2019 Annual Report
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ANNUAL REPORT<br />
<strong>2019</strong>
Through biomedical research and science education,<br />
Van Andel Institute is committed to improving the<br />
health and enhancing the lives of current and<br />
future generations.
Table of Contents<br />
2 A letter from David Van Andel<br />
4 Research<br />
6 New blood test for pancreatic cancer<br />
8 Inflammation’s role in depression<br />
and suicide<br />
10 Road map to a healthier future<br />
12 Research highlights<br />
15 Translating impact from the lab to the clinic<br />
16 Van Andel Institute’s principal investigators<br />
22 Graduate School welcomes largest, most<br />
international cohort<br />
24 Graduate School highlights and<br />
student statistics<br />
26 Education<br />
28 Blue Apple brings project-based learning<br />
to life<br />
29 Science on the Grand<br />
30 Strong growth for VAI student programs<br />
32 Events and Philanthropy<br />
34 Event photos<br />
45 Signature special event sponsors<br />
46 George Vande Woude: A life lived in science<br />
47 Supporting Parkinson’s research today,<br />
because of tomorrow<br />
48 Student Ambassadors make their mark<br />
49 Parkinson’s research goes ‘MINI’ on the<br />
Mackinac Bridge<br />
50 Events and philanthropy highlights<br />
51 Society of Hope<br />
52 By the numbers<br />
53 Institute leadership team<br />
54 Board members<br />
56 Board of Governors<br />
57 JBoard Ambassadors
A letter from David Van Andel<br />
Dear Friends,<br />
This year’s annual report was created against the backdrop of a changing world, given<br />
the indelible mark made on our global society by the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />
Though we remain strong as an Institute and are proud to share our breakthroughs<br />
and triumphs, we also want to express our gratitude to you as we all make our way in<br />
these uncertain times. It is the deep sense of community with our hometown that has<br />
sustained us for many years, and we will forge ahead together through this altered<br />
landscape.<br />
Over the course of the last year, we have continued to shape the course of scientific<br />
discovery and stayed on the cutting edge of K-12 and graduate education. You’ll find<br />
evidence of that in the following pages, stories and anecdotes that reflect our unbridled<br />
concern for humanity.<br />
While our collective reality has changed, the progress made by VAI scientists and<br />
educators in <strong>2019</strong> laid a strong foundation to continue our mission of improving the<br />
health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations.<br />
Early in the year, for example, a team led by Institute scientists announced a new<br />
combination blood test for pancreatic cancer that may help save lives by catching this<br />
notoriously difficult-to-treat disease sooner. That test was undergoing additional thirdparty<br />
validation as of spring 2020. In another breakthrough, a team led by VAI scientists<br />
identified a new mechanism that accelerates aging in the brain and gives rise to the<br />
most devastating biological features inherent in Alzheimer’s disease. The findings give<br />
scientists new avenues for screening compounds designed to slow or stop Alzheimer’s<br />
progression, something existing medications cannot do.<br />
In the summer, Van Andel Institute for Education launched its Blue Apple initiative<br />
that has brought project-based learning to life in classrooms nationwide. And Van Andel<br />
Institute Graduate School welcomed in the fall its largest and most international cohort<br />
to date.<br />
our progress. Your support empowers the Institute to attract and retain world-class<br />
scientists and educators who carry out vital and important work on behalf of a world in<br />
need.<br />
The Institute thanks you. I thank you. We hope you enjoy reading about the work we are<br />
doing here at VAI — the work made possible by you.<br />
Warmly,<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO<br />
It is because of you that we can work urgently to end diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s<br />
and Parkinson’s, inspiring and training the scientists of tomorrow who will build on<br />
2 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 3
Van Andel Institute for Research<br />
is a world leader in cancer epigenetics and Parkinson’s disease<br />
research. The Institute’s scientists collaborate with partners around the<br />
world to catalyze discovery and translate bold ideas into breakthrough<br />
treatment strategies.<br />
4 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 5
New combination blood test for pancreatic cancer<br />
may catch disease earlier<br />
Clues in the blood may help catch pancreatic cancer<br />
sooner, giving people battling this deadly disease a<br />
better chance at remission.<br />
A team led by Dr. Brian Haab has developed a new,<br />
simple blood test that, when combined with an existing<br />
test, detects nearly 70% of pancreatic cancers with<br />
a less than 5% false-positive rate. If successful in<br />
additional clinical evaluation, this new combination<br />
approach could give doctors a powerful new tool for<br />
screening people at high risk for pancreatic cancer and<br />
increase the chances that it’s caught in its earlier and<br />
more treatable stages.<br />
“Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease made even<br />
more devastating by its tendency to spread before<br />
detection, which is a serious roadblock to successful<br />
medical treatment,” Haab said. “We hope that our new<br />
method will help doctors catch and treat pancreatic<br />
cancer before this happens.”<br />
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose because it<br />
often doesn’t have obvious early symptoms. By the<br />
time the disease is found, it typically is quite advanced,<br />
complicating treatment and leading to poorer<br />
outcomes. Only 8.5% of people with pancreatic cancer<br />
survive past five years, a figure that has only risen<br />
slightly since the early 1990s.<br />
Both Haab’s new test and the existing test detect<br />
and measure levels of sugars produced by pancreatic<br />
cancer cells that subsequently escape into the blood<br />
stream. The sugar measured by the new test — sTRA —<br />
is produced by a different subset of pancreatic cancers<br />
than CA-19-9, the sugar measured by the existing test.<br />
When used together, the tests cast a broader net and<br />
detect subtypes of pancreatic cancer that may have<br />
been missed by using one of the two tests on its own.<br />
“We believe using these tests in a complementary<br />
fashion will help physicians detect pancreatic cancers<br />
much sooner in the disease process, which significantly<br />
improves a patient’s chance for survival,” Haab said.<br />
“Right now, there are few options for people suspected<br />
to have pancreatic cancer. This combined blood test<br />
could be a simple, cost-effective way to detect disease<br />
early enough to save lives.”<br />
In late <strong>2019</strong>, the test began undergoing additional realworld<br />
validation in clinical labs at Spectrum Health. If<br />
successful as expected, Haab and his team envision the<br />
test becoming widely available as a screening tool for<br />
high-risk individuals.<br />
Research reported in this publication was supported by<br />
the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes<br />
of Health under award numbers U01CA152653,<br />
U01CA200466, U01CA200468, U01CA168896,<br />
U01CA196403 and P30CA138313. The content is solely<br />
the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily<br />
represent the official views of the National Institutes of<br />
Health.<br />
“Pancreatic cancer is an<br />
aggressive disease made even<br />
more devastating by its tendency<br />
to spread before detection,<br />
which is a serious roadblock to<br />
successful medical treatment.<br />
We hope that our new method<br />
will help doctors catch and treat<br />
pancreatic cancer before<br />
this happens.”<br />
— DR. BRIAN HAAB<br />
6 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
DR. BRIAN HAAB<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 7
Rooting out inflammation’s role in depression and suicide<br />
Depression and suicide have long carried a stigma —<br />
one that Dr. Lena Brundin hopes to dispel through a<br />
better understanding of their biological roots.<br />
“I think it’s still hard for people to see depression and<br />
suicidality as physical illnesses, but that’s what they<br />
are,” said Brundin, an associate professor in Van Andel<br />
Institute’s Center for Neurodegenerative Science.<br />
“There are measurable biological contributors such as<br />
byproducts of chronic inflammation that influence a<br />
person’s likelihood to develop depression or self-harm.<br />
Leveraging these markers could hold the key to helping<br />
people before it is too late.”<br />
Brundin’s efforts go back decades: as a graduate<br />
student at Sweden’s Lund University in the late 1990s,<br />
she noticed a major inflammatory reaction in brain cells<br />
that had been transplanted into people with Parkinson’s<br />
disease. It made her wonder: could such an aggressive<br />
reaction influence emotion and behavior?<br />
“There has been a huge change from the 1990s, when<br />
people thought of the brain as an organ that’s more or<br />
less isolated from the rest of the body,” Brundin said.<br />
“Over the past 25 years, we’ve seen an explosion of<br />
research on brain inflammation and its broad impact on<br />
the rest of the body.”<br />
By the time she arrived at the Institute in 2012, Brundin<br />
already had uncovered key findings linking inflammation<br />
and depression. She quickly teamed up with Dr. Eric<br />
Achtyes, a psychiatrist at Pine Rest Christian Mental<br />
Health Services, who had similar research interests.<br />
Over the years, this collaboration has continued to<br />
expand and yield critical new insights. In <strong>2019</strong>, they<br />
launched a new study to identify blood-based<br />
biomarkers for suicide risk, hoping to develop a test that<br />
could help physicians differentiate between people who<br />
are likely to self-harm and those who are not, allowing for<br />
earlier, life-saving intervention.<br />
The project is the first study of its kind, and is a<br />
collaboration between Brundin, Achtyes and Columbia<br />
University Department of Psychiatry’s Dr. J. John Mann.<br />
It is supported by a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the<br />
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National<br />
Institutes of Health.<br />
“Clinicians are looking for tools to help them identify<br />
individuals who are at highest risk for suicide among<br />
those who are depressed,” Achtyes said. “We are hopeful<br />
this study will help us develop these tools to better<br />
understand who is at imminent risk.”<br />
Later in the year, Brundin and Achtyes and colleagues<br />
from Michigan State University College of Human<br />
Medicine published a report that showed a runaway,<br />
inflammatory immune response may be responsible for<br />
triggering severe depression during and after pregnancy.<br />
Not to be mistaken for the rapidly passing “baby blues,”<br />
which is common right after delivery, pregnancy-related<br />
depression is a serious medical condition that can<br />
escalate in severity and may even require hospitalization.<br />
One in five new mothers experience depression after<br />
pregnancy, with symptoms beginning during pregnancy<br />
and generally worsening after delivery. An estimated 14%<br />
have suicidal ideation during pregnancy.<br />
Brundin is hopeful that their efforts will soon translate<br />
into new, effective treatment options for those with<br />
depression.<br />
“There already are many anti-inflammatory medications<br />
that could possibly be repurposed to treat depression,”<br />
she said. “The more we learn, the closer we come to<br />
finding actionable, new ways to improve people’s lives.”<br />
Research reported in this publication is supported by the<br />
National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes<br />
of Health under award no. 1R01MH118221 (Brundin,<br />
Achtyes, Mann) and award no. R01MH104622 (Brundin). The<br />
content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does<br />
not necessarily represent the official views of the National<br />
Institutes of Health.<br />
“There are measurable biological contributors such as byproducts of chronic inflammation that influence a person’s likelihood to<br />
develop depression or self-harm. Leveraging these markers could hold the key to helping people before it is too late.”<br />
— DR. LENA BRUNDIN<br />
8 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
What is<br />
inflammation?<br />
Inflammation is the immune system’s<br />
normal reaction to harmful stimuli, such as<br />
infection, injury or chronic disease, or<br />
even stress.<br />
Following one of these insults, the body<br />
releases a cascade of white blood cells,<br />
which produce chemicals that attempt to<br />
remove the cause of the problem and start<br />
the healing process.<br />
The effects of inflammation, though<br />
designed to help us, aren’t always pleasant.<br />
They include increased blood flow, leading<br />
to redness and increased heat; fluid rushing<br />
to the area, causing swelling; and pain, a<br />
flood of chemicals to stimulate nerves.<br />
DR. ERIC ACHTYES & DR. LENA BRUNDIN<br />
With their job complete, these cells stop<br />
making these chemicals and the symptoms<br />
of inflammation wear off. Occasionally,<br />
however, something goes awry and the<br />
body overproduces inflammatory chemicals<br />
and continues producing them longer than<br />
they are needed. If left unchecked, this<br />
can disrupt the body’s ability to function<br />
normally and contribute to a number of<br />
issues, including depression and suicidal<br />
thoughts and actions.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 9
Epigenetic ‘memories’ may provide clues to the<br />
health of future generations<br />
Dr. Andrew Pospisilik and Dr. Heidi Lempradl are<br />
working on a road map to a healthier future, one that<br />
accounts for the ripple effect our diet and lifestyle<br />
choices may have across the generations.<br />
“The human body has an incredible capacity to adapt to<br />
its environment,” said Pospisilik, director of Van Andel<br />
Institute’s Center for Epigenetics. “Evidence suggests<br />
that the choices we make and experiences we have today<br />
can have far-reaching implications and may even affect<br />
predisposition to disease down the line.”<br />
To accomplish their goal, Pospisilik and Lempradl must<br />
untangle a highly complex, interwoven web of factors,<br />
tracing the impact of individual variables — such as diet<br />
or a specific genetic element — through a proverbial<br />
Gordian knot.<br />
“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘One parent ate a certain<br />
type of diet, so their child will be less at risk for a specific<br />
disease,’” said Lempradl, an assistant professor in VAI’s<br />
Metabolic and Nutritional Programming group. “We are<br />
complex organisms who inhabit a complex world. This<br />
work is incredibly challenging, but if we can figure it out,<br />
the benefits to human health will very much be worth it.”<br />
Biological information is passed through the generations<br />
via genetics and epigenetics. Our genetics are a biological<br />
blueprint created by blending our parents’ genetic<br />
