Julie Ratner: Celebrating 30 Years Of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation’s Impact On Breast Healthcare

James Lane Post on June 22, 2025
By Jessica Mackin-Cipro

Photo by Lisa Tamburini

In a world where community support can make all the difference, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation stands out on the East End. As the foundation celebrates 30 years of dedication to breast cancer care and support, we spoke with co-founder and chair Julie Ratner. Through innovative initiatives, significant partnerships, and unwavering commitment to the cause, Ratner reflects on the moments that shaped the Foundation, the legacy of her sister Ellen, and the ongoing mission to empower those dealing with breast cancer.

Thirty years is a remarkable milestone. When you think back on the work you’ve done with the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, are there any particular moments that stand out?

I am most proud of the many firsts the Ellen Hermanson Foundation has had through our partnership with the hospital. Stony Brook Southampton Hospital was the first on the East End to have Tomosynthesis 3-D mammography, Stereo-tactic breast biopsy, and Computer Aided Detection. The Foundation was also able to donate 10 chemotherapy chairs to the Phillips Family Cancer Center, a state-of-the-art treatment facility right here in our community, when it opened in 2019. 

I am always proud that Ellen’s Run has become an iconic event each summer and year after year, named the Best Sporting Event by Dan’s Papers. This is so important to me because over 1,000 people come to the run, and it is our opportunity to share our mission, have a joyous event that honors survivorship and memory, and acquaint everyone with life-saving education, early detection, and treatment services provided by the Foundation.  

It is important to understand that the Foundation is a granting organization. All the funds we raise annually through Ellen’s Run, our Summer Gala, and other fundraising initiatives are, in turn, granted to the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center, Ellen’s Well, our free psycho-social services program and our Community Partnership Program organizations (Shinnecock Health Clinic, OLA, Bridgehampton Childcare and Recreational Center, and The Retreat), each serving marginalized women in our community. Over 10,000 procedures were performed at the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center in 2024! Since its inception, the Foundation has donated more than $6 million in grants, and all funds raised stay right here in our community. No one is turned away for lack of insurance or inability to pay.

How has your sister Ellen’s legacy continued to guide the foundation’s mission?

Everything we have done and achieved has been inspired by Ellen, my younger sister, a vibrant, compassionate soul who was passionate about social justice and committed to civil rights. Her mission became clear: she would foster awareness about breast cancer, educate women on early detection, and advocate for cancer survivors. She noticed many women facing cancer without the support network she was fortunate to have, and she felt driven to use her skills to reach out to others.  

In August of ’96, with my late sister Emily Levin, we hosted the very first Ellen’s Run. This was the beginning of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation and our mission to change women’s lives for the better. The Foundation allows us not only to honor my sister Ellen and her important legacy but to fund a breast center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Ellen’s dedication to supporting women’s health left an indelible mark, and though she passed in 1995, her mission continues to this day through The Ellen Hermanson Foundation.

The Ellen Hermanson Foundation is deeply rooted in the East End community. What has that relationship meant to you over the years?

Our community is very special to me and our Foundation. We have been successful. At the very beginning, we realized there was a need in the community for comprehensive breast health care and stepped in to fill that need. It has been 30 wonderful years together!

What I do is possible only because I have a group of people who believe in the mission as much as I do and work as hard as they can to help achieve the mission of the foundation. We are a team and leading this team is the Board of the Ellen Hermanson Foundation. Led by Ann Ciardullo, Vice Chair, Cathy Tweedy, Secretary, Melissa Cohn, Treasurer, Constance Chen, MD, Sarah DeFlorio, Amanda Star Frazer, Esq., Scott Kaufman, James Levin, Hugo Moreno, Dee Rivera, and Andrea Seiden. Mady Schuman, our Executive Director, is skilled and gifted in non-profit work and brings a wealth of experience and energy to our Foundation. Sara Blue, our event organizer and volunteer coordinator, is impeccable and makes sure every “i” is dotted and “t” is crossed. Our posse of volunteers is our backbone.  Everyone is vital to our success, and we could not do it without each one of them!

How has the Foundation’s work evolved to meet the changing needs of breast cancer patients and survivors?

With hard work, the Foundation has had a huge impact, and I think this is because we are woman/patient-centered. Breast cancer is not only a physical disease, but also a disease that affects every area of life. It is hugely expensive to have a life-threatening disease, especially for many of the hard-working, single mothers and marginalized women in our community. There are bills to pay, transportation to treatment, procedures not covered by insurance, childcare, and general coping with life challenges. In addition to funding technology, our community partners and an oncological social worker, the Foundation established an emergency fund specifically to address the challenges. 

Access and equity in healthcare are central to your mission. How have you approached these challenges in a region as economically diverse as the East End?

During Covid, the Foundation took the time to assess our work and ask ourselves if we were fulfilling our mission to the best of our ability. In 2021, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation Community Partnerships were established to reach four groups of women who we knew did not have enough access to the breast health care pipeline. These groups are the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, OLA (Organizatión Latino Americano), The Retreat – All Against Abuse, and Shinnecock Indian Health Services. 

Tell us about the events you have coming up this summer.

The Ellen Hermanson Foundation is event-driven. Our two main events this summer are the annual Summer Gala, which will take place Saturday, July 26, at the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club, and Ellen’s Run, which attracts 900-plus runners and walkers, will take place Sunday, August 17, at the Southampton Intermediate School.

Sponsorships are still available, and Mady Schuman, our Executive Director, can help you with them. Purchase your tables and tickets early on our website ellenhermanson.org. Come celebrate our 30th Anniversary with all of us!

After what she described as the “worst year of my life,” Ratner co-founded the foundation with her sister, Emily Levin, in 1996 to help women fighting breast cancer. The foundation, named in honor of their younger sister, Ellen, who died of breast cancer in 1995 at age 42.

“She was such an extraordinary woman. I loved her. She was, in so many ways, my closest friend— we shared a life together in my parents’ house,” Ratner said of her sister, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36.

“Her child was six months old when she was diagnosed and six years old when she died,” Ratner said. “I wanted to carry on her memory. I wanted my niece to know that she had an extraordinary mother, who adored her.”

Ratner said her sister was an activist and advocate in her fight against breast cancer, and when she died, it was important for her to carry on that work.

“I’ll never stop missing my sister,” she said. “I sometimes feel a little incredulous that because she was once here, we’ve been able to carry on what was important to her and other people who I’ll never know–which I love—will be able to benefit from the time she spent with us.”

Ratner recalled that while she had experience running marathons and knew how to prepare for a race, organizing one physically was a different feat. Her mother had pointed out that she didn’t know what she was doing. But Ratner responded, “That never stopped before,” and went ahead with the first Ellen’s Run. They were so ambitious that they called it the “annual” Ellen’s Run from the start. They held the 29th run in August.

There were moments when Ratner questioned how she could carry on without her sister. “It gave me strength, knowing that I was doing something for Ellen,” she said.