Fall Bladder Cancer Summit for Patients and Families

May 31, 2023

A bladder cancer diagnosis is an unwelcome detour in most people’s lives. The BCAN Fall Bladder Cancer Summit for Patients and Families will help you navigate your journey to survivorship. Taking place in “Music City, USA” (Nashville, TN) on October 27^th and 28^th, the 2023 Fall Summit will help you and your family traverse the journey from diagnosis, through treatment and on to surveillance and survivorship. Learn the shortcuts, avoid the potholes, and look at your options for detours. Let’s pack your playlist and plug in your GPS to “Survivor-town, USA” and hit the road to living well beyond bladder cancer. The program is free to attend, but registration is required.

Friday October 27, 2023

11:00 am – 12:00 pm                                       

Welcome – BCAN CEO Andrea Maddox-Smith

Learn about BCAN’s new programs and services that can help you understand and manage your diagnosis from BCAN’s Director of Education and Advocacy, Stephanie Chisolm, PhD.

12 noon – 1:15 pm Lunch

1:15 pm -2:30 pm                                              

Explore how cancer rehabilitation can help you before and after treatment or while managing possible side effects with a panel moderated by cancer rehabilitation experts, Jessica Engle, DO from Johns Hopkins Medicine, occupational therapist and Program Director, Kirsty T. Livingston, OT/L, CLT, and physical therapist and Director of Education, Alaina Newell PT, DPT. Kirsty and Alaina are both from ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation.

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm ­                                        

Patient Research Advocates – Learn the history, value and impact of patient-reported outcomes in guiding future bladder cancer journeys with urologist Angela B. Smith, MD from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm         BREAK

3:15- 4:45                                                       

Tips for managing disruptions and anxiety from bladder cancer. A bladder cancer diagnosis can be life threatening, and life changing. Treatments, recovery, and cancer monitoring, and surveillance schedules can create chaos and anxiety. Drs. Vikram Narayan, MD, and Shreyas Joshi, MD, MPH, from Emory University’s Winship Cancer Center highlight common issues that accompany the ‘new normal’ after bladder cancer and suggest tips and modifications that can help. Learn how you can work with your doctors to help manage your bladder cancer journey.

4:45 pm – 5:00            BREAK

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm                                         

Nurse practitioner Mary Dunn, MSN, NP-C, OCN, RN from UNC School of Medicine wears many hats. Mary is also co-chair of BCAN’s Survivorship Taskforce. Help Mary fine tune key issues related to bladder cancer survivorship to enable BCAN to create new programs and resources to help everyone navigate the potholes that often accompany the journey to long term survivorship in bladder cancer. 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Happy Hour Dinner

Saturday, October 28, 2023

8:00 am- 9:00 am

Breakfast and BCAN Volunteer Fair

9:00 am – 10:00 am                                       

Long-time bladder cancer survivors share their tips and tricks for navigating the road to survivorship with bladder cancer. BCAN patient advocates Lori, David, Vicky, and Karen have some suggestions for you. The session is moderated by nurse practitioner Mary Dunn and Stephanie Chisolm.

10:00 am – 10:30 am              BREAK

10:30-Noon                                                                

Moving Through Bladder Cancer – Physical, mental, and emotional “exercise” can impact your treatment, mental health, and quality of life, as well as your outcomes from treatment. BCAN patient advocate Scott Erickson, and exercise professional Mark Block discuss why and how to be physically fit during treatment, how to incorporate more movement during your everyday life, and how exercise affects stress management and mental well-being after your bladder cancer diagnosis. This active participation presentation will get you moving as you manage your bladder cancer journey.

12:00 pm – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Hear about exciting new treatments and promising research to diagnose and treat bladder cancer with medical oncologist from Fox Chase Cancer Center Benjamin Miron, MD, and Vanderbilt Cancer Center urologist Amy N. Luckenbaugh, MD, discuss recent and upcoming bladder cancer research advances.

2:30 – 3:00

Closing remarks

If you would like an idea of what to expect, we invite you to view the recordings from the 2023 Spring Summit here.