# Debra Black

Source: https://onco.cc/people/debra-black/  
OnCo record `debra-black` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Her 2007 melanoma diagnosis led her and her husband Leon to found the Melanoma Research Alliance, now the largest private funder of melanoma research.

## Summary

Debra Black, a Broadway producer, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007. MRA's own account begins there: melanoma touched the lives of Debra and Leon Black, and they founded the Melanoma Research Alliance that year. She has chaired its board since. The Alliance has invested more than $200 million through over 500 grant awards, its funded researchers have contributed to 20 new FDA-approved melanoma treatments, and the Blacks cover all operating costs so that 100% of every donation goes to research. Her role as a patient-founder shaped the Alliance's priorities: young investigators, team science across institutions, and an annual retreat where unpublished results are shared so that promising ideas reach patients faster.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: hero; donor; patient
- Role: Melanoma patient who co-founded the Melanoma Research Alliance
- Specialisms: Melanoma research funding; Patient-founded foundations

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Black
- Melanoma Research Alliance: overview: https://www.curemelanoma.org/mra-overview/mra-overview

## Connected records

- cancers: [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/)
- institutions: [Melanoma Research Alliance](https://onco.cc/institutions/mra/)
- people: [Leon Black](https://onco.cc/people/leon-black/)
- bottlenecks: [Funding follows fashion, not burden](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-funding-allocation/), [Patients lack understanding, navigation and agency](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-patient-voice/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/debra-black.json