Environment and Disparities in the Spotlight at Breast Cancer Research Symposium
July 18, 2007—Oakland, CA—on September 7–9, 2007, the California Breast Cancer Research Program will host a symposium for breast cancer researchers, advocates, and the interested public at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Attendees will discuss the latest results and ground-breaking topics in breast cancer research.
Sandra Steingraber, noted ecologist and author of Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment, is the symposium’s keynote speaker. She frequently speaks on topics of environmental links to cancer and reproductive health. Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade and David R. Williams, experts in cancer and disparities research, will speak in an evening plenary session on racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer and the possible reasons for them.
From Research to Action: Breaking New Ground is the sixth statewide symposium offered by the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP). It is an opportunity for people who are affected by breast cancer to meet with experts who are working on ways to end the disease. Researchers will display the latest results of their research funded by the CBCRP, and workshops presented by breast cancer research experts will discuss a broad range of the most important topics currently under investigation in breast cancer research and identify other potentially fruitful areas to explore. Discussions are designed to be friendly to a lay audience in order to increase participation.
“Our symposium offers a chance for all of us to pause, reflect, and see where we can make advances against breast cancer,” says Mhel Kavanaugh-Lynch, M.D., M.P.H., director of the California Breast Cancer Research Program. “It’s a chance to acknowledge both the advances our researchers have made and the impact that breast cancer still has on our lives. The enthusiasm and intensity that attendees bring to this event creates new hope and optimism for a future without breast cancer.”
Additional topics that will be discussed at the symposium: advances in breast cancer treatment, understanding the role of estrogen in breast cancer, exploring the special issues faced by young women with breast cancer, breast cancer prevention strategies, and scientific studies of complementary and alternative medicine.
The symposium will also include artwork depicting the impact of breast cancer on the human spirit, and nonprofit organizations offering valuable information and resources.
Program updates and registration information is on the CBCRP website at www.CABreastCancer.org.
About the CBCRP
The mission of the California Breast Cancer Research Program is to eliminate
breast cancer by leading innovation in research, communication, and collaboration
in the California scientific and lay communities.
Created by the State Legislature in 1993, the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) is the largest state-funded breast cancer research program in the nation and is administered by the University of California, Office of the President. To date, the CBCRP has awarded 761 grants to 92 scientific institutions and community entities, totaling more than $181 million for research in California to prevent, treat, and cure breast cancer. Grants from the CBCRP fill gaps not traditionally funded by other research programs to jump-start new areas of investigation that push the boundaries of research and foster new collaborations. The CBCRP is funded through the voluntary tax check-off program on personal income tax form 540, a portion of the state tobacco tax, and individual contributions. For more information, call 888 313-2277, or visit www.cabreastcancer.org.
