IMPAKT 2011 Breast Cancer Conference

Click here for general information regarding the IMPAKT meeting co-founded by PLATO Board member Martine Piccart-Gebhart, M.D.

In the ASCO Post

March 15, 2011, Volume 2, Issue 5

By Caroline Helwick

Nonprofit PLATO Foundation Advances Oncology Education

Oncologists seeking continuing medical education (CME) credits at scientific meetings and online will notice a nonprofit organization among the offerings typically predominated by the pharmaceutical industry: the PLATO Foundation (Physicians Learning And Teaching in Oncology). The PLATO Foundation is a U.S. based 501(c)(3), tax-exempt global medical education organization established in July 2010.  Lee Lokey, MD, Alexei Rojanets, Tatjana Romanyk, and James Armitage, MD, of the University of Nebraska constitute the board of directors.

Another Avenue for CME The PLATO Foundation was formed to advance the medical education of emerging generations of oncology and hematology practitioners, as well as those in current practice. Through the award of fellowship educational grants (which will fund travel to medical conferences) and medical education programming, PLATO Foundation aims to meet the ongoing educational needs of these physicians. PLATO Foundation collaborates with other nonprofit organizations during major national and international hematology and oncology congresses to provide completely independent CME activities with a broad international perspective.

Jacqueline Melson, PLATO Foundation’s fund-raising manager, said the organization was founded “to explore alternate educational opportunities” by partnering with medical institutions and other nonprofit groups. “We recognize the important contribution of the pharmaceutical industry to both clinical research and education. However, many CME companies only work with industry. We are offering another avenue,” she said.

Its first medical education activity was launched during the 33rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. “Controversial Topics in Breast Cancer: Straight Talk with International Experts” was chaired by Larry Norton, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Martine Piccart- Gebhart, MD, PhD, of Institute Jules Bordet, and was supported by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and European School of Oncology.

“The symposium was quite successful. It was attended by more than 600 health-care professionals,” she noted.

Using Resources ‘for the Greater Good’

James O. Armitage, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, and Editor-in-Chief of The ASCO Post, serves on the Board of Directors for the foundation. He commented, “Anything you can do to help train future physicians will be important to the field of oncology and to the public. We hope the PLATO Foundation will stand apart by providing activities with an unquestionable lack of bias.”

Dr. Armitage acknowledged PLATO Foundation for “using its resources to do something for the greater good, to provide more education for young physicians.”

The website launched March 1 (www.platofoundation.org), and explains the group’s mission and provides details about events.

Click here to view the article on ASCO Post. You can also download a PDF of this article here.

Press Release

The PLATO Foundation (Physicians Learning And Teaching in Oncology), a newly established 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization, launched its first medical education activity during the 33rd Annual CTRC – AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on December 10, 2010, titled, “Controversial Topics in Breast Cancer: Straight Talk with International Experts.” This educational forum chaired by Larry Norton, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Martine J. Piccart, MD, PhD, of Institute Jules Bordet was supported by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and European School of Oncology (ESO). The satellite symposium was attended by more than 600 healthcare professionals.A panel of international experts specifically addressed current controversies in breast cancer management in a very practical and straight forward manner.

The PLATO Foundation was formed to advance the medical education of emerging generations of oncology and hematology practitioners, as well as those in current practice. As therapeutic advances develop, PLATO Foundation’s objectives are centered around meeting the ongoing educational needs of oncologists and hematologists. The PLATO Foundation provides an opportunity for learning and teaching of physicians about ground-breaking research, specifically, the advancement of successful cancer treatments and use of them in their daily practice. By collaborating with other non-profit organizations during major national and international hematology and oncology congresses, the PLATO Foundation believes it can achieve its charitable and educational goals by communicating valuable perspectives to a wider audience of clinicians.

About The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

The mission of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation^® is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by providing critical funding for innovative clinical and translational research at leading medical centers worldwide, and increasing public awareness about good breast health. Currently, over 90 cents of every dollar donated goes to breast cancer research and awareness programs.

About European School of Oncology

Based in Milan, Italy, European School of Oncology (ESO) was co-founded by Umberto Veronesi, MD, and Alberto Costa, MD, and Laudomia Del Drago as the administrative president in 1982, with the aim of contributing to the reduction of deaths from cancer due to late diagnosis and/or inadequate treatment. The European Society of Oncology’s mission is reflected in its motto "Learning to Care," which stresses the concept of studying and learning and also of caring for the patient in a global sense.

Contact

Jacqueline Melson
Jacqueline.melson@platofoundation.org
www.platofoundation.org