Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive type of cancer that begins within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality changes, nausea and symptoms similar to those of a stroke. Symptoms often worsen rapidly and may progress to unconsciousness.
An oncology nurse is a specialized nurse who cares for cancer patients. These nurses require advanced certifications and clinical experiences in oncology further than the typical baccalaureate nursing program provides. Oncology nursing care can defined as meeting the various needs of oncology patients during the time of their disease including appropriate screenings and other preventive practices, symptom management, care to retain as much normal functioning as possible, and supportive measures upon end of life.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is a public academic health science center in Houston, Texas. It was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents. It is located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. It is composed of six schools: McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UTHealth School of Dentistry, Cizik School of Nursing, UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics and UTHealth School of Public Health.
Clinical endpoints or clinical outcomes are outcome measures referring to occurrence of disease, symptom, sign or laboratory abnormality constituting a target outcome in clinical research trials. The term may also refer to any disease or sign that strongly motivates withdrawal of an individual or entity from the trial, then often termed a humane (clinical) endpoint.
An advanced practice nurse (APN) is a nurse with post-graduate education in nursing. APNs are prepared with advanced didactic and clinical education, knowledge, skills, and scope of practice in nursing.
Guided meditation is a process by which one or more participants meditate in response to the guidance provided by a trained practitioner or teacher, either in person or via a written text, sound recording, video, or audiovisual media comprising music or verbal instruction, or a combination of both.
Psycho-oncology is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of physical, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of the cancer experience for both patients and caregivers. Also known as psychiatric oncology or psychosocial oncology, researchers and practitioners in the field are concerned with aspects of individuals' experience with cancer beyond medical treatment, and across the cancer trajectory, including at diagnosis, during treatment, transitioning to and throughout survivorship, and approaching the end-of-life. Founded by Jimmie Holland in 1977 via the incorporation of a psychiatric service within the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the field has expanded drastically since and is now universally recognized as an integral component of quality cancer care. Cancer centers in major academic medical centers across the country now uniformly incorporate a psycho-oncology service into their clinical care, and provide infrastructure to support research efforts to advance knowledge in the field.
Hope & Heroes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York City. Hope & Heroes supports the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation at Columbia University Medical Center. Hope & Heroes funds the life-saving work on childhood cancer and blood disorders at Columbia University Medical Center—including cutting-edge research, support for families, and care that always puts children first.
Susan Shurin is a senior adviser at the National Cancer Institute. From 2006–2014, she served as Deputy and Acting Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth) is an American nursing education institution.
The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is a nonprofit membership organization of more than 35,000 members committed to promoting excellence in oncology nursing and the transformation of cancer care.
The Mischer Neuroscience Institute is the academic teaching hospital for the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. Located in Houston, the Institute draws patients from around the world for specialized treatment of diseases of the brain and spine. It was the first center in Texas and one of only a few institutions in the country to fully integrate neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, spine surgery, pain medicine and neurorehabilitation.
Professor Minesh P Mehta, MD, FASTRO, is an American radiation oncologist and physician-scientist of Indian origin, Ugandan birth, Zambian Schooling and American Training, who contributed to the field of oncology for more than two and half decades.
The Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN) Foundation is a nonprofit organization composed of scientists and adult and pediatric cancer researchers who work together to develop new treatments for Ependymoma, a type of primary brain or spinal cord tumor that occurs in both children and adults, and improve the outcomes and care of patients. The organization is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Edith A. Perez, M.D., is a world-renowned American translational researcher and cancer specialist, known equally for her impact in designing innovative clinical trials and for her patient-centered humanitarian passion.
An acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) is a registered nurse who has completed an accredited graduate-level educational program that prepares them as a nurse practitioner. This program includes supervised clinical practice to acquire advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities. This education and training qualifies them to independently: (1) perform comprehensive health assessments; (2) order and interpret the full spectrum of diagnostic tests and procedures; (3) use a differential diagnosis to reach a medical diagnosis; and (4) order, provide, and evaluate the outcomes of interventions. The purpose of the ACNP is to provide advanced nursing care across the continuum of health care services to meet the specialized physiologic and psychological needs of patients with acute, critical, and/or complex chronic health conditions. This care is continuous and comprehensive and may be provided in any setting where the patient may be found. The ACNP is a licensed independent practitioner and may autonomously provide care. Whenever appropriate, the ACNP considers formal consultation and/or collaboration involving patients, caregivers, nurses, physicians, and other members of the interprofessional team.
J. William Harbour, M.D., is an American ophthalmologist, ocular oncologist and cancer researcher. He currently serves as the vice chairman for translational research and director of ocular oncology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the associate director for basic research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His clinical practice focuses on intraocular tumors, including uveal (ocular) melanoma, retinoblastoma, lymphoma and other neoplasms. His field of research includes the genetics and genomics of cancer, with a focus on prognostic biomarkers, mechanisms of metastasis, and molecular targeted therapies. He has given over 300 invited scientific lectures, and published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. Dr. Harbour founded the Ocular Oncology Service at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he was the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences.
Cancer rehabilitation has been defined in the scientific literature as a distinct field of medicine that focuses on reducing or eliminating side-effects of cancer treatment and improving survivors' strength, ability to function and quality of life
Margaret Ruth McCorkle FAAN, FAPOS is an international leader and award-winning pioneer in oncology nursing. She is currently the Florence Schorske Wald Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing.
Deborah Watkins Bruner is an American researcher, clinical trialist, and academic. She is the senior vice president for research at Emory University. Her research focus is on patient reported outcomes, symptom management across cancer sites, sexuality after cancer treatment, and effectiveness of radiotherapy modalities. Bruner's research has been continually funding since 1998, with total funding of her research exceeding $180 million. She is ranked among the top five percent of all National Institutes of Health-funded investigators worldwide since 2012, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