information; our epigenetics are the switches that<br />
determine when this information is used — or not.<br />
Here’s how it works: Each of the roughly 37.2 trillion cells<br />
in the human body contains essentially the same genetic<br />
information encoded in our DNA. But at any given<br />
moment, an individual cell doesn’t need to use all of<br />
those instructions; for example, a blood cell needs only<br />
the instructions related to its function and can ignore the<br />
instructions that are specific to a brain cell. Epigenetics<br />
determines when specific instructions are needed and<br />
used by tagging DNA with special molecular marks.<br />
But epigenetics aren’t static. They can be responsive<br />
and play a major role in our ability to adapt to changes<br />
in our environment. Take, for example, people who faced<br />
the stress of war and famine brought on by the Great<br />
Depression and World War II: These individuals likely<br />
experienced epigenetic changes that helped their bodies<br />
respond to that stress. These changes, reflected in the<br />
patterns of epigenetic marks laid down on their DNA,<br />
act like a molecular memory that is passed down to their<br />
children. The results, depending on the changes, may<br />
even alter predisposition to cancer, depression and other<br />
conditions.<br />
Recent discoveries and ongoing work in the labs of<br />
scientists like Pospisilik and Lempradl are painting a rich<br />
portrait of how the experiences of our ancestors have<br />
shaped us. One day, they hope to translate what they<br />
find into powerful preventative methods for some of our<br />
most challenging diseases.<br />
“We may find that cancer prevention starts even before<br />
a person is born,” Pospisilik said. “We’re really at the<br />
beginning of something that could radically transform<br />
how we view health, and prevent and treat illness. The<br />
possibilities are endless.”<br />
“It’s not as simple as<br />
saying, ‘One parent ate a<br />
certain type of diet, so their<br />
child will be less at risk for<br />
a specific disease. We are<br />
complex organisms who<br />
inhabit a complex world.<br />
This work is incredibly<br />
challenging, but if we can<br />
figure it out, the benefits to<br />
human health will very much<br />
be worth it.”<br />
— DR. HEIDI LEMPRADL<br />
10 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
DR. ANDREW POSPISILIK & DR. HEIDI LEMPRADL<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 11
Highlights<br />
CENTER FOR CANCER & CELL BIOLOGY<br />
The link between taste & neurological disorders<br />
Understanding how the brain processes sweet, bitter and umami tastes may one<br />
day help researchers design more effective drugs for neurological disorders. VAI’s<br />
Dr. Juan Du and Dr. Wei Lü revealed for the first time the near atomic-level structure<br />
of calcium homeostasis modulator 2 (CALHM2), a protein that plays critical roles<br />
in processing taste stimuli and mitigating toxicity in brain cells. CALHM2 works by<br />
sensing chemical and electrical changes in its environment — in the taste buds,<br />
for example — and relaying the information back to the brain. Abnormal changes<br />
in CALHM proteins have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other<br />
neurological conditions; fixing these errors may help create viable treatments in the<br />
future.<br />
CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE<br />
Collaboration & big data help redefine a rare form of dementia<br />
In a <strong>2019</strong> landmark study, more than 100 scientists from around the world —<br />
including VAI’s Dr. Rita Guerreiro and Dr. José Brás — teamed up to investigate<br />
frontotemporal dementia, a progressive syndrome marked by shrinking of brain<br />
regions that govern behavior and speech. FTD is a rare disease, and FTD caused by<br />
genetic mutations is even rarer, making it especially difficult to study. Often, there<br />
simply aren’t enough cases from which to gather sufficient data. The first-of-its-kind<br />
study in FTD encompassed data from 3,403 individuals, and allowed scientists to<br />
identify patterns that tied specific gene mutations to age of onset, disease duration<br />
and age of death. This is particularly important for people and families with these<br />
mutations, for clinicians managing FTD and for scientists developing precision<br />
medicine approaches and methods for tracking disease progression. Findings in FTD<br />
may also have applications in understanding other types of dementia.<br />
CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE<br />
Investigating a diabetes drug as a way to slow or stop multiple<br />
system atrophy<br />
Multiple system atrophy is a rare neurodegenerative disease that shuts down<br />
the vital systems in the body, such as the ability to move, to regulate heart rate<br />
and to digest food. In its early stages, it often is mistaken for Parkinson’s disease<br />
and, like Parkinson’s, there is no cure. In <strong>2019</strong>, researchers at University College<br />
London began a pilot clinical study to see if the diabetes drug exenatide can slow<br />
or stop progression of MSA. Exenatide has already shown promise as a possible<br />
Parkinson’s treatment because it acts on many of the same biological pathways<br />
affected by neurodegenerative diseases. The trial is supported by Van Andel<br />
Institute, the Defeat MSA Alliance, the John Black Charitable Trust and the MSA<br />
Trust.<br />
CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE<br />
Unlocking the brain’s secret code<br />
Dr. Viviane Labrie is parsing the human genome and the epigenetic code that<br />
regulates it in search of the root causes of neurological disorders that affect<br />
millions around the globe. In spring <strong>2019</strong>, she discovered a mechanism that<br />
accelerates aging in the brain and gives rise to the most devastating features of<br />
Alzheimer’s disease. Later, Labrie and her colleagues found a hot spot of epigenetic<br />
marks that may fuel the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.<br />
Taken together, her findings are charting new paths toward better diagnostic and<br />
treatment methods for a trio of tough-to-treat diseases.<br />
12 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 13
Highlights<br />
CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS<br />
Helping the heart heal itself<br />
Scientists in the DeVos Cardiovascular Research Program, led by Dr. Stefan<br />
Jovinge, have devised a technique to sort out which heart cells can replicate and<br />
which cannot, a critical step toward treatments that may one day help the heart<br />
heal itself after injury. The method, published in the journal Circulation Research,<br />
removes a significant roadblock to developing ways to regrow healthy cardiac<br />
muscle tissue, a feat not currently possible. Earlier in the fall, the Jovinge team,<br />
along with collaborators in Sweden and Romania, also found that blocking an<br />
inflammatory protein after a heart attack may reduce damage and mitigate the<br />
risk of future heart failure. This study was listed as one of the major discoveries<br />
in the field of acute coronary syndromes in <strong>2019</strong> by the prestigious European<br />
Heart Journal. Together, these two discoveries help lay the foundation for a new<br />
generation of cardiac therapies aimed at repairing the heart without the need<br />
for invasive surgery. The DeVos Cardiovascular Research Program is a joint effort<br />
between Van Andel Institute and Spectrum Health.<br />
CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS<br />
A ‘Swiss Army knife’ for fighting cancer<br />
Blocking specific parts of a Swiss Army knife-like protein called UHRF1 switches<br />
on hundreds of cancer-fighting genes, impairing colorectal cancer cells’ ability to<br />
spread throughout the body. The protein is akin to a molecular Swiss Army knife<br />
with many different paths that each have a different job. The discovery by VAI’s<br />
Dr. Scott Rothbart and VAI and Johns Hopkins University’s Dr. Stephen Baylin<br />
comes at a particularly important time — while colorectal cancer rates have been<br />
falling since the 1980s in older people, they are climbing in people ages 20–39.<br />
Colorectal cancers often aren’t caught until their later stages in this younger group<br />
because they fall below the age for annual screening. Rothbart and Baylin are<br />
working to translate their findings into more precise therapeutic strategies that<br />
better fight these devastating cancers and keep them from metastasizing.<br />
CENTER FOR CANCER & CELL BIOLOGY<br />
Breaking down osteoarthritis in search of a cure<br />
More than 31 million people in the U.S. have osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint<br />
disease caused by the breakdown of cartilage, the elastic tissue that serves as a<br />
shock absorber between bones. Despite being incredibly common, this painful and<br />
often debilitating condition has no cure. VAI’s Dr. Tao Yang hopes to change that by<br />
better understanding the root cause from which osteoarthritis stems. He and his<br />
team are investigating the complex web of overlapping biological pathways and<br />
factors that govern skeletal health, with a special focus on a pathway related to<br />
cellular aging.<br />
CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS<br />
Findings could help women with uterine fibroids avoid hysterectomy<br />
Uterine fibroid tumors are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the U.S., yet the<br />
mechanisms that give rise to these tumors have largely been unknown. In <strong>2019</strong>, a<br />
collaborative team led by Dr. Hui Shen of Van Andel Institute and Dr. Jose Teixeira<br />
of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine found that an overactive<br />
gene in uterine fibroids is linked to the transformation of cells in the muscle of the<br />
uterus into cells more typically found in the cervix. This breakthrough eventually<br />
may lead to new treatments that interfere with this abnormal process and could<br />
help many women to avoid surgery.<br />
CENTER FOR CANCER & CELL BIOLOGY<br />
When studying immune cells, environment matters<br />
For years, scientists have used cells grown in petri dishes to study the metabolic<br />
processes that fuel the immune system. But findings from VAI’s Dr. Russell<br />
Jones suggest that the way immune cells manage and use energy in the artificial<br />
environment of a dish is drastically different from how it occurs in living organisms.<br />
The discovery has far-reaching implications for how scientists study the complex,<br />
interconnected systems that underpin health and disease and how they translate<br />
these insights into new diagnostic and treatment strategies.<br />
14 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Translating impact from<br />
the lab to the clinic<br />
Clinical trials are a critical step in a new treatment’s journey from the lab to the<br />
doctor’s office. Through collaborations with leading scientists, physicians and<br />
organizations in the U.S. and abroad, Van Andel Institute is supporting critical<br />
trials designed to evaluate potentially life-saving therapies for cancer and<br />
Parkinson’s disease.<br />
RESEARCH<br />
Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To<br />
Cancer Epigenetics Dream Team<br />
Optimizing drug combinations for<br />
a one-two punch against cancers,<br />
including:<br />
• Metastatic colorectal cancer<br />
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)<br />
• Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)<br />
• Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia<br />
(CMML)<br />
• Non-small cell lung cancer<br />
• Bladder (urothelial) cancer<br />
• Liver, pancreatic, bile duct and<br />
gallbladder cancers<br />
• Breast cancer<br />
Research By The Numbers<br />
12<br />
1<br />
470<br />
+<br />
Trials launched<br />
Trial in development<br />
Patients<br />
International Linked<br />
Clinical Trials (iLCT)<br />
Repurposing existing drugs to<br />
shorten the development pipeline<br />
in collaboration with The<br />
Cure Parkinson’s Trust.<br />
The iLCT initiative aims to identify<br />
new therapies for Parkinson’s<br />
disease by repurposing medications<br />
used for other conditions, including<br />
diabetes, high cholesterol and<br />
respiratory ailments.<br />
Research By The Numbers<br />
15<br />
10<br />
850<br />
+<br />
Trials launched<br />
Trials In development<br />
Patients<br />
All numbers as of March 2020<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 15
Van Andel Institute Principal Investigators<br />
Van Andel Institute for Research is home to a team of scientists dedicated to improving the health and enhancing the<br />
lives of current and future generations through groundbreaking biomedical research.<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon),<br />
is a pioneer in epigenetics, a<br />
growing field that explores how<br />
genes are regulated and provides<br />
new avenues for developing<br />
therapies for cancer and other diseases. His discoveries<br />
have helped usher in an entirely new class of drugs that<br />
have been approved to treat blood cancer and are being<br />
investigated in other tumor types. Dr. Jones is a member<br />
of the National Academy of Sciences and the American<br />
Academy of Arts and Sciences among other prestigious<br />
societies. He and his colleague Dr. Stephen Baylin<br />
co-lead the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer<br />
Epigenetics Dream Team.<br />
Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Associate Director of<br />
Research;<br />
Director, Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science<br />
Patrik Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
investigates molecular<br />
mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease with the goal<br />
of developing new therapies aimed at slowing or<br />
stopping disease progression and repairing damage.<br />
He is one of the top-cited researchers in the field of<br />
neurodegenerative disease and leads international<br />
efforts to repurpose drugs to treat Parkinson’s.<br />
J. Andrew Pospisilik, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Center for<br />
Epigenetics; Professor,<br />
Metabolic and Nutritional<br />
Programming, Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
J. Andrew Pospisilik, Ph.D., seeks<br />
to understand how we become who we become, and<br />
how our disease susceptibility is defined from early on in<br />
life, even before conception, with the long-term goal of<br />
being able to predict lifelong health outlook at birth.<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Center for Cancer<br />
and Cell Biology; Professor,<br />
Skeletal Disease and Cancer<br />
Therapeutics, Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D., studies the<br />
building blocks of bone growth on behalf of the millions<br />
suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis. He seeks<br />
new ways of altering cell signaling pathways to encourage<br />
healthy bone development and deter the spread of<br />
cancer to the skeleton.<br />
Scott Jewell, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Core Technologies<br />
and Services<br />
Scott Jewell, Ph.D., leads Van Andel<br />
Institute’s Core Technologies<br />
and Services, which provides<br />
technology and specialized<br />
expertise for research investigators. Services include<br />
bioinformatics and biostatistics, cryo-EM, optical imaging,<br />
flow cytometry, genomics, pathology and biorepository,<br />
