The Global Fight Against Cancer

Carole Seffrin Participates in Japanese Cancer Forum

The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology meeting was held earlier this week in Tokyo. Carole Seffrin, a Society volunteer, breast cancer survivor, and wife of American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John R. Seffrin, addressed an audience of 500 cancer patients during a forum on psychosocial research and support. Seffrin reflected upon her personal experience with the American Cancer Society’s programs and highlighted the Society’s broader mission to engage and empower survivors. Co-organizers of this event included Japan Cancer Society and International Union Against Cancer (UICC) representatives. Keynote speakers included Tadao Kakizoe, President of Japan's National Cancer Center; Dr. Louis Denis of the International Union Against Cancer; and two well-known Japanese survivors.

Former Society Chair Gary Streit Kicks Off Caucasus Cancer Conference and Summit

Vasil Tkeshelashvili, National Cancer Center; Cassandra Welch, American Cancer Society;  Gary Streit, American Cancer Society; George Gabunia, Tbilisi Cancer Center

The American Cancer Society participated in the first Caucasus Cancer Summit held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on October 9-11, 2006. The “Health Advocacy and Cancer Control” conference was dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Oncology Institution in Georgia and focused on cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative care. Attendees included doctors and health professionals from Georgia and Armenia, as well as oncology doctors and epidemiologists from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Society was represented by Gary Streit and Cassandra Welch. Streit, past chairman of the Society and a current volunteer, spoke on “Making Cancer Control a Political Priority.”  He stressed the importance of cancer prevention as well as effective treatment. Society grantee George Bakhturidze also delivered a key address on Georgia’s efforts to implement the provisions of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It is hoped that the next summit, planned for 2007, will bolster the development of a Caucasus-wide Cancer Plan.

International Finance Summit Hosted by NHO

The American Cancer Society’s International Affairs department, Chief Financial Officer Catherine Mickle, and additional finance staff hosted four international cancer organizations (Cancer Research UK, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Irish Cancer Society, and the Norwegian Cancer Society) for the International Finance Summit held October 9-10 in Atlanta, Georgia. The summit was designed to address pressing financial issues in the voluntary health sector, share global experiences, and create strategies that foster high stewardship standards and improved accountability in the fight against cancer. Visitors from the guest cancer societies exchanged ideas and best practices concerning financial operations, accountability, and stewardship with members of the Society’s finance department. They also toured the Society’s Shared Services Center (SSC) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and met with SSC staff to learn how the Society uses technology and economies of scale to lower processing, donation, and purchasing costs. The South Atlantic Division hosted the visitors during a tour of the Hope Lodge® facility in Atlanta, and South Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Jack Shipkoski discussed the Division’s financial and operations systems. This summit will serve as a model for future international summits to provide a forum to improve global cancer financial operations.

California Division Represents Society at China's First Journalist Bootcamp

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Knight Fellowship Program, which works to improve health and medical reporting worldwide, conducted a journalist “boot camp” October 14-16 in Beijing, China, at Xinhua University. A co-sponsor of the event, Xinhua University is a leading Chinese university with a robust journalism program. The “boot camp” was designed to raise public awareness by providing information on key public health issues to journalists from across China. Approximately 40 health care and general media Chinese journalists attended presentations from leading health care professionals employed at the World Health Organization, the CDC, the China CDC, the China Anti-Cancer Association, and the American Cancer Society. Keynote speakers included Dr. Christy Russell, a California Division volunteer and associate professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Southern California, and the Chinese Minister of Health, who addressed cancer and tobacco control efforts in China. This unique event marked the launch of the CDC initiative to reach global health journalists in key regions of the world and laid the groundwork for the Society to explore the potential of future journalist “boot camps.”

Ohio Volunteer Joins European and Turkish Cancer Organizations at European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Conference

Ohio Division board member Dr. Panju Prithviraj recently traveled with International Affairs staff to the 31st Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Istanbul, Turkey. While at ESMO, Dr. Prithviraj met with the president of ESMO and the chair of the ESMO Developing Countries Task Force to discuss the European cancer burden and explore opportunities for future collaboration - particularly within Europe’s developing countries. The American Cancer Society delegation also attended the ESMO patient seminar, manned a Society booth, and met with regional cancer control leaders, including ASCO, UICC, and others. Approximately 8,000 oncologists and scientists attended the conference, as well as 200 journalists. While in Turkey, the Society’s delegation visited the Turkish Association for Cancer Research and Control in Ankara, which included a tour of Hacettepe University Oncology Hospital and the Institute of Oncology, as well as the Hacettepe Hope Lodge®. The group shared information about the Society’s international efforts and explored opportunities for future collaborations regarding training, information delivery, and outreach to patient constituencies. 

