The Foundation Board of the Manja Gideon Foundation has six members. Three family members and the three specialists from the fields of medicine and psychology have a collegial working relationship and are committed to the objectives of the foundation in a consistent and sustainable manner.
Foundation Board
Erika Gideon
President, Foundation Board
Erika Gideon established the Manja Gideon Foundation on behalf of her daughter and in keeping with her wishes. She is assiduous in advancing her daughter’s message of better education and awareness. Erika Gideon lives and breathes social responsibility. In addition to the work she does on behalf of her eldest daughter, now deceased, she has been active in charitable causes for decades, including active membership in the Jerusalem Foundation Switzerland. She established and has had a lasting impact on the SET Foundation, which fosters peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society.
Gabriella Rabner-Gideon
Foundation Board Member
“I would like to lend a voice to my late sister,” says Gabriella Rabner-Gideon. “It’s the only way I can find some sort of meaning from this disease.” Manja Gideon’s youngest sister is a freelance environmental engineer and is involved in environmental education. In a collaborative effort with various institutions, she offers activities for seniors, having acquired advanced training in gerontological issues with a focus on environmental education. She is convinced that discussions on these relevant issues promote the development of competencies and individual resources.
Professor René Hornung, MD, MBA
Foundation Board Member
Head of the Department of Gynecology at Kantonsspital St. Gallen (Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen), René Hornung is a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics. His specialties are gynecologic oncology, as well as endoscopic and open gynecologic surgery. He brings over 25 years of clinical experience in Germany, the USA and elsewhere. In addition, Professor Hornung directs the research projects of the Department of Gynecology at the Kantonsspital St. Gallen. He follows the current state of research closely and is able to apply findings to the work of the foundation at an early stage. “First and foremost, we want to provide women who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations with information in a targeted and selective manner.”
Cathy Lawy, MD
Foundation Board Member
Cathy Lawy is a trauma therapist and Director of the International Trauma-Healing-Institute, with locations in Ra’anana (Israel) and Los Angeles, CA (USA). She was a close friend of Manja Gideon’s over the course of many years, and supported her assiduously through the phases of her illness. “Manja didn’t know where to find competent answers. There is no international information network through which women can inform themselves about physicians, specialists and the current state of research,” she says. “We want to give ourselves the long-term goal of utilizing the power of the various communities of knowledge found all over the world. Together we can be stronger.”
Michael Rabner, MD
Medical Advisor
Michael Rabner, MD, is a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in Zurich. As a physician, he has managed a private practice for over 20 years and works with an established network of family physicians and other specialists. He acts as an advisor to the Foundation Board and contributes ideas and issues from daily clinical practice to the joint efforts of the group.