{"entity":{"id":"debra-black","kind":"person","name":"Debra Black","aka":[],"tldr":"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shaped the Alliance's priorities: young investigators, team science across institutions, and an annual retreat where unpublished results are shared so that promising ideas reach patients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.","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Black","links":[{"label":"Melanoma Research Alliance: overview","url":"https://www.curemelanoma.org/mra-overview/mra-overview"}],"tags":["hero","donor","patient"],"related":[],"cancers":["melanoma"],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":["mra"],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":["leon-black"],"bottlenecks":["b-funding-allocation","b-patient-voice"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"Melanoma patient who co-founded the Melanoma Research Alliance","specialisms":["Melanoma research funding","Patient-founded foundations"],"profiles":[],"papers":[]},"route":"/people/debra-black/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"melanoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Melanoma","route":"/cancers/melanoma/"}],"institution":[{"id":"mra","kind":"institution","name":"Melanoma Research Alliance","route":"/institutions/mra/"}],"person":[{"id":"leon-black","kind":"person","name":"Leon Black","route":"/people/leon-black/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-funding-allocation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Funding follows fashion, not burden","route":"/bottlenecks/b-funding-allocation/"},{"id":"b-patient-voice","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Patients lack understanding, navigation and agency","route":"/bottlenecks/b-patient-voice/"}]}}