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Check out the latest article Cancer Network published about Dr. Mao, SIO past-president and current Board of Trustee member, on the updated guidelines from ASCO and SIO for pain management in patients with cancer.
Read more here.
Congratulations to Judith Lacey, SIO Global Task Force Member and Board of Trustee, for contributing to the launch of the white paper on ‘Integrative Oncology and Wellbeing in Cancer Care’. Watch the live interview with A/Prof Judith Lacey and Consumer Advocate Barry Du Bois discuss the benefits of Integrative Oncology on Studio 10 here!
You can find the link to the paper here: https://bit.ly/3hBsqll
Check out Jun Mao, MD, Chief of Integrative Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of the guidelines, Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology, as he speaks on the importance of the study and the implications of the findings.
Watch the interview here.
Members, click here to watch the webinar. Not a member? Join today and gain access to our member’s only recordings!
The webinar will present a cross-cultural perspective to integrative oncology from East-Asia, India, and the Middle East. Drs. Eran Ben-Arye and Dr. Lorenzo Cohen will co-chair the session guided by a real clinical case. Dr. Kenji Watanabe from Japan will present the Kampo medicine approach; Dr. Rammanohar Puthiyedath from South-India will present the Ayurveda perspective; and Dr. Maryam Rassouli from Iran will present the unique Iranian Medicine perspective. Dr. Orit Gressel from Israel will present her own narrative as the integrative oncology physician who treated the patient on her long journey. Each of the speakers will address the patient-centered approach that includes the psycho-spiritual perspective. Audience participation will be encouraged. This webinar provides a wonderful opportunity to learn from practitioners across the world in order to improve the lives of those with cancer.
Exploring the Roles of Patient Advocates in Integrative Oncology
Julie Deleemans, Jodi MacLeod, Eileen Fuentes, Lesley Glenn, Elizabeth Glosik, Jenny Leyh, Susan Ryan, Marianne Sarcich, and Laura Pole
The second column by SIO Leadership in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine (JICM), features, “Exploring the Roles of Patient Advocates in Integrative Oncology”, by the SIO Patient Advocate Committee. The paper is available Open Access through March 3, 2023 here.
May 22, 2023
Dear SIO Community,
The Society for Integrative Oncology is an international nonprofit organization established 20 years ago to advance evidence-based, comprehensive integrative healthcare to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. We are staffed by a group of volunteer healthcare providers, researchers, and patient advocates. Due to our volunteerism business model, it is necessary to outsource full time management of our business which includes finance, accounting, human resources, event planning, legal and other needs. Since inception, SIO has frequently relied on third-party consultancy firms specializing in nonprofit management for these tasks. In 2020, the consultancy firm of Hauck & Associates (“H&A”) in Washington, DC was selected as its outside management company after completing background checks and reviewing references. H&A started in that role on January 1, 2021.
On May 10, 2023, we learned that Graham Hauck, the principal manager at H&A, pleaded guilty in federal court to misappropriation of funds of another nonprofit organization managed by H&A. SIO quickly terminated H&A, and initiated a series of risk management measures, including securing its assets to prevent further losses; retrieving paper and electronic files and financial books and records; revoking Hauck’s access to bank accounts, internet sites, keys, credit cards and the like; arranging for new management, accounting and operations solutions to replace H&A; hiring a forensic accountant, Chess Consulting LLC, to detect any misappropriation of SIO funds and determine the amount involved; and retaining as outside counsel white collar criminal attorney, Zach Hafer at Cooley LLP (formerly with the US Attorney’s Office), Michael Sanders, a tax exempt tax attorney and professor at Georgetown Law Center and his partner, Malcolm Sandilands, a corporate attorney, both at Blank Rome LLP. We are working with conference specialists in Canada to ensure that our Banff 2023 conference is not disrupted by these developments, and with other specialists to ensure that the SIO’s other activities continue with the minimum possible adverse impact.
Internally, SIO has appointed its first general counsel, Nelson Lin, to coordinate our legal response, which includes crisis management and supervision of recovery, while the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has worked continuously since learning of Hauck’s guilty plea to transfer every single management function out of his firm’s hands. That process continues, and we will make every effort to secure the return of any funds that were misappropriated from SIO; our criminal counsel has reached out to Hauck to pursue prompt restitution of any misappropriated funds.
The Board of Trustees will report progress biweekly to SIO members as it continues to investigate this matter.
