This World Cancer Day, St. Baldrick’s Foundation Leads the Charge Against Childhood Cancer

Los Angeles, California–(Newsfile Corp. – February 4, 2026) – This World Cancer Day, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants in the U.S., is shining a light on the urgent need for continued investment in childhood cancer research, and on the powerful global community working together to accelerate cures and develop better, safer treatments for children facing cancer.

Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes. While survival rates have improved for some pediatric cancers, cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children in the United States. Globally, outcomes are far worse: nearly 90% of children with cancer live in developing countries, where survival rates are only 20-30% due to limited access to specialized care and clinical trials. At St. Baldrick’s, the mission is clear: to fund the most promising research so children with cancer, no matter where they live, have a chance to live long and healthy lives.

For over 25 years, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $369 million in childhood cancer research, supporting institutions and researchers across the U.S. and around the world. Recognizing that great research knows no borders, St. Baldrick’s is leading collaborative, global efforts that drive progress for children everywhere.

Advancing Research Across the World

St. Baldrick’s supports a wide range of international research initiatives to help children with cancer worldwide. A cornerstone of this impact is the Foundation’s International Events Program. When head-shaving fundraisers and other St. Baldrick’s events take place outside the United States, the Foundation partners with trusted childhood cancer organizations in the same country – ensuring that funds raised locally stay in the area to support children with cancer. Today, St. Baldrick’s works alongside partners in Bermuda, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands, empowering local communities to raise critical funds and awareness while strengthening childhood cancer support systems in their own regions.

In addition to its global events program, the Foundation funds collaborative Consortium Research Grants that bring together researchers from multiple institutions, often across different countries, to tackle complex challenges in childhood cancer research. St. Baldrick’s also supports its International Scholars program, which provides advanced training to researchers from low- and middle-income countries and equips them to continue lifesaving work in their home countries. Today, International Scholars are advancing pediatric cancer research in regions including Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Middle East.

This commitment to international collaboration and innovation is further reflected in the Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award, originally established by St. Baldrick’s in memory of longtime board member and renowned pediatric cancer researcher Dr. Robert J. Arceci. The award recognizes young investigators with a proven record of bold, outside-the-box thinking and strong collaboration. Today, the award is offered to researchers across Europe through funding from FIGHT KIDS CANCER, with the nomination and peer-review process administered by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The award provides €250,000 per year for four years, totaling €1 million in research support. Recent recipients include Dr. Sophie Postel-Vinay of the University College London Cancer Institute in 2024 and Dr. Joshua Waterfall of the Institut Curie in France in 2025.

Together, these global programs translate into tangible improvements in care and access for children with cancer. One example is International Scholar Dr. Alfonso Ramirez-Ristori, whose work is helping close a critical gap in childhood cancer care. Diagnosing pediatric cancer increasingly depends on specialized testing that examines the genetic makeup of a tumor to guide treatment decisions-tools that are widely available in high-income countries but far less accessible elsewhere due to a shortage of trained specialists. With support from St. Baldrick’s, Dr. Ramirez-Ristori is completing advanced training at the University of California, San Francisco, and will return to Mexico equipped with skills that can transform how children’s cancers are diagnosed. When his training is complete, he will become the first fully trained molecular pediatric pathologist in Mexico, expanding access to accurate diagnoses and improving outcomes for children nationwide.

What is discovered through childhood cancer research today will shape the future for children around the world. On World Cancer Day, St. Baldrick’s calls on the global community to raise awareness, support research, and take action to help find cures. Because every child deserves the chance to grow up, dream big, and live life to the fullest.

To learn more about St. Baldrick’s and its global impact, visit StBaldricks.org, and connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation

Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, has awarded more than $369 million to researchers to Conquer Kids’ Cancer. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one hospital – you support every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now – and those diagnosed in the future – will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. St. Baldrick’s has played a role in virtually every advancement in the field over the past 25 years and remains essential in advancing progress and fostering innovation in childhood cancer research. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.

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