Save the Date: 6th Focus On Lung Cancer Conference

The Abramson Cancer Center, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Lung Cancer Partnership is pleased to present the 6th Focus On Lung Cancer and CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conferences, a day-long conference dedicated to lung cancer topics including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, genetics and living well after lung cancer treatment.

This conference was one of the first in the country to address the issues and concerns of breast and gynecologic cancer survivors and their families.

Whether at risk for lung cancer, newly diagnosed or a long term survivor, attendees receive up-to-date information including: the latest laboratory research, treatment advances, clinical trials, and survivorship issues.

There are two different tracts for the day including Focus On Lung Cancer Conference and CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference.

Join Us for the 6th Focus On Lung Cancer Conference

Date: Friday, November 22, 2013
Time: 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia PA
Looking for information from medical professionals? Learn from expert panels about lung cancer prevention, risk, and quitting smoking.

Register for Focus on Lung Cancer Conference here

Join us for the 3rd CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference

Date: Friday, November 22, 2013
Time: 8:30 am to 11:30 pm
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia PA
Are you or a loved one newly touched by lung cancer? Join us for risk assessment, new diagnostics and procedures, surgical advances, information on proton therapy and more.

Register for CANPrevent Lung Cancer Conference here.

Can’t Make the Conference? Want to watch it live?

Can’t make this year’s conference? Be sure to follow @PennCancer on Twitter with the hashtag #LungCancerACC to follow the day’s topics and discussions.

The Cure is Within the Abramson Cancer Center
Learn about the Lung Cancer screening and treatment options available today.

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Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group 11/2/13

Join The Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine and the Amyloidosis Foundation next Saturday, November 2 from 10am-2pm for the Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group.

The Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group Comes to Penn Medicine

In partnership with the Amyloidosis Foundation, Penn Medicine's Amyloidosis Clinic will be hosting this year's Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group event. The event will featue a questions and answers segment with guest speaker Nishant Tageja, MD, Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute/ National Institute of Health as well as the Penn Medicine doctors and staff of the Abramson Cancer Center Amyloidosis Clinic.

Agenda and RSVP online at PennCancer.org

Topics to be discussed throughout the event include:

• Announcements of new clinical trials and treatments with Brendan Weiss, MD, Penn Medicine Amyloidosis Clinic director and Nishant Tageja, MD
• How LLS can help AL amyloidosis patients with Nancy Chumm, Patient Services Coordinator for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• An informal discussion over lunch with speakers and participants
• Nutrition and Physical Therapy for amyloidosis patients
• Raising awareness with Lance Miller of the Chip Miller Foundation

Join us Saturday November 2nd, 2013 
from 10:00am - 2:00pm
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Room SCTR 10-14-146AB
PARKING IN PENN TOWER IS FREE / WILL BE VALIDATED
Follow Signage - Complimentary Food Served -
RSVP for the Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group 

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2 Free Events and Webinars from Penn Medicine and Oncolink

Join Penn Medicine and Oncolink for two free presentations about healthcare coverage including the Affordability Care Act and Medicare Open Enrollment on Friday, October 25.

Both events take place at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC).

What People with Cancer Need to Know About Medicare Open Enrollment

• Date: Friday, October 25
• Time: Noon to 1:30 pm
• Location: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC), 51 North 39th Street, Heart and Vascular Pavilion Auditorium, 1st floor

Medicare Open Enrollment is the one time a year that Medicare recipients can make changes to their coverage. This workshop will help you understand the terminology, out of pocket expenses, communicating with your insurance company and much, much more. If you are looking for ways to maximize your coverage and minimize your costs, this workshop is for you.

This workshop will be presented by Christina Bach, oncology social worker at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and OncoLink.

Light refreshments will be served and parking in the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center garage will be available for $2.00.

Please call 215-662-8785 to register or for more information.

The Impact of the Affordable Care Act for Cancer Patients: It’s a Game Changer

• Date: Friday, October 25
• Time: 2 to 3 pm
• Location: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, 51 North 39th Street, Heart and Vascular Pavilion Auditorium, 1st floor

How does the Affordable Care Act make care more accessible for those with a chronic illness or pre-existing condition? This workshop will help you understand the basics of the law, the types of plans offered and how they will be managed, how to compare costs and get coverage and debunk some of the common myths.

This workshop will be presented by Christina Bach, oncology social worker at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and OncoLink.

Light refreshments will be served and parking in the PPMC garage will be available for $2.00.

Please call 215-662-8785 to register or for more information.

View it on the Web

Can’t come in person?

Visit www.oncolink.org/webchat to join the workshop live from the Internet or watch a replay later.

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Penn Medicine's Fall Festival at Valley Forge

Cancer prevention is about making healthier choices that can help your body fight off diseases like cancer. On Saturday, September 21, 2013, meet with Penn Medicine doctors and dieticians to discuss how to stay healthy and prevent cancer a the 3rd Annual Penn Medicine Valley Forge Fall Festival.

During this FREE program you will:

• Learn about cancer risk, prevention and screening.
• Hear how to stay fit and cancer-free in your 20s, 30s,
• 40s, 50s and older.
• Get tips on how to talk to your doctor.
• Find out how to choose an oncologist.

