Marylynn Olivarez, Event Organizer with OCRA, joins KRGV-TV to discuss the 10th annual event and shares that she is a 34-year survivor of ovarian cancer.

Marylynn Olivarez, Event Organizer with OCRA, joins Take 5 to discuss the 10th annual Ovarian Cancer Cycle event to celebrate survivors, honor those who lost their battle, and raise money for research.

On July 13, 2025, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) Rivkin Family SummeRun brought together hundreds of survivors, participants and supporters at Seattle’s Seward Park, to raise funds for ovarian cancer research.

More than 900 people gathered at Seward Park on July 13, 2025, for the 32nd annual Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) Rivkin Family SummeRun. The event raised more than $320,000 for ovarian cancer research.

“OCRA President and CEO Audra Moran said the organization she’s been with for 15 years is going stronger than ever after allying with the Rivkin Center. It’s been an ideal fit.
‘We’re so excited by the process. It has been incredibly easy. We’ve done this a few times before, and I’d say the Rivkin Center was just a dream to work with. Dr. Rivkin is amazing,’ she said.”

“‘This is a systemic problem that will take true cultural change within the medical community and beyond to solve,’ adds OCRA president and CEO Audra Moran about the slow adoption of salpingectomy. ‘We know it’s not being adopted as widely as it could be.’”

“‘For far too long, survival rates have barely budged, and women around the world continue to face devastating odds. We cannot afford to wait another decade for meaningful progress,’ said Audra Moran, President and CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. ‘At OCRA, we believe that artificial intelligence could hold the key to accelerating the breakthroughs we so desperately need—from earlier detection to better treatment options which is why we envisioned a grant of this global magnitude and scope specifically for AI.’”

“‘There is no mammogram for ovarian cancer,’ said [Audra] Moran. ‘That’s been the holy grail—developing a reliable early detection test. Right now, by the time symptoms appear, the cancer has often already spread.’
But AI, Moran believes, can help rewrite that narrative.”

Audra Moran, President & CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, spoke with KUNS-TV Seattle about the newly launched Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium and its groundbreaking AI Accelerator Grant, supported by Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab. This initiative harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to drive progress in ovarian cancer research and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.

“‘Our analysis shows that 52% of ovarian cancer patients are receiving genetic testing,’ said Chad Ramsey, Vice President of Policy with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. ‘We’ve seen some improvement year over year. But that is still far below the number it should be.’”

“Chad Ramsey the VP of Policy at the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance tells us about their plans to meet with legislators to push for ovarian cancer research.”

Audra Moran, President & CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, spoke with FOX 5 WTTG-TV Washington DC about the new Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium with compute support from Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) for positively impacting ovarian cancer outcomes.

“In new guidance released this week, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance urged women who do not have mutations that put them at high risk for ovarian cancer to have their fallopian tubes removed if they’ve finished having children and are already planning a separate gynecologic operation. Evidence suggests that most ovarian cancers, particularly aggressive ones, actually start in the fallopian tubes, the alliance noted.”

“…the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance has released updated guidance, encouraging women who are done having children and who are already ‘undergoing a pelvic surgery’ for another condition to get their fallopian tubes removed as a protective measure against ovarian cancer.”

“To prevent ovarian cancer, women should consider prophylactic removal of fallopian tubes at the same time as other pelvic surgery once they are finished having children, according to new recommendations from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.”

“In January, the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) issued a statement recommending that all women consider salpingectomy if they’re having another abdominal surgery and don’t want to have future children. That’s because, in addition to providing permanent birth control, a salpingectomy also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by up to 50 percent. “This is a very powerful opportunity for cancer prevention,” said Sarah DeFeo, the research alliance’s chief program officer.”

“Ovarian cancer is ‘rare, underfunded, and deadly’, says Audra Moran, head of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), a global charity based in New York.

Like all cancers, the earlier it is detected the better.

Most ovarian cancer starts in the fallopian tubes, so by the time it gets to the ovaries, it may have already spread elsewhere too.

‘Five years prior to ever having a symptom is when you might have to detect ovarian cancer, to affect mortality,’ says Ms Moran.

Supporters in Texas pedaled for progress, riding stationary bikes to help move research forward and raise awareness of ovarian cancer, as reported by KVEO-TV.

“BlackDoctor.org and Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) have launched a powerful roundtable series about how ovarian and gynecologic cancers affect Black women, which gives voice to their experiences. In this 4 part series, Tiffani Fields, Vernelia McKnight, Camille Williams, and Kristen Foreman share their perspectives on navigating diagnosis

“‘I went to high school with someone whose mom fought this battle for quite some time, and the more I learned about OCRA and the more I learned about this event, the more excited we were to host them,’ said Danielle Nicholas with Union Three.”

“Raising money to find new treatments—and a cure—for ovarian cancer remains OCRA’s core mission. But today the organization functions on multiple fronts, supporting and advocating on behalf of patients and caregivers and focusing on improving outcomes as well as prevention.”

