Passavant Hospital Foundation
Outreach Overview

Passavant Hospital Foundation advances the health and wellness of our community through educational seminars and special community initiatives. 

Passavant Hospital Foundation’s outreach improves our community’s health through presentations by knowledgeable health professionals. In 2022 the Foundation provided 63 seminars reaching more than 3,200 people. Sessions were led by UPMC Passavant physicians, clinicians, therapists and others who are experts in their fields. Our general outreach programs are FREE and open to ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

Click Here to Read Passavant Hospital Foundation 2022 Annual Report. 

Community Partnerships

Passavant Hospital Foundation sponsors and host several Continuing Education Credit Conferences and Community Events throughout the year.

Cancer survivorship celebration continues to serve patients after 12 Years

The 12th Annual UPMC Passavant Celebration of Survivorship was held at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center in Ross Township on June 23, and was attended by 190 cancer survivors and 120 caregivers. The event, for which Passavant Hospital Foundation has provided funding and volunteer assistance every year, included dinner served by oncology nurses and physicians, fellowship with other cancer survivors and their guests, live entertainment, and presentations addressing various issues affecting cancer survivors at all stages of their journey. The evening ended with a candle-lit Survivorship Recognition Ceremony. Bill Hogle, a cancer survivor and registered nurse at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Passavant, served as emcee; Brother Shamus McGrenra, a Franciscan friar at St. Francis University and 10-year cancer survivor, was the keynote speaker. “My message was about hope. I am living proof of the power of prayer and the modern miracle of ‘medicine UPMC,’” Brother Shamus said. An avid cyclist for 30 years, Brother Shamus had been shocked to his core when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2013. He relocated to Pittsburgh from his home in Loretto, PA so he could be treated at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Passavant. There, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments five days a week for six consecutive weeks. “Halfway through, I had to go on a liquid diet. I couldn’t eat real food. I lost 20 pounds. I was in so much pain that two different medications were prescribed to relieve the pain. I was sleeping 18 hours a day. I was not a happy camper,” he said. His treatments ended in August 2013 and he was able to return to his home and job. Three months later, he learned the cancer had spread to his lungs. “I had the tumor surgically removed but decided I would not undergo any more treatment,” he said. His oncologist, Brian Laughlin, MD, however, didn’t allow him to give up, and persuaded him to try another round of chemotherapy. It worked. Today, Brother Shamus is completely cancer-free and has resumed working and cycling. “When they asked me to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Survivorship Celebration, it only took me a nanosecond to say ‘yes,’” he said, eager to share his story of hope. Cancer Survivorship programs like this are now widely recognized as an integral part of comprehensive cancer care.

Pictured Below: ALL the volunteers who helped make the 12th Annual UPMC Passavant Celebration of Survivorship A HUGE Success.