Arie,<br />
was essentially raised by my sister-in-law during the last<br />
few months Eric was sick — we missed the first time he<br />
crawled, and we missed a lot of those little milestones.”<br />
Eric passed away from the disease in 2016, and it was<br />
the most difficult thing Westra could ever imagine.<br />
Being Eric’s caregiver for those three years gave her a<br />
newfound understanding of the importance of research<br />
in developing new treatments for devastating diseases<br />
like osteosarcoma.<br />
During Eric’s first surgery, he donated a portion of his<br />
tumor to Dr. Matthew Steensma’s lab at the Institute to be<br />
used for osteosarcoma research. Westra views this act of<br />
generosity as a fitting way to honor the life of the man she<br />
loved so dearly.<br />
“A great heartache, like I had with Eric, really gives you a<br />
heart for great causes. And Van Andel Institute is what’s<br />
in my heart because it keeps Eric’s memory alive. It still<br />
feels like we can do something good with it, and hopefully,<br />
one day, because of what they’re able to do with Eric’s<br />
tumor, it won’t be a terminal diagnosis; it will be a beatable<br />
diagnosis,” Westra said.<br />
Through Westra’s work with Purple Community, she plans<br />
to play an active role in the Institute’s work to develop lifesaving<br />
therapies for people battling cancer.<br />
“Hope looks different to everyone,“ Westra said. “For me,<br />
hope looks like working hard so that my son, Arie, can see<br />
that maybe his dad isn’t here, but look at this amazing thing<br />
that happened because of his life.” Watch Chelsea's story at<br />
bit.ly/ChelseaWestra.<br />
David Bronkema<br />
David Bronkema’s<br />
faith and family mean<br />
the world to<br />
him. When he was<br />
diagnosed with<br />
Parkinson’s disease at<br />
the young age of 42,<br />
his thoughts instantly<br />
went to God and his<br />
children.<br />
“The thing that flooded<br />
my mind when I was driving home after being diagnosed<br />
was that my kids need to understand that God is good, not<br />
just when things are going well … I want them to know he is<br />
good all the time,” Bronkema said.<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
Bronkema’s strong Christian faith and need to do good in<br />
the world led him to become a dedicated supporter of<br />
Van Andel Institute’s Parkinson’s disease research, and<br />
he is optimistic that with donor support, the Institute’s<br />
scientists can help those diagnosed with this degenerative<br />
disease.<br />
“I’ll be honest and say I hope that there is a cure in my<br />
lifetime, so I try and live every day to the fullest, and never<br />
give up hope,” Bronkema said. “Just understanding all the<br />
great research taking place at the Institute should give<br />
anyone a real sense of hope that we are that much closer<br />
to a cure.”<br />
Bronkema is an ardent believer in the Institute’s ability<br />
to effect change and bring about new therapies for<br />
Parkinson’s, and he hopes more people will join him and<br />
support its mission.<br />
“If you want to change the way things are tomorrow, you<br />
have to get involved in what the Institute is doing today,”<br />
Bronkema said. “Whether it’s volunteering or donating<br />
through Purple Community, or giving a donation to benefit<br />
the Institute’s scientists, everyone can find a way to<br />
support the work happening here.”<br />
Facing the hardest battle of his life, Bronkema is<br />
encouraged by the Institute’s work and supported by the<br />
love of his family and his faith in God. “I have so much hope<br />
for what Van Andel Institute is doing, and because of that,<br />
I will never lose heart,” he said. Watch David's story at bit.ly/<br />
DavidBronkema.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 29
Winterfest & The Art of Fashion & Research<br />
30 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT)<br />
JEFF BATTERSHALL & RICHARD ROANE; GEORGE SHARPE JR.;<br />
MODEL AT ART OF FASHION & RESEARCH; DEB CLARKE & PATRICK<br />
PLANK; DAVID VAN ANDEL; ALISON SHELTROWN; KEN DEWEY,<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL & RENNE JANOVSKY.
