Healing Through Storytelling: Practical Tools for Survivor-Led Change – An OncoDaily Session at SIOP 2026

Healing Through Storytelling: Practical Tools for Survivor-Led Change – An OncoDaily Session at SIOP 2026

At the 2026 Congress of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Asia, this session will explore how survivor storytelling can support psychosocial healing, peer connection, treatment adherence, and patient-centered communication in pediatric oncology settings.

Through discussion, shared experiences, and practical examples, participants will gain practical tools and approaches that can be adapted within hospitals, survivor programs, and advocacy initiatives worldwide.

The session will highlight survivor-led communication resources, storytelling frameworks, peer engagement approaches, and culturally grounded models that help elevate survivor voices in care, advocacy, and systems improvement. Featured examples include creative survivor-led initiatives from Armenia, including documentary and storytelling projects, as well as emerging youth-led film storytelling work in Vietnam.

The event is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Servier. 

Session Details

Date & Time: June 27, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM
Venue: Corporate Convention Center, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Room: Room 4 UB Hall
Chairwoman/Moderator: Dana Bryson

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Chairwoman/Moderator

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IMG_6609Dana Bryson

Dana Bryson is Board Chair of World Child Cancer USA and a social impact strategist with more than 25 years of experience in public policy, advocacy, philanthropy, technology, and community-based change. An entrepreneur, nonprofit advocate, activist, founder,funder, board member, chair, and advisor, she works to improve outcomes for children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries by building partnerships, elevating local leadership, and supporting grassroots advocacy rooted in the needs of families, survivors, clinicians, and communities. Dana has worked with numerous organizations and start-up technology companies, and has served as Chief of Staff to U.S. mayors. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Speakers

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Alisa Kamalyan

Alisa Kamalyan is a clinical psychologist and Head of Psychosocial Services at the Yeolyan Hematology and Oncology Center. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Psychosocial Wellbeing Working Group at the International Society of Pediatric Oncology. Alisa has worked in pediatric oncology for more than 10 years and has completed psychosocial observership programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. She has participated in and presented research at international oncology congresses and received the SIOP Young Investigator Award for her research on diagnosis-related communication preferences among adolescent cancer patients. Alisa is also co-author of the teaching manual Palliative Psychology and the motivational book for patients, Blossoming Trees: Conquering the Cancer Treatment Journey.
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Nhi Tran

Nhi Tran is a youth activist who began her advocacy work at age eight and is the co-founder of The Sharing Kitchen, a nonprofit in Vietnam. She has developed creative initiatives for vulnerable children, from educational video games on child abuse prevention to AI-supported psychosocial tools for children with cancer. Her current work focuses on palliative care, collaborating with researchers in Vietnam and around the world to improve treatment and support for children living with cancer. A former UNICEF ambassador and Vietnam’s youngest published author, Nhi champions co-design with children and families. She has accomplished all of this before her 18th birthday.