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 12th at 12PM ET. During this virtual event, Dr. Matthew Hemming and PhD candidate Favour Akabogu of UMass Cancer Center will discuss exploring mechanisms driving GIST, treatment efficacy, and clinical outcomes, as well as the importance of patient involvement in rare disease research. An interactive Q&A segment will follow their presentations.
Please email srothschild@liferaftgroup.org to submit a question ahead of the presentation.
Please note that this webinar is not a substitute for your physician’s guidance and care.
About Our Presenters
Dr. Matthew Hemming
UMass Chan Medical School
Dr. Matthew Hemming is an assistant professor of medicine at UMass Chan Medical School, practicing sarcoma medical oncologist, and principal investigator of the SarcomaLab. He received his BS from UC San Diego, PhD from Harvard University, and MD from Harvard Medical School. He completed internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He has focused his clinical practice and laboratory work on sarcoma and GIST, with the goal to improve diagnostic and treatment strategies through basic and translational research.
Favour Akabogu
PhD Candidate
Favour Akabogu is a PhD candidate in the SarcomaLab through the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School where she studies gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with a focus on identifying novel treatment options. She got her B.A in Biology at Berea College in Kentucky and worked as a Research Associate at Vanderbilt University where she investigated the role of Discodain Domain Receptors (DDRs) in the progression of acute kidney injury to kidney fibrosis. Additionally, she worked in collaboration with the CDC on understanding the household transmission respiratory disease particularly SARS-CoV2, RSV and Influenza. She is passionate about healthcare and drug discovery through scientific innovation. She loves traveling, dancing, and spending time with family and friends in her free time.
Thank you to our Webinar Sponsors!
