A Conference Grant for Special Programming on Decision Making in Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this grant is to provide support to the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM) to host one special symposium, one short course, an oral abstract session, and a poster abstract session at each of the Annual Meetings from 2009 through 2011 (2009 Hollywood, CA; 2010 Toronto, Canada; 2011 Chicago, IL). This series of special sessions will be devoted to the basic and applied research related to decision making in cancer. Great advances have been made in cancer prevention, treatment, and end-of-life care over the past decade. This has been coupled with advances in cancer bioinformatics. While these advances have the promise of improving the quality of life of patients, there is increasing recognition of the critical need to develop and improve ways of engaging patients in cancer decision making. The special programming proposed in this grant will help to highlight research at the cutting edge of both cancer and medical decision making, bring together investigators of different clinical and research disciplines, and help to advance the research agenda in basic and applied decision making in cancer control. The special symposia for the coming three years will include: 1) Decision Modeling in Cancer; 2) Theoretical Foundations of Medical Decision Making; and 3) Individualizing Cancer Care: Innovations in Prognostic Tools and Decision Aids. During each annual meeting, the short course that will be supported by this grant will be selected to complement the special symposium for each given year. The special abstract sessions will help to bring together the latest research on medical decision making in cancer and identify future directions for research. The SMDM is a professional society of physicians from multiple specialties, nurses, academics from disciplines such as mathematics, economics, public health, health policy, decision analysis and engineering, as well as members from the federal, state, and private sectors who dedicate their work to promoting rational and systematic approaches to improving individual and public health, and informing societal health policy. The SMDM Annual Meeting is open, and anyone can register to attend. Public Health Relevance: Great advances have been made in cancer prevention, treatment, and end-of-life care over the past decade. This has been coupled with advances in cancer bioinformatics. While these advances have the promise of improving the quality of life of patients, there is increasing recognition of the critical need to develop and improve ways of engaging patients in cancer decision making. This grant seeks to provide multi-year funding for special programming in cancer at the annual meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making. The special programming proposed in this grant will help to highlight research at the cutting edge of both cancer and medical decision making, bring together investigators of different clinical and research disciplines, and help to advance the research agenda in basic and applied decision making in cancer control.