Shirley Mertz Memorial Travel Grant Program

The Shirley Mertz Memorial Travel Grant Program

Patient advocate Shirley Mertz, a founding force behind the MBC Alliance, believed strongly in the power of the patient voice. Encouraging fellow metastatic breast cancer patients to share their lived experiences—and helping to get these advocates into rooms where their insights could effectively make change—were high priorities for Shirley throughout her advocacy career.

The Shirley Mertz Memorial Travel Grant Program carries on her pioneering vision by helping to cover the costs of travel, hotel, and registration for patient advocates who wish to attend scientific or MBC-related conferences. This assistance breaks down barriers, connecting pharmaceutical companies with patients who are willing to collaborate and enabling researchers to hear real-world experiences from people enduring lines of treatment. It also empowers advocates to learn about new science, and connect them with colleagues so they can grow their network and their impact.

First piloted in 2024 as the Patient Advocate Conference Scholarship (PACS) Program, the Shirley Mertz Memorial Travel Grant program reimburses patient advocates up to $1,500 in expenses to attend an approved conference. To date, more than $20K annually has been awarded through the Alliance to help individual advocate members attend key events.

The application period for the Shirley Mertz Memorial Travel Grant Program generally opens in January, with a deadline of four to six weeks to apply. If you are a patient advocate member of the Alliance, watch your inbox to be notified when the program opens. For questions, email admin@mbcalliance.org.