Be Your Possible’s Third Annual Run for Research Unlocks $500,000 Donation for Medical Research From Sermo

Run for Research Hits Milestone 10,000+ Registrations for June 9th Global Run, Bringing Total Donation From Sermo to $850,000 Benefiting 30+ Organizations

Photography by Brandon Lee

New York – Run for Research, an annual global connected run to raise money for life-saving medical research, proudly announces a $500,000 donation to support medical research after reaching a milestone 10,000+ registrants for the event on June 9th. In the first two years, Run for Research was a physician-led initiative and this year, the run was opened to all runners who want to support life-saving medical innovation. Runners around the globe pledged a distance and chose a medical cause; every 1,000 runners registered unlocked a $100,000 donation from Sermo, up to $500,000. This past Sunday, Run for Research activated 10,160 total runners of which over 9,000 physician runners, spanning 86 countries, and over 71,000km.

Sermo, an online physician community and leader in healthcare insights, is a founding partner and provides the $500,000 donation. Run for Research is inspired by cancer survivor and Sermo CEO Peter Kirk’s incredible completion of the NYC Marathon just five months following his life-saving blood stem cell transplant. Kirk had a harrowing experience of surviving Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a rare cancer of the blood and bone marrow. After receiving a terminal diagnosis and being intubated in the ICU with double lung pneumonia, Kirk received a second chance at life thanks to medical research which inspired him to found the charity Be Your Possible and the flagship Run for Research event.

“Participating allows me to engage in physical health and is an opportunity to be grateful for the health we have,” said Dr. Ashish Rana, MD, Internal Medicine and Sermo Medical Advisory Board Member. “The generous donation gives hope to others who one day may be able to participate.” 

To date, organizations that have received donations for medical research from Run for Research include the American Heart Association, Hospital for Special Surgery, International Society for Infectious Diseases, Foundation for Fighting Blindness, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where Kirk received his life-saving blood stem cell transplant, along with many other global organizations conducting life-altering research.

“I am incredibly proud of how Run for Research has united people globally in support of critical medical research,” said Peter Kirk, CEO of Sermo and Founder of Run for Research. “The freedom to participate from any location and choose the charity that matters most personally, all without fundraising demands, showcases the unique spirit of this event and why we’ve been able to activate so many people globally.”

To learn more about the mission and to support the cause, please visit beyourpossible.com and stay tuned for more information on Run for Research 2025. 

Be Your Possible:

Born from Founder and Sermo CEO Peter Kirk’s harrowing experience with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, journey to recovery, and commitment to inspiring others to be their possible, Be Your Possible is a global charitable organization committed to raising awareness and funds for medical research to help others benefit from life-saving treatments, such as Peter’s own blood stem cell transplant.

The organization was founded in 2022 launching its first initiative, Run for Research (formally known as Run with Peter), a global movement mobilizing thousands to run in support of medical research.

Peter’s “possible” is running 1,000 half marathons by the 10th anniversary of his transplant.

We pledge to empower not only other patients, but everyone to take steps toward finding their own possible, from exercise to education and personal growth. Our core belief is that anything is possible, by taking one step at a time, TOGETHER. To learn more, visit beyourpossible.com

About Sermo:

Sermo is the largest global healthcare research company and the most trusted physician and provider engagement platform. Sermo engages with more than 1.5 million HCPs across 150 countries and has reach into the U.S. Payer market that now exceeds 230M commercial lives covered.

For over 20 years, Sermo has been turning physician experience, expertise, and observations into actionable business insights that benefit pharmaceutical companies, healthcare partners, and the medical community at large. Sermo offers on-demand access to HCPs via a proprietary health-tech ecosystem to gain targeted HCP insights that inform strategic decisioning in real-time. To learn more, visit www.sermo.com.

Media Contact:

Allyson Noonan

AN Communications

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