vivarium management and transgenics. Jewell is a past<br />
president of the International Society for Biological and<br />
Environmental Repositories (ISBER).<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.<br />
Dean, Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D., is<br />
the dean of Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School. His lab, which<br />
closed in 2018 after 31 years of<br />
productive research, explored the genetic and epigenetic<br />
control systems of viruses to understand how infections<br />
progress and to reveal new ways to stop them. His<br />
discoveries with herpes simplex viruses opened up<br />
new possibilities for antiviral drug development and<br />
revealed new insights into how human cells control gene<br />
expression.<br />
16 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
CENTER FOR EPIGENETICS<br />
Stephen Baylin, M.D.<br />
Director’s Scholar<br />
Stephen Baylin, M.D., studies the<br />
body’s genetic control systems —<br />
called epigenetics — searching for<br />
vulnerabilities in cancer. Baylin is a<br />
leader in this field, ranking among<br />
the first to trace epigenetic causes of cancer. His studies<br />
have led to new therapies for common cancers, like<br />
breast, lung, colorectal and many others. He is co-leader<br />
of the VAI–SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team with Dr. Peter<br />
A. Jones, co-director of Johns Hopkins’ Cancer Biology<br />
Division and associate director for research at Sidney<br />
Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.<br />
Stefan Jovinge, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Professor, VAI; Medical Director<br />
of Research, Spectrum Health<br />
Frederick Meijer Heart and<br />
Vascular Institute; Director,<br />
DeVos Cardiovascular Research<br />
Program (a joint effort between<br />
Van Andel Institute and Spectrum Health)<br />
Stefan Jovinge, M.D., Ph.D., develops ways to help the<br />
heart heal itself and has led dozens of clinical trials in<br />
regenerative medicine. As a critical care cardiologist<br />
and scientist, he uses a bench-to-bedside approach in<br />
an effort to give patients with serious heart conditions<br />
longer, healthier lives. The clinical platform for his<br />
research is the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit at<br />
Spectrum Health’s Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center,<br />
and the basic science effort in regenerative medicine is<br />
performed at VAI.<br />
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D., seeks<br />
a detailed understanding of<br />
the molecular foundations of<br />
cancer with a particular focus<br />
on identifying crucial epigenetic<br />
alterations that convert otherwise healthy cells into<br />
cancer cells. He is widely regarded as an international<br />
leader in this effort and has helped design some of<br />
the world’s state-of-the art tools to aid in epigenetics<br />
research. Laird is a principal investigator for the National<br />
Cancer Institute’s Genome Data Analysis Network and<br />
played a leadership role in The Cancer Genome Atlas, a<br />
multi-institutional effort to molecularly map cancers.<br />
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D., studies how<br />
the body switches genes on and<br />
off, a biological process called<br />
methylation that, when faulty, can<br />
lead to cancer or other diseases.<br />
His studies range from the effects of tobacco smoke<br />
on genetic and epigenetic systems to the discovery<br />
of a mechanism that may help protect the brain from<br />
neurodegeneration. Pfeifer’s studies have implications<br />
across a range of diseases, including cancer, Parkinson’s,<br />
diabetes and many others.<br />
Center for Epigenetics<br />
Epigenetic mechanisms control how<br />
DNA is used, how organisms form, and<br />
how cells switch particular genes “on”<br />
or “off” to determine form and function.<br />
Errors in these intricate processes<br />
play major roles in the development<br />
of diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s,<br />
diabetes and heart disease.<br />
Scientists in the Center for Epigenetics<br />
investigate the role of epigenetics<br />
in health and disease, with the goal<br />
of developing new prevention and<br />
treatment strategies for diseases that<br />
affect millions of people around<br />
the world.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 17
Van Andel Institute Principal Investigators<br />
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Scott Rothbart, Ph.D., studies<br />
the ways in which cells pack<br />
and unpack DNA. This complex<br />
process twists and coils roughly<br />
two meters of unwound DNA into<br />
a space less than one-tenth the width of a human hair.<br />
Although this process is impressive, it is also subject<br />
to errors that can cause cancer and other disorders.<br />
Rothbart seeks new targets for drug development in<br />
this process.<br />
Hui Shen, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Hui Shen, Ph.D., develops new<br />
approaches to cancer prevention,<br />
detection and treatment by studying<br />
the interaction between genes<br />
and their control systems, called<br />
epigenetics. Her research focuses on women’s cancers,<br />
particularly ovarian cancer, and has shed new light on the<br />
underlying mechanisms of other cancer types, including<br />
breast, kidney and prostate cancers.<br />
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the mechanisms that regulate<br />
DNA and gene expression in an<br />
effort to better understand how<br />
they impact cancer development.<br />
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Piroska Szabó, Ph.D., studies the<br />
flow of epigenetic information<br />
from parents to their offspring,<br />
with a focus on how epigenetic<br />
markers are remodeled during<br />
egg and sperm production and how these markers<br />
are rewritten after fertilization. These processes<br />
have profound implications for fertility and embryo<br />
development. Disturbances in epigenetic remodeling are<br />
thought to contribute to disease conditions lasting well<br />
into adulthood.<br />
Timothy J. Triche, Jr., Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
As a statistician and computational<br />
biologist with an interest in clonal<br />
evolution and cancers of the<br />
blood, Tim Triche, Jr.’s, Ph.D., work<br />
focuses on wedding data-intensive<br />
molecular phenotyping to adaptive clinical trial designs<br />
in an effort to accelerate the pace of drug targeting and<br />
development in rare or refractory diseases.<br />
Hong Wen, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Hong Wen, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the fundamental mechanisms<br />
of pediatric cancers caused<br />
by dysregulation of epigenetic<br />
regulators, in hopes of developing<br />
new, improved therapies for these devastating diseases.<br />
CENTER FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE SCIENCE<br />
José Brás, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Dr. José Brás is a molecular<br />
geneticist whose research focuses<br />
on how variations in our genes<br />
impact the onset and progression<br />
of neurodegenerative diseases<br />
such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia with<br />
Lewy bodies.<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
As a psychiatrist and a scientist,<br />
Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.,<br />
seeks ways to diagnose and<br />
treat depression and suicidality<br />
by studying inflammation of<br />
the nervous system. Her findings may lead to earlier<br />
interventions for depressive patients and to the<br />
development of a new class of antidepressants that<br />
targets the immune system. She also investigates how<br />
inflammatory mechanisms can damage nerve cells in<br />
Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Hong-Yuan Chu, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Hong-Yuan Chu, Ph.D., investigates<br />
how and why dopamine-producing<br />
cells die off in Parkinson’s, a<br />
process that underlies many of<br />
the disease’s hallmark symptoms.<br />
He plans to leverage this new knowledge to develop new,<br />
more precise ways to slow or stop disease progression.<br />
18 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Gerhard Coetzee, Ph.D., searches<br />
the human genome for minuscule<br />
changes that contribute to the<br />
onset, progression and drug<br />
resistance of many diseases,<br />
including cancer, Parkinson’s, and rare and heritable<br />
disorders. His team deploys genome sequencing<br />
technologies and high-powered computational arrays<br />
to tease out patterns and interactions of markers and<br />
treatment targets from among the human genome’s more<br />
than 3 billion DNA base pairs.<br />
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Rita Guerreiro, Ph.D., is a<br />
neurogeneticist who studies<br />
the genomic contributors to<br />
neurodegenerative diseases such<br />
as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s<br />
disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.<br />
Viviane Labrie, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Viviane Labrie, Ph.D., studies<br />
the dynamic interplay between<br />
the human genome and<br />
its control system — the<br />
epigenome — to understand<br />
how neurodegenerative diseases start and progress<br />
in an effort to develop improved diagnostics and<br />
treatments. Labrie’s scientific pursuits have deepened<br />
the understanding of conditions including Parkinson’s,<br />
Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and lactose intolerance. She<br />
has also developed new methods for epigenome analysis.<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Darren Moore, Ph.D., seeks<br />
new diagnostic and treatment<br />
approaches for Parkinson’s by<br />
investigating the inherited form of<br />
the disease, which accounts for<br />
5% to 10% of cases. He aims to translate the<br />
understanding of these genetic mutations into better<br />
treatments and new diagnostic tools for Parkinson’s,<br />
both inherited and non-inherited. Discoveries in Moore’s<br />
lab routinely elucidate the faulty molecular interactions<br />
that transform healthy, functioning neurons into<br />
diseased ones.<br />
CENTER FOR CANCER AND CELL BIOLOGY<br />
Skeletal Disease and Cancer Therapeutics<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D.<br />
Director, Center for Cancer<br />
and Cell Biology; Professor,<br />
Skeletal Disease and Cancer<br />
Therapeutics, Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology<br />
Bart Williams, Ph.D., studies the<br />
building blocks of bone growth on behalf of the millions<br />
suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis. He seeks<br />
new ways of altering cell signaling pathways to encourage<br />
healthy bone development and deter the spread of<br />
cancer to the skeleton.<br />
Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative<br />
Science<br />
Scientists in the Center for<br />
Neurodegenerative Science are<br />
investigating the factors that<br />
contribute to Parkinson’s disease<br />
and working to translate these<br />
findings into new therapies that<br />
slow or stop disease progression —<br />
something no current treatment can<br />
do. The Center also is investigating<br />
other diseases caused by progressive<br />
damage to the brain, including<br />
Alzheimer’s disease and multiple<br />
system atrophy (MSA), as well as the<br />
biological basis of depression.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 19
Van Andel Institute Principal Investigators<br />
Xiaohong Li, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Xiaohong Li, Ph.D., studies how and<br />
why various cancers, particularly<br />
prostate and breast cancer cells,<br />
migrate from their original site<br />
and spread to the bone. These<br />
cells stay dormant but might wake up years later and<br />
grow to become bone metastases, causing debilitating<br />
pain and complicating treatment. Li hopes that a better<br />
understanding of metastatic cancers will lead to new<br />
diagnostic tests and targeted therapies.<br />
Matt Steensma, M.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Matt Steensma, M.D., studies the<br />
genetic and molecular factors<br />
that cause benign tumors to<br />
become cancers in order to find<br />
vulnerabilities that may be targeted<br />
for treatment. As a scientist at VAI and a practicing surgeon<br />
at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital,<br />
he is committed to translating scientific discoveries into<br />
treatments that improve patients’ lives.<br />
Tao Yang, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Tao Yang, Ph.D., studies the<br />
signaling systems that govern<br />
skeletal stem cells and the role<br />
they play in diseases such as<br />
osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.<br />
Bones are the largest producer of adult stem cells, which<br />
mature into cartilage, fat or bone tissue — a process that<br />
falters with age. Yang seeks a better understanding of<br />
these systems in search of new treatments for degenerative<br />
bone disorders.<br />
20 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong><br />
Structural Biology<br />
Huilin Li, Ph.D.<br />
Program Leader and Professor<br />
Huilin Li, Ph.D., uses cryo-electron<br />
microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal<br />
the most basic building blocks of<br />
DNA replication and other systems<br />
vital for life. He has been at the<br />
vanguard of cryo-EM for more than 20 years, and his<br />
research has implications for some of the world’s most<br />
critical public health concerns, including tuberculosis,<br />
cancer, mental illness and many more.<br />
Juan Du, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Juan Du, Ph.D., seeks to<br />
understand the brain’s intricate<br />
communication systems using<br />
state-of-the-art structural biology<br />
approaches, such as cryo-EM.<br />
Her work has expanded knowledge of these important<br />
systems and may aid in development of new therapies in<br />
the future.<br />
Wei Lü, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Wei Lü, Ph.D., is working to unravel<br />
how brain cells communicate<br />
with each other. Using techniques<br />
such as cryo-EM, his work<br />
has contributed to the field’s<br />
understanding of molecules that play crucial roles in the<br />
development and function of the nervous system.<br />
Karsten Melcher, Ph.D.<br />
Professor<br />
Karsten Melcher, Ph.D., studies<br />
molecular structure and cellular<br />
communication, which have<br />
implications for finding new<br />
treatments for serious health<br />
threats, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. His<br />
expertise extends beyond human cells — his research<br />
into plant hormones may one day lead to heartier crops<br />
that resist drought and help meet the nutritional demands<br />
of a growing global population.<br />
Metabolic and Nutritional Programming<br />
Russell Jones, Ph.D.<br />
Program Leader and Professor<br />
Russell Jones, Ph.D., investigates<br />
metabolism at the cellular level<br />
to understand how it affects cell<br />
behavior and health, with a specific<br />
eye on cancer and the immune<br />
system. By revealing how cancer cells use metabolic<br />
processes to fuel their growth and spread, he hopes to<br />
develop new treatments that help patients by changing<br />
the standard of care for cancer.
