Approximately 9.7 to 10 million people die from cancer annually worldwide, with 70% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Cancer is a leading cause of death globally, responsible for nearly one in six deaths. Projections indicate that cancer deaths will rise significantly, potentially reaching 18.2 to 18.6 million annually by 2050.
Presentation of Cancer Research Center at the Northwestern University
Who the
Speakers are:
Speaker
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Eleni BousisFounder and Chairman of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation for the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern UniversityBorn in Greece, Eleni Bousis has often said that when she came to America as a young girl with her family, they instilled in her not only a sense of pride in her Greek heritage, but also a duty to help others in need. Side by side with her husband, entrepreneur Dimitri Bousis, Eleni has turned this lesson into a lifetime of zeal and determination to help those in need. They have also instilled this desire to give back into their four beloved children, Michael, Victoria, Evangelo and George. After raising her four children, Eleni went back to school to earn her degree in child psychology.
Her education and devotion to her family inspired Eleni to establish, contribute to, and lead many humanitarian organizations throughout the world and in the Chicagoland area. Eleni was a founding member of Frontida, an organization for abused children and families that resulted in her receiving the Woman of the 21st Century Award. She is a founding member of The Dimitri and Eleni Bousis Orphanage in Kakamega, Kenya.
Eleni has been recognized in the United States as well as her native Greece for all her good works. She is constantly coordinating events in an effort to fundraise for many worthy institutions. She is a contributing board member of the Little City Foundation in Palatine, Illinois, a nonprofit organization for children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. They honored her with the prestigious Sidney L Port Legacy of Distinction Award for her work.
Though she has received many accolades, one of the distinctions she is most proud of is being known in Chicago as the “woman who saved the nursing home.” Her diligence as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors on behalf of the Greek American Rehabilitation and Care Centre (GARCC) saved the institution from insolvency and
re-energized the Greek Community to keep it afloat. Under her leadership and awareness donations to GARCC have increased exponentially.Eleni Bousis served as a Human Rights Commissioner for the State of Illinois. Eleni serves on many other boards including serving as Founder and Chairman of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation for the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Leadership 100, the Service Club of Chicago and the President’s Council at Maryville Academy.
Eleni credits her husband Jimmy, and her faith, for providing her with the strength and enlightenment to continue her humanitarian works.