“‘There is no approved screening. There is no method of early detection,’ Sarah DeFeo, chief program officer at the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), tells Fortune. ‘It’s a rare disease,’ with a one-in-87 over-lifetime risk, ‘so it’s not something that happens as part of a well-woman checkup, whether with a gynecologist or regular internal medicine.’”

“‘We lose over 600,000 Americans every year to cancer, often because their cancers were detected too late,’  said Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance’s President and CEO Audra Moran. ‘Many cancers, including ovarian cancer, have no recommended early screenings available. This status quo cannot stand. The Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act would ensure seniors’ timely access to MCED tests when they are deemed to be safe and effective by the FDA. Our nation’s health rests on equal access to quality healthcare and we’re grateful to the committee and its members for this important action today.’”

OCRA volunteers visit Downstate Health Sciences University to share how survivor stories can help improve care in this news segment from Marissa Joy Santorelli at News 12 Brooklyn.

A blood test to detect ovarian cancer is being developed with AI by a research team funded by OCRA, in partnership with Microsoft‬ AI for Health. OCRA grantee Dr. Daniel Heller of ‪The Sloan Kettering Institute discusses with Erica Byfield of ‪NBC New York‬.

“…genetic testing as a preventive measure hasn’t necessarily been welcomed across the ovarian cancer community, says Sarah DeFeo, the chief program officer at the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. ‘There is this strong attachment to the importance of symptom awareness. And there is this real focus on the promise of early detection,’  she says. ‘And we know that does not work.’

‘We need to focus on what does work and what we can do,” she adds. “And we encourage people to know their risk.’”

A sea of teal washed over the Capitol on October 24, 2023 as OCRA’s passionate group of advocates joined together to push for legislative initiatives, including Medicare coverage of life-saving tools such as genetic testing.

“This cancer comes from a genetic mutation. We learn more about this, and how it works. What does that mean for how you prevent or treat this cancer? Sarah DeFeo from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance explains, and talks about why genetic testing is an important tool going forward.”

“Audra Moran, president and CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, is sending one message to women: Know your risk.

Moran believes that if more women had the power of knowing their risk of ovarian cancer, more lives would be saved.

‘Look at your family history. Have you had a history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, colorectal or uterine in your family? Either side, male or female, father or mother?’ Moran said. ‘If the answer is yes, then I would recommend talking to a doctor or talking to a genetic counselor.’”

“‘There is currently no cure for the deadliest of all gynecological cancers, nor is there a way to screen for it that has any impact on mortality. But we know there is a way to dramatically reduce the risk,’ Audra Moran, president and chief executive officer of OCRA…”

“Ovarian cancer is uncommon, but it’s a killer and it often occurs in women with no known risk factors.

The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance recently recommended a more aggressive preventive approach: removing a woman’s fallopian tubes if possible during pelvic surgery for another non-cancer reason.”

“Last week, the global nonprofit Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance released a statement encouraging women of average risk to have their fallopian tubes removed after they are done with childbirth and when they have a pelvic surgery for another health issue planned.”

“Removing fallopian tubes, a procedure known as opportunistic salpingectomy, may help reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to a consensus statement from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), a nonprofit research and advocacy group based in New York.”

“Removing fallopian tubes, a procedure known as opportunistic salpingectomy, may help prevent the development of ovarian cancer, according to a consensus statement from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), a nonprofit research and advocacy group based in New York.

The statement by OCRA was endorsed by the Society of Gynecological Oncology.”

“The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance issued new recommendations that women at higher risk may want to consider have their fallopian tubes removed to prevent ovarian cancer.”

“Audra Moran, President & CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), explains some important new research developments in preventing ovarian cancer.”

“‘We know now we’re going to need to detect it at least five years earlier, before symptoms ever even start. And that’s a hard blow to our community,’ said Audra Moran, president and CEO of OCRA. ‘There is currently no method of early detection that will detect it that early.’”

“The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, a leading cancer research group, recently posted a consensus statement encouraging patients to consider preventive fallopian tube removal if they are undergoing pelvic surgery for another noncancerous condition including hysterectomy, tubal ligations, cysts and endometriosis.”

Here & Now’s Robin Young speaks with New York Times reporter Roni Rabin about a new recommendation [from OCRA] for most people at risk of ovarian cancer.

“The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance is now saying people who don’t have a mutation, most women, are at average risk for the disease and should consider having just their fallopian tubes removed, with some caveats…”

“OCRA’s Scientific Advisory Committee member Dr. Celeste Leigh Pearce at the University of Michigan, who co-authored the recent study, noted that the procedure is not targeted to only those who are at high genetic risk of ovarian cancer. They are after the 80% of high-grade serous cancers that arise in people without genetic risks for ovarian cancer to reduce its overall incidence.”

“The new guidance from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance comes after the organization found that early screening and detection attempts were not effective in preventing deaths.”

Ovarian cancer is a relatively rare disease, and typically, we don’t message to the general population’ Audra Moran, president and chief executive of O.C.R.A., said. ‘We want everyone with ovaries to know their risk level and know the actions they can take to help prevent ovarian cancer.’”