We thank you for your understanding and patience and we will continue to do everything we can to resolve this in an expeditious and efficient manner.
Sincerely
Linda Ellen Carlson, PhD, RPsych
President, Society for Integrative Oncology, Inc.
We are in our 6th year of building a diverse community of transdisciplinary (TD) and translational (TL) researchers including those interested in cancer disparities and invite you to apply to our mentored program: The Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Training Workshop.
The Workshop builds upon the NCI TREC Initiative and covers topics across the cancer control and T 0 -T 4 continua.
Funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and led by Yale University’s Dr. Melinda Irwin with a Senior Advisory Board and expert international faculty, this program builds capacity in TD and TL energetics and cancer research and is designed for early career investigators (i.e., junior faculty and postdocs). This 5-day, in residence* Workshop places emphasis on developing and applying TD and TL competencies focused on energetics (i.e., obesity, diet and exercise) and cancer. Faculty span an array of professional disciplines, from basic scientists to clinicians to behavioral and population scientists. Formal didactic learning is integrated with one-on-one dialog and small group discussions to enable fellows to learn from each other, from faculty, and to develop a TD and TL network.
Below are a few of many testimonials as voiced by our previous cohorts.
The 6 th annual course will be held June 19-24, 2022 at Water’s Edge Resort, Westbrook, CT, U.S.A.*
Costs will be covered.
Notification of Intent to apply (simple, informal email to dlowry@fredhutch.org) is due no later than December 15, 2021. Full application is due no later than Friday, January 14, 2022.
For more detail and to apply, visit TRECTraining.yale.edu. Questions: contact Diana Lowry dlowry@fredhutch.org
*Travel contingent on safety allowances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If necessary, we will conduct the 2022 Workshop virtually via Zoom, June 19-24, 2022. Decision will be made by April 1, 2022.
***** Testimonials ********
This was an amazing experience and completely unique. (Fellow)
This workshop reaffirmed my commitment to energy balance and cancer research. Connecting with experts in the field and gaining their input into developing ideas was critical. (Fellow)
This training and networking was awesome! There was clearly a cumulative effect of 6 days together. (Fellow)
The caliber of trainees and faculty is amazing. What a treat to be able to interact with this group. (Faculty)
A meeting unlike any other. Many opportunities for networking and collaboration. Highly recommend! (Fellow)
The TREC Workshop was incredibly helpful. I learned about grant writing, transdisciplinary research, and gained more knowledge in the field in one week than I could have in one year. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet experts in energy balance who are there to educate and mentor young investigators. I’ve kept in touch with a few of the faculty and co-fellows, and I hope to keep these relationships for years to come. (Fellow)
Caliber of faculty & fellows = amazing week of high-quality science, networking, career advice, collaboration! (Fellow)
High bar to meet going forward! Kudos all around! (Faculty)
The networking and collaborative opportunities at this meeting are unmatched! (Fellow)
The TREC Workshop was phenomenal. The opportunity to be in a small group setting with such important thought leaders in the field of energy balance was unique and invaluable. The curriculum was well-thought out and balanced, covering all components of this transdisciplinary field. There was also plenty of time for informal networking and brainstorming. (Fellow)
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) affirms the dignity, equality, and equity of all people. We recognize that all are not treated with respect, and we commit ourselves to working for justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging among both internal and external stakeholders. With this in mind, SIO and the SIO Health Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee (HEI&B) commit to the following core values:
The HEI&B Committee supports the SIO in being an inclusive, just, and diverse organization that promotes equity and belonging by taking the following actions:
We also acknowledge the fluidity of our understanding and commit to adapting our language and actions to our intentions as we continue to learn. We recognize that the language of health equity continues to evolve over time as our society processes current and past events.
Gateway for Cancer Research and Society for Integrative Oncology join forces
CHICAGO, IL (June 23, 2021) Gateway for Cancer ResearchSM, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding transformational cancer research, announces a scientific collaboration with the Society for Integrative Oncology™ (SIO) to advance evidence-based integrative research.
This new initiative has been established to identify compelling areas of inquiry in the field of integrative cancer research and to fund the talented clinician-scientists best positioned to pursue these studies. A direct path for SIO members has been established to ease the process of applying for a grant opportunity.
“Gateway for Cancer Research and SIO share an urgent commitment to discovering integrative strategies that will make a real difference for those facing cancer,” said Michael Burton, president and CEO, