Category Archives: Lunch & Learn

This month’s telephone educational and support program will focus on all things CAR T-cell Therapy. Dr. Lawrence E. Morris is a board certified oncologist at both the Northside Hospital Leukemia Program and Northside Hospital Inpatient BMT Unit, and the Apheresis Collection Facility Co-Director of Atlanta Blood Services. Dr. Morris will break it down for us and share his expertise. CAR T-cell patient, Ray Gillespie, an NHL survivor, now in full remission will share his personal experience including details about his life-saving clinical trial. The nbmtLINK’s licensed staff social worker, Jennifer Gillette, will facilitate the program. There will also be plenty of time for live questions.

Jaap Jan Boelens, MD, PhD, Chief, Stem Cell Transplantation, MSKCC and Cellular Therapies and Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University will break it down for us and help transplant patients learn about factors that influence the immunological situation post-transplant that will result in the best possible outcomes. As well, a young patient’s parent/caregiver will share their personal experience and best tips. The nbmtLINK’s licensed staff social worker, Jennifer Gillette, will facilitate the program. There will also be plenty of time for live questions.

Sandeep Jain, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, and the Director of the UIC Dry Eye & Ocular GVHD clinic at the Univ. of Chicago will share treatment options including a step-down approach sure to bring relief and improve quality of life. As well, Marilyn Wroblewski, a patient, will share her personal experience and best tips.

Featuring Sherilyn A. Tuazon, MD, MS of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance & Todd Brown, a two-time stem cell transplant recipient with multiple myeloma.

Featuring Jennifer Gillette, our licensed staff social worker, and Jim Bulger, a spouse and caregiver to his wife Nancy.

Featuring Ailey Armstrong, Oncology Social Worker, MSW, LICSW at SCCA and Tracy Jolly, BMT Survivor & AML Survivor.

Featuring Stacey Prieur RN and Jennifer Gillette

Featuring Richard Satterwhite and John Costin.

Featuring Dr. Gwen Nichols, MD; Dr. Kevin Curran, MD; and Michelle Marks, mother of a childhood cancer survivor.

Featuring Dr. Susan DeWolf and John McCaffrey

Featuring Dr. Annie Im, MD, asst. professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Meredith Cowden, a survivor/advocate/clinical counselor with chronic GVHD.

Featuring Dr. Harry P. Erba, MD, PhD of Duke University Medical Center and his patient Debbie Beavers, in remission.

Featuring Jacqueline W. Mays, DDS, MHSc, PhD, Chief, Oral Immunobiology Unit, National Institutes of Health and Cathy Spence, a patient.

Featuring Dr. Laura Connelly-Smith, Associate Professor of Medicine and the Assistant Medical Director of Apheresis and Cellular Therapy at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, who will share her expertise and wisdom. Jennifer Gillette, our LINK licensed staff social worker.

Dawn Speckhart, PhD, Clinical Health Psychologist at the Bone Marrow Transplant/Leukemia Program at Northside Hospital and Juanita McReynolds, a long-time survivor.

Featuring Christina Ferraro, MSN, APRN-CNP, BMTCN, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Cleveland Clinic and Jennifer Gillette, our LINK licensed staff social worker.

Featuring Costa Herbert, Transplant Nurse at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Patient Barbara Ginsberg

Featuring Kristin N. Smith, Program Manager for Fertility Preservation at Northwestern Medicine

Featuring Peter Adintori, MS, RD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and survivor Lew Christie

Featuring Christina Ferraro, MSN,CNP, BMTCN, of the Cleveland Clinic Blood & Marrow Transplant Program and survivor Spin Tucker

Featuring Genne Geraghty, PA, Ascension Providence in Michigan and survivor, Peter Thomason

Featuring: Dr. Sergio Giralt, Chief, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and patient Jacelyn Herman

Featuring: Dr. James Connelly of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and patient Sharde Fultz

Improving the Quality of Life and Care for Patients Living with Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGVHD). This presentation will focus on the unmet needs, barriers and supportive care for patients with cGVHD. It will include information on palliative care This will be presented by Areej El-Jawahri, MD, Assist. Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivorship Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Director of Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center Survivorship Program. Additionally, Barbara Ginsberg will share her wisdom as a patient with cGVHD.

The Use of Light Intervention to Reduce Fatigue and Depression in Individuals Undergoing Cancer Treatment or in Survivorship. This month’s speakers are William H. Redd, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Katherine N. DuHamel, Ph.D., Attending Psychologist,Director, MSK Psycho-oncology Education & Training Institute, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Psychiatry Service & Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, Department of Psychiatry.

The Power and Support of an Online Community During the Bone Marrow Transplant Journey. Our professional speaker is Shona Lovie, MPH, Online Community Engagement Manager of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Our patient speaker is Jack Aiello, a multiple myeloma survivor who has had endured several transplants over the decades.

Emotional challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis and a bone marrow transplant journey. Licensed clinical social worker, Shirley Otis-Green, is the speaker. Additionally, Rhonda Kokot, an Acute Myeloid Leukemia survivor, will share her personal story. The nbmtLINK’s licensed social worker, Jennifer Gillette, LMSW, will facilitate the program.

A better understanding of the role played by bone marrow/stem cell transplant and minimal residual disease in treating multiple myeloma.
The call featured Dr. Stephanie Williams, Division Chief, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Spectrum Health Cancer Center along with Multiple Myeloma Journey Partner and survivor Barbara Hanson.