The 2015 International Cancer Education Conference was jointly provided/co-provided by USF Health and the American Association for Cancer Education.

Target Audience

Physicians, nurses, health educators, librarians, social workers, allied health professionals, public health professionals, students, and patient advocates.

Attendance is encouraged by all professions focused in the field of cancer education. Previous participants have included attendees from the world’s academic medical centers and cancer care organizations responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating cancer education curricula, research and programs.

Statement of Need

While the U.S. cancer death rates for the four most common cancers and cancer rates in general have decreased (National Cancer Institute, 2012), there has been a rise in cancer-related health disparities and less common cancers, such as melanoma, pancreatic and renal cancer. In the follow-up report of the Institute of Medicine’s ten recommendations for improving the Quality of Cancer Care in America, it is clear that some cancer patients are not receiving ideal care, with the greatest challenges centering on how to define and implement nationwide solutions.

Action and education of providers and adoption of evidence-based innovations were suggested methods to accelerate improvements (Spanks et al., 2011). In an effort to continue the common cancer trend reductions and focus attention on reducing disparities and prevention, early recognition and treatment of less common cancers, the professional work force must be educated and well-informed of the latest research and best practices.

Early in 2015, President Obama announced the Precision Medicine Initiative — a new effort meant to revolutionize medicine and generate scientific evidence needed to transport the concept of precision medicine into every day clinical practice. Precision medicine is an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that considers each person’s variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. Significant advances in precision medicine have been made for select cancers. However, educators working within the field may need new skills and resources in order to educate patients and families about how individualized medicine works for them. Strong efforts are underway to help make precision medicine the norm rather than the exception (NCI, 2015).

Learning Objectives

After attending this conference, the participant shall be able to:

Healthcare Professional Education/Multimedia and Technology

• Develop strategies related to research and programs on cancer education using effective and innovative formats (including novel information technology and social media platforms).
• Identify opportunities to assist junior investigators and new educational practitioners from underrepresented minority populations to develop skills in education and scholarship in cancer through participation in the conference.

Patient and Family Education

• Identify methods to provide cancer education programs based on communication that is culturally, linguistically, and literacy relevant.
• Discuss creative approaches for utilizing multimedia and technology for designing or evaluating cancer education programs.
• Utilize best practices to educate patients and families on complex diagnosis, treatment and survivorship issues with a focus on genomics, communication and psychosocial aspects of care.
• Summarize innovative education and support programs for specific major cancers such as breast, lung, prostate, colon, and other cancers.

Disparities, Special Populations & Global Outreach

• Identify opportunities for collaborating with partners to focus on disparities in cancer education.
• Discuss how partnerships between national and international cancer education organizations can promote global cancer education initiatives.
• Develop outreach strategies focused on cancer education collaborations and initiatives, mainly in special populations and underserved communities from a local as well as global perspective.

Course Co-Directors

• Sheryl Ness RN, MA, OCN, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
• Amr Soliman MD, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Agenda

The conference agenda is available on the Program page.

Accreditations

Physicians:

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of USF Health and the American Association for Cancer Education. USF Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

USF Health designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 19.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses:

USF Health is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

A maximum of 19.0 contact hours may be earned by learners who successfully complete this continuing nursing education activity.

Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES):

USF Health has been designated as a Multiple Event Provider (#FL0027, exp. 12/31/16) of Category I continuing education contact hours in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program has been reviewed and approved for up to 19.0 60-minute contact hours for CHES event number AE2016302.

Florida Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Mental Health Counselors:

Florida licensed clinical social workers, mental health counselors, and marriage & family therapist. Attendees are encouraged to check with their local state board to determine their acceptance of a Florida Accreditation Certificate.

USF Health is an approved provider of continuing education credits for clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, and mental health counseling. This program has been reviewed and approved for up to 22.75 50-minute contact hours.

This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval #ad614b39b4b54cf5bfee8023bb339d31) for continuing education contact hours. For information on which states accept NASW social work CEUs for licensure requirements, please see the NASW website.

For information on fees, registration, refunds, and cancellations, please visit the Registration page.

Faculty Disclosure

USF Health adheres to the ACCME and ANCC Standards regarding commercial support of continuing medical education. It is the policy of USF Health that the faculty and planning committee disclose real or apparent conflicts of interest relating to the topics of this educational activity, that relevant conflicts of interest are resolved, and also that speakers will disclose any unlabeled or unapproved use of drugs or devices during their presentation. Detailed disclosure will be made in the course materials.

Equal Opportunity

Events, activities, and programs of the University of South Florida are available to all without regard to race, color, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, age, Vietnam or disabled veteran status as provided by law and in accordance with the university’s respect for personal dignity.

Disclaimer

The information provided at this CME/CE activity is for continuing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical/clinical judgment of a healthcare provider relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient’s medical condition.