The IPPF Receives Grant from Sy Syms Foundation to Reduce Diagnostic Delays

The Sy Syms Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to the International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation (IPPF) in support of the IPPF’s Early Diagnosis Awareness Program. This will be the sixth consecutive year the Sy Syms Foundation has supported the Program.

Since developing the Awareness Campaign in 2013, the IPPF has reached thousands of dental professionals and students. Due to its continued growth and impact, the Awareness Campaign transitioned into a permanent Awareness Program in 2017. A particularly successful aspect of the Awareness Program is the innovative Patient Educator Program, which sends pemphigus and pemphigoid (P/P) patients to dental schools across the US to share their stories of delayed diagnosis. These emotional stories compliment traditional lectures, encouraging students to remember P/P should they encounter symptoms in future practice. Since March 2014, IPPF Patient Educators have provided over 60 presentations at 20 different dental schools, reaching more than 6,500 students and faculty.

“The Sy Syms Foundation’s continued support makes our Awareness Program possible,” said Kate Frantz, IPPF Awareness Program Director. “Because of their generous funding, we have been able to increase our Program’s impact, reaching thousands of dentists, dental hygienists, faculty, and students who now have pemphigus and pemphigoid on their radar! We are hopeful that patients will be diagnosed sooner and we have the Sy Syms Foundation to thank for this.”

The Sy Syms Foundation was established in 1985 by retail entrepreneur and humanitarian, Sy Syms. His mission was to support education, and through his generosity the non-profit Foundation has affected the continued growth of many institutions of higher learning, medical research, and civic and cultural bodies. For more information on the Sy Syms Foundation, visit sysymsfoundation.org or call (201) 849-4417.