The Michael E. Connolly Endowment for
Lung Cancer Research
Supporting promising research in the fight against lung cancer
Established by Penny and Ryan Connolly in 2005, the Michael E. Connolly Endowment supports promising research in the fight against lung cancer. The fund was created to transform personal loss into lasting progress — accelerating discovery and improving outcomes for patients and families facing this devastating disease. In 2020, the endowment reached the $1.5 million level to establish the Michael E. Connolly Endowed Professorship in Lung Cancer Research. Endowed support ensures that progress continues — with focus, urgency, and purpose.
About the Endowment
The Connollys Story
Binghamton native Michael E. Connolly, a nonsmoker, died of lung cancer at the age of 39. Three years later, his wife Penny and son Ryan established an endowment to fight this deadly disease. In the ensuing years, additional funds were raised and with an infusion of funding from the Upstate Foundation and Upstate Medical University Department of Surgery, the endowment reached the $1.5 million level in August 2020 to establish the prestigious Michael E. Connolly Endowed Professorship in Lung Cancer Research. Michael Connolly was a husband and father, volunteer coach and a star Binghamton North High School football and baseball player.
During his 22-month battle with lung cancer, Michael was treated at Upstate University Hospital. He lost his battle in 2002.
In 2005, Penny and Ryan established the Michael E. Connolly Endowment for Lung Cancer Research, beginning the journey of a mother and son – a high school math teacher and a high school student athlete – on a mission to raise awareness and build a $1 million endowment to fight the nation’s leading cause of cancer death.
Over the next 15 years, Penny and Ryan never lost sight of their goal, garnering support from throughout the Southern Tier and across the country.
An endowed professorship is the highest academic award the University can bestow upon a faculty member, it is both an honor to the named professor and an enduring tribute to its namesake, in this case, Michael Connolly.
Supporting Targeted Discovery
The Michael E. Connolly Endowment funds promising research aimed at improving lung cancer treatment and patient outcomes.
Each project advances a shared goal: more precise, more effective treatment strategies.
Develop targeted therapies that increase lung cancer cells’ sensitivity to radiation
Understand how cancer cells resist chemotherapy and radiation
Identify tumor markers in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer to guide post-surgical treatment decisions
Michael E. Connolly Endowed Professor
in Lung Cancer Research
Advancing lung cancer research through the Connolly legacy
Dr. John F. Brognard serves as the Michael E. Connolly Endowed Professor in Lung Cancer Research at SUNY Upstate Medical University, a role made possible through the Connolly family’s commitment to advancing lifesaving science. In this position, he leads efforts to identify new therapeutic targets and develop more precise lung cancer treatments, helping translate cutting-edge discoveries into better outcomes for patients while carrying forward the legacy of the Connolly Endowment’s mission to fight lung cancer.
