American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) shared a post on LinkedIn:
“What an incredible first two days of Cancer Lobby Day!
On Sunday, we welcomed nearly 750 cancer advocates to Washington, D.C. After they checked in, ACS CAN volunteers headed to Affinity Row to learn more about our volunteer affinity groups.
On Monday at the Leadership Summit, ACS CAN New York volunteer Olivia Mannion and ACS CAN Massachusetts Ambassador Constituent Team (ACT) Lead Marina Watanabe kicked off the morning as our dynamic emcees.
Cancer advocates listened to welcome remarks from ACS CAN Board of Directors Chair Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, PhD; American Cancer Society Board of Directors Chair Terri McClements; ACS and ACS CAN CEO Shane Jacobson; and ACS CAN President Lisa A. Lacasse.
Advocates then attended breakout sessions where they learned how they could help impact change – from utilizing media for storytelling, to understanding emerging issues in the cancer space, and more.
At the lunch panel discussion, we heard about how the health care and research ecosystem is at risk from reduced federal investment. Panelists shared takeaways and insights, including ACS Board Vice Chair Dr. Mark A. Goldberg; ACS CAN Illinois State Lead Ambassador (SLA) and postdoctoral researcher Ian Padykula; ACS CAN California Vice SLA and hematology-oncology nurse practitioner Laura LaRosa; Medical College of Wisconsin Program Manager Debra Nevels; and ACS CAN Illinois ACT Lead and Rush University Medical Center Telemedicine Program Manager Dr. Afroz Hafeez, MD, MBA.
Next up was the Hill Prep Training to help advocates rev up their advocacy skills with representatives from ACS CAN’s Federal Affairs team including Julie Nickson, Federal Advocacy and Coalitions Vice President; Elizabeth Darnall, Senior Director of Federal Advocacy; James M. Williams, Jr, Director of Federal Advocacy; Nishith P., Director of Federal Advocacy; and Angela Sailor, Senior Director of Advocacy Health Equity.
Finally, advocates transitioned to their state meeting prep sessions before attending an optional workshop on tending to self during advocacy, then dinner and dancing at the CAN Opener!
Stay tuned for more updates.”
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