A Conversation About Depression Hosted by Carol Van Andel &<br />
The Carol Van Andel Angel of Excellence Dinner & Awards Presentation<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) CAROL VAN ANDEL;<br />
DAVID & CAROL VAN ANDEL; PETER & JOAN SECCHIA; JOHN<br />
ZIMMERMAN; DR. ELIZABETH KOWAL & MARANDA; TIM LONG &<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL; SUSAN JANDERNOA; MIKE & SUE LUNN.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 31
Purple Community 5K & Around the World<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) FEARLESS FLAMINGOS;<br />
LYNNE JARMAN-JOHNSON; MATT & ELIZABETH NELSON,<br />
DAN & MEGAN ROGERS & BLAKE CRABB; RACHEL MRAZ,<br />
CHAD BASSETT, TANYA & CHARLIE ROWERDINK; 5K PARTICIPANTS;<br />
CHRISTINA KELLER & REBECCA STEKETEE; THEA UNDERWOOD,<br />
ALEXANDRA PEREZ, CECILY MCCABE & KIM BYAM.<br />
32 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
Curiosity and Cocktails & Designs on a Cure<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) EMILY NICHOLS & KYLE<br />
OSOWSKI; JOANN WESTWATER, DAVID & CAROL VAN ANDEL &<br />
JEFFERY ROBERTS; TERRA TARANGO; JAN BYSLMA;<br />
DESIGNS ON A CURE SHOWROOM.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 33
VAI Golf Outing & Couture for a Cure<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) TIM LONG, KATHY & PHIL<br />
VOGELSANG & TIM MYERS; CAROL VAN ANDEL; VIOLINIST RITSU<br />
KATSUMATA; JACK DOLES, KURT HASSBERGER, DAVID VAN ANDEL,<br />
KIRK GIBSON & AARON VAN ANDEL; MODELS AT COUTURE FOR<br />
A CURE; REBECCA WIERDA, SHANE GABIER & CAROL VAN ANDEL;<br />
JOHN & DEB KAILUNAS WITH KIRK GIBSON.<br />
34 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
Hope on the Hill & A Conversation About Osteoporosis<br />
Hosted by Carol Van Andel<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) DAVID & CAROL<br />
VAN ANDEL WITH BRIAN & LORI VANDER BAAN; OZ PEARLMAN<br />
ONSTAGE WITH A GUEST; DRS. BART WILLIAMS, MICHAEL<br />
JAKUBOWSKI, SUNDEEP KHOSLA & MARANDA; EVENT GUESTS<br />
DANCING; TONY GATES & TIM FEAGAN; CAROL VAN ANDEL.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 35
A Perfect Day, an Unforgettable Memory<br />
Jens Bach loved to see his grandson, Jake, play football.<br />
On a warm September afternoon, Jens sat in his wheelchair<br />
with his nurse, Joyce, at his side watching as Jake played in<br />
the Hope College Purple Community game. It wasn’t easy<br />
to see every part of the game, but he knew that Jake was<br />
wearing a jersey that had Jens “Flex” Bach stitched on the<br />
back in his honor. He was at the very end of his long fight<br />
with cancer, but Jens wanted to be there to watch Jake play,<br />
one last time.<br />
“It was a perfect day,” said Mary VanderVeen, Jens’ daughter<br />
and Jake’s mom. “My dad loved watching Jake’s games,<br />
and as the football season approached, it became clear<br />
that we didn’t have much time left with him, so the Purple<br />
Community game became an important event for us.”<br />
Mary and her husband, Scott, along with family and friends,<br />
came from all across the country to be there with Jens at<br />
the game.<br />
“My dad passed away almost one week after the Purple<br />
Community game. That game has come to mean so<br />
much to us as a family,” Mary said. “He was such a kind,<br />
gentle and strong man who loved his family, and having<br />
that moment with him was really something we will<br />
never forget.”<br />
Purple Community events do more than raise funds for<br />
research; they bring people together through a shared<br />
experience, and often, they create unforgettable memories.<br />
Every jersey has a name<br />
When Scott VanderVeen looked out in the stands during<br />
the game, he noticed that Jens and his family were among<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) COACH STUURSMA, MARGIE & JENS BACH,<br />
JAKE VANDERVEEN, CAROL & DAVID VAN ANDEL.<br />
hundreds of other people with their own stories of life,<br />
loss and love.<br />
“What is so great and moving about Purple Community<br />
games is that everyone there has a special relationship to<br />
the cause, and even though our family was there in a big<br />
group for Jens, it was so wonderful to see other families<br />
who were there supporting their loved ones,” Scott said.<br />
“Every player had a name on the back of their jersey, and<br />
