Stephanie Caruso
Stephanie Caruso
I led the creative vision for The Defy Cancer Celebration, a high-impact, multi-stage experience hosted at Fenway Park for over 800 attendees. The event honored the success of The Dana-Farber Campaign and showcased the lifechanging impact of donor support across cancer research, care, and innovation.
I oversaw creative development across all touchpoints, from the immersive Defy Cancer Museum to live stage programming and environmental storytelling. My team brought Dana-Farber’s advancements in immunotherapy, prevention, and care equity to life through compelling, accessible narratives that engaged patients, supporters, and researchers alike.
The event featured three unique stage experiences:
VIP reception stage (Museum): Dana-Farber faculty welcomed donors and shared a vision for the “hospital of the future.”
Mainstage (Fenway bleachers): Opening remarks and performances set an emotional, celebratory tone for all attendees.
Concourse stage (Impact Talks): TED-style stories from patients, physicians, and innovators delivered throughout the day.
We also infused the experience with highly interactive guest engagements designed to deepen personal connection and create lasting memories:
A larger-than-life Defy installation, where guests could leave their mark in a shared, visual statement of hope and progress.
A VR Speed Pitch station and Home Run Challenge, symbolizing the collective effort to strike out cancer.
Custom MyImpact bracelets, with personalized words hand-stamped on-site as meaningful takeaways and mementos of the event.
This role demonstrates my ability to lead large-scale, multi-format experiences rooted in purpose, and to craft powerful mainstage content that balances institutional storytelling with emotional resonance.
Design Director: Kate Ross | Writers: Brad Mettey & Sara McCarthy