Eastern Division Hosts 33 International Scholars at ACSU in New York

The Eastern Division hosted a special American Cancer Society University sponsored by the Avon Foundation in New York, New York, during the first week of October. The ACSU included 33 scholars from 11 countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Facilitators in the media training included Lisa Daglian, senior director of Media Relations for the Eastern Division, and Eastern volunteer Garrison Jackson. Faculty included Eastern Division staff Lernard Freeman and Kris Kim, as well as volunteers Karen Radwin and Babette Cohen. Avon Foundation faculty included Karen Borkowski and Cicely Wootan. On the day after the ACSU graduation, attendees participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. 

Ireland Launches First Relay For Life with Great Success

Over 250 cancer survivors and 29 teams gathered in Dublin, Ireland, for the country’s first Relay For Life on October 7, 2006. The North Wall Women’s Centre hosted the event to coincide with its 21st anniversary. All funds raised benefited the Irish Cancer Society. John McCormack, chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society, delivered the key note address. Other speakers included filmmaker Peter Sheridan and presenter George Hook. The overnight event was held on both sides of the River Liffey and drew participants from both north and south Dublin. 

Denmark Launches Relay For Life

Fifteen teams and approximately 200 community members participated in Denmark’s first Relay For Life (Stafet For Livet) September 16-17 in Holbæk, Denmark. The Danish Cancer Society’s inaugural event kicked off on an unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon with more than 50 survivors (called "fighters" in Denmark) participating in the Survivors Lap of Honor. One 60-year-old cancer fighter who walked the Survivor’s Lap remarked that she no longer felt alone in her fight against cancer. She is among many participants who plan to return next year. Five events are scheduled in Denmark in 2007, including Holbæk’s second annual event.

Great West Relay Summit Trains Australian Cancer League Representatives

In September 2006, the Great West Division invited volunteers and staff from the Cancer Council of New South Wales to attend its Great West Relay For Life summit in Reno, Nevada.  Great West Chief Executive Officer Ann Marie Pomerinke and Chief Staff Operations Officer Chuck DeGooyer joined Mark Edmiaston and Carrie Anderson of the Great West Relay Business Unit to welcome and host the international attendees. High Plains volunteer Cherilyn Pollard and International Relay staff assisted in this two-day training for the four volunteers and staff member from the Australian cancer organization. The Cancer Council of New South Wales recently created a Relay Task Force in Australia to build upon best practices and continue its progress toward becoming a regional Relay Center of Excellence. The Australian team added a distinctly Australian twist to the Great West fundraising activities by providing a plastic kangaroo that raised $1,600 at an auction. Relay For Life has been a successful event for cancer leagues across Australia since it launched in 2000.

Midwest Division Hosts Mexico's National Cancer Institute for Site Visit and Patient Navigator Training

Midwest CEO Jari Allen, Volunteer Carolina Gonzalez-Schlenker, and ACS Midwest Division staff host Mexico cancer control leaders

ACS Midwest Division joined International Affairs staff to host a delegation of cancer control leaders from Mexico's National Cancer Institute (Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia de Mexico (INCAN)) to share experiences with the Division’s patient navigator program and the Society’s National Cancer Information Call Center. The delegation, led by INCAN's Dr. Laura Suchil, included Mayra Galindo de Mare of the Asociacion Mexicana de Lucha Contra el Cancer and breast cancer survivor Gabriela Echeverria of Fundacion Cima. The delegation of cancer control leaders plans to apply knowledge gained from their visit to build similar programs for cancer patients and caregivers in Mexico. Their tour began in Austin, Texas, with a visit to the Society's 24-hour National Cancer Information Center. The delegation then visited a smaller-scale "call-center" in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to observe Midwest Division patient navigators connect callers to cancer information, programs, and services. The group also traveled to Rochester to visit the Mayo Clinic, where they spoke with Society patient navigators at Mayo’s Cancer Education Center. The delegation met Dr. Frank Prendergast, a Society volunteer and former director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Midwest Division leaders and members of the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota. Results and strategies developed from these meetings, site visits, and educational exchanges will be incorporated into a new component of ACS University (ACSU) that will debut at the Mexico City ACSU session scheduled for February 2007.