I knew they were playing for someone who was important<br />
to them — someone they loved or maybe someone they<br />
lost in the fight against cancer.”<br />
Caroline Dykstra, assistant athletic director at Hope<br />
College, has seen firsthand how important Purple<br />
Community games are to families whose lives have<br />
been affected by cancer. For her and the athletes she<br />
works with, the events are a time of great emotion and<br />
great purpose.<br />
“Everyone who attends our games has a story about<br />
someone who has fought a battle with cancer,” Dykstra<br />
said. “Our partnership with Purple Community gives us<br />
the chance to honor people like Jens, give back to our<br />
community in a meaningful way and help raise funds for<br />
a cause we are incredibly passionate about.”<br />
When the game ended on that late-summer afternoon,<br />
and Jake said goodbye to his teammates and left the field,<br />
he walked toward his family and his grandfather Jens<br />
sitting in his wheelchair. Jens never had the chance to play<br />
football as a young man, but one week before he passed<br />
away, surrounded by his friends and family, Jake handed<br />
his grandfather the jersey he wore during the game. It<br />
was the least he could do for his biggest fan.<br />
36 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
PHILANTHROPY<br />
Purple Community<br />
Purple Community, Van Andel Institute’s grassroots<br />
fundraising and awareness program,<br />
connects individuals, schools, teams and<br />
businesses to the resources needed to support<br />
groundbreaking cancer and Parkinson’s disease<br />
research. In <strong>2017</strong>, Purple Community members<br />
hosted more than 150 events throughout<br />
Michigan that raised more than $622,000.<br />
Purple Community events bring people from<br />
every walk of life together to celebrate the power<br />
of family, friendship and community action. They<br />
also give people the chance to honor those<br />
fighting disease and pay tribute to those who have<br />
lost their fight against cancer and Parkinson’s.<br />
Every event is a collection of stories — people<br />
coming together to support one another and help<br />
make the world a better, healthier place.<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) JENS' FRIENDS & FAMILY;<br />
DAVID & CAROL VAN ANDEL, HOPE COLLEGE FOOTBALL<br />
COACHES & TEAM; HOPE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WITH<br />
CAROL & DAVID VAN ANDEL.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 37
Sources of Funding<br />
Sources of Funding for Research & Education<br />
7%<br />
Private philanthropy<br />
19%<br />
Grants and contract<br />
revenue (direct)<br />
67%<br />
Endowment income<br />
7%<br />
Other<br />
Sources of Funding for Operating & Overhead Expenses<br />
76%<br />
Endowment income<br />
24%<br />
Grants and contract<br />
revenue<br />
38 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
Society of Hope<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 />
PHILANTHROPY<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 />
Renee 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 />
In Memoriam — Donald W. Maine<br />
With great sadness, we said farewell to Don Maine in<br />
February 2018. A member of the Van Andel Education<br />
Institute Board of Trustees and chair of the Finance and<br />
Compensation committees for more than 11 years, Don<br />
was a devoted friend and an enthusiastic champion of the<br />
Institute from our 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 to 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 />
Don was a great friend personally and of the Institute. He<br />
will be missed dearly.<br />
- David Van Andel<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 39
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 />
ADAC Automotive<br />
Adamy Valuation<br />
Ag Business Solutions<br />
Alliance Beverage<br />
Amway<br />
Amway Grand Plaza<br />
AON<br />
Aquinas College<br />
Artistry<br />
ASI Interiors<br />
Atomic Object<br />
Barnes & Thornburg, LLP<br />
B.D.'s BBQ<br />
Belwith Products<br />
Matthew & Shari Berger<br />
BHS Insurance<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
Dave & Jill Bielema<br />
Bluewater Technologies<br />
Charles & Christine Boelkins<br />
