Sloan Kettering Holds One-Day Conference on LGBT Cancer

The National LGBT Cancer Network, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are presenting a one-day conference on Cancer in the LGBT Communities on January 18 at New York City's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

"This is the first conference of its kind, so we are very excited that it is going on," said media contact Michael G. Bare.

The conference, which is sponsored by the Network for LGBT Health Equity, LiveStrong Foundation, Palette Fund and the Geri and ME Foundation, will bring together allied health professionals and students with some of the U.S. and Canada's leading researchers, clinicians, survivor/advocates and policy experts.

Among the esteemed guests are Joel Palefsky, Susan Love, Uli Boehmer, Steve Goldstone and Mary Bryson. They will present on a range of topics including HPV and associated cancer risks; tobacco use in the LGBT community and the connection to cancer; HIV and non-AIDS defining cancers; barriers to cancer screening and care for LGBT people; and the experience of cancer for LGBT patients, from medical decision-making through survivorship.

Some panel discussions include Palefsky's talk on HPV and associated cancer risk, Jose A. Bauermeister's discussion on tobacco use in the LGBT community, Evan Taylor's plenary session on transgender people and cancer, and Mhel Kavanaugh-Lynch's talk on breast and GYN cancers. Francisco O. Buchting will discuss cancer risk behaviors among LGBT youth.

The conference will also look at how LGBT people fare in the medical establishment, via workshops such as Shane Snowden's morning panel on barriers to care for LGBT people, and Nathan Levitt's "Clarifying terms and language used among and about LGBT people."

Ulrike Boehmer will delve into the experience of cancer for LGBT patients, and Kellan Baker will look at creating a welcoming environment via the ACA, electronic record keeping and joint commission field guide recommendations.

Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people are a diverse sexual minority population at increased risk for adverse health outcomes, including cancer. Momentum has been building to address the cancer and other health concerns of the LGBT population. The objectives of this meeting are to provide health care providers and allied health professionals information about LGBT cancer risks, screening behaviors and survivorship challenges, provide health care professionals and allied health professionals approaches to create an inclusive environment for providing care to LGBT individuals, and provide health care professionals with the clinical communication skills needed in the care of LGBT individuals.

The day-long conference will provide lunch to attendees, and will conclude with a program evaluation form via an e-link, to provide attendees with the opportunity to review the sessions and the speakers and to identify future educational needs.

CME and CNE credit are available for participation in this conference. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits�. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

In addition, complimentary admittance is available for patients and survivors from the LGBT community.