Newswise — PHILADELPHIA – (March 16, 2012) – Carmen Marc Valvo, whose couture creations are synonymous with glamour and celebrity, is the 2012 recipient of The Wistar Institute President’s Award.
The President’s Award recognizes a public figure who has been personally touched by cancer, and who advocates for improvements in cancer education and research. Valvo is an outspoken colon cancer survivor who uses the fashion runway as his platform from which to advocate for early screening for colon cancer.
Valvo was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003, just shy of his 50th birthday, the recommended age to begin colon cancer screening. Sensing that something “was off” regarding his health, Valvo insisted on a colonoscopy, allowing doctors to find and successfully treat his cancer.
Valvo began his professional career as a designer for Nina Ricci in Paris, then Christian Dior. He launched his own label in 1989 and quickly established a solid reputation with his Carmen Marc Valvo Collection. With a true passion for designing eveningwear, Valvo launched Carmen Marc Valvo Couture in 1998, earning the favor of socialites and celebrities including Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Eva Longoria.
Valvo spoke publicly about his colon cancer for the first time in 2005, when fashion serendipity brought him together with the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, which was launching a colorectal cancer awareness initiative during the 2005 Spring/Summer Fashion Week in New York City. The experience helped launch Valvo into his second “career” in cancer advocacy. Today, serving as an ambassador of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Valvo has helped raise millions of dollars for colon cancer research, and has appeared in national broadcast and print public service campaigns to encourage early screening for colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States. With advances in early detection and screening, it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. Early screening techniques such as colonoscopy enable doctors to find and remove pre-cancerous polyps before they can become cancerous.
The Wistar Institute President’s Award was established in 2004 to honor a public figure who has directly confronted the challenge of cancer and become an advocate both in the public and private sectors for the continued and accelerated support of cancer research.
Previous honorees of The Wistar Institute’s President’s Award include U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts.
Editor’s Note: Valvo will receive The Wistar Institute President’s Award Wednesday, March 21 at an 11:30 a.m. fashion show and luncheon at Neiman Marcus at King of Prussia. For more information or to cover the event, contact Staci Vernick Goldberg at 215-898-3716 or [email protected].
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. The Wistar Institute: Today’s Discoveries – Tomorrow’s Cures. On the Web at www.wistar.org. ###
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