Summer 2026
By Amber Sinicrope
Photography by Bryce Vickmark
Larry and Susan Marx have always been guided by the conviction that investing in bright minds can shape careers and accelerate breakthroughs. Their most recent gift of $5 million to advance prevention and early detection epitomizes that vision.
The gift establishes the Larry and Susan Marx Chair for Early Detection at Dana-Farber and supports the existing Larry and Susan Marx Fund for Early Detection, created in 2022. Sapna Syngal, MD, MPH, co-director of the Centers for Early Detection and Interception, is the inaugural chairholder, and the fund is managed under the direction of Catherine Marinac, PhD.
The Marx’s philanthropy has long focused on supporting faculty, especially early in their careers, when targeted resources can help turn potential into progress. That commitment dates back to 1993, when they founded the Lawrence and Susan Marx Investigatorship. In a letter, that year, to then President and CEO Christopher T. Walsh, PhD, Larry captured the spirit behind their giving: “We have always been greatly impressed by the people we have met at Dana-Farber and by the very strong commitment that the Institute has made to cancer prevention and early diagnosis.” Endowed chairs build on that same idea, providing flexible resources, in perpetuity, that help faculty recruit and mentor talent, accelerate high-impact research, and translate new approaches into care.
“Early detection is an area where we can change the trajectory of cancer—sometimes before it becomes cancer at all,” Larry said. “Susan and I have always believed in backing exceptional people and giving them the runway to do what they do best.” Larry and Susan Marx
Syngal embodies that arc, having benefited from the Marx family’s support early in her career. She began her career focused on inherited gastrointestinal cancers, including Lynch syndrome and inherited pancreatic cancer. Today, Syngal is a renowned leader in cancer genetics, screening, and prevention, helping elevate cancer care for high-risk patients, developing the PREMM risk assessment models, and founding Dana-Farber’s Lynch Syndrome Center. “This gift is an investment in people and possibility,” Syngal said. “I’m honored to hold a chair in the Marx name and carry forward Larry and Susan’s steadfast commitment to faculty and expanding the impact and reach of prevention and early intervention.”
Larry’s involvement reflects the many ways supporters can make a difference: he served as a Trustee (1994–2005), rode in the Pan-Mass Challenge in the 1980s and was its top fundraiser one year, remains active in the Dana-Farber Society, and is introducing new communities to Dana-Farber’s mission and impact.
Susan and I have always believed in backing exceptional people and giving them the runway to do what they do best.
Larry Marx
While Susan Marx passed away last year, this gift continues the couple’s people-first approach—supporting the leaders doing the work and inspiring others to join the movement.