Pancreatic cancer walk has special meaning for Tobin accounting professor

Once again, the St. John's University's Iota Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma did its part to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer by taking part in the Lustgarten Foundation’s 2018 New York City Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk at Hudson River Park in Manhattan on Sunday, April 22.

The chapter of the international business honor society for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited schools raised more than $2,500. The entire event raised more than a quarter of a million dollars.

This year’s Walk held particularly personal significance for Timothy G. Coville, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Accountancy, the Chapter’s faculty advisor. Dr. Coville first got involved with raising money for pancreatic research in 2008 after the death of his family’s friend, Dieter Erlwein, whose name Dr. Coville proudly sported on his official bib. During this year’s event, Dr. Coville unexpectedly met and shared a hug with Dieter’s widow, Karen.

In addition to Dr. Coville, the team included students Alisher Akhatov, Jonathan Delacruz, Danielle Killwey, Samantha Lydard and Lauren Urbano.

“As their faculty advisor, I am extremely grateful for the support of our student officers for this fundraising effort and the many other ways they help this important business college-wide honor society,” said Dr. Coville. “We are all grateful to the many individuals that donate to progress this important research.”

Fundraising is ongoing and anyone wishing to support the effort may do so by going to https://events.lustgarten.org/team/163958.

Iota Chapter members have been participating in these fundraising walks since 2015. In 2016, Dr. Coville had the Chapter affiliate with the Lustgarten Foundation’s Walk.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for about three percent of all cancers in the U.S. and about seven percent of all cancer deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute. That makes it the fourth leading cause of all cancer deaths, claims the Lustgarten Foundation, which calls itself the largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research.