Buist Electric<br />
Calamos<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Caminiti Associates Inc.<br />
Scott & Heidi Campbell<br />
Cancer & Hematology Centers<br />
of Western Michigan<br />
Cascade Rentals<br />
Cheeky Strut<br />
Chemical Bank<br />
The Chop House<br />
CityFlatsHotel<br />
Coldwell Banker<br />
Colliers International<br />
Consumers Credit Union<br />
Cornerstone University<br />
Crowe Horwath, LLP<br />
Crystal Clean Auto Detailing<br />
Cumulus Media, Inc.<br />
Tom & Tracy Curran<br />
Currie Foundation<br />
Custer, Inc.<br />
CWD Real Estate Investment<br />
Cygnus 27<br />
Czech Asset Management, L.P.<br />
Davenport University<br />
David & Carol Van Andel Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Brian DeVries & Barbara Pugh<br />
The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Discovery Financial, LLC<br />
Divani<br />
DK Security<br />
The Douglas & Maria DeVos<br />
Foundation<br />
Eastbrook Homes<br />
Eenhoorn, LLC<br />
Eileen DeVries Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Ellis Parking<br />
Erhardt Construction<br />
Eurest<br />
Extend Your Reach<br />
Ferris Coffee & Nut Co.<br />
Fifth Third Private Bank<br />
First & Main Management<br />
First National Bank<br />
John & Melynda Folkert<br />
FOODesign by Chef Brech<br />
Dan & Lou Ann Gaydou<br />
Goldman Sachs<br />
Good<br />
Grand Rapids Christian Schools<br />
Grand Rapids YMCA<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Grand Ventures<br />
Gravity Taphouse Grille<br />
Greenridge Realty<br />
Martin & Peggy Greydanus<br />
Dr. Jana Hall<br />
Fred L. Hansen<br />
Harvey Automotive<br />
Paul & Sheryl Haverkate<br />
Honigman<br />
Hope College<br />
Horwood Marcus & Berk<br />
Chartered<br />
Howard Miller<br />
Huizenga Group<br />
Ben & Molly Hunting<br />
Melissa & Ralph Iannelli<br />
Ice Sculptures Ltd.<br />
The I.C.N. Foundation<br />
iHeartMedia, Inc.<br />
Independent Bank<br />
Iron<br />
i understand<br />
Jandernoa Foundation<br />
Jeffery Roberts Design<br />
John Hancock Retirement Plan<br />
Services, LLC<br />
Dr. Peter & Veronica Jones<br />
Jim & Ginger Jurries<br />
JW Marriott Grand Rapids<br />
Keeler<br />
John & Nancy Kennedy<br />
Kerkstra Precast<br />
Kinney Family<br />
Kitchen 67<br />
Al & Robin Koop<br />
Lake Michigan Credit Union<br />
Ray & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Leigh's<br />
Leo's<br />
Lighthouse Group<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
Macatawa Bank<br />
Marsha Veenstra State Farm<br />
Insurance<br />
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation<br />
Hospital<br />
McAlvey Merchant & Associates<br />
McDonnell Investment<br />
Management, LLC<br />
McShane & Bowie, P.L.C.<br />
Media 3 Design<br />
Meijer<br />
Mercy Health<br />
Metro Health<br />
Michigan State University -<br />
College of Human Medicine<br />
Mika Meyers, PLC<br />
Mike Bell, Inc. & Westwater<br />
Patterson<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
Mitten CNC<br />
MLive Media Group/The Grand<br />
Rapids Press<br />
Modern Day Events & Floral<br />
Dave & Kim Moorhead<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Norris, Perné & French, LLP<br />
Investment Counsel<br />
Tim & Karen O'Donovan<br />
Orthopaedic Associates of<br />
Michigan<br />
Osteria Rossa<br />
Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.<br />
Parkinson's Association of<br />
West Michigan<br />
Leland & Alexandra Perez<br />
Peter C. & Emajean Cook<br />
Foundation<br />
Pine Rest Christian Mental<br />
Health Services<br />
Pioneer Construction<br />
Pitsch Companies<br />
Preusser Jewelers<br />
Priority Health<br />
Radius Health, Inc.<br />
Reds at Thousand Oaks<br />
Regal Investment Advisors, LLC<br />
The Richard & Helen DeVos<br />
Foundation<br />
Tom & Brenda Rinks<br />
Rocket Science Creative<br />
Rockford Construction<br />
RoMan Manufacturing<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
Rowerdink, Inc.<br />
San Chez Bistro<br />
Scott & Jan Spoelhof Foundation<br />
Secchia Family Foundation<br />
SemelSnow Interior Design, Inc.<br />
The Sharpe Collection<br />
Nick & Karen Sherman<br />
six.one.six<br />
Slows Bar BQ<br />
Sobie Meats, LLC<br />
Soils & Structures<br />
Spectrum Health<br />
Square 1 Bank, a division of<br />
Pacific Western Bank<br />
Rob & Susan Stafford<br />
Standard Supply & Lumber Co.<br />
