UNC School of Medicine alumna raises money for cystic fibrosis

Lauren Neighbours, an alumna of the UNC School of Medicine, was named one of five people to receive the distinction of being a 2019 Triangle’s Finest honoree. Now, Neighbours will lead a fundraising campaign on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), with a goal of raising $15,000. 

The CFF Triangle’s Finest annually recognizes a select group of individuals for their professional and personal accomplishments in the greater Triangle community. Mishelle Smith, the development director of the CFF Carolinas Chapter, said the honor is given to individuals who excel in their chosen profession, are active in their community and serve as an inspiration to others. 

Those who receive the honor agree to fundraise for CFF, which aims to provide those with cystic fibrosis the opportunity to lead full, productive lives. The foundation aims to fund research and drug development, promote individualized treatment and ensure access to specialized care.

Smith said that through the CFF fundraising experience, honorees can grow their professional skills and work within their chosen careers to continue upward mobility in their fields.

Neighbours was nominated based on her demonstrated leadership abilities, dedication to philanthropy and professional success, according to Neighbours’ selection notification from CFF.

Neighbours graduated from the UNC School of Medicine in 2013 with a doctorate in microbiology and immunology. While she was a student, Neighbours founded the Science Policy Advocacy Group (SPAG), which is still active at UNC.

Ben Roberts, vice president of Internal Affairs at the SPAG, said the goal of the organization is to connect students with science policy professionals and help them establish a career in the field through workshops, lectures and networking. 

Currently a Ph.D. candidate, Roberts said there are many graduate students like himself interested in going into  careers outside of academia. He said he's grateful to Neighbours for founding the organization.

“When you’re in academia, people really preach that you have to stay in academia, you have to do a postdoc and post-PhD research, you have to take that career track if you want to get a tenured faculty position,” Roberts said. “But people don’t always want to do that, and I think that having this opportunity for our students is really important.”

Outside of UNC, there are a number of schools in the state and region that are starting to initiate organizations like the one that Neighbours founded, Roberts said. 

“We were just talking to people at UNCG and NC State who are also trying to get policy groups off the ground, so I think that we were ahead of the curve here,” said Roberts. “I think that Lauren was definitely very forward-thinking at the time she started it.”

While at UNC, Neighbours took a course on respiratory epidemiology, which included a module on cystic fibrosis. One of the co-directors of the course, who had a child with cystic fibrosis, shared his experience as a caregiver. This helped Neighbours better understand the disease's impact.

“Obviously, it’s a rare disease, not everyone has a personal connection to cystic fibrosis," Neighbours said. “But there are easy ways to make a difference for this foundation, or any kind of foundation or personal charity or nonprofit, that’s close to your heart.”

Neighbours is now raising money through the foundation website established in her name. Although those who receive the honor only have to raise $3,000 for CFF, Neighbours wants to raise five times that by the end of this year. So far, she has raised over $2,000.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects about 30,000 Americans, Neighbours said. The life-threatening disease impacts the lungs severely, making it difficult for patients to breathe. 

Because of the work of CFF and other contributing organizations, the average lifespan of a patient with cystic fibrosis has increased to about 40 years old, Neighbours said — a remarkable progression over the last several decades.

Neighbours believes that the principal aim of CFF is to find a cure for the disease. 

“Obviously, people want to live past their 40s, so the work of the foundation is really to eventually find a cure for (cystic fibrosis),” Neighbours said. “Not only treating certain subsets of patients with medicines, but actually finding a cure for all patients with cystic fibrosis.”

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