{"id":1260,"date":"2026-06-30T12:54:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2026-06-30T12:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:57:13","slug":"gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Up Against Cancer: NFL Alumni, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and RWJBarnabas Health Collaborate to Support Cancer Survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The NFL Alumni Forum, in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, hosted Gear Up Against Cancer at the Jack &amp; Sheryl Morris Cancer\u00a0Center. The event brought together cancer survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community members for an evening focused on education, support, and connection.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Medical oncologists, including Dr. David Golombos,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a urologic surgeon collaborating with us on the REPEL study,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">discussed the importance of early detection, innovative treatment options, and ongoing research like REPEL to improve cancer outcomes. NFL Alumni Roman Oben, Ottis Anderson, Ray Lucas, and Tony Richardson also shared personal stories about loved ones affected by cancer, highlighting the emotional impact of a diagnosis and the importance of resilience and support. A recurring theme throughout the evening was the vital role of community. Whether through family, friends, healthcare providers, survivor networks, or community organizations, having\u00a0a strong support\u00a0system can make a meaningful difference throughout every stage of the cancer journey.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Events like Gear Up Against Cancer show the power of partnerships in raising awareness, supporting survivors, and strengthening communities. Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health remain committed to advancing cancer research, prevention, early\u00a0detection, and patient support.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1263\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1263\" style=\"width: 380px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/image000000\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1263\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1263\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"380\" height=\"507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the REPEL team: Dr. Hari Iyer, Megan Shanahan, Uyai Ibanga, Jimmie Staton (CAB member), and Dr. David Golombos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NFL Alumni Forum, in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, hosted Gear Up Against Cancer at the Jack &amp; Sheryl Morris Cancer\u00a0Center. The event brought together cancer &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/\" class=\"\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4404,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-highlights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gear Up Against Cancer: NFL Alumni, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and RWJBarnabas Health Collaborate to Support Cancer Survivors - Hari Iyer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gear Up Against Cancer: NFL Alumni, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and RWJBarnabas Health Collaborate to Support Cancer Survivors - Hari Iyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The NFL Alumni Forum, in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, hosted Gear Up Against Cancer at the Jack &amp; Sheryl Morris Cancer\u00a0Center. The event brought together cancer &hellip; Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hari Iyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T12:54:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T12:57:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1025\/2026\/06\/image000000.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Uyaiobong Ibanga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Uyaiobong Ibanga\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/hari-iyer\/gear-up-against-cancer-nfl-alumni-rutgers-cancer-institute-and-rwjbarnabas-health-collaborate-to-support-cancer-survivors\/\",\"name\":\"Gear Up Against Cancer: NFL Alumni, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and RWJBarnabas Health Collaborate to Support Cancer Survivors - 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