RESEARCH<br />
Brian Haab, Ph.D.<br />
Professor; Assistant Dean,<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate<br />
School<br />
Brian Haab, Ph.D., searches for<br />
new ways to diagnose and stratify<br />
pancreatic cancers based on the<br />
chemical fingerprints tumors leave behind. Part of the<br />
problem Haab aims to solve is that cancers often look<br />
and behave normally — until after they’ve started making<br />
people sick. Haab is sleuthing out clues to build a library<br />
of diagnostic tools that will help providers diagnose<br />
tumors earlier and optimize treatment.<br />
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.<br />
Associate Professor<br />
Connie Krawczyk, Ph.D.,<br />
investigates the links between<br />
metabolism, epigenetics and the<br />
immune system, with the goal<br />
of understanding how they work<br />
together to keep us healthy and, when things go wrong, to<br />
promote disease.<br />
Adelheid Lempradl, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Adelheid Lempradl, Ph.D., is<br />
investigating how the dietary<br />
choices of parents may impact<br />
the health of their offspring in<br />
the hopes of translating her<br />
findings into new ways to prevent disease and create a<br />
healthier future.<br />
Ning Wu, Ph.D.<br />
Assistant Professor<br />
Ning Wu, Ph.D., investigates<br />
the interface between cellular<br />
metabolism and cellular signaling,<br />
particularly as they relate to<br />
cancer. On the most basic level,<br />
cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth, and Wu<br />
believes that understanding a tumor’s voracious energy<br />
requirements and altered signaling pathways will lead<br />
to new treatments that optimize existing combination<br />
therapies and identify novel therapeutic targets.<br />
EMERITUS FACULTY<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scientific<br />
Fellow, Emeritus<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.,<br />
is a titan in cancer biology.<br />
He is the founding research<br />
director, and led the Institute’s<br />
research efforts for a decade. His discovery and<br />
description of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase as an<br />
oncogene, together with its activating ligand hepatocyte<br />
growth factor, have led to new possibilities for cancer<br />
therapies and revolutionized the way scientists view the<br />
disease, especially in tumor progression. He is a member<br />
of the National Academy of Sciences.<br />
Center for Cancer and<br />
Cell Biology<br />
Scientists in the Institute’s Center for<br />
Cancer and Cell Biology investigate<br />
the mechanisms that give rise to<br />
diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis,<br />
osteoarthritis, diabetes and rare<br />
disorders such neurofibromatosis<br />
type 1 with the goal of developing<br />
better diagnostics and treatments.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 21
In <strong>2019</strong>, Van Andel Institute Graduate School welcomed<br />
its largest, most international cohort<br />
To understand how Leena Kariapper first became<br />
interested in science, you have to go way back.<br />
Kariapper, who was born in Sri Lanka but grew up in<br />
Saudi Arabia, was one of those kids who would pick up<br />
a grasshopper just to study it under a magnifying glass.<br />
Once, an uncle gave her a toy microscope — the kind<br />
you can plug into a computer to get a good look at your<br />
specimens. She wasted no time going home and finding<br />
tiny things that she could examine.<br />
But it was in eighth grade when Kariapper first<br />
encountered the science that would launch future<br />
academic and professional pursuits: molecular and<br />
cellular biology.<br />
“I had a really good biology teacher who was explaining<br />
the world of molecular biology and how DNA<br />
replication works, and I remember she drew it up on<br />
this chalkboard and I was just hooked,” Kariapper said.<br />
“I knew at that moment this was a field I wanted to<br />
explore deeper.”<br />
Fast forward, and Kariapper is a member of<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School’s largest and<br />
most international cohort: 10 students representing<br />
five nations, including Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom,<br />
Russia, the Netherlands and the U.S. including Puerto<br />
Rico. Together, in fall <strong>2019</strong>, they embarked on a fiveyear<br />
journey toward a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular<br />
biology.<br />
The size and diversity of the cohort embodies an<br />
intentional growth strategy put in place by Graduate<br />
School leadership to raise visibility domestically and<br />
internationally, to bolster student numbers, and to<br />
promote diverse perspectives among its student body.<br />
“We have worked very deliberately over the years to<br />
attract a highly qualified and diverse field of applicants,<br />
and each new cohort offers proof that our efforts are<br />
bearing fruit,” said Graduate School Dean Dr. Steven<br />
J. Triezenberg. “Our Institute and our community are<br />
enriched by the different personal and academic<br />
backgrounds each student brings with them to VAI.”<br />
These efforts have been helped in no small part by the<br />
work of the Graduate School’s Director of Enrollment and<br />
Records Christy Mayo. Mayo attends graduate school fairs<br />
across the country and online; in fact, it was through a<br />
virtual graduate school fair that Kariapper first met Mayo<br />
and became aware of the opportunities at the Graduate<br />
School.<br />
The Graduate School also benefits from using the<br />
Centralized Application Service for Biomedical Science<br />
Programs, or BioMedCAS, which lets students apply<br />
to multiple biomedical science graduate programs<br />
simultaneously. Mayo said BioMedCAS has led many<br />
prospective students to learn about VAIGS and then to<br />
apply for admission to the program.<br />
“We put a lot of effort into reaching a broad cross-section<br />
of students,” Mayo said. “We strongly encourage anyone<br />
searching for a rigorous Ph.D. program in molecular and<br />
cellular biology to learn how they can contribute to the<br />
world-class science happening right here at the Institute.”<br />
To learn more about the Graduate School, visit vaigs.vai.org.<br />
Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School<br />
develops future<br />
leaders in biomedical<br />
research through an<br />
intense, problemfocused<br />
Ph.D. degree<br />
in molecular and<br />
cellular biology.<br />
DR. CARRIE GRAVEEL (SECOND FROM LEFT) EXAMINES<br />
RESULTS WITH VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE GRADUATE<br />
SCHOOL PH.D. CANDIDATES MENUSHA ARUMUGAM,<br />
RACHEL HOUSE & JAMIE GRIT<br />
22 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 23
Highlights<br />
GRADUATE SCHOOL<br />
Dean leads cancer consortium<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Dean Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D., was elected<br />
as president of the Cancer Biology Training Consortium. CABTRAC is a national<br />
organization dedicated to training the next generation of cancer scientists. As<br />
president, Triezenberg will spearhead development of the CABTRAC 2020 annual<br />
meeting hosted by Vanderbilt University, as well as support programmatic<br />
committees focused on diversity, training grants, curriculum development,<br />
postdoctoral training and medical school curriculum. He began his term at the<br />
CABTRAC <strong>2019</strong> meeting in October <strong>2019</strong>. Triezenberg joined VAI in 2006 as a<br />
professor and founding dean of the Graduate School. He is a respected authority<br />
in viral biology. For 31 years, his lab explored the molecular control systems that<br />
allow viral infections to progress. Triezenberg’s discoveries with herpes simplex<br />
virus opened new possibilities for antiviral drug development and revealed new<br />
insights into how human cells control gene expression.<br />
Graduate student statistics<br />
Fall <strong>2019</strong> Cohort<br />
6 Domestic<br />
1 Underrepresented minority<br />
4 International<br />
GRADUATE SCHOOL<br />
Student earns career development award<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Ph.D. student Robert Vaughan earned a<br />
prestigious Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award from the National<br />
Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The award, also known as the<br />
F99/K00, provides continuous support for outstanding research Ph.D. candidates<br />
through the completion of their dissertation research training into mentored,<br />
cancer-focused postdoctoral career development research positions. This unique<br />
fellowship — the first awarded to a student of the Graduate School — is intended<br />
to support students recognized by their institutions for their high potential and<br />
strong interest in pursuing careers as independent cancer researchers. The award<br />
will help Vaughan develop his skills in analyzing genomic and epigenomic data,<br />
with hands-on training from VAI’s Genomics and Bioinformatics Core.<br />
5.29 Median years to degree<br />
65% Completion rate for Ph.D.<br />
73% Completion rate for M.S. and Ph.D.<br />
24 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
RESEARCH<br />
By Career Type<br />
(Current Position, 2007–2014 cohorts)<br />
Primarily Research<br />
62%<br />
Science-related<br />
Primarily Teaching<br />
Further Training or Education<br />
14%<br />
5%<br />
19%<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80<br />
By Job Sector<br />
(Current Position, 2007–2014 cohorts)<br />
Nonprofit<br />
29%<br />
For-Profit<br />
19%<br />
Academia<br />
52%<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 25
Van Andel Institute for Education<br />
is dedicated to creating classrooms where curiosity, creativity<br />
and critical thinking thrive.<br />
26 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 27
Blue Apple brings project-based learning to<br />
life for teachers, students<br />
Van Andel Institute for Education underscored its<br />
commitment to creating classrooms where curiosity,<br />
creativity and critical thinking thrive with the launch<br />
of its Blue Apple project-based learning initiative in<br />
summer <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Blue Apple is an innovative way to bring project-based<br />
learning to life for teachers and their students. Each<br />
Blue Apple project is a self-contained unit that includes<br />
the materials needed to immerse students in a crossdisciplinary<br />
learning experience that develops their<br />
understanding in science, social studies, English language<br />
arts, math and social-emotional learning.<br />
For example, in “Prevent the Spread,” students learn<br />
how to stop germs in their tracks by learning how they<br />
proliferate. By testing disinfectants, students also learn<br />
methods to combat the spread of illnesses. Ultimately,<br />
the students use what they’ve learned to create a public<br />
service announcement encouraging people to practice<br />
good hygiene and protect against germs.<br />
“Student engagement is the key to student achievement,<br />
so each Blue Apple project is designed to help teachers<br />
create learning experiences that are memorable,<br />
meaningful, and fun,” said VAI Chief Education Officer<br />
Terra Tarango. “We are equipping and empowering<br />
educators everywhere with the tools they need to bring<br />
authentic, project-based learning to life.”<br />
The Institute partnered with educators across the country<br />
to develop 10 Blue Apple projects. These teacher-authors<br />
spent hours refining and implementing their projects,<br />
ensuring that each is already classroom-tested and<br />
student-approved by the time it is made available for<br />
wider adoption as an official Blue Apple project.<br />
The Institute also partnered with industry experts<br />
to infuse these learning experiences with real-world<br />
connections. Whether it’s listening to a video from an<br />
infectious disease expert or sharing their PSAs with<br />
an advertiser, Blue Apple helps students interact with<br />
authentic audiences to address actual challenges and<br />
opportunities in today’s world.<br />
By the end of <strong>2019</strong>, classrooms across the nation had<br />
adopted a total of 220 Blue Apple projects, and 100% of<br />
educators reported their Blue Apple project increased<br />
students’ creative and critical thinking.<br />
To learn more about Blue Apple, visit blueappleteacher.org. To<br />
learn more about Van Andel Institute for Education,<br />
visit vaei.vai.org.<br />
