July 13th, GIST Awareness Day, is a time when GIST experts, patients, and caregivers come together to educate the public about this disease and advocate for finding a cure. The Life Raft Group invites GIST patients and caregivers to celebrate GIST Awareness Day with us on July 11th at 2PM ET. During this virtual event, esteemed GIST experts Dr. Sicklick of UCSD and Dr. Blakely and Dr. Wedekind-Malone of the NIH will answer patient and caregiver questions in an informal chat.
These webinars are for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any treatment or lifestyle changes. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to srothschild@liferaftgroup.org.
About Our Presenters
Dr. Jason Sicklick
UCSD, Moores Cancer Center
Jason Sicklick, MD, is an internationally recognized surgical oncologist who specializes in treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), abdominal/retroperitoneal sarcomas, and liver tumors.He leader of the Sarcoma Disease Team and Co-leader of the Structural and Function Genomics Program at UC San Diego Health’s Moores Cancer Center. He is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Committee and GIST Subcommittee, which develops best practices for treating these rare and often challenging-to-treat cancers.
Dr. Andrew Blakely
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Dr. Blakely completed a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering followed by medical school at Drexel University. He went on to general surgery residency at Brown University. During residency, he spent two years of dedicated research time at the Center for Biomedical Engineering developing a device for tissue engineering applications. Dr. Blakely then completed his fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Blakely is currently a surgical oncologist specializing in peritoneal surface malignancies and soft tissue sarcomas. One of the primary focuses of his research includes improving surgical treatment and ex vivo tumor modeling of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Dr. Mary Frances Wedekind Malone
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Mary Frances Wedekind Malone is an Assistant Research Physician in the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She is a pediatric oncologist specializing in immunotherapy and the development of clinical trials for pediatric sarcomas and rare tumors. Dr. Wedekind Malone is actively involved in the NCI’s My Pediatric and Adult Rare Tumor (MyPART) network.
