Virtual Brain Tumor Board - The LiveSTRONG Global Cancer Summit
A Final Farewell from LIVESTRONG
September 1, 2009 8:00 AM
Our final day of the Summit was emotional and empowering. We learned a lot about the best ways to tell a story so that your audience hears and feels your message.
We all walked away today ready to take our shared knowledge and responsibility of the cancer burden home and implement action. It was an experience none of us will ever forget, or take for granted
Thank you for following Virtual Brain Tumor Board on this journey! LIVESTRONG.
Lance Armstrong Starts Final Day of Summit by Remembering Ted Kennedy
September 1, 2009 8:00 AM
Could Social Media and Cycling Really Impact the Fight Against Cancer?
September 1, 2009 8:01 AM
Lance Armstrong gives one of the best examples of the power of social media in the fight against cancer in this talk at the Guinness Storehouse. Virtual Brain Tumor Board's own Allen Sills was fortunate enough to have received the Tweet Lance mentions and joined him on the ride.
Sanjay Gupta Reaches Out to Virtual Brain Tumor Board
August 25, 2009 1:51 PM
Our Marketing Director, Jill Fazakerly, had the opportunity to spend more time with CNN's Sanjay Gupta during the LIVESTRONG Summit's evening gathering at the Guinness Storehouse.
A Great Day of Collaboration
August 25, 2009 10:59 AM
Our day started with a quick review of an amazing, in-depth study commissioned by LIVESTRONG that detailed the growing economic and social impact of cancer worldwide.
The most significant figure to me was this:
There will be 13 Million new cancer diagnoses in 2009.
It gave us a lot to think about as we joined in the afternoon's roundtable discussions on leadership and extending reach. Our group had representatives from a great assortment of groups - from the Dutch Cancer Society to Love Hope Strength (a group that holds big, wild rock concerts to raise money for cancer projects around the world.)
We enjoyed sharing Virtual Brain Tumor Board with the group, especially Terry Fontham, president of the American Cancer Society (pictured here with Dr. Sills.)
An Afternoon of Hope, Equality and Human Potential
August 24, 2009 11:53 AM
Things heated up for a while this afternoon with high-level conversations on government resources and inequality. Did you know that only 14% of the world population has access to morphine? Or that the annual global cost of cancer is $300 Billion? Yes, that's Billion.
Despite the shocking statistics, the take-away messages were ones of hope and the quest for equality.
The second half of the afternoon branched into corporate social opportunity featuring representatives from Nike, American Century and Pfizer. They spoke of the great responsibility companies of all sizes have in investing in human potential, meaning that giving back goes beyond beating cancer - it's more about recognizing that each life is worth living and that's something we're all vested in, one way or another.
The company leaders talked a little about how they involve their employees in supporting human potential. Ideas included everything from supporting research & development to an employer loaner program to the uber-brilliant Nike LIVESTRONG bracelet campaign. Lance laughed when he had to admit that he thought it was a terrible idea when Nike pitched it back in 2004. Over 70 million bracelets later, he acknowledges that the smallest of ideas have potential.
Tonight we'll hear from Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of The American Cancer Society and Lorena Rojas, a Mexican-born actress/singer and cancer survivor.
VBTB Interviewed by LIVESTRONG
August 24, 2009 7:27 AM
Dr. Allen Sills was able to tell the Virtual Brain Tumor Board story in a special interview for the LIVESTRONG website.
Day 1: Addressing the Cancer Burden
September 1, 2009 8:09 AM
In a moving start to the day, a young Irish cancer survivor told her remarkable story of beating cancer and introduced Lance Armstrong to an enthusiastic crowd of around 500. Lance welcomed the crowd and handed things off to the expert panels.
Sanjay Gupta, M.D., medical correspondent for CNN, moderated a great session on "Understanding the Global Impact of Cancer." In the most startling revelation of the session, we learned that cancer is predicted to be the leading cause of death worldwide by 2010.
During the second panel, representatives of goverments around the world voiced the need for greater policies and partnerships to reduce the impact of cancer.
A working lunch session focusing on the unequalled ill effects of smoking is underway now.
