In partnership with Sermo, physicians from 75 countries ran over 33K kilometers to raise funds
Sermo CEO Peter Kirk announces today the successful completion of the first-ever global, doctor-led running event, Run with Peter-Run for Research. Run With Peter is an initiative to empower and inspire a global community of physicians, healthcare teams and partners who run (or walk) together to raise money in support of medical research. This year, the event was held on June 12th with physician runners participating globally from 75 countries, pledging to run 33,073 kilometers.
Sermo will donate $250,000 to support various medical research causes, which were chosen by physicians participating in Run with Peter. Upon registration, participants selected the area of medical research and actual foundations they would like to receive a portion of the overall donation. The top 10 organizations physicians selected include The American Heart Association, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, International Society for Infectious Diseases, The Breast Cancer Research fund, among others. Other organizations include Aktiv Against Cancer, which is dedicated to ensuring physical activity will become an integral part of cancer treatment.
“It was incredibly inspiring to be joined by so many physicians across the globe who laced up and ran on Sunday,” said Peter Kirk, CEO Sermo. “We came together as a global community to support incredible causes that are dedicated to developing groundbreaking medical research, and we did it through running, a sport that gives me strength and the ability to deeply think and to focus. Running has been an investment in my physical and mental well being, and has played an important role in my own cancer survival journey. I continue to be moved by our community and want to encourage others to get out and be proactive about a healthy lifestyle through their exercises of choice.”
Run with Peter was born out of Kirk’s harrowing experience last year when he was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia (AML) and was intubated in the ICU with double lung pneumonia. He received a life-saving stem cell bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on June 9, 2021. Completely weakened physically and determined to build back the physical endurance he lost while in treatment and recovery, Peter trained for and finished the NYC Marathon five months post-transplant. Peter is now on a journey to complete 1,000 half marathons over the next 10 years under a regimen of two half marathons per week.
To further his mission to raise awareness on the benefits of exercise to overall physical health and endurance, Peter Kirk is partnering with others who are aligned around this common mission. For example, Kirk recently participated in a Global Running Day event organized by Dr. Jordan Metzl, a nationally recognized sports medicine physician, best selling author, and fitness instructor whose workout series Ironstrength supports nonprofits that promote and further health, wellness, and fitness.
“I am always inspired by people like Peter who are committed to an active and healthy lifestyle as a primary way to build strength and endurance after a life-threatening illness. These are the stories that motivate and help people to be proactive about their health, and ultimately live happier and healthier lives,” said Dr. Jordan Metzl. “I look forward to partnering with Peter on future initiatives, and congratulate him on a successful inaugural Run with Peter event.”
About Sermo
Engaging with more than 1.3 million HCPs across 150 countries, Sermo offers a unique physician-first online community that allows clinicians to communicate about issues that are important to them and their patients. Every day, thousands of physicians come to Sermo to democratize medical knowledge, crowdsource difficult patient cases, rate drugs to improve treatment decision-making. Sermo is a world leader in turning physician experience, expertise, and observations into actionable insights for the global healthcare community.
Contacts
Media:
Kite Hill PR for Sermo
sermo@kitehillpr.com