Teeing Up a $2 Million Milestone for GI Cancer Research

Posted in Announcements

Scott LaGanga has spent nearly a decade turning a day on the golf course into a fundraising engine for cancer research. At the 9th Annual Ruesch Center Classic Golf Tournament this April, that effort reached a new peak. The “small and mighty” team behind the event announced they have officially raised more than $2 million for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer research since 2017—funds that go directly toward finding a cure for these deadly diseases.

Years ago, LaGanga watched his father-in-law, Dr. Jon Rogers, navigate a stage IV diagnosis that left the family with very few choices. He passed away just six weeks after being diagnosed. 

“The promise that innovation brings to patients is so real,” LaGanga reflects. “Had it been just a year later following his diagnosis, this may have been a very different circumstance.”

That one-year difference is what LaGanga fights for. As Executive Vice President of State Advocacy at PhRMA, LaGanga leads national efforts to shape state policy and expand patient access to cutting-edge medicine; yet his work with the Ruesch Center Classic is where he sees that innovation reach the bedside. His leadership and policy expertise have helped Ruesch researchers secure seed funds needed for the kind of breakthroughs that move fast enough to change a family’s story.

As the final putts dropped at the TPC Potomac golf course, the focus was already on the decade-mark coming in 2027. The $2 million raised since 2017 is a testament to the community of golfers and donors who show up every April to support this mission. For LaGanga, leading this charge toward the 10th anniversary is his way of honoring a legacy of care, ensuring that every swing taken on the course helps close the gap for a patient in the clinic.