Launched in honor of Grief Awareness Day, August 30, 2025, this initiative is profoundly personal for Feinglos, whose late mother, Susan Feinglos, was one of the first adult patients ever treated by Dr. Henry Friedman – now an internationally renowned adult and pediatric neuro-oncologist, and co-chair of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

“This initiative recognizes that truly comprehensive cancer care must include comprehensive grief care,” said Dr. Friedman. “The grief experienced by our patients, their families, and our care team deserves the same level of attention and expertise we bring to treating the disease itself.”

The Susan & Mark Feinglos Grief Initiative represents the culmination of Rebecca’s personal experience with her mother’s fatal glioblastoma diagnosis, her expertise as a certified grief support specialist, and her commitment as a second-generation member of the Duke community. Her late father, Dr. Mark Feinglos, also served in Duke’s Division of Endocrinology for over four decades both on faculty and as Division Chief. Susan Feinglos was the Director of the Duke Medical Center Library, eventually stepping down years into her diagnosis and treatment. Susan then became a Cancer Center development associate (as well as a patient), spending her remaining years supporting other families facing similar journeys.

“As a child, I watched my mother navigate her own grief as a patient during eight years of living after brain cancer diagnosis and treatment, while our family, especially my father, processed our grief as caregivers alongside her – grief that continued long after her death,” said Feinglos. “Thirty years ago, we weren’t speaking openly about grief and mental health the way we do now. We have the opportunity to do so much more for patients, families, and the people who care for them during treatment and beyond.”

The comprehensive grief support pilot program will be integrated directly into the academic medical center’s operations. The Feinglos Fund and the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center’s team hope it will serve as a roadmap for healthcare providers worldwide, and that it will spark a long-term, fundamental shift in how medical centers approach comprehensive patient and provider care.

Brain tumors affect 700,000+ Americans, with 94,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, one of the first brain tumor research and clinical programs in the United States and one of the world’s most prestigious brain tumor treatment centers, sees nearly 1,000 patients annually from around the globe.

“Rebecca’s vision of providing more grief support addresses an unmet need for our providers and staff,” added Dr. Allan Friedman, who also treated Susan Feinglos at Duke and serves as the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center’s Neurosurgical Director. “Working in an environment where death and fatal diagnoses are part of the daily experience takes an emotional toll. Just as we take great care to treat the medical conditions faced by our patients and their loved ones, so must we support the members of our team who bravely navigate grief every day.”

About The Feinglos Fund:
The Feinglos Fund is dedicated to North Carolina-based and nationwide grantmaking that empowers women and girls, advances educational opportunities, strengthens democracy, and expands access to grief support. For more information, visit www.feinglosfund.org.

SOURCE Feinglos Fund