Steelcase<br />
Stephen Klotz Family Foundation<br />
The Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Foundation<br />
Thomas & Mary Stuit<br />
Taconic Charitable Foundation<br />
Thomas S. Fox Family<br />
Todd Wenzel Buick GMC<br />
Townsquare Media (Channel<br />
95.7, 100.5 The River<br />
& WFGR 98.7)<br />
Truscott Rossman<br />
U.S. Bank<br />
USA Financial<br />
Sharon Van Dellen<br />
Van Eerden Foodservice<br />
Company<br />
Dave & Beth Van Portfliet<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
The Veldheer, Long, Mackay<br />
& Bernecker Group of<br />
Merrill Lynch<br />
Russ & Chris Visner<br />
Waddell & Reed, Inc.<br />
Warner Norcross & Judd, LLP<br />
Watson Smith, Inc.<br />
Wells Fargo Bank<br />
West Michigan Woman<br />
Wheelhouse<br />
Dr. Bart & Wendy Williams<br />
Williams Kitchen & Bath<br />
Greg & Meg Willit<br />
Bob & Karen Wiltz<br />
Wolverine Worldwide<br />
Women's Lifestyle Magazine<br />
Jim & Jane Zwiers<br />
40 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
Institute Leadership Team<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
“In Grand Rapids, we are<br />
discovering new ways to<br />
work together and build a<br />
critical mass of talent in the<br />
region. At the same time,<br />
we’re reaching out across<br />
the world, expanding<br />
collaborations with an<br />
impressive list of leading<br />
organizations, scientists<br />
and physicians.”<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 of<br />
Amway’s Pyxis Innovations Business Unit, and was senior<br />
vice president–Americas and Europe, overseeing Amway<br />
business activities in North America and 22 European and<br />
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 Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc.<br />
Chief Scientific Officer,<br />
Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Timothy Myers<br />
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer<br />
Terra Tarango<br />
Director & Education Officer,<br />
Van Andel Education Institute<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.<br />
President & Dean,<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
Linda Zarzecki<br />
Vice President of Human Resources<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 41
Board & Council Members<br />
Van Andel Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
John Kennedy<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer, Autocam Medical<br />
Mark Meijer<br />
President, Life E.M.S. Ambulance<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 of Hematology & Oncology, Helen DeVos<br />
Children’s Hospital<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) MARK MEIJER, JOHN KENNEDY &<br />
DAVID VAN ANDEL.<br />
42 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong><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 />
Ralph Weichselbaum, M.D.<br />
Chairman, Department of Radiation; Head, Ludwig Center<br />
for Metastasis Research, University of Chicago<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 />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) JUAN OLIVAREZ, DAVID VAN ANDEL,<br />
GORDON VAN HARN & JAMES BULTMAN.<br />
(NOT PICTURED) DONALD MAINE.<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 />
Donald W. Maine<br />
Former President, Davenport University<br />
Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D.<br />
President, Aquinas College<br />
Gordon L. Van Harn, Ph.D.<br />
Emeritus Provost & Professor of Biology, Calvin College
Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Board of Scientific Advisors<br />
Michael Brown, M.D.<br />
(Chair) Paul J. Thomas Professor of Genetics & Director<br />
of the Jonsson Center of Molecular Genetics, University of<br />
Texas Southwestern Medical Center<br />
Richard Axel, M.D.<br />
Professor of Neurosciences, Columbia University<br />
Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D.<br />
Chairman of the Department of Molecular Genetics,<br />
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center<br />
Tony Hunter, Ph.D.<br />
Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology Laboratory; American<br />
Cancer Society Professor; Renato Dulbecco Chair; Director,<br />
Salk Institute Cancer Center<br />
Philip A. Sharp, Ph.D.<br />
Professor of Biology & Head of the Cancer Center,<br />
Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br />
Van Andel Research Institute<br />
External Scientific Advisory Board<br />
Tony Hunter, Ph.D.<br />
(Chair) Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology Laboratory;<br />
American Cancer Society Professor; Renato Dulbecco<br />
Chair; Director, Salk Institute Cancer Center<br />
Marie-Francois Chesselet, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Charles H. Markham Professor of Neurology; Distinguished<br />
Professor of Neurology and of Neurobiology, Reed<br />
Neurological Research Center<br />
Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs; Dean of Medicine,<br />
University of California Irvine<br />
Theresa Guise, M.D.<br />
Professor of Medicine; Jerry W. & Peg S. Throgmartin<br />
Professor of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Division<br />
of Endocrinology, Indiana University<br />
Kristian Helin, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Biotech Research & Innovation Centre<br />
(BRIC); Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University<br />
of Copenhagen<br />
Sharon Y.R. Dent, Ph.D.<br />
Professor and Chair, Department of Epigenetics and<br />
Molecular Carcinogenesis; Director, Science Part;<br />
Director, Center for Cancer Epigenetics, MD Anderson<br />
Cancer Center<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<br />
Advisory Council<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
Nancy Ayres<br />
Former General Manager, Flexco<br />
Stephen Best<br />
Education Consultant, Michigan Department of Education<br />
James Boelkins, Ph.D.<br />
Former Provost, Hope College<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Joseph Krajcik, Ph.D.<br />
Professor, Department of Teacher Education at Michigan<br />
State University<br />
Carol Van Andel, B.A.<br />
Executive Director, David & Carol Van Andel<br />
Family Foundation<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
Board of Directors<br />
James Fahner, M.D.<br />
Chief of Hematology & Oncology, Helen DeVos Children’s<br />
Hospital<br />
Michael J. Imperiale, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Doctoral Program in Cancer Biology; Associate<br />
Chair, Department of Microbiology & Immunology,<br />
University of Michigan<br />
Peter Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc.<br />
Chief Scientific Officer, Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Pamela Kidd, M.D.<br />
Hematopathologist & Medical Director of the Hematology<br />
& Flow Cytometry Laboratories, Spectrum Health & Helen<br />
DeVos Children’s Hospital<br />
Gordon Van Harn, Ph.D.<br />
Emeritus Provost & Professor of Biology, Calvin College<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 43
Board & Council Members (continued)<br />
Van Andel Institute Board of Governors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: TIM LONG & VICKY LUDEMA<br />
Cynthia Afendoulis<br />
Martin & Sue Allen<br />
Kurt Arvidson<br />
Tony & Kathleen Asselta<br />
James & Shirley Balk<br />
Jeffrey & Stephanie Battershall<br />
Stacie Behler<br />
Gregory & Rajene Betz<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
David & Jill Bielema<br />
Chuck & Christine Boelkins<br />
Carrie Boer<br />
Patrick Brady<br />
Charles & Pam Brickey<br />
Drs. Patrik & Lena Brundin<br />
James & Martha Bultman<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Scott & Heidi Campbell<br />
John & Marie Canepa<br />
Matthew Cook<br />
Sam & Janene Cummings<br />
Dave & Karen Custer<br />
Stephen Czech<br />
Mark & Mary Jane de Waal<br />
Jerry & Karen DeBlaay<br />
Thomas DeJong<br />
Robert DeVilbiss<br />
Doug & Maria DeVos<br />
Richard DeVos<br />
John Dykema & Michele<br />
Maly-Dykema<br />
David Eisler<br />
Michael & Lynette Ellis<br />
Tim Emmitt<br />
Jim & Gail Fahner<br />
John & Melynda Folkert<br />
David & Judy Frey<br />
Dan & Lou Ann Gaydou<br />
Gary & Pam Granger<br />
Martin & Margaret Greydanus<br />
Jefra Groendyk<br />
Ronald Haan<br />
Dr. Thomas J. Haas<br />
James & Kathy Hackett<br />
Dr. Jana Hall<br />
David & Joyce Hecht<br />
Paul & Rosemary Heule<br />
John & Gwen Hibbard<br />
Bradley & Liz Hilton<br />
Dirk Hoffius<br />
Robert Hooker<br />
J.C. Huizenga & Dr. Tammy L.<br />
Born-Huizenga<br />
Allen & Helen Hunting<br />
Ben & Molly Hunting<br />
Douglas Hutchings<br />
Jose & Sue Infante<br />
