Key Areas of Cancer Research To Be Presented by Thought Leaders at Atlantic Health System’s 2021 Annual Review in Oncology Virtual Symposium

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care will continue its tradition of world-class medical education by hosting its 2021 Annual Review in Oncology Virtual Symposium.  The symposium, held via Microsoft Teams with free registration, will take place Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.  Distinguished faculty from some of the nation’s leading cancer centers will summarize the latest advances in six areas of oncology, as presented at the just-completed ASCO conference—the world’s premiere meeting for cancer care professionals and researchers. The diverse range of topics should be of interest to medical, surgical and radiation oncologists, as well as other physicians, nurses and allied health professionals. 

Eric D. Whitman, MD, medical director, Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, founding director of the Atlantic Melanoma Center and interim chief research officer, Atlantic Health System, will moderate.

“We pride ourselves on our medical education programs, and our annual oncology symposium remains much in demand,” said Dr. Whitman.  “This year’s faculty is the best yet, and I am thrilled to work with them and proud to call them peers.”

Dr. Whitman is an internationally known expert on melanoma, and investigator on numerous innovative clinical trials for late-stage skin cancers and other malignancies, as well as for COVID-19.  He serves as lead or co-author on more than 50 studies of novel immunotherapies and targeted therapies, many of which have been made possible through Atlantic Health System Cancer Care’s involvement in the Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator.  The Accelerator is a unique partnership with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) that provides Atlantic Health System patients access to leading-edge oncology clinical trials, previously available only to patients of major academic medical centers.  Dr. Whitman is adjunct professor of molecular medicine at TGen.    

Dr. Whitman will welcome symposium attendees from 8:00 to 8:10 a.m., before introducing the presenters:

• Nagashree Seetharamu, MD, MBBS, associate professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY. TOPIC: Lung Cancer. Seetharamu is a medical oncologist who specializes in cancers of the head and neck and thoracic malignancies (lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic tumors). She is actively involved in clinical research and serves as the institutional principal investigator on many clinical trials at Northwell Health. She is also the associate program director for the hematology/oncology fellowship program. (8:10-8:50 a.m.)
• David H. Ilson, MD, PhD, attending physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. TOPIC: Gastrointestinal Cancers. Dr. Ilson is a medical oncologist with special interest and expertise in treating patients who have upper gastrointestinal cancers, particularly those with esophageal cancer. His research focus is studying new agents to treat advanced disease and evaluating novel agents in combined-modality therapy to treat locally advanced disease. (8:50-9:30 a.m.)
• Aung Naing, MD, FACP, professor, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. TOPIC: Immuno-Oncology. Naing has experience in developing first-in-human, early-phase clinical trials, most of which use a multidisciplinary approach. He is principal investigator of several immunotherapy-based clinical trials. (9:30-10:10 a.m.)
• Matthew Alfred Ingham, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Cancer Center, New York City. TOPIC: Sarcoma. Ingham specializes in the care of patients with sarcoma and gastrointestinal cancers. His research focuses on the development and clinical evaluation of new treatments for patients with sarcoma. He leads a National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trial evaluating a new treatment approach for uterine leiomyosarcoma, based on research conducted at Columbia University. He also leads several other investigator-initiated clinical trials evaluating new targeted and immunotherapy treatment approaches for sarcomas. (10:10-10:50 a.m.)
• Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO, chief, Division of Hematology-Oncology and associate director, translational science, Moores Cancer Center, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA.  TOPIC: Head and Neck Cancers. Cohen cares for patients with all types of head and neck cancers, including esophageal, thyroid and salivary gland cancers. He serves as co-director of UC San Diego Health’s Precision Immunotherapy Clinic, which offers the most promising investigational immunotherapy treatments for many types of cancer, including head and neck cancers. At the Moores Cancer Center, he is also the leader of the Solid Tumor Therapeutics research program, and leads a laboratory that studies novel cancer treatments. (10:50-11:30 a.m.)
• Heather L. McArthur, MD, MPH, medical director, breast oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA. TOPIC: Breast Cancer. McArthur has served as a faculty member of the ASCO Annual Meeting; been a reviewer for many journals including Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Cancer; and has written more than 60 articles, review articles, invited commentaries, and book chapters on breast cancer. (11:30 a.m.-12:10 p.m.)

The program’s learning objectives are for participants to be able to:

• More accurately diagnose and effectively treat various types of cancer, including breast, gastrointestinal, lung, sarcoma and head and neck, and better understand the role of immuno-oncology;
• Describe highlighted clinical trials and outcomes impacting patient care;
• Increase awareness of novel cancer treatments, molecular targets and approaches with practice-changing potential.

Atlantic Health System designates this live educational activity for a maximum of 4 AMA PRSA Category 1 Credits.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.  Atlantic Health System is accredited by the Medical Society of New Jersey to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The registration deadline is June 25, 2021.  To register, visit https://www.cvent.com/d/7mq70f

About Atlantic Health System Cancer Care

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care offers an unparalleled network of cancer specialists and resources for more than 70,500 patients annually through its flagship Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown and Overlook medical centers, as well as its comprehensive oncology programs at Chilton, Hackettstown and Newton medical centers. With more than 250 cancer specialists and medical professionals, all five hospitals and Atlantic Medical Group have been recognized nationally for their role in advancing the fight against cancer.

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care is the lead affiliate of Atlantic Health Cancer Consortium (AHCC) – the only New Jersey-based National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).  Atlantic Health System is affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) of Phoenix, Arizona, and together they have created the Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator, a pioneering research and clinical collaboration designed to improve patient access to the most innovative and sophisticated therapies for cancer.

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of 18,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, the system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven award-winning hospitals. Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in NJ.