AJMC® Boston: Hot Topics, Leading Experts in Cancer Care Decision-Making

Where can you spend one evening to get updates on treating non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), targeting HER2 in breast cancer, and identifying biomarkers in sarcomas? Where can you finish the night with advice from top oncology pharmacists?

AJMC Boston | Image credit: AJMC

It’s Boston, of course, home to many of the nation’s top cancer centers. Thanks to a new program from The American Journal of Managed Care^®, those interested in hearing from faculty from multiple institutions can do so—all in one place over a few hours.

AJMC’s regional series, part of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine® (IVBM), will kick off September 24, 2024, with “Elevating Value in Cancer Care,” at the Hilton Boston Back Bay, from 5 to 9 pm EDT. Most of the faculty are from the Boston area, although one is attending from out of state. There is no fee to attend, but guests must register in advance.

The event opens with a networking and cocktail session before things get underway. Four panel discussions are scheduled, with a full networking session scheduled at the midpoint. Presentations include:

Immunotherapy Advancements in NSCLC, featuring Narjust Florez, MD, and Lynette Sholl, MD, both of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Florez is associate

Narjust Florez, MD | Image: Dana-Farber

Lynette Sholl, MD | Image: Dana-Farber

director of the Cancer Care Equity Program, with clinical interests in targeted therapy for lung cancer and the care for women with lung cancer, including their particular needs in survivorship. She is the principal investigator of the Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) Study, the largest study to date evaluating sexual dysfunction in women with lung cancer. Scholl is chief, Thoracic Pathology, at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is the lead author of the recently published guidelines regarding which patients with NSCLC may benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors, published this spring in Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Recent Advancements in Identifying Predictive Biomarkers for Sarcomas, featuring Hari Deshpande, MD, of Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center; and Vinayak Venkataraman, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Hari Deshpande, MD | Image: Yale

Deshpande, associate professor of medicine, was named Disease Aligned Research Team (DART) leader for sarcoma in 2022. Sarcomas are a rare type of cancer, and even when discovered they are divided by subtype; because Yale is a referral center with many clinical trials in sarcoma, Deshpande collaborates with different specialists at Yale who treat sarcomas with various modalities. Venkataraman specializes in treating patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas, with particular expertise in supporting the physical, emotional, and socioeconomic needs of adolescent and young adults (AYAs; age 15-39 years old) with cancer.

Precision Medicine: Targeting HER2 in Cancer, including Michael Hassett, MD, MPH; Sarah Sammons, MD; and Adrienne Waks, MD, all of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Hassett, who is the chief quality officer at Dana-Farber, is a health systems researcher and specialist in breast cancer, including breast

Adrienne Waks, MD | Image: Dana Farber

cancer in men. His work includes identifying care gaps in cancer care delivery and deploying solutions to reduce disparities. Sammons serves as associate director of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Program; she has led multiple clinical trials and is an expert in treatment of brain metastases. Waks is associate director, Breast Oncology Clinical Research, and senior physician; she is responsible for numerous clinical trials investigating ways to improve standard treatment outcomes.

Pharmacy Decision-Making in Value-based Oncology Care, featuring Bhavesh Shah, RPh, BCOP, of Boston Medical Center; and Lelas Shamaileh, PharmD, BCOP, of Beth Israel Deaconess.

Bhavesh Shah, RPh, BCOP | Image: Boston Medical Center

Shah’s research interests include COVID-19, biosimilars, cancer-related adverse events, and treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Shamaileh came to Beth Israel Deaconess after a completing hematology/oncology pharmacy residency at Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Who should attend? Like all IVBM events, AJMC Boston offers oncology physicians, nurses, practices administrators, and pharmacists from both academic and community settings the opportunity to hear directly from leaders in the field on current topics in cancer care. As a longtime health care delivery information leader, AJMC seeks to bring together stakeholders from across cancer care to learn from both experts and each other. Regional events offer a way to get up to speed on recent clinical advances with a limited time and travel commitment; food and networking offer a relaxed atmosphere to catch up with colleagues.

For more information and to sign up for the September 24, 2024, event, visit our AJMC Boston registration page.