On May 17-18, 2013, the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) will host a breast cancer research symposium at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa. This event will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the CBCRP. The symposium will bring together scientists, advocates, clinicians, policy makers and anyone interested in the topic of breast cancer research. The goals of the symposium are to inspire collaborations between people with diverse experiences with breast cancer and provide a venue where they can share their knowledge about the disease. The overall goal of the symposium is to support scientifically-based changes in public and health policy and practice that will impact the incidence and mortality of breast cancer. Specific Objectives: 1) Facilitate contributions of advocacy to conducting breast cancer research and setting research priorities; 2) Provide tools for influencing breast cancer research, policy and patient care directions; 3) Promote discussion and collaborations among researchers clinicians, advocates, legislators and the public about critical issues in breast cancer research;and 4) Showcase achievements made in biological, epidemiological, clinical and sociocultural breast cancer research The symposium will feature talks and poster sessions presenting the most recent progress in breast cancer research including topics covering the environment and breast cancer (early life exposures, development of biologically relevant testing for chemicals that could affect breast cancer and lessons from large cohort studies);training for conducting community-based participatory research and incorporating advocates in research studies to affect change;and hands-on demonstrations of tools for engaging in breast cancer research and advocacy.
The symposium will contribute to improving public health by presenting the state-of-the-science of breast cancer, which is a universally acknowledged public health concern, and by giving attendees the tools to incorporate the knowledge into public health practice. Topics at the symposium will include subjects such as making chemicals testing relevant to breast cancer, which can lead to changes in how testing for chemicals that are injurious to human health is conducted, and what we're learning about the causes of breast cancer, which will lead us to better solutions for preventing it. The symposium will bring together researchers, clinicians, advocates, legislators and the public who can collaborate across disciplines to influence breast cancer research, health policy and patient care directions.