Impact of Blue Apple Projects<br />
Increased creative & critical thinking<br />
Increased student engagement<br />
Helped students make the world a better place<br />
Effectively integrated core content<br />
Helped improve professional practice<br />
Helped make efficient use of planning time<br />
Likely to do another project<br />
100%<br />
95%<br />
90%<br />
95%<br />
95%<br />
80%<br />
80%<br />
28 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Science on the Grand <strong>2019</strong> shined a<br />
spotlight on inquiry-based education<br />
EDUCATION<br />
The second annual Science on the Grand conference brought more than 130<br />
teachers and educational professionals together at Van Andel Institute in<br />
July <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
First held in 2018, the two-day conference is designed to honor the teaching profession<br />
and provide educators with interactive sessions aimed at creating and maintaining<br />
classroom cultures that support science, technology, engineering, art and math.<br />
The conference emphasized inquiry-based learning, a principle that lies at the root<br />
of Van Andel Institute for Education’s K–12 programs. With content curated by the<br />
Institute’s expert team of educators, Science on the Grand sent attendees home with<br />
research-based and classroom-tested strategies that address the demands of content<br />
standards as well as the 21st century skills needed to succeed in today’s workplaces.<br />
“The biggest draw for me is the chance to meet other educators who share a passion for<br />
the STEM fields, and who I can continue to connect with and learn from even after the<br />
conference ends,” said <strong>2019</strong> presenter Andy Losik, a STEM teacher in Hamilton, Michigan,<br />
who has taught technology at the elementary level for the past two decades. “There’s<br />
an amazing cadre of presenters, and the conference strikes the perfect balance so that<br />
you’re always learning and connecting and growing, but you don’t feel overwhelmed or<br />
under pressure. It was incredible.”<br />
With workshops ranging from coding for teachers and implementing games into social<br />
studies lessons, the <strong>2019</strong> conference was full of fun and innovative experiences. Another<br />
big draw for participants was Pitch Tank, where educators were invited to submit their<br />
ideas on how they would use $5,000 to transform their classroom. Five finalists were<br />
invited to present their “pitch” to a panel of judges — including local radio personality<br />
Michelle McKormick — and a live audience on the first night of the conference. Because<br />
all the finalists made compelling arguments for their pitch, each of them was awarded a<br />
portion of the prize money.<br />
Science on the Grand is a perfect example of the many ways the Institute supports<br />
teachers with the goal of helping create classrooms where curiosity, creativity and critical<br />
thinking thrive.<br />
To learn more about VAI’s education programs, including teacher and student-focused events<br />
and resources, visit vaei.org.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 29
Field trips, summer camps drive strong<br />
growth in VAI student programs<br />
Van Andel Institute for Education capped a strong<br />
year of growth in its K–12 student programming,<br />
serving 2,608 students in <strong>2019</strong> and rolling out a<br />
number of enhancements to popular offerings like<br />
field trips and summer camps.<br />
The number of students served increased 82% over<br />
the year prior, a figure driven by greater enrollment in<br />
the Institute’s summer camps and expanded field trip<br />
offerings that included the addition of mobile field trips.<br />
The Institute’s student programs are designed to<br />
advance and promote cutting-edge K–12 education<br />
concepts and equip students with the skills to<br />
successfully navigate the workplace of tomorrow.<br />
“We strive to offer programs that empower students<br />
with a lifelong love of learning, and we’re thrilled to see<br />
more and more people taking part in these learning<br />
experiences,” said VAI Chief Education Officer Terra<br />
Tarango. “The growth this year has been phenomenal,<br />
and it’s a testament to how influential these programs<br />
are in our students’ lives.”<br />
Here are some highlights:<br />
Summer camps<br />
Four summer camps were added in <strong>2019</strong>. This included<br />
the wildly popular, Harry Potter-themed camp,<br />
“Hogwarts in Grand Rapids: The Science Behind the<br />
Magic.” Students were sorted into Hogwarts houses,<br />
made wands and attended courses like “Potions,”<br />
“Caring for Magical Creatures” and “Herbology.”<br />
Summer camp enrollment increased to 240 in <strong>2019</strong> from<br />
135 in 2018, a 78% increase. It was the third year the<br />
Institute hosted student summer camps.<br />
Afterschool cohort<br />
The Institute hosts two cohorts each semester for<br />
students in grades 4–6. Topics vary each semester.<br />
In <strong>2019</strong>, Education expanded its afterschool cohort<br />
offerings, adding programs that focus on innovation in<br />
the areas of space exploration, natural disasters and<br />
energy.<br />
In the fall, students participated in “Biomedical<br />
Explorers,” which examined genetic diversity, and<br />
“Disaster Detectives,” which explored natural disasters<br />
and their impact on humans. One hundred percent of<br />
students in each cohort reported that the programs<br />
increased their understanding of science and/or<br />
engineering.<br />
Field trips<br />
Education expanded its catalog of science, engineering<br />
and robotics field trips in <strong>2019</strong>; in all, more than three<br />
dozen field trips were available to students and teachers.<br />
The Institute also began offering mobile field trips that<br />
bring VAI educators on-location to schools.<br />
Field trips offered by the Institute are designed to<br />
immerse students and their teachers in learning about<br />
science through inquiry. Students conduct unique,<br />
grade-specific investigations and participate in hands-on<br />
discovery.<br />
To learn more about Van Andel Institute for Education’s<br />
student programs, visit vaei.vai.org/student-programs.<br />
“The growth this year has been<br />
phenomenal, and it’s a testament<br />
to how influential these programs<br />
are in our students’ lives.”<br />
— Terra Tarango<br />
30 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
EDUCATION<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 31
Events & Philanthropy<br />
Van Andel Institute’s donors and philanthropic partners are<br />
connected by a shared sense of commitment to the Institute’s<br />
mission. Their creativity, passion and dedication have helped the<br />
Institute become a thriving center for biomedical research and K–12<br />
education. Van Andel Institute’s signature events are an important<br />
catalyst for scientific innovation, bringing community members<br />
together in support of research and educational initiatives that give<br />
people hope for a healthier future.<br />
32 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 33
Winterfest<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT,<br />
GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL, TONY GATES<br />
& DAVID VAN ANDEL; GEORGE<br />
SHARPE JR., WINTERFEST<br />
COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR, SPEAKS<br />
TO EVENT GUESTS; AB GETTING<br />
THE PARTY STARTED; DELICIOUSLY<br />
COLORFUL WINTERFEST DESSERTS;<br />
VAI SCIENTISTS DR. LENA BRUNDIN<br />
& DR. VIVIANE LABRIE<br />
34 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Connection Breakfast<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT,<br />
GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
DR. JOSÉ BRÁS; GUESTS ENJOYING<br />
BREAKFAST; DR. RITA GUERREIRO;<br />
TERRA TARANGO<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 35
Carol Van Andel Angel of Excellence<br />
Dinner & Award Presentation<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
SALLY SCHAAFSMA; JERRY DEBLAAY,<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL & KAREN DEBLAAY; JEFF &<br />
STEPHANIE BATTERSHALL; KIRK GIBSON &<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL; MEMBERS OF THE<br />
BEA ALDRINK IDEMA FOUNDATION<br />
36 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Board of Governors Dinner<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL; BETH VAN PORTFLIET<br />
& LYNETTE ELLIS; DAVID VAN ANDEL;<br />
DR. PETER A. JONES’ PRESENTATION<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 37
Purple Community Celebration<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE) DR. HUI SHEN;<br />
WOOD TV’S MARANDA WITH PURPLE COMMUNITY TEAM MEMBERS<br />
ASHLEY OWEN & MCKENZIE HOLLERN; TERRA TARANGO;<br />
MICHELLE LUNN GOLF COMMITTEE<br />
38 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Around the World<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL, TERRA TARANGO &<br />
DAVID VAN ANDEL; A BARTENDER POURS A<br />
SELECTION FROM THE ARRAY OF ARTISAN WINES;<br />
CHRIS & ALYSSA NANCE; EVENT GUESTS PERUSING<br />
THE SILENT AUCTION<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 39
Curiosity Hour<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING<br />
CLOCKWISE) KIDS EXPERIMENT WITH FOSSILS<br />
AT THE CAN YOU DIG IT STATION; GUESTS<br />
COOL DOWN AT THE KONA ICE TRUCK; TOBY<br />
THE TORTOISE IN HER HABITAT; TESTING<br />
STRUCTURE DESIGNS AT THE SHAKE, SHAKE,<br />
SHAKE STATION; KIDS THINK LIKE ENGINEERS<br />
TO BUILD STABLE STRUCTURES<br />
40 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
VAI Golf Outing<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
JACK DOLES, MIKE KNUBLE, DAVID VAN ANDEL &<br />
KYLE VAN ANDEL; THE TITLE SPONSOR GROUP<br />
ENJOYING THE DAY; THE SILENT AUCTION<br />
TABLE FEATURING A VARIETY OF RED WINGS<br />
MERCHANDISE SIGNED BY MIKE KNUBLE;<br />
CAROL VAN ANDEL & SUSAN SHAW; SPECIAL<br />
GUEST MIKE KNUBLE DISCUSSES THE<br />
IMPORTANCE OF THE INSTITUTE’S MISSION<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 41
Couture for a Cure<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT) CAROL VAN ANDEL SHARES<br />
THE INSTITUTE’S LASTEST RESEARCH UPDATES; A MODEL WALKS THE<br />
RUNWAY; FEATURED DESIGNER VICTORIA HAYES, LEIGH’S OWNER<br />
REBECCA WIERDA, SCOTT WIERDA & LEIGH’S SALES MANAGER JOANNA<br />
HADJIYANIS; GUESTS ENJOY AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT VICTORIA HAYES’<br />
FALL/WINTER ‘19 COLLECTION; CAROL VAN ANDEL WITH JANE ZWIERS<br />
& YOUNG SUPPORTERS OF THE INSTITUTE FROM HOPE COLLEGE;<br />
AMWAY’S CANDACE MATTHEWS EMCEES THE EVENT; THE ARTISTRY<br />
BEAUTY LOUNGE FEATURING HAIR & MAKEUP TOUCHUPS<br />
42 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Hope on the Hill — A Night in Wonderland<br />
EVENTS<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE)<br />
JEFFERY ROBERTS, CAROL VAN ANDEL & DAVID<br />
VAN ANDEL; GUESTS BID ON EXCITING PACKAGES<br />
AT THE SILENT AUCTION TABLE; VAI’S DR. HEIDI<br />
LEMPRADL ENJOYS A CARD TRICK; THE CHESHIRE<br />
CAT SMILES AT GUESTS AS THEY CELEBRATE THE<br />
EVENING; PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON ENTERTAINS<br />
THE AUDIENCE WITH HIS UNIQUE PERFORMANCE<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 43
A Conversation About Metabolism & Nutrition<br />
Hosted By Carol Van Andel<br />
(STARTING AT THE TOP LEFT, GOING CLOCKWISE) VAI’S CHIEF SCIENTIFIC<br />
OFFICER DR. PETER A. JONES MINGLING WITH GUESTS; DR. RUSSELL JONES,<br />
DR. CONNIE KRAWCZYK & WOOD TV’S MARANDA; CAROL VAN ANDEL<br />
HOSTING THE EVENT; GUESTS NETWORK BEFORE THE EVENT<br />
44 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Signature special event sponsors<br />
We are grateful to have extraordinarily dedicated signature event sponsors.<br />
Thank you for partnering with us and supporting our mission throughout the year.<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
ACH + Hospitality, Hyatt Place,<br />
AC Hotels Marriott<br />
Dennis & Barbara Adama<br />
Advanced Family Chiropractic<br />
Center<br />
Alliance Beverage<br />
Amway<br />
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel<br />
Anonymous<br />
Applied Imaging<br />
Aon<br />
Aquinas College<br />
Atwater Brewery GR<br />
Autocam Medical<br />
B-93<br />
B.D.’s BBQ<br />
Barnes & Thornburg LLP<br />
Chad Bassett<br />
BDT & Company, LLC<br />
Belwith Products<br />
Bengtson Center for Aesthetics<br />
& Plastic Surgery<br />
Betz Industries<br />
BHS Insurance<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
Dave & Jill Bielema<br />
Bluewater Technologies<br />
Chuck & Christine Boelkins<br />
BRAVO<br />
Buist Electric<br />