Get answers to your questions from these Penn Medicine physicians and our clinical dietician:

• Lynn Schuchter, MD – Medical oncologist
• Tracy d’Entremont, MD – Medical oncologist
• Lauren Strohm, DO – Primary care physician
• Stacey Turner, MD – Dermatologist
• Katrina Claghorn, MS, RD, CSO, LDN – Dietitian

Also...

• Free skin cancer screenings by Penn dermatologist Dr. Stacey Turner. 
• Patient Service Representatives will be on-site to schedule health appointments and screenings for Penn Medicine at Valley Forge.

Join Us

Date: Saturday, September 21, 2013
Time: 10 am to 1 pm 
Location: Penn Medicine Valley Forge, 1001 Chesterbrook Boulevard, Berwyn, PA 19312

Free Program - No Registration Needed

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Learn more about Integrative Medicine for Cancer

Cancer and its treatments affect individuals physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Integrative oncology seeks to incorporate therapies from other healing traditions (e.g. herbs, acupuncture, yoga, mindfulness meditation) and promote healthy lifestyle changes in the context of conventional cancer care.

Integrative approaches will help individuals decrease symptom distress, improve quality of life, and regain a sense of control over their lives. The goal of this scientific symposium is to promote interdisciplinary collaborations and translational research that will lead to personalized integrative oncology for improved health and well-being for millions of cancer patients and survivors.

Penn presents the Penn Integrative Oncology Scientific Symposium “Translating Science Into Health and Healing,” in which cancer experts, clinicians and integrative medicine experts will present the latest scientific research about integrative medicine and its uses for cancer treatment.

Keynote speaker Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, is director of integrative medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He will discuss improving cancer outcomes and the role of integrative oncology in cancer care.

Date: Friday, May 4, 2012
Time: 8:30 am to 1 pm
Location: Medical Alumni Hall, 1st Floor, Maloney Building at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

This symposium is free, and open to the public, but registration is required.

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Committing to Holistic Living

Thinking about making healthy lifestyle changes is often easier than making and sustaining those changes. A new program at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital is helping people who are ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle make the changes they need to meet their personal health goals.

The Holistic Living Challenge is a seven-week program that provides education and support for a healthy and preventive lifestyle. The program is based on holistic and traditional Chinese medicine principles for building health and preventing disease.

Participants are provided with simple and practical self-care strategies and receive on-going support for incorporating these strategies into their daily lives. Topics include:

• Holistic overview
• Movement
• Breathing
• Relationships
• Sleep
• Spirituality, purpose and meaning
• Nutrition
• Energy management

Dates: Every Tuesday, April 3 to May 15
Time: 2 to 4 pm
Location: Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, 230 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA: First floor conference room

If you are ready to make lifestyle changes that promote health, balance and happiness, register for this free program by calling 215-829-6560 to learn more.

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Walkabout Program for People with Cancer and Caregivers

Collage artwork by a Walkabout program participant

Walkabout: Looking In, Looking Out is an innovative survivorship program at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital that addresses the normal psychological and physical changes that come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. The goal of the program is to support participants with developing a strong view towards living well.

“Walkabout is a program that allows participants to move with the cancer experience towards making sense of what’s current and what’s next in life,“ says Caroline Peterson, ATR-BC, LPC, the art therapist and mindfulness meditation instructor who developed and leads the Walkabout Program. “In the eight-session Walkabout program, participants explore walking away from the medical environment into the world outside, open to discoveries using mindful attention and digital photography. Photographs, taken on the walkabout, are printed and then reconsidered and used for creative expression making collages.”

Collage art is a user-friendly creative form, and the feedback from Walkabout participants has been very positive. Each participant has used the various opportunities in Walkabout to make a deeper connection with themselves.

‘Taking the photographs reminded me of the beauty we’re surrounded by every day. The collage making gave me a surprising sense of accomplishment. It felt unexpectedly good to create something new.’ - Cancer survivor in active treatment, age 29

‘The photography allowed a filter on my perceptions . . .the resulting collages revealed more about me than I thought they would. The meditative component was also very beneficial in my daily life.’ - Caregiver, age 53

The Walkabout program is designed to be enlivening and strengthening.

“Underlying the pleasures of walking and being out in the world, the creative playfulness and relaxation is a focus on mindfulness skills training to be more attentive, aware and relaxed, less reactive to the stress of life and more at ease in daily living that can be very helpful,” says Peterson.

‘The how-to approach, meditation practice and further input with learning skills to continue on my own were very helpful. I no longer have the inner freight train going through my head. It’s okay to feel okay.’ –Cancer survivor, age 37

‘I learned through the Walkabout experience to be free of fear and to let go of anxiety, and then to be me – healthy and happy.’ - Cancer survivor, age 55

The Walkabout program welcomes those individuals with cancer in active treatment or post treatment. Caregivers are also welcome.

The walkabout is mindfully slow and not physically exerting. Participants should be able to walk slowly for up to 45 minutes.

Participants receive a mindfulness meditation practice CD for home practice following in-class instruction and teaching.

To enroll in the Walkabout program at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center, please call 215-829-8700.

Walkabout program details

Spring session dates: Wednesday evenings beginning April 4 through May 23
Summer session dates: Wednesday evenings beginning June 6 through August 1 (no meeting July 4)
Times: 4:30 to 7pm
Location: Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital; Farm Journal Building, 2nd Floor; 230 West Washington Square; Philadelphia PA 19106

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