With a donation of $3.5mn The Parasol Foundation Trust is funding vital research and creating a multidisciplinary center in Israel for the comprehensive treatment of women with breast cancer.

The Parasol Foundation Women’s Breast Cancer Center for diagnosis, research and treatment will operate within the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Expected to open in 2024 the center will be the most advanced in Israel, benefitting thousands of women every year.

The new Center will bring together a complete suite of medical and paramedical services and emotional support making sure the patient is accompanied from the moment the disease is detected through to and after her recovery. This one-stop structure, will include surgical and treatment services, a Breast Imaging Unit, oncology consultants, specialists in genetics, plastic surgery and research.

Our donation will also fund a series of groundbreaking research projects led by women physicians over a three-year period starting in January 2023.

We’re funding genetic research which aims to reveal pathways governing drug resistance and exploit this understanding to reveal new targets and develop novel strategies for patients. Researchers will analyze genomic alteration development upon time, treatment and disease progression in liquid biopsies of breast and ovarian cancer patients.

Parasol Foundation funded researchers will also explore the alterations in tumor environment and breast and ovarian cancer development. Led by Keren Marenbakh Lamin and Noa Keren, they are aiming to decipher different components composing the microenvironment of breast tumors, in order to delineate the interaction between tumor and non-tumor cells and the role these interactions play in resistance to treatments.

Over the next three years ten research grants will be awarded to women undertaking Masters, PHD and post-doctoral research into breast and ovarian cancer at the hospital. A further ten women physicians will be supported to conduct clinical or research fellowships outside of the hospital.

This new donation builds on our longstanding relationship with the TASMC and our support for the existing Parasol Center for Women's Cancer which has benefited from $3 million in funding since it was established in 2016.

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The Parasol Foundation Women’s Breast Cancer Center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

 in March 2022, the Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research is based at Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals in north west London.

The research centre, created in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial Health Charity, focuses on research to develop advanced treatments for women’s cancers, such as ovarian cancer, and explore the health impacts of pre-term birth.

Imperial College Healthcare provides exceptional care and treatment for the communities it serves, and is at the forefront of pioneering clinical research in a wide range of specialist fields.

The centre opens up a brand-new care pathway for women with gynaecological cancers underpinned by the latest research and treatments.

Our donation is enabling Imperial College Healthcare to purchase innovative surgical equipment and award three fellowships for women to lead research in the field. Three additional grants will also be awarded to help Imperial College Healthcare continue its world-leading research in the field of pre-term birth, exploring approaches to reduce the likelihood of premature labour and improve outcomes for women who may be at risk.

The scope of research was extended in January 2023 to explore the links between infectious diseases and pregnancy. Researchers will use thousands of blood samples provided by women as part of their maternity care to examine rates of immunity and infection during their pregnancy.

A similar study carried out in 2020 enabled experts to track the spread of Covid-19 – and they believe developing this approach could enhance our understanding of other infectious diseases like polio and rubella.

The research could even help scientists learn more about future pandemics by pinpointing when and where viruses spread.

The Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research underlines our long-term commitment to improving women’s health and creating opportunities for women to break down barriers and excel in the fields of science, medicine and research.

We’ve also initiated research investigating the impact of gender on career progression for female academics in science and healthcare. We’re planning for the findings to be widely shared to stimulate debate and change.

Press Release

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Imperial Health Charity - New women's health research centre

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Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at the V&A is a major new programme supporting women in photography.

We’re celebrating the achievement of women photographers, opening up empowering opportunities and aiming to inspire future generations of talented females. One of our largest projects since the Trust was established, the £3mn donation included a personal donation from Ruth Parasol underscoring her commitment to promoting women behind and in front of the camera.

Accompanying the project is The Parasol Foundation Gallery at the V&A in London. Three years in the making the stunning new photography gallery opened to visitors in May 2023.

Fiona Rogers, the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography, leads on new acquisitions, research, education and public displays. Fiona is helping the Foundation to celebrate the achievements of women, nurture contemporary artists and inspire the next generation of women photographers to fully express their creativity.

With a strong focus on digital art and social media, we’re aiming to open up participation, encourage women photographers to achieve their potential and connect with the widest possible international audience.

 highlights works by women artists, showcases extraordinary new talent and explores the role women have played through the history of photography.

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The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at The V&A, London

 is passionate about widening opportunities, supporting women’s health and helping women to achieve their potential in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine.