Butcher’s Union<br />
Calamos Investments<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Cancer & Hematology Centers<br />
of Western Michigan<br />
Carnelian Energy Capital<br />
Cascade Rental<br />
Center for Physical Rehabilitation<br />
CityFlatsHotel<br />
Cheeky Strut<br />
Classic Race Management<br />
Colliers International<br />
Consumers Credit Union<br />
Cork Wine & Grille<br />
Cornerstone University<br />
Crowe LLP<br />
Mimi Cummings<br />
Cumulus Media<br />
Tom & Tracy Curran<br />
Custer Inc.<br />
CWD Real Estate Investment<br />
D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare<br />
& Forest Hills Foods<br />
Davenport University<br />
David & Carol Van Andel Family<br />
Foundation<br />
Deloitte<br />
Brian DeVries & Barbara Pugh<br />
Jeff & Mary Dixon<br />
Divani<br />
DJ Grant Miller<br />
Eastern Floral<br />
Edward Jones<br />
Eenhoorn, LLC<br />
Eileen DeVries Family Foundation<br />
Ellis Parking Company<br />
Emmanuel Hospice<br />
Erhardt Construction<br />
Eurest<br />
FastSigns<br />
Ferris Coffee & Nut Co.<br />
Fifth Third Bank<br />
First National Bank<br />
Foremost Insurance Company<br />
Fred L. Hansen Corporation<br />
Gallagher Insurance<br />
Gazelle Sports<br />
Give ‘Em A Break Safety<br />
Grand Rapids Christian Schools<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Greenridge Realty, Inc.<br />
Martin & Peggy Greydanus<br />
Groove City Events<br />
Gun Lake Investments<br />
Jana Hall<br />
Harvey Automotive of Grand<br />
Rapids<br />
HealthBridge<br />
Ben & Molly Hunting<br />
Kurt & Madelon Hassberger<br />
Paul & Sheryl Haverkate<br />
Dave & Donna Hockstra<br />
Hope College<br />
Hope Network<br />
Howard Miller<br />
Huizenga Group<br />
Hulst Jepsen Physical Therapy<br />
Bill & Starr Humphries<br />
Ice Sculptures, LTD<br />
ICN Foundation<br />
iHeart Media<br />
Independent Bank<br />
Jandernoa Foundation<br />
Jeffery Roberts Design<br />
John Hancock Retirement Plan<br />
Services<br />
Dr. Peter & Veronica Jones<br />
Julie & Dan Horning Family<br />
FUN’d<br />
Kent County Medical Society<br />
Alliance<br />
Craig & Debra Kinney<br />
Kitchen 67<br />
Al & Robin Koop<br />
Blake & Mary Krueger<br />
Lake Michigan Credit Union<br />
Ray & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Leigh’s<br />
Leo’s<br />
Life EMS Ambulance<br />
Lighthouse Group<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
Macatawa Bank<br />
Making the Turn Against<br />
Parkinson’s<br />
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation<br />
Hospital<br />
Mary Free Bed YMCA<br />
McAlvey Merchant & Associates<br />
McShane & Bowie, P.L.C.<br />
Meijer<br />
Meijer Foundation<br />
Deb Meijer<br />
Mercy Health<br />
Merrill Lynch — Veldheer, Long,<br />
Mackay & Bernecker Group<br />
Metro Health — University of<br />
Michigan Health<br />
Metro Health Sports Medicine<br />
MGD Technologies, Inc.<br />
Michael J. Murdock<br />
Oppenheimer & Co.<br />
Michelle Crumback Jewelry<br />
Michigan Paving & Materials Co.<br />
Michigan State University —<br />
College of Human Medicine<br />
Midwest Capital Advisors, LLC<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Millennial Guru<br />
MLive Media Group<br />
Modern Day Collective<br />
New Holland Brewing<br />
Norris Perne & French, LLP<br />
Nothing Bundt Cakes<br />
Orthopaedic Associates of<br />
Michigan<br />
Matt & Beth Osterhaven<br />
Owens-Ames-Kimball Co.<br />
Lee & Alexandra Perez<br />
Perper Design Associates, Inc.<br />
Peter C. & Emajean Cook<br />
Foundation<br />
Pine Rest<br />
Pioneer Construction<br />
Pitsch Company<br />
PL Capital, LLC<br />
Plastic Surgery Associates<br />
Priority Health<br />
Quality Air Service, Inc.<br />
Reds at Thousand Oaks<br />
Regal Financial Group LLC.<br />
Rehmann<br />
Renew Family Dental<br />
Reserve Wine & Food<br />
Tom & Brenda Rinks<br />
ROAM<br />
Robert Barcelona — Merrill<br />
Lynch<br />
Rocket Science<br />
Rockford Construction<br />
RoMan Manufacturing Inc.<br />
Ron’s Beans<br />
Eve Rogus & Paul Becker<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
Rowerdink Inc.<br />
San Chez Bistro<br />
Scott Group Studio<br />
Secrest Wardle<br />
Tony & Dawn Semple<br />
Dan Shapiro & Joe Mangini<br />
Slows Bar BQ<br />
Sobie Meats<br />
Spectrum Health<br />
Rob & Susan Stafford<br />
Steelcase<br />
Stephen Klotz Family Foundation<br />
Suburban Landscapes<br />
Summit Point Roofing<br />
Sweetie-licious Bakery<br />
Taconic Charitable Foundation<br />
Terra<br />
Thacker Sleight<br />
The Chop House<br />
The John Dykema & Michele<br />
Maly-Dykema Family Foundation<br />
The Meijer Foundation<br />
The Peter & Joan Secchia Family<br />
Foundation<br />
The Sharpe Collection<br />
The Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Foundation<br />
Thomas S. Fox Family<br />
Thomas & Mary Stuit<br />
Todd Wenzel Automotive<br />
Townsquare Media<br />
Trillium Investments<br />
US Bank<br />
Sharon Van Dellen<br />
Mike & Michelle Van Dyke<br />
Van Eerden Food Service<br />
Company<br />
Dave & Beth Van Portfliet<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
Versiti<br />
Vintage Prime & Seafood<br />
Waddell & Reed<br />
Mike & Bonnie Walters<br />
Warner Norcross + Judd LLP<br />
Wells Fargo<br />
West Michigan Woman<br />
Wheelhouse Kitchen & Cocktails<br />
Geoff & LeeAnne Widlak<br />
Dr. Bart & Wendy Williams<br />
Greg & Meg Willit<br />
Wolverine Worldwide<br />
Women’s Lifestyle<br />
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids<br />
Zip Xpress, Inc.<br />
Jim & Jane Zwiers<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 45
Dr. George Vande Woude: A life lived in science<br />
DR. GEORGE VANDE WOUDE<br />
If you ask Van Andel Institute’s Founding Research<br />
Director Dr. George Vande Woude about his uncle<br />
Henny, he’ll tell you that he was a prizefighter who<br />
could lift a barrel of beer over his head with one arm.<br />
He’ll also tell you that Henny changed his life.<br />
“My uncle said, ‘I’ll get you a summer job and it’ll pay<br />
good money, but if you take it, you have to promise me<br />
that you’ll go back to school,” Vande Woude recalled.<br />
When Vande Woude was 18, his uncle made good on his<br />
promise, and the young man started work as a union<br />
beer truck delivery man in Queens, New York. It was<br />
hard work, but that job, along with help from the G.I. Bill<br />
of Rights from his earlier Army service, funded Vande<br />
Woude’s first degree at Hofstra University — and gave<br />
the world one of the great pioneers of cancer research.<br />
“My giving is a testament to<br />
the work of the Institute’s<br />
scientists, and I really try<br />
and give as much as I can to<br />
support the Institute as it<br />
continues to take its mission<br />
out into the rest of the world.”<br />
— Dr. George Vande Woude<br />
After earning his Ph.D. from Rutgers University, Vande<br />
Woude held a number of prestigious posts before<br />
coming to Grand Rapids. He spent eight years at the<br />
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plum Island Animal<br />
Disease Center followed by stints as research director<br />
of the Basic Research Program at the National Cancer<br />
Institute’s Cancer Research and Development Center,<br />
and as director for NCI’s Division of Basic Sciences.<br />
During his tenure at NCI, Vande Woude explored the<br />
origins of cancer on the molecular level and discovered<br />
the human MET oncogene and proto-oncogene —<br />
advances that led to the development of new, targeted<br />
cancer therapies.<br />
One day in 1998, Vande Woude got a call about a new<br />
research institute opening in Michigan. He would have<br />
the chance to help build it from the ground up. He<br />
accepted and began recruiting talented, young scientists<br />
from across the country to work at VAI. His exhaustive<br />
efforts in those early days laid a strong foundation for<br />
VAI and helped grow the Institute into a world-class<br />
biomedical research organization.<br />
Vande Woude stepped down as research director<br />
in 2009 to focus on his laboratory. Today, he is a VAI<br />
Distinguished Scientific Fellow, Emeritus, and continues<br />
to provide the Institute’s leadership with guidance. Vande<br />
Woude and his late wife, Dot, were active, generous VAI<br />
donors for years. George, whose support continues to<br />
this day, believes strongly in the ability of philanthropy<br />
to support groundbreaking research into cancer and<br />
neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.<br />
“Philanthropy plays a major role in any research<br />
program,” Vande Woude said. “My giving is a testament<br />
to the work of the Institute’s scientists, and I really try<br />
and give as much as I can to support the Institute as<br />
it continues to take its mission out into the rest of the<br />
world.”<br />
As a man who has lived his life in science for more than<br />
six decades, Vande Woude glows when asked what his<br />
favorite part about being a scientist, and states without<br />
missing a beat: “All of it.”<br />
46 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Supporting Parkinson’s research<br />
today, because of tomorrow<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
It all started with a tremor.<br />
Richard Nelson, a father of three, loving husband and<br />
successful sales manager, noticed a small shake in his hand.<br />
At first, he didn’t think much of it, and continued to live<br />
his life. Then, 12 years ago, that tremor was diagnosed as<br />
Parkinson’s disease, and Richard and his wife, Paula, had to<br />
come to terms with the reality that their life had changed.<br />
“I was in denial that I had Parkinson’s for a long time,”<br />
Richard said. “I just convinced myself that it wasn’t that bad.”<br />
“As donors, we are always looking at<br />
the bigger picture, and we’re confident<br />
that this incredible research will<br />
benefit people down the road who are<br />
fighting this disease as well.”<br />
— Paula Nelson<br />
When the Nelsons began looking for Parkinson’s patient<br />
resources in West Michigan, they learned about Van Andel<br />
Institute’s annual Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease<br />
symposium. They attended Rallying to the Challenge, a<br />
meeting within the symposium for people with Parkinson’s<br />
and hosted in collaboration with The Cure Parkinson’s<br />
Trust. While there, they heard VAI’s Director of the Center<br />
for Neurodegenerative Science, Dr. Patrik Brundin, speak.<br />
After hearing about the Institute’s research, the Nelsons<br />
knew they wanted to do something to support Dr. Brundin<br />
and his work at the Institute.<br />
“Dr. Brundin’s passion for what he does creates a<br />
contagious level of excitement,” Paula said. “I really feel that<br />
Van Andel Institute is one of best kept secrets in Grand<br />
Rapids, and I wish people had a better understanding<br />
about how lucky we are to have people like Dr. Brundin<br />
working in our community.”<br />
In addition to attending the Institute’s Parkinson’s-focused<br />
events, the Nelsons are generous donors who believe in<br />
RICHARD & PAULA NELSON<br />
the power of research to impact the lives of people who are<br />
battling a disease that affects millions of people worldwide.<br />
“As donors, we are always looking at the bigger picture,”<br />
Paula said, “and we’re confident that this incredible<br />
research will benefit people down the road who are fighting<br />
this disease as well.”<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 47
Student Ambassadors make their mark with<br />
Van Andel Institute Purple Community<br />
HOLLY BARKER (RIGHT) & HER MOTHER, AUDREY, STRIKE A POSE<br />
AT RUNWAY FOR RIBBONS<br />
Holly Barker has a passion for helping others. When<br />
she was an eighth grader at Duncan Lake Middle School<br />
in Caledonia, Michigan, Barker organized and hosted a<br />
fashion show to coincide with the school’s annual Cancer<br />
Walk. The event raised $2,000 with the help of big-name<br />
sponsors like American Eagle, Macy’s, Men’s Wearhouse<br />
and Meijer that pitched in after appeals from Barker<br />
herself.<br />
Barker’s drive to build a new philanthropic event from the<br />
ground up is what helped earn her a spot in Van Andel<br />
Institute Purple Community’s inaugural class of Student<br />
Ambassadors for the <strong>2019</strong>–20 school year. She was<br />
thrilled to be part of the new program, which brings<br />
together student leaders from West Michigan high<br />
schools to learn critical philanthropic skills like event<br />
planning, fundraising, community engagement and<br />
teambuilding.<br />
“The Student Ambassador<br />
program really helped me learn<br />
how to prioritize tasks, to<br />
always have a backup plan and<br />