Earle & Kyle Irwin<br />
Mike & Sue Jandernoa<br />
Lynne Jarman-Johnson<br />
Dr. Peter & Veronica Jones<br />
John & Deb Kailunas<br />
David & Nancy Kammeraad<br />
John & Nancy Kennedy<br />
James King & Stephanie Rubie<br />
Craig & Debra Kinney<br />
Stephen Klotz<br />
John Knapp<br />
Diane Kniowski<br />
Al & Robin Koop<br />
Raymond & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Ken Larm<br />
Wilbur & Sharon Lettinga<br />
Ray Loeschner<br />
Timothy & Kimberly Long<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
Donald & Kathleen Maine<br />
Linda Martin<br />
Hendrik & Liesel Meijer<br />
Mark & Mary Beth Meijer<br />
Rusty & Jennifer Merchant<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
Louis Moran<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Mark & Elizabeth Murray<br />
John & Gail Nowak<br />
Juan & Mary Olivarez<br />
Richard Pappas<br />
Donald & Ann Parfet<br />
Lewis Pitsch & Teresa<br />
Hendricks-Pitsch<br />
Pat Ringnalda<br />
Jeffery Roberts<br />
Eve Rogus<br />
Carol Rottman<br />
Doug Rottman<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
Michael & Cindy Schaap<br />
Peter & Joan Secchia<br />
George & Linda Sharpe<br />
George & Missy Sharpe<br />
Budge & Marilyn Sherwood<br />
Brent & Diane Slay<br />
Kasie Smith<br />
John & Judy Spoelhof<br />
Robert & Susan Stafford<br />
Thomas & Mary Stuit<br />
Duke Suwyn<br />
Renee Tabben<br />
Dr. Steven & Laura Triezenberg<br />
David & Carol Van Andel<br />
Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Michael & Michelle Van Dyke<br />
Daniel & Ann Marie<br />
Van Eerden<br />
Gordon & Mary Van Harn<br />
Maria Van Til<br />
Drs. Gordon & Margaret<br />
Van Wylen<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
Stuart & Nelleke Vander Heide<br />
Allen & Nancy VanderLaan<br />
Michael VanGessel<br />
David & Beth VanPortfliet<br />
Chris & Dana Vinton<br />
Russell & Christine Visner<br />
Phillip & Kathleen Vogelsang<br />
Geoffrey & LeeAnne Widlak<br />
Scott & Rebecca Wierda<br />
James & Sue Williams<br />
Greg Willit & Meg M.<br />
Miller Willit<br />
James & Jane Zwiers<br />
Thank you, Board of Governors.<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 />
44 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong>
LEADERSHIP<br />
JBoard Ambassadors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: RACHEL MRAZ & CHAD BASSETT<br />
Dr. Dorothy C. Armstrong<br />
Troy & Jill Austin<br />
Jon & Jennifer Baldini<br />
Chad Bassett<br />
Scott & Heidi Campbell<br />
Natalie Cleary<br />
Paige Cornetet<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
Aaron & Afton DeVos<br />
Samuel DeVries<br />
William Dion<br />
Lindsey Dubis<br />
Bo & Jennifer Fowler<br />
Kevin Gardenier<br />
Linsey Gleason<br />
David Granger<br />
Crissy Hughes<br />
Jason & Brandi Huyser<br />
Jack Iott<br />
Eric Jones<br />
Allison Keutgen<br />
Kevin & Kathryn Kileen<br />
Michael Kooistra<br />
Eric & Caitlin Kovalak<br />
Michael & Jaimie Lomonaco<br />
Erica Lonn<br />
Kimberly Loomis<br />
Geoff Ludema<br />
Matthew McDonald<br />
Peter & Kim Medema<br />
Kate Meyer<br />
Elizabeth Mines<br />
Phillip & Amy Mitchell<br />
Evan & Caitlin Mlynarek<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Christopher & Alyssa Nance<br />
Kyle & Kendra Osowski<br />
Matt Osterhaven<br />
Gregory & Allyson Paplawsky<br />
Erin Paquet<br />
Leland & Alexandra Perez<br />
Laurie Placinski<br />
Elizabeth Pohl<br />
Nikki Probst<br />
Jeff & Deidre Remtema<br />
Adam & Liz Rhoda<br />
Charlie & Tanya Rowerdink<br />
Lindsay & Scott Slagboom<br />
Jon & Allison Sleight<br />
Meriden Smucker<br />
Steve Steketee<br />
Tim Streit<br />
Paul & Libby Stuit<br />
Charity Taatjes<br />
William Templin<br />
Elizabeth Terhorst<br />
Jane Tomaszewski<br />
Bob Tsironis<br />
Aaron & Hailey Van Andel<br />
Chris Van Andel<br />
Jesse Van Andel<br />
Kyle Van Andel<br />
Daniel VandenBosch<br />
David & Sarah Vanderveen<br />
Marc & Ashley Veenstra<br />
Alison & Bill Waske Sutter<br />
Amanda Whowell<br />
MeiLi Wieringa<br />
Charlie Wondergem<br />
Aaron & Amanda Wong<br />
Scott & Megan Zubrickas<br />
Thank you, JBoard members.<br />
As JBoard members, 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 />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2017</strong> | 45
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