CTF National Gala Honors NF Champions and Accelerates the Next Frontier of Treatments and Care

On November 16, 2026, NF patients, families, researchers, and leaders will gather at Capitale in New York City for the Children's Tumor Foundation's National Gala, celebrating the people driving NF research and care forward.

At a pivotal moment for the NF field, the evening will look toward the next frontier: translating advances in treatments, clinical trials, research tools, and partnerships into better care and more possibilities for the millions of people worldwide living with NF.

The Children's Tumor Foundation is honored to present this year's awards to:

Humanitarian Award: Gabe Groisman, Chair, CTF Board of Directors

Cloud Carrier Award: Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, UCLA Adult NF Clinic

Cloud Carrier Award: Steve & Alyson McKenzie, UCLA Adult NF Clinic

2027 CTF National Ambassador: Aaron Baum

Gabe Groisman, Chair of the Children's Tumor Foundation Board of Directors since 2022, will receive the Humanitarian Award in recognition of his extraordinary leadership, advocacy, and commitment to the NF community. Since joining the Board in 2016, Gabe has helped guide CTF through a period of significant scientific and organizational progress. He has also been a powerful advocate for protecting and expanding public investment in NF research, helping make NF a priority among policymakers, and ensuring that the needs of patients and families remain at the center of the conversation. Groisman is an attorney, government affairs consultant, author, former Mayor and NF dad.

Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Steve and Alyson McKenzie will receive the Cloud Carrier Award for their instrumental role in creating the UCLA Adult NF Clinic. Their leadership and generosity have expanded access to specialized care for adults living with NF and helped address one of the community's most pressing needs: coordinated, expert care throughout adulthood. Their work demonstrates how determined families can transform personal experience into lasting change for an entire community.

Aaron Baum, who lives with NF1, will be named the 2027 Children's Tumor Foundation National Ambassador. Born and raised in San Francisco, Aaron has navigated NF throughout every stage of his life, including significant health challenges and the amputation of his left leg. Today, he works in orthotics and prosthetics at Hanger Clinic, drawing on his own experiences to support others facing mobility challenges. A member of CTF's Junior Board, Aaron is committed to "meeting the moment" as research, awareness, and advocacy for NF continue to gain momentum.

Melissa Brunner, news director at WIBW-TV in Topeka, will return to host this year's National Gala. A passionate advocate since her nephew Owen's NF1 diagnosis, Melissa has partnered with the Children's Tumor Foundation to bring greater visibility to NF. She has anchored World NF Day coverage and participated in and hosted NF Walks and awareness campaigns across Kansas. Melissa is a powerful voice for the NF community.

Behind the celebration lies the reason for it all: the millions of people worldwide living with NF. Neurofibromatosis and schwannomatosis are a group of genetic conditions that cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body, affecting 1 in 2,000 births across all populations-or about 4 million people worldwide. Anyone can be born with NF, and its impact can be different for each individual, ranging from blindness or deafness to bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning challenges, disabling pain, or cancer.

The next frontier is about turning scientific momentum into more treatments, better care, and more choices for people living with NF. By accelerating research and drug development, expanding access to expert clinical care, and bringing together the people and partners needed to move progress forward, the Children's Tumor Foundation is acting now to change what it means to live with NF.

Join us on November 16 at Capitale, 130 Bowery, New York, NY, as we honor the people advancing that future.

To purchase a ticket or make a donation.

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