to always be flexible in how you<br />
reach your goals.”<br />
— Holly Barker<br />
“Getting to help and support people in the community,<br />
while also learning new skills myself, has been amazing,”<br />
said Barker. “We get to work with so many incredible<br />
people, all while supporting research into cancer and<br />
other diseases being studied at VAI.”<br />
The Student Ambassadors’ goal was to plan and host a<br />
new event to raise funds for the Institute’s research and<br />
education programs. The students gathered monthly<br />
at VAI, and to help them along the way, Institute leaders,<br />
scientists and staff met with the students to explain<br />
VAI’s mission and teach them about the importance<br />
of cultivating community connections and fundraising<br />
partnerships. The speakers also addressed the skills<br />
necessary to successfully organize and execute an event,<br />
such as communication and organization. To help gain<br />
hands-on experience, the students also volunteered at<br />
Purple Community events during the school year.<br />
Ultimately, Barker and her fellow ambassadors put their<br />
heads together and announced Cruising for Hope, a<br />
fun, family-friendly night at Craig’s Cruisers. Attendees<br />
would be able purchase a wristband that gave the wearer<br />
access to three hours of unlimited laser tag, go-karts,<br />
pizza and more activities and refreshments at Craig’s<br />
Cruisers.<br />
Though the event, originally scheduled for spring<br />
2020, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the<br />
planning process taught the students valuable life and<br />
leadership skills like time management, teamwork and<br />
adaptability. Barker said one of her biggest takeaways<br />
was learning how to take a bold idea like a new event,<br />
critically examine it and continually refine the strategy to<br />
accomplish the end goal.<br />
“It’s easy to dream as high as the sky, but you can only<br />
do so much in a set amount of time,” Barker said. “The<br />
Student Ambassador program really helped me learn<br />
how to prioritize tasks, to always have a backup plan and<br />
to always be flexible in how you reach your goals.”<br />
To learn more about the Van Andel Institute Purple<br />
Community Student Ambassador Program and to apply for<br />
the upcoming school year, visit purplecommunity.org.<br />
48 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Parkinson’s research goes ‘MINI’<br />
on the Mackinac Bridge<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
On a sunny August weekend in Mackinaw City,<br />
Michigan, near the southern terminus of the Mackinac<br />
Bridge, a sea of MINI Coopers stretched as far as the<br />
eye could see.<br />
It was time for MINI on the Mack, a unique, biennial event<br />
organized by the Grand Rapids-based Sharpe Automotive<br />
dealership that brings together hundreds of MINI Cooper<br />
owners to drive in unison across the five-mile span<br />
connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas.<br />
What first began as a world record attempt for the longest<br />
parade of MINIs has evolved into a fun and meaningful<br />
event that supports Parkinson’s disease research at<br />
Van Andel Institute.<br />
Sharpe’s father, George Sharpe Sr., was diagnosed<br />
with Parkinson’s in 2009. The Sharpe family have been<br />
passionate supporters of the Institute’s Parkinson’s<br />
research, and MINI on the Mack marries the family’s<br />
automotive passions with their drive to support VAI.<br />
MINI owners are a passionate group, eager to share the<br />
story behind their cars, Sharpe Jr. said. At events like MINI<br />
on the Mack, that passion readily translates into supporting<br />
Parkinson’s and other research at the Institute.<br />
“It creates a long-lasting memory for MINI owners,” he said,<br />
“and for us as a family and business, being able to serve as<br />
the connector is gratifying.”<br />
“Having Van Andel Institute involved adds a level of depth for most people there,<br />
and for the people like me who have been affected by Parkinson’s. It gives them<br />
an opportunity to connect and share their stories with each other.”<br />
— George Sharpe Jr.<br />
More than 1,300 MINI owners participated in the <strong>2019</strong><br />
event, which raised $30,000 research at the Institute.<br />
“It’s an adrenaline rush,” said George Sharpe Jr., partner<br />
in Sharpe, of seeing MINI owners from far and wide join<br />
together. “Having Van Andel Institute involved adds a level<br />
of depth for most people there, and for the people like me<br />
who have been affected by Parkinson’s. It gives them an<br />
opportunity to connect and share their stories with each<br />
other.”<br />
Sharpe Jr. said he was thankful for the involvement of<br />
Institute CEO David Van Andel and wife Carol Van Andel,<br />
executive director of the David and Carol Van Andel Family<br />
Foundation, who helped kick off the festivities and took<br />
part in the parade across the bridge. Jay Van Andel, the<br />
Institute’s founder and David Van Andel’s father, lived with<br />
Parkinson’s disease for many years before his death in<br />
2004.<br />
“We’re so grateful to Sharpe and the Sharpe family for<br />
spearheading this fun and powerful event,” Carol Van Andel<br />
said. “The Sharpe and Van Andel families are connected by<br />
the impact Parkinson’s has had on our families, and we are<br />
proud to stand together at events like MINI on the Mack that<br />
bring together so many people to raise awareness of and<br />
support for Parkinson’s research.”<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 49
Highlights<br />
EVENTS<br />
Public lectures highlight VAI research and education efforts<br />
Van Andel Institute hosted four public lectures in <strong>2019</strong>, exploring the topics of<br />
pancreatic cancer, translational medicine, education in America and Parkinson’s,<br />
Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia. Members of the public were invited into the<br />
Institute for the free, one-hour lectures, where attendees heard about the latest<br />
research and education initiatives at VAI. Audience members could ask questions<br />
after each presentation to further probe the topics being discussed. The public<br />
lectures are an important way to connect community members and donors with<br />
scientists and educators at the Institute, and to show them the impact their support<br />
has on furthering VAI’s missions of improving the health of current and future<br />
generations. Total attendance for the <strong>2019</strong> lectures was 768 people.<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
Celebrating our Van Andel Institute Purple Community volunteers<br />
In <strong>2019</strong>, volunteers gave a combined 1,189 hours of their time to support Van Andel<br />
Institute Purple Community events and programs. Volunteers fill a key role in<br />
Purple Community’s mission by helping ensure the success of our signature and<br />
third-party events run smoothly. They also help spread word about the important<br />
work being done at the Institute. Registering to volunteer with Purple Community is<br />
easy: Our simple online registration form helps Purple Community staff get to know<br />
our prospective volunteers. A volunteer handbook and an up-to-date calendar of<br />
upcoming volunteer opportunities accompany the registration form. To learn more<br />
about how you can get involved with Van Andel Institute Purple Community, visit<br />
purplecommunity.vai.org/volunteer.<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
VAI Marathon Team conquers Chicago, New York City marathons<br />
The Van Andel Institute Purple Community Marathon Team had another banner<br />
year at the <strong>2019</strong> Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City<br />
Marathon. The Institute is an official charity partner with both races, which gives<br />
free, guaranteed entry to Marathon Team members. Marathon Team members<br />
run for a number of reasons; some run to honor a loved one who’s been affected<br />
by a disease like cancer or Parkinson’s, and others run because they personally<br />
have been affected. Some run to accomplish a personal goal. Whatever the reason,<br />
Marathon Team members helped raise $99,953.40 toward research and K–12<br />
programs at the Institute in <strong>2019</strong>. The Marathon Team has raised $247,151.12<br />
since 2017.<br />
PHILANTHROPY<br />
Bee Brave 5K brings hope to breast cancer survivors<br />
The 12th annual Bee Brave 5K brought dozens of runners together on Saturday,<br />
Oct. 12, <strong>2019</strong>, to support those who have been affected by breast cancer and raise<br />
funds for research at Van Andel Institute. The 5K is one of multiple events hosted<br />
by Bee Brave throughout the year to raise breast cancer awareness, support those<br />
who have been affected by the disease and honor those whose battle has ended.<br />
The event, held at Shagbark Farm in Caledonia, Michigan, raised more than $60,000,<br />
with 100% going directly toward research at the Institute. Other <strong>2019</strong> events<br />
included the Bee Brave Golf Outing and Bee Brave Beer & Wine Fest. All Bee Brave<br />
events raised a combined $81,484 in <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
50 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
PHILANTHROPY<br />
Society of Hope<br />
The Society of Hope recognizes those who have included<br />
Van Andel Institute in their will, trust, or other estate plans.<br />
Through our acknowledgment of and gratitude to these<br />
exceptional people, we hope that their generosity will<br />
inspire others.<br />
Viviane G. Anderson<br />
Stanley & Blanche Ash<br />
Kevin & Michelle Bassett<br />
Philip & Shirley Battershall<br />
John & Nancy Batts<br />
Fred Bogaert<br />
William & Marilyn Crawford<br />
Barbara Erhards<br />
J. Scott Grill<br />
Joan Hammersmith<br />
Arthur Joseph Jabury<br />
Maryanna Johnson<br />
Reneé Kuipers<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Long<br />
Donald & Kathleen Maine<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
LG & Helen Myers<br />
Robert & Lorraine Nyhoff<br />
Jone E. Phillips<br />
Ronald Rutkowski<br />
Alan R. Ryan<br />
Ralph Siegel<br />
George Sietsema<br />
Eva Sonneville<br />
Fred L. Tape<br />
Hylda & Alvin Tuuk<br />
John E. VanFossen<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 51
By the numbers<br />
VAI Operating Revenues<br />
67%<br />
3%<br />
5%<br />
25%<br />
$60,800K<br />
$23,100K<br />
$4,100K<br />
$2,900K<br />
Investment return utilized<br />
Grant & contract revenue<br />
Contributions<br />
Other revenues<br />
$103,000<br />
$63,000<br />
Designated Gifts<br />
Total: $3,492,000<br />
$557,000<br />
Scientific Event Sponsorships<br />
Neurodegenerative<br />
Metabolism<br />
$1,477,000<br />
Internship Program<br />
Operating Expenses<br />
$1,000,000<br />
Education<br />
Cardiovascular<br />
Cancer<br />
Other<br />
32%<br />
$65,800K<br />
Research<br />
$28,000 $124,000<br />
$140,000<br />
63%<br />
$32,800K<br />
Management, general & other<br />
5%<br />
$5,100K<br />
Education<br />
52 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
Institute Leadership Team<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Van Andel Institute Chairman & Chief Executive Officer<br />
David Van Andel is Chairman and CEO of Van Andel<br />
Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is also an<br />
entrepreneur involved in several other business interests<br />
in the natural and life science products industries.<br />
The son of Jay Van Andel, founder of Van Andel Institute<br />
and co-founder of Amway Corporation, David is currently<br />
a member of Amway’s Board of Directors and serves on<br />
its Executive, Governance and Audit committees. Before<br />
leading Van Andel Institute, he had held various positions<br />
at Amway since 1977, including chief operating officer of<br />
Amway’s Pyxis Innovations Business Unit, and was senior<br />
vice president — Americas and Europe, overseeing<br />
Amway business activities in North America and 22<br />
European and 11 Latin American affiliates.<br />
Jerry Callahan, Ph.D., M.B.A.<br />
Chief Strategic Officer<br />
Jana Hall, Ph.D., M.B.A.<br />
Chief Operations Officer<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer<br />
Timothy Myers, M.B.A., C.P.A.<br />
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer<br />
Terra Tarango<br />
Director & Chief Education Officer<br />
Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D.<br />
President & Dean, Van Andel Institute<br />
Graduate School<br />
Linda Zarzecki<br />
Vice President of Human Resources<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 53
