There was no shortage of tears at the Italian American Cancer Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Gala. It’s an effort that began in the 1980s through the initiative of renowned breast cancer surgeon Umberto Veronesi and entrepreneur Alessandro di Montezemolo.

It was Veronesi who envisioned a partnership between Italy and the United States to expose young scientists to new ideas, trends and research techniques that would enrich the scientific community and increase international collaboration in the fight against cancer.