About Us

When it became obvious that we would need our own nonprofit to have the greatest impact, we started brainstorming names. We new the initiative would be larger that the other efforts we had encountered, and they already had some pretty impressive, global sounding names. We also had the idea that the kind of data we wanted to collect could go beyond typical research paradigms, and might initially be kind of hard to define. So we started thinking about terms that were more symbolic than literal. Cancer is often referred to as a beast, and our David had always loved dragons, so using a dragon as part of the imagery felt like a good fit. However, David loved dragons, so we wanted to have a name that would honor that love. We also thought that control of disease is the first step toward curing, so the term “master” seemed like a natural way to express that control.

The CAVATICA platform is a free, open-access research tool that enables doctors, scientists, and researchers to easily share, search, and analyze large collections of patient data. Join the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a network of other hospitals and research institutions that have committed to coming together to revolutionize cancer research. We empower you to share your medical research data with fellow researchers and medical professionals to allow you to modify your trials in real time. Will you join our movement to revolutionize cancer research? Reach out to Amanda Haddock to get started.

Medical professionals and researchers are forced to follow. By providing a free, open-access research tool that doctors and scientists can utilize simultaneously, time is cut dramatically in these processes. Widespread use of a platform like CAVATICA means that doctors will have access to more recent updates and information from the latest studies about pediatric brain cancer (and potentially many other cancer types.)

There are many ways to support the Dragon Master Initiative as an individual! Learn more about the ways you can get involved here and find out how you can contribute monetarily here.

You can see the current pediatric brain tumor data here. If you are looking for clinical data, you can access the dataMedical research and treatment discovery can take years due to the current inefficient processes that me through pedCBioPortal.

If you are looking for biospecimens, you can apply for access to those here. We are always seeking researchers to share their medical data through the CAVATICA platform. Through this platform, we empower you to share your medical research data with fellow researchers and medical professionals to allow you to modify your trials in real time. If you need help learning how to utilize your tools on this platform, please email Amanda Haddock. If you are looking for data on children with structural birth defects, you can access that data here.

We offer ways to partner with the Dragon Master Initiative on a corporate level through events and donations. Learn more here.

The Dragon Master Initiative is proud to serve cancer patients and their families by providing financial assistance, information, and resources, as well as connecting with you. No matter where you are in your diagnosis or treatment process, we want to walk through this journey with you. Click here to learn more about the programs we provide, as well as other resources to help give you confidence in your treatment decisions. Questions? Reach out to us at info@dragonmaster.org or through our Facebook page.