Van Andel Institute Board Members<br />
Van Andel Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
Joan Budden<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer, Priority Health<br />
John Kennedy<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer, Autocam Medical<br />
Mark Meijer<br />
President, Life E.M.S. Ambulance<br />
Van Andel Research Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
Tom R. DeMeester, M.D.<br />
Professor & Chairman Emeritus, Department of Surgery,<br />
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California<br />
James B. Fahner, M.D.<br />
Chief of Hematology & Oncology, Helen DeVos Children’s<br />
Hospital<br />
Michelle Le Beau, Ph.D.<br />
Professor of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology;<br />
Director, University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer<br />
Center; Director, Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory,<br />
University of Chicago<br />
George Vande Woude, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scientific Fellow, Founding Research<br />
Director, Van Andel Research Institute<br />
Max S. Wicha, M.D.<br />
Distinguished Professor of Oncology; Professor,<br />
Department of Internal Medicine; Founding Director,<br />
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center<br />
Van Andel Education Institute Trustees<br />
David Van Andel<br />
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Van Andel Institute<br />
James E. Bultman, Ed.D.<br />
Former President, Hope College<br />
Susan Keipper Meell<br />
Chief Executive Officer, MMS Education<br />
Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scholar in Residence for Diversity, Equity<br />
& Inclusion, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy,<br />
Grand Valley State University; President Emeritus, Aquinas<br />
College<br />
Teresa Weatherall Neal, Ed.D.<br />
Former Superintendent, Grand Rapids Public Schools<br />
Van Andel Institute Graduate School<br />
Board of Directors<br />
James B. Fahner, M.D.<br />
Chief, Hematology & Oncology, Helen DeVos Children’s<br />
Hospital<br />
(LEFT TO RIGHT) JOHN KENNEDY, DAVID VAN ANDEL,<br />
MARK MEIJER & JOAN BUDDEN<br />
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon)<br />
Chief Scientific Officer; Distinguished Professor; Director,<br />
Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Institute<br />
54 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
BOARDS<br />
Van Andel Research Institute Graduate School Board of Directors (continued)<br />
Pamela Kidd, M.D.<br />
Medical Director, Hematology & Flow Cytometry<br />
Laboratories of Spectrum Health & Helen DeVos<br />
Children’s Hospital<br />
Karen Klomparens, Ph.D.<br />
Senior Advisor to the Provost, Michigan State University<br />
Juan R. Olivarez, Ph.D.<br />
Distinguished Scholar in Residence for Diversity, Equity<br />
& Inclusion, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy,<br />
Grand Valley State University; President Emeritus,<br />
Aquinas College<br />
Mary O’Riordan, Ph.D.<br />
Professor & Associate Dean, University of Michigan<br />
Medical School<br />
Danny R. Welch, Ph.D.<br />
Founding Chair, Department of Cancer Biology, University<br />
of Kansas Cancer Center<br />
Van Andel Research Institute External<br />
Scientific Advisory Board<br />
Sharon Y.R. Dent, Ph.D. (ESAB Chair)<br />
Professor & Chair, Department of Epigenetics & Molecular<br />
Carcinogenesis; Director, Science Park; Director, Center<br />
for Cancer Epigenetics, MD Anderson Cancer Center<br />
Xiaodong Cheng, Ph.D.<br />
Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Oncology,<br />
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center<br />
Van Andel Research Institute External Scientific Advisory Board (continued)<br />
Joseph Ecker, Ph.D.<br />
Professor, Plant Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory;<br />
Director, Genomic Analysis Laboratory; Howard Hughes<br />
Medical Institute Investigator; Salk International Council<br />
Chair in Genetics, Salk Institute<br />
Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Professor, University of California at Irvine<br />
Theresa Guise, M.D.<br />
Professor of Medicine; Jerry W. & Peg S. Throgmartin<br />
Professor of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Division<br />
of Endocrinology, Indiana University<br />
Tony Hunter, Ph.D.<br />
Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology Laboratory; American<br />
Cancer Society Professor; Renato Dulbecco Chair;<br />
Director, Salk Institute Cancer Center<br />
Anthony E. Lang, O.C., M.D., FRCPC, FAAN, FCAHS,<br />
FRSC<br />
Director, Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease,<br />
Toronto Western Hospital<br />
Mitchell Lazar, M.D., Ph.D.<br />
Willard & Rhoda Ware Professor in Diabetes & Metabolic<br />
Diseases, Perelman School of Medicine, University of<br />
Pennsylvania<br />
Max S. Wicha, M.D.<br />
Distinguished Professor of Oncology; Professor,<br />
Department of Internal Medicine; Founding Director<br />
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 55
Van Andel Institute Board of Governors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: TIM LONG & VICKY LUDEMA<br />
Chris Ade<br />
Perry Alburg<br />
Liz Alexander<br />
Rosemary Anderson<br />
Kurt Arvidson<br />
Tony & Kathleen Asselta<br />
Jeff Battershall<br />
Regena Bassett<br />
John & Ginny Baysore<br />
Norman & Kristina Beauchamp<br />
Stacie Behler<br />
Bradley & Anna Bengtson<br />
Gregory & Rajene Betz<br />
Karl & Patricia Betz<br />
Franco & Alessandra Bianchi<br />
Dave & Jill Bielema<br />
Daniel Bitzer<br />
Chuck & Christine Boelkins<br />
Carrie Boer<br />
M. Rodrick & Kathleen Bolhous<br />
Chuck & Sarah Booth<br />
Jeremy Bouwhuis<br />
Patrick & Kris Brady<br />
Leonard Brucato<br />
Joan Budden<br />
William & Jackie Bylenga<br />
Jerry & Suzanne Callahan<br />
Amy & Randall Chambers<br />
Stacey Coffman<br />
Mike & Kathy Cok<br />
Steven & Diane Colvin<br />
Stephen Comer<br />
Matthew & Carlie Cook<br />
Bill & Marilyn Crawford<br />
Mimi Cummings<br />
Tom & Tracy Curran<br />
William Currie<br />
Dave & Karen Custer<br />
Stephen & Jennifer Czech<br />
Jerry & Karen DeBlaay<br />
Thomas & Jacquie DeJonge<br />
Douglas & Sandra Dekock<br />
Rob DeVilbiss<br />
Dick & Betsy DeVos<br />
Douglas & Maria DeVos<br />
Brian DeVries & Barbara Pugh<br />
Daniel & Viki Distin<br />
Cynthia Dunlap<br />
John Dykstra<br />
Mark Eastburg<br />
Michael & Lynette Ellis<br />
Tim & Gail Emmitt<br />
Henry & Anne Emrich<br />
Mathew & Jennifer Fahrenkrug<br />
Tom & Mickie Fox<br />
Tina Freese-Decker<br />
Edward Fritsch<br />
Dan & LouAnn Gaydou<br />
Todd & Brenda Gardner<br />
Stuart & Lori Genschaw<br />
John & Nancy Gordon<br />
Brent & Cheryl Granger<br />
Martin & Peggy Greydanus<br />
Jefra Groendyk<br />
Ronald Haan<br />
Dr. Thomas & Marcia Haas<br />
Peter Hahn<br />
Jana Hall<br />
Tom & Lynn Hammer<br />
Scott Hammontree<br />
Kurt & Madelon Hassberger<br />
Paul & Sheryl Haverkate<br />
Lewis & Teresa Hendricks-Pitsch<br />
Paul & Rosemary Heule<br />
Steve Hodges<br />
Dirk & June Hoffius<br />
Rhonda & Marshall Huismann<br />
J.C. Huizenga & Dr. Tammy L. Born-<br />
Huizenga<br />
Bill & Starr Humphries<br />
Ben & Molly Hunting<br />
John & Laura Hurley<br />
Bea Idema<br />
Kyle Irwin<br />
Mike & Sue Jandernoa<br />
Robert & Lynne Jarman-Johnson<br />
Dr. Peter & Veronica Jones<br />
John & Deb Kailunas<br />
John & Nancy Kennedy<br />
Craig & Debra Kinney<br />
Stephen Klotz<br />
Al & Robin Koop<br />
Blake & Mary Krueger<br />
Renee Kuipers<br />
Michael & Brenda Lamfers<br />
Ray & Jeannine Lanning<br />
Kenneth Larm<br />
Wayne & Terry Lobdell<br />
Ray B. Loeschner<br />
Tim & Kim Long<br />
Steve Longstreet<br />
Gary & Vicky Ludema<br />
Michael & Suzanne Lunn<br />
David Madiol<br />
Kathleen Maine<br />
John & Michele Maly-Dykema<br />
Joe Martinez<br />
Holly McCaw<br />
Michael & Jen McGraw<br />
Deb Meijer<br />
Lena Meijer<br />
Mark & Mary Beth Meijer<br />
Rusty & Jenn Merchant<br />
Howard & Lisa Miller<br />
Jack H. Miller<br />
Jamie Mills & Jim Nichols<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Martha Muir<br />
Laurie-Ann Netto<br />
Jack Nichols<br />
Juan & Mary Olivarez<br />
Steve Olson<br />
Richard Pappas<br />
Richard Postma<br />
Ryan Quillan<br />
Sam & Francesca Rehnborg<br />
Patrick Reid<br />
Henry Rempe<br />
Pat Ringnalda<br />
Brenda & Tom Rinks<br />
Jeffery Roberts<br />
Eve Rogus & Paul Becker<br />
Kari Luther Rosbeck<br />
Doug Rottman<br />
John & Therese Rowerdink<br />
Fred & Kathy Rozema<br />
Christine Salvati<br />
H. Gideon Sanders<br />
Michael & Cynthia Schaap<br />
Megan Schmidt<br />
Tim & Barbie Schowalter<br />
Matthew A. Scogin<br />
Peter & Joan Secchia<br />
Tony & Dawn Semple<br />
George & Linda Sharpe<br />
George & Missy Sharpe<br />
Thank you, Board of Governors.<br />
As members of the Van Andel Institute Board of Governors, you serve as ambassadors who help advance the Institute’s mission and vision in the local community.<br />
Thank you for being our partners and contributing significantly to our success.<br />
56 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong>
COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS<br />
Nicole Sharpe<br />
Eric & Mary Shupe<br />
Jason & Kasie Smith<br />
John & Judy Spoelhof<br />
Rob & Susan Stafford<br />
Peter Stamos & Soonmee<br />
Cha-Stamos<br />
Frank & Dana Stanek<br />
Tom Stavrou<br />
Dr. James L. Strikwerda<br />
Thomas & Mary Stuit<br />
Theresa Sullivan<br />
Duke Suwyn<br />
Steve & Cheryl Timyan<br />
Marilyn Titche<br />
Brian Toronyi<br />
Dr. Steven & Laura Triezenberg<br />
David & Carol Van Andel<br />
Steve & Amy Van Andel<br />
Michael & Michelle Van Dyke<br />
Dan & Ann Marie Van Eerden<br />
Donna Van Haren<br />
Dave & Beth Van Portfliet<br />
Maria Van Til<br />
Dr. George Vande Woude<br />
Brian & Lori Vander Baan<br />
Allen & Nancy VanderLaan<br />
Sharon VanDellen<br />
Don & Janell VanDine<br />
Michael & Gayle VanGessel<br />
James & Mary Veldheer<br />
John & Vanessa Veleris<br />
Peter & Denise Versluis<br />
Chris & Dana Vinton<br />
Phillip & Kathleen Vogelsang<br />
Jen Weixeldorfer<br />
Tom & Laurie Welch<br />
Todd & Tracy Wenzel<br />
Ben & Jennifer Wickstrom<br />
Geoff & LeeAnne Widlak<br />
Scott & Rebecca Wierda<br />
Julie Wiersema<br />
Jim & Sue Williams<br />
Greg & Meg Willit<br />
Steve Wlodarski<br />
Galit Wolf<br />
Dr. Leslie & Jane Wong<br />
John & Kathleen Workman<br />
Todd Wriggelsworth & Renee<br />
Tabben<br />
Sean Wright<br />
Jim & Jane Zwiers<br />
Van Andel Institute JBoard Ambassadors<br />
CO-CHAIRS: RACHEL MRAZ & CHAD BASSETT<br />
Dr. Dorothy C. Armstrong<br />
Travis Arnoys<br />
Keegan Balk<br />
Robert & Katie Barcelona<br />
Chad Bassett<br />
Lindsay Benedict<br />
Christopher Billmeier<br />
Hannah Blackwell<br />
Paige Cornetet<br />
Blake Crabb<br />
Jenna DeBest<br />
Aaron & Afton DeVos<br />
Samuel DeVries<br />
Alex Ehlert-VanBeveren<br />
Jennifer Fischer<br />
Dana Friis-Hansen<br />
Zachary Gebben<br />
Mary Hilger<br />
Ken Hoffman & Lisa Rose<br />
Mark Holzbach<br />
Jordan Hoyer<br />
Jason & Brandi Huyser<br />
Eric Jones<br />
Margaret Kennedy<br />
Alison Keutgen<br />
Kevin & Katie Kileen<br />
Kyle Kimble<br />
Michael & Andrea Leestma<br />
Casey Lowery<br />
Geoff Ludema<br />
Mike & Rachel Mraz<br />
Thomas Murray<br />
Christopher & Alyssa Nance<br />
Kendra Osowski<br />
Gregory Paplawsky<br />
Eric Payne<br />
Stacy Peck<br />
Leland & Alexandra Perez<br />
Justin Pinto<br />
Cody Pletcher<br />
Lily Powers<br />
Pablo & Jenna Prieto<br />
Nicole Probst<br />
Sara Ross<br />
Charlie & Tanya Rowerdink<br />
Alex Schrotenboer<br />
Lisa Schrotenboer<br />
Kelsey Schweibert<br />
Jon & Allison Sleight<br />
Joseph Spoelhof<br />
Timothy Streit<br />
Mark Stuit<br />
Elizabeth Terhorst<br />
Bob Tsironis<br />
Aaron & Hailey Van Andel<br />
Chris Van Andel<br />
Jesse & Heather Van Andel<br />
Kyle Van Andel<br />
Daniel VandenBosch<br />
Sarah VanderBaan<br />
Tripp & Katie VanderWal<br />
Sydney Vinton<br />
Alexandra Wittenbach<br />
Brandon & Tina Wong<br />
Megan Zubrickas<br />
THESE LISTS REPRESENT MEMBERSHIP BETWEEN JAN. 1, <strong>2019</strong>, AND DEC. 31, <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Thank you, JBoard Ambassadors.<br />
As JBoard Ambassadors, you are leaders who exhibit the power of young professionals to make a difference. We appreciate the energy and dedication you bring to the<br />
Institute. Thank you for your vision and your friendship in our efforts to improve the health and enhance the lives of current and future generations.<br />
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT <strong>2019</strong> | 57
333 Bostwick Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 | P 616.234.5000 | vai.org