Q&A with Meeting Co-Convenor Dr Ben Lawrence, Head of Oncology at University of Auckland & Medical Oncologist at Te Puriri o Te Ora Auckland Hospital, Aotearoa New Zealand.
We sat down with Dr. Ben Lawrence, who is one of this year’s ASM Co-Convenors, and asked him a few questions about this meeting and what delegates can expect to experience.
- Why is it important the Annual Scientific Meeting is in Aotearoa New Zealand this year?
I am thrilled to be co-convening my first AGITG ASM and the first ASM in Aotearoa New Zealand. For more than 30 years, the AGITG has conducted clinical trials in both Australia and New Zealand, but an Annual Scientific Meeting has never been held in New Zealand. With a focus on equity and inclusion this year, it makes sense to finally take the meeting ‘over the ditch’ and be inclusive of our New Zealand membership. We not only bring diverse experience and skills but can also access the knowledge of Māori academics and community to understand how we can improve clinical trial participation. - Why focus on equality at this ASM?
It is important for everyone, no matter ethnicity, gender, cultural beliefs, religion, and location, to have equal opportunities and access to GI cancer clinical trials. At this year’s ASM, we’ll be discussing how to improve access to clinical trials for all people in Australia and New Zealand. - What can people expect from the program this year?
I’m very excited about this year’s program! We are doing the sessions a little bit differently – every session will cover one cancer type such as pancreatic cancer or rectal cancer. The first day will cover Early Upper GI Cancers, the second day will cover all advanced GI Cancers and the final day will cover Early Lower GI Cancers. The big difference is the session structure. At every session you will hear from all the AGITG specialities which include medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, and translational researchers, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of our Group. We will also be going through the clinical trials that are conducted by AGITG and have the trial portfolio reviewed by our overseas experts. The community and clinical trials coordinators will have a stronger voice in the main programme. - Do you have any big names coming? Tell us about the international invited faculty you’ve secured.
We’ll be welcoming some fantastic overseas experts to Christchurch for the Meeting.Laura Dawson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto, and a practicing radiation oncologist at the Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, in Toronto. She is an internationally recognised leader in hepatobiliary cancer and in oligo-metastases and will be discussing these areas at the ASM.Leonard B. Saltz is Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Executive Director for Clinical Value and Sustainability, as well as Attending Physician and Member, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. At the ASM, Professor Saltz will be participating in multiple workshops and debates and discussing ‘Is equitable access to GI cancer research and care cost effective?’.
Dr. Diane Simeone is the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Surgery and Pathology at New York University and the Director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center, where she also serves as the Associate Director for Translational Research. She’s an internationally renowned pancreatic surgeon and a researcher with a long-standing career focus on the treatment of pancreatic neoplasms. At the ASM she will be a keynote speaker, contribute to MDT case workshops and review the AGITG New Concepts Symposium submissions.
Katherine S. Garman, MD, MHS, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in the United States. As a translational scientist, her research focuses on the pathogenesis of esophageal and gastric cancers with a strong emphasis on enrolling diverse cohorts of patients into human research studies. At the ASM, Associate Professor Garman will be discussing her translational research in Gastric Cancer in more details.
- What are you hoping the delegates will take away from this year’s ASM?
I hope delegates will come away from the meeting with a clearer understanding of how they can take action to improve equity of access to GI cancer trials. I hope delegates take advantage of the networking opportunities and leave the meeting knowing more AGITG members than before, especially those from New Zealand. And finally, there will be several opportunities for new ideas to be presented and discussed, so I hope delegates can learn from these ideas and be encouraged to share their ideas and engage in new research with the AGITG.
Watch Ben’s video introduction to the AGITG’s 25th Annual Scientific Meeting:
For more information about the AGITG Annual Scientific Meeting, visit https://asm.gicancer.org.au
For Program details, visit https://asm.gicancer.org.au/asm-program/2023.