Our Mission Here
August 24, 2009 5:04 AM
Doug Ulman, CEO of LIVESTRONG, inspired us with powerful words about our mission at the Summit:
"This is not a conference. This is not a meeting. It's a dialog that will save lives and reduce the burden of cancer worldwide."
Sent from my iPhone
A Royal Welcome
September 1, 2009 8:10 AM
The LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit kicked off at Dublin Castle. We were welcomed by Doug Ulman, CEO of LIVESTRONG, Mary Harney, Irish Minister for Health and Children, and US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney.
LIVESTRONG Swag
August 23, 2009 8:41 AM
Registering at The Summit
August 23, 2009 7:48 AM
Today the atmosphere in Dublin has totally changed as the LIVESTRONG delegates from around the world arrive. The Royal Dublin Society was a fabulous melting pot of different walks of life all coming together to join the fight against cancer.
We got registered and received an awesome arrangement of LIVESTRONG swag. The RDS is a great meeting location - it's fun to see a Digital Cafe in a room with ancient stone and exposed brick walls.
Tonight we've been invited to an opening reception at The Dublin Castle. Fun, fun, fun! And, tomorrow we roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Sent from my iPhone
Katie in the Irish Sea
August 21, 2009 10:21 AM
We arrived in Dublin this morning and have been taking in the sights. Following a few hours at The National Gallery and a stroll through St. Steven's Green, we ventured up the coastline.
The water is freezing, but what can't see in this picture are the 60 - 80 year-old locals taking their daily swim in Dublin Bay. They're amazing!
We're catching a quick bite in a quaint restaurant hanging over the ocean while a storm blows over. Everything is just as beautiful as promised and Dublin seems a-buzz with the pending LIVESTRONG Summit.
Follow our journey on Twitter
August 20, 2009 10:33 AM
I'll be Twittering throughout our trip to Ireland and the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit. Follow Methodist Healthcare on Twitter @methodisthlth.
Our bags are packed...
August 19, 2009 11:32 AM
The Virtual Brain Tumor Board team just wrapped on filming our latest installment of VBTB, and we're all preparing to leave for Dublin tomorrow. Today's Tumor Board was full of interesting cases that should provoke a lot of great feedback from participants around the world. It truly gives us renewed energy to take with us on our next adventure.
We're looking forward to seeing Dublin and meeting our counterparts from far-and-wide. LIVESTRONG is doing an excellent job of making the Summit open to everyone - take part as much as you can from home.
Much more to come!
The Fight is On!
August 12, 2009 1:03 PM
The Lance Armstrong Foundation invited our Virtual Brain Tumor Board to join with other world leaders and advocates who have made significant commitments through the LiveSTRONG effort to fight cancer.
We are honored to be among the 250 select organizations in more than 51 countries highlighted at the 2009 LiveSTRONG Global Cancer Summit. We're headed to the Royal Dublin Society in Ireland August 24-26th where Lance Armstrong will open and close the meeting, with panel discussions and group working sessions filling the time in betweeen.
Our goal at the Summit will be to share how we’re flattening the world of medicine by offering physicians around the globe the opportunity to collaborate with an extensive multi-disciplinary panel of experts on the best and latest treatment options for their neuro-oncology patients. We hope to be able to show other cancer disciplines how patients from India to Indiana can benefit from an equal level of consideration during diagnosis and treatment.
We’re excited about this adventure and the opportunity to make a difference in cancer care around the world. I’ll be sharing our experiences on our trip to the Summit here, and on Twitter, with photos, videos, commentary and clinical updates from Dr. Sills. We hope you’ll follow us on our journey.
To read the entire VBTB Commitment to Fight Cancer, click here.
Our Culture
July 7, 2009 1:36 PM
We have passion for what we do. Happy, satisfied and skilled physicians and Associates make for happy and satisfied patients. We provide a supportive atmosphere for our Associates to grow professionally and personally.
People Choose Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
July 7, 2009 10:29 AM
More people choose Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. We are a seven-hospital system with home health agencies and outpatient clinics that serve the entire Mid-South. Methodist is one of the largest hospitals in the country and has been named by Verispan, the nation’s premier rating system, as one of the Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks. To be awarded that honor, we were ranked on the best of technology, services and physicians. Methodist Healthcare is the system of choice for many of the nation’s leading physicians in neuroscience, oncology, transplant and pediatric care.
