Virtual Life Fest 2020 – July 10th – July 13th
2020 brought a global health crisis that has challenged GIST patients. We had planned this year to be in New Orleans to share valuable information about GIST Research, to enjoy fellowship with each other, and yes, to enjoy the wonderful food and music.
Even though we can’t be together physically for our biennial Life Fest celebration and we won’t be together for GIST Awareness Day, we can unite and spread a message of hope and positive messages while raising GIST awareness across the globe. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we still have a wonderful virtual weekend planned, with some of the same elements Life Fest always provides.
With the latest information being shared in both our traditional GIST 101 presentation with Dr. David Josephy, and through several panels featuring top GIST specialists and researchers, a program targeted to the SDH community as well as fun events including a cooking demonstration, Virtual Life Fest will prove that even with the restrictions on gathering, you cannot keep the GIST community from sharing their strength, hope and experiences.
Our theme for Virtual Life Fest, and for GIST Awareness Day this year is #GISTHope.
There are many ways for you to share this hopeful message:
- Participate in our Virtual Life Fest Events.
- Join us in our Virtual Walk. Start a fundraising page to invite family and friends to sponsor you in your efforts to raise funds for GIST Research.
- Visit our LRG store to purchase items such as our #GISTHope Masks to wear on your walk.
- Make a donation.
- Go to our GIST Awareness Day (GAD) page to see how to raise awareness, including our creative #GISTHope rock painting project
- Send your stories, photos and messages of hope to Mary Garland, Director of Communications: mgarland@liferaftgroup.org
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
| Friday, July 10th | |
| 2:00pm | GIST 101 Presented by David Josephy (pre-recorded video) |
| 4pm | GIST ART Launch |
| Saturday, July 11th | |
| 12:00pm | GIST Research Panel: Join GIST experts as they provide updates and answer questions on GIST research and new GIST therapies. Presenters: Roman Groisberg, MD, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Michael Heinrich, MD, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; Jason Sicklick, MD, Moores Cancer Center, UC of San Diego |
| 2:00pm | GIST Oncologist Panel: Our oncology and surgical GIST experts will share the latest trends, insights and surgical options, and answer questions. Presenters: Gina D’Amato, MD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, U of M; Arun Singh, MD, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; Jonathan Trent, MD, PhD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, U of M; Breelyn Wilky, MD, UCHealth Cancer Center, Anschutz Medical Campus |
| 4:00pm | Cooking Demonstration (pre-recorded video) and GIST Cookbook Launch |
| Sunday, July 12th | |
| 12:00pm | Virtual Walk Launch (pre-recorded videos) |
| Monday, July 13th | |
| 9:00am - 5:00pm | GAD and #GISTHope Messages |
| 12:00pm EDT | Q&A with SDH Panel of Experts Christopher B. Weldon, MD, PhD Boston Children’s Hospital  Christopher Weldon, MD, PhD is Assistant in Surgery, Department of Surgery; Director, Pediatric Surgery Critical Care Fellowship and Assistant Professor of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is Board Certified in Critical Care, General Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery.Lee Helman, MD Children’s Hospital Los Angeles  Dr. Helman is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, USC, Head, Basic and Translational Research, Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases. His laboratory work focuses on the biology and treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and pediatric GIST tumors. Major areas of research include the pathophysiologic consequences of IGF signaling, identification of the molecular/biochemical determinants of the biology of sarcomas, and the application of functional genomics to identify new treatment targets.Jonathan Trent, MD Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center  Dr. Trent’s interests are in the clinical and translational research of sarcomas, direct care of sarcoma patients, and education about sarcoma. The major efforts of Dr. Trent’s research focus on understanding the mechanisms of action and resistance of imatinib in GIST and other sarcomas while striving toward improved therapeutic options.Andrew Rosenberg, MD Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center  Andrew Eric Rosenberg, MD is the Vice Chair, Director of Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the University of Miami.Jason Sicklick, MD Moores Cancer Center  Dr. Jason Sicklick is an NIH-funded investigator and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center. He is a board-certified general surgeon and surgical oncologist specializing in the treatment of hepatobiliary diseases and sarcomas, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Ruth Casey, PhD Cambridge University Hospitals, UK  Dr Dr Casey has a specialist clinical interest in hereditary endocrine neoplasia and endocrine cancer. Her research has focused mainly on the role of succinate dehydrogenase gene mutations in tumorigenesis and has a strong translational focus. Her interest in succinate dehydrogenase deficient tumours has led to her collaboration with PAWS GIST. Eyal Gottlieb, MSc,PhD Technicon – Israel Institute of Technology  Dr. Gottlieb is a Professor and Director of the Cancer Metabolomics Lab at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. He is an internationally renowned expert in the field of metabolomics – measuring components of metabolism in cells under different conditions.There will also be other special guest speakers. |
Sponsors
