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.

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, will focus 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. We’re proud to be funding this new London centre with a donation of £2.25mn.

The centre will open 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 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.

As well as the awards programme for women, we’re initiating a research project 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

Imperial Health Charity - Centre for women's health

Imperial Health Charity - New women's health research centre

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - New research centre

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

Launched in September 2021, The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at the V&A is a major new programme to support 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 underscoring her commitment to promoting women behind and in front of the camera.  

Fiona Rogers became the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography in March and will take the lead on new acquisitions, research, education and public displays at the V&A 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.

A new, dedicated Instagram account has been launched by Fiona and the V&A to highlight works by women artists and is already showcasing extraordinary new talent as well as highlighting the role women have played through the history of photography.

You can enjoy on the Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project on Instagram by following 

 Gallery 97 at the V&A – part of the V&A Photography Centre Phase Two development – will be named The Parasol Foundation Gallery and we hope to see you there once it is ready to welcome visitors.

V&A Press Release

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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.

Parasol Foundation

Women in Science

Women in Art

Women in Health

Future Generations

Principal Benefactress

Our Principal Benefactress, Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol.

Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol was born in 1967 and is one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and businesswomen. 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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Gibraltar

United Kingdom

Israel

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Other

The Parasol Foundation Trust is donating $3.5mn to fund vital research and create 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 based within the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC) will benefit thousands of women every year.

Opening to patients in 2024 the center will be the most advanced in Israel. It will bring together a complete suite of medical and paramedical services along with emotional support.  This one-stop structure, will include surgical and treatment services, a Breast Imaging Unit, oncology consultants, specialists in genetics, plastic surgery and research.

We’re also funding a series of ground breaking research projects led by women physicians over a three-year period starting in January 2023.

We’re supporting genetic research to reveal pathways governing drug resistance and this understanding will be exploited to reveal new targets and develop novel strategies for patients. Leading female researchers funded by the Parasol Foundation will also explore the alterations in tumour environment and breast and ovarian cancer development.

Alongside these projects, twenty women physicians will receive Parasol Foundation research grants to conduct research into breast and ovarian cancer over the next three years.

New Parasol Foundation Women’s Breast Cancer Center in Tel Aviv

We’re excited to welcome the first five exceptional fellows to The Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL Programme.

“I’m so proud of this exceptional and diverse group of women who have joined the Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL Program. They’ve already overcome immense barriers and I know they will continue to push boundaries, contribute to global space advancements, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.” - 

Ruth Parasol recently travelled to the SpaceIL offices in Yehud to meet the new fellows,

hear their stories, the challenges they’ve encountered and their ambitions for the future.

Science, and the space domain in particular, suffer from a large under-representation of women. Through the program, we’re creating opportunities for young female engineers and scientists, encouraging more women to study STEM, and promoting an increased number of successful careers for women in the fields of science and space.

, two junior engineers, have been recruited by SpaceIL to take part in the development of the Beresheet2 spacecraft that will be launched to the moon in 2025 and will conduct novel scientific experiments and educational missions - ensuring more women are involved with groundbreaking projects such as this from the very onset of their careers.

, two graduate level female engineering students from the Israel Institute of Technology, will receive scholarships to further their PHD research on astrophysical gamma ray detection and MSC research on space vehicle lunar landing, respectively.

, a commercial lawyer specialising in space law and policy, will be granted a scholarship for her post-doctoral research focusing on legal and regulatory aspects of space sustainability issues.

We’re providing $500,000 to fund the fellowships as part of our larger $2.03M contribution to SpaceIL’s current Beresheet2 mission.

Meet the newly selected female candidates participating in the "Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL Program"

We’re funding four scholarships for Ukrainian women to study in Washington DC with the Advanced Leadership Foundation (ALF).

ALF has directly trained and empowered 11,000 leaders from around the world and our donation will enable four talented young female Ukrainian refugees in their last year of any STEM-related degree to have a life-changing four-month long professional experience.

Through our partnership with ALF, we’re aiming to promote the leadership skills of young Ukrainian women and help them develop tools that will be instrumental in reconstructing their country and embracing a new future.

ALF will offer the successful female Ukranian students the opportunity to polish their abilities with an immersive career experience in Washington DC during an intensive internship program. The program also includes academic training in soft skills and leadership abilities.

The scholarships are open to Ukrainian women under the age of 30 who are about to graduate. Applicants should be committed to contributing to the rebuilding of their communities with their experience and inspiring others to embrace the future.

The deadline for registration is Monday October 31st. The names of the beneficiaries will be announced on November 18th, 2022 with the internship experience taking place in Washington DC from the beginning of March 2023 through to the end of June. 

This powerful new Parasol Foundation Women’s Leadership Scholarship initiative with ALF is part of our wider programme of scholarships for women from Ukraine.