Thriving Together: 2024 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer

Get checked in and receive your name tag and conference bag.

Make memories in our photo booth!

For caregivers only!

Connecting with other people who have similar experiences can provide emotional benefits. Hosted by a fellow caregiver, join the caregiver meetup to network with others, share stories, and make connections as the conference kicks off. An optional ice-breaker activity will be held to assist in mingling and getting to know each other.

Made possible by the generous sponsorship of Daiichi Sankyo and Relay Therapeutics.

For all conference attendees!

Attend this special get-together to meet other attendees, hear about conference highlights, and learn how to stay connected throughout the weekend. Your hosts are LBBC’s Hear My Voice volunteers, our leadership corps of people living with metastatic breast cancer. You will be welcomed by peers who were once new to this conference and now give back by advocating and sharing their own experiences living with mets. Hear My Voice volunteers will also help facilitate an optional ice-breaker activity to assist your mixing and mingling.

Get to know your fellow attendees better during this networking plated dinner and dessert. Dinner will also include a special keynote session focused on advocating for yourself and getting the best possible care.

Facilitator:
Ricki Fairley

Panelists:
Michelle Anderson-Benjamin, Melanie Sisk

Whether newly diagnosed with MBC or making decisions about the next line of treatment, you deserve the best care available. Led by facilitator Ricki Fairley, and featuring two people living with mets, this keynote will discuss the importance of being involved in your own care, ways you can advocate for yourself and your loved ones, the importance of clinical trials and participating in them, and how you can find control in your care when things feel out of control.

Facilitator:
Eunmi Chang

Embark on a transformative journey with us in a specially curated sound bath meditation aimed at nurturing self-love and boosting your confidence. Join Eunmi Chang of Eunmi’s Sound Healing & Yoga, for an immersive experience that will help you recognize and embrace the brilliance within yourself.

Our event commences with an enlightening introduction, setting the stage for a journey into self-discovery. Engage in a Pranayama/Kriya practice that paves the way for the main sound bath experience. Guided by meditation, this sonic journey empowers attendees to explore inner tranquility and harmony, leaving them rejuvenated and connected with their true essence.

Get checked in and receive your name tag and conference bag.

Visit our conference exhibitors. Learn about their products and services to support your health and well-being.

Visit this quiet, calm space as needed throughout the day. Conference attendees can spend time away from noise and the other stimuli of conference spaces to refresh, restore, and recharge. The Refresh & Restore relaxation lounge is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Lilly.

Enjoy breakfast, network with others, and visit our exhibitors.

Speaker: Debu Tripathy, MD

Learn about tests that look for mutations, or changes, in tumors and in the blood to develop a tailored treatment plan that targets those mutations. Get to know the different kinds of tumor and blood biomarker tests and the differences between these and genetic tests for an inherited mutation. Find out which tests can be used today for treatment decisions and which are under study or used in clinical trials. Dr. Tripathy will explore ways to access these tests, their strengths and limitations, and the hope these tests offer to make personalized medicine a reality.

Download presentation slides

Speaker: Celeste Vaughan-Briggs, LCSW

A diagnosis of MBC not only affects the person who has been diagnosed but also the people who care and share in their lives. Caregivers face many challenges including fears for the future, juggling everyday matters, and navigating communication. Join this session to safely explore these issues and identify your needs as a caregiver, while gaining tools for managing stress, concern, and fear.

Made possible by the generous sponsorship of Daiichi Sankyo and Relay Therapeutics.

Enjoy a stretch and light snacks and visit our conference exhibitors.

Speaker: Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH

Hear about drugs that have been approved for metastatic breast cancer over the last 2 years and how they impact each subtype of breast cancer. Learn how these latest approvals compare with previous standard-of-care therapies, what we know, and what we don’t, and hear about the exciting drugs and approaches in the pipeline for the next 3 to 5 years.

Read a summary of this session.

Enjoy a plated lunch, a time out from the conference, and a visit with our conference exhibitors to learn more about their products and services to support your health and well-being.

Speaker: Kimberly A. Curseen, MD

Understand how palliative care (supportive oncology) can provide you with the information and tools you need to address impactful side effects of treatment and aid in your overall quality of life. Learn how to access these supportive services no matter where you receive treatment and use it to live well – body, mind, and soul.

Download presentation slides.

Enjoy a stretch, light snack, and a last chance to visit our conference exhibitors.

Speaker: Pamela Ginsberg, PhD

In this presentation, Pamela Ginsberg, PhD, will address the psychological impact of metastatic breast cancer on the patient. Although the psychological impact of this disease is often overlooked in patient care, it is widely documented that addressing these issues and developing coping strategies helps patients navigate the disease process, manage side effects, improve treatment compliance, and help overall psychological function. Patients will learn specific and immediately applicable strategies for coping in the long term with the disease and its psychosocial repercussions.

Facilitator: Michelle Stortz, C-IAYT

Start your morning with this chair-based yoga class designed to wake up your mind and body. Through gentle movement (many adaptations offered) and breathwork, you'll leave feeling vibrant and ready for the day ahead.

Panelists: Brittney Beadle; Kathryn Edick; Jonise Louis; and Toni Willis

Listen to, learn from, and share with a panel of your peers. Topics will include living with uncertainty, setting goals and having hope, parenting, navigating relationships with friends and family, managing finances, work and insurance matters, and much more.

Take a quick break before coming back to join us for our closing keynote session to make your action plan for managing nutrition and meal prep!

Speakers: Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN, CPT

Join Stacy Kennedy, a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition, as she provides practical strategies to help you achieve your nutritional goals. Through Stacy’s presentation, you will be able to identify what your nutritional needs are and how to achieve them. Learn how to manage side effects through easy-to-implement eating tips and changes to your diet, better understand your gut health, and find additional resources. Stacy will do some myth busting and take your questions. Leave the conference feeling like you have a way forward to make nutrition a part of your wellness plan.

Gather as a conference community for our closing conference remarks.