The Parasol Foundation Trust has awarded over £40mn to a series of ambitious projects and collaborations since it was established in 2004.

Creating opportunities for women to pursue their dreams and inspiring the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

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Women in Science

Women in Art

Women in Health

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Principal Benefactress

Our Principal Benefactress, Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol.

Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol, born 1967, is one of the world’s most successful female entrepreneurs and an astute investor. With a self-made portfolio of over $1b, she, and her international team excel in Real Estate, Asset Management and Private Equity.

"Lifting up special students and research ideas, preserving a piece of history, contributing to a park, helping make a dream come true, this is what we are about."

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Three years in the making, The Parasol Foundation Gallery at the V&A London is now open!

Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project

, a major new programme to support women in photography centred in the world’s leading museum of art and design.

We’re helping to surface the amazing women who’ve contributed to the history of photography, many of whom were forgotten or overshadowed by their male counterparts. Until now.

We’re also supporting contemporary women photographers and aiming to inspire future generations.

It is one of the largest projects we’ve embarked on at The Parasol Foundation and the focus on social media and education is helping us reach audiences around the world.

We’re grateful to the V&A and to Fiona Rogers, the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography for bringing the project to life

You can follow the latest from The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project on Instagram, 

Next time you are in London and have an hour to spare, make sure you visit the Parasol Foundation Gallery at the V&A. You won’t be disappointed!

Now Open – The Parasol Foundation Gallery at the V&A London

Congratulations to the five exceptional winners of the first international V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography.

The prize attracted nearly 1400 submissions from artists all over the world who responded with their interpretation of the theme ‘Agents of Change’.

All five winners will have their work displayed at Peckham 24 – south London’s vibrant three-day contemporary photography festival – opening Friday 12 May 2023. Each artist will also receive career enhancing opportunities, including a networking dinner with industry experts, and a financial bursary of £2000.

They will also enjoy a spotlight on the V&A blog and the V&A Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project’s Instagram account.

The winners were chosen from a shortlist of ten by the prize selection committee, co-chaired by Fiona Rogers, the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography at the V&A, and Vivienne Gamble, co-founder of Peckham 24 and Director of Seen Fifteen gallery, London.

is a Ukrainian photographer currently based in Berlin. Her artistic approach initially focussed on documentary and street photography, but evolved in the past year to expose the realities of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its consequences. Her ongoing series ‘Mother Land’ is an autobiographical example of how families have been affected, and continue to live with the trauma of conflict.

 is a Vietnamese photographer and designer based in Hà Nội, Việt Nam. Her work is concerned with the reconstruction of collective memory – be it that of her own identity or of the larger community – and its relationship to contemporary society. Her ongoing project, ‘As You Grow Older’, takes the familiar shape of a family photo album and features portraits in which each individual is presented in their own space.

is an Iranian-American photographer and video artist who currently resides and works in Boston. Her art is deeply influenced by her native country, Iran, and often explores its topography, socio-geography, and the history of war and violence that have affected it.

 is an Indian photographer whose work is connected with lived experience, including stories of women, their lives and the land. ‘Surge’ is a poetic and personal exploration revealing the complexity of familial relationships.

 is a Kenyan British visual artist and curator whose work is heavily influenced by the culture of storytelling. She integrates photography, text and the archive to explore themes such as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Responding to the colonial archive of British social anthropologist Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, ‘spear of a nation’ embarks on its own expedition to critically reflect on acculturation and assimilation, and the legacy of colonialism.

Announcing the winners of the first V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography

We’re launching a new study exploring the obstacles that prevent some women moving forward into senior roles in clinical academia.

In partnership with Imperial Health Charity and Imperial College we’ve commissioned expert researchers to investigate the barriers and challenges that make it harder for women to progress their careers in healthcare.

Globally, fewer than a third of the world’s researchers are women – and only 35% of female students in the UK choose a STEM subject in higher education.* 

We know that truly understanding a problem is always the first step to fixing it and the research will help us understand what changes could be made to better support women advance their academic careers. We’re aiming to make a real difference for all the promising female researchers of the future so they can achieve their potential.

Professor Clare Lloyd and Dr Liz Elvidge, from Imperial College London, are overseeing the project with support from specialist consultants Research Coach.

The initiative is part of The Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research with its emphasis on creating opportunities for women to  progress in science and healthcare.

Look out for news on the report’s recommendations in Spring 2024.

New UNESCO report sheds light on gender inequality in STEM education | UNESCO