Meet the pioneering researchers who are the recipients of this year’s Victoria’s Secret
Global Fund.
VS&Co is a year-round advocate for those impacted by breast cancer. In 2023-2024, we’re
continuing and advancing our support by amplifying the VS Global Fund for Women’s Cancers and recent
Awardees whose projects are geared toward transforming outcomes as they pertain to the disease.
Our fund awards millions of dollars annually to women researchers and clinicians. Recipients become
part of a collaborative network, mentoring awardees in their area of expertise, and breaking down
silos to go further, faster, together. Created in partnership with our longstanding impact partner
Pelotonia, the fund builds on more than $22 million USD already raised by us for innovative cancer
research since 2011.
MEET THE RECENT AWARDEES
VALENTINA HOYOS VELEZ, MD
After her grandfather died of cancer, along with a number of patients while she was in medical
school, Hoyos Velez decided to dedicate her career to working on treatments for it. An assistant
professor specializing in breast oncology at Baylor College of Medicine, her research is focused
specifically on T-cell therapies and how they can be wielded against the hard-to-treat,
triple-negative breast cancer.
MYA ROBERSON, MSPH PhD
An assistant professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Public Health
and a member of the Lineberger Cancer Center, Roberson’s research is aimed at improving cancer
outcomes for Black women. Her work focuses specifically on genetic testing, where there has been
innovation and advancement particularly in the past 10 years.
MARLEEN KOK, MD, PhD
A medical oncologist and associate professor in translational cancer research at the Netherlands
Cancer Institute, Kok’s work centers around breast cancer immunotherapy and the immune systems of
breast cancer patients. What gives her great hope is witnessing the instances of research benefiting
individual patients.
SANDRA MCALLISTER, PhD
An associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and in the hematology division at
Brigham & Women’s Hospital. McAllister’s work focuses on the aging process, how the immune
system declines as women get older, and how that contributes to cancer. She notes that consistent
exposure to race-related stress can play a significant role.
PRISCILLA BRASTIANOS, MD
As the Director of the Central Nervous System Metastasis Program at Boston’s Mass General Cancer, Brastianos is intent with her research on identifying the drivers and, in turn, new therapies, of brain metastasis from breast cancer.