Successful 2016 GASCO Annual Meeting and Best of ASCO® Review, Annual Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia, NCI Community Oncology Research Programs

9/30/2016

Successful 2016 GASCO Annual Meeting and Best of ASCO^® Review, Annual Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia, NCI Community Oncology Research Programs held September 9-10, 2016

On Friday-Saturday, September 9-10, 2016, the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology (GASCO) and Cancer Patient Navigators of Georgia (CPNG) held their annual meetings with great success.  In addition, the Georgia National Cancer Institute's Community Oncology Research Program (GA NCORP) held a morning investigators’ and administrators’ meeting on Friday that reviewed the network progress to date and plans for its ongoing efforts. 

A highlight of the weekend, the keynote address was held during the inaugural Dr. Thomas E. Seay Memorial Lecture on Saturday.  Entitled "Personalized Medicine for Localized Pancreatic Cancer," it was presented by Douglas B. Evans, MD, the Donald C. Ausman Family Foundation Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at The Medical College of Wisconsin

The GASCO Annual Meeting and Best of ASCO^® began with a welcome to the 150 oncologists present from Dr. Melissa Dillmon, GASCO President.  Topics covered included updates on multiple types of cancers and policies from the annual ASCO^® meeting.  A Medicare Policy update was also presented.  Closing Remarks were had by Melissa Dillmon, M.D., GASCO President, and Grant Lewis, M.D, President Elect.

Friday morning, 54 members of the Georgia National Cancer Institute's Community Oncology Research Program (GA NCORP) held their annual meeting to discuss reviewing the progress of Georgia NCORP Research Network; providing an update on high priority trials; and identifying strategies to increase access and enrollment to NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials.  The meeting began with a welcome from Guilherme Cantuaria, MD, PhD, with the project’s Year Two accomplishments.  Presentations focused on updates from across the nation, clinical trial accrual strategies, precision medicine and network management.  Patti Owen, MN, RN, and Nancy Johnson, MSM, ended the meeting with next steps and recognitions of high performers.

On Friday, 45 patient navigators attended a parallel track for the Cancer Patients Navigators of Georgia (CPNG) held on “Meeting the Moments while Minding the Metrics.”  Topics included disparities and delivering quality care, Survivorship and GASCO updates, sexuality and cancer, advocacy and a survivors’ panel.

In addition, previous winners of the annual Matt Mumber, MD, Visionary Award for Excellence in Patient Navigation discussed the success of their programs.  Wendy Bailey of Cartersville Medical Center was announced as the 2016 winner.  The award is presented yearly to a Georgia resident, program or organization that has demonstrated an appreciation of the essential role of patient navigators, Community Health Workers and/or promotoras in effective and compassionate cancer prevention and treatment.  The award is accompanied with a grant of $2,000 co-sponsored by GASCO and Georgia CORE.  Previous winners include Promotores de Salud Program (2015), Rhonda Green, the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia, now Horizons Community Solutions (2014), Cancer Navigators, Inc. (2013) and Lisa Bridges, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (2012).

To view images from the events, go to http://georgiacore.org/photos.aspx.