About the Leadership
Ruth I. Hoffman MPH
Dr. Avram Denburg, MD MSc PhD FRCPC
Dr. Avram Denburg, MD MSc PhD FRCPC
Ruth is the mother of eight children, including her daughter who is a survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, diagnosed in 1987 at the age of 7. Since 1999, Ruth has been the CEO of the American Childhood Cancer Organization. She serves on the WHO’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and is the immediate Past-President of Childhood Cancer
Ruth is the mother of eight children, including her daughter who is a survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, diagnosed in 1987 at the age of 7. Since 1999, Ruth has been the CEO of the American Childhood Cancer Organization. She serves on the WHO’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and is the immediate Past-President of Childhood Cancer International (CCI).
Nationally, Ruth has spent more than thirty years raising awareness and strengthening advocacy for childhood cancer. As one of a handful of women who founded the gold ribbon for childhood cancer, Ruth has expanded recognition of that symbol nationally and internationally, as well as originating ACCO’s awareness campaigns, “GO GOLD®” and “PJammin for Kids with Cancer®.” She is a founding member of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer and founded ACCO’s “What About Kids?” state-based advocacy initiative that has resulted in more than $53 million in new funding from state appropriations for childhood cancer research since 2018. Ruth’s leadership has resulted in the publication of twelve books for children with cancer, their family members, and teachers.
Internationally, Ruth works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2017, she was the invited guest speaker at the United Nation’s launch of the WHO’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. In 2018, while President of Childhood Cancer International, Ruth formalized the official relationship between the WHO and CCI, and in 2020 created CCI working groups aligned with WHO’s regional offices. She also formalized an MOU with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2018. Through Ruth’s compassion for children with cancer in developing countries, Ruth facilitates funding for nutrition programs in Ethiopia, and Uganda, and recently orchestrated financial assistance to children with cancer in Ukraine. Alongside Dr. Avram Denburg, Ruth is co-founder of ACCESS, a research initiative to identify and overcome the barriers to accessing essential medicines in LMICs.
Ruth received her BA in Psychology and her Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and her Master of Public Health at George Washington University’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Avram Denburg, MD MSc PhD FRCPC
Dr. Avram Denburg, MD MSc PhD FRCPC
Dr. Avram Denburg, MD MSc PhD FRCPC
Dr. Avram Denburg is a staff oncologist and clinician-scientist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Hospital for Sick Children. He has a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics, and a PhD in Health Policy from McMaster University. Dr. Denburg’s research centers on the analy
Dr. Avram Denburg is a staff oncologist and clinician-scientist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Hospital for Sick Children. He has a Master of Science in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics, and a PhD in Health Policy from McMaster University. Dr. Denburg’s research centers on the analysis and strengthening of childhood cancer care systems, with a specific focus on issues related to pharmaceutical policy and drug access for children in Canada and internationally. His lab at SickKids Research Institute is engaged in projects on cancer drug access in various health system contexts globally. Current priority areas of research include the development of novel approaches for value-based assessment of pediatric health technologies, including precision cancer therapies; incorporation of societal values and public preferences into health technology assessment and pharmaceutical policy; comparative analysis of policy approaches to cancer therapy regulation and reimbursement; and analysis of cancer drug availability, cost, and access dynamics in a range of low- and middle-income countries.
These research endeavors are supported by ongoing collaborations with a range of national and international partners, including the World Health Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Health Canada, and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). Dr. Denburg is Past Chair of the Essential Medicines Committee for the International Society of Pediatric Oncology and co-founder of Access to Childhood Cancer Essentials, a global initiative to improve access to essential medicines and therapeutics for children with cancer. He is a member of CADTH’s Board of Directors, an expert member of the Ontario Steering Committee for Cancer Drugs and serves as Chair of the Drugs & Therapeutics Committee at the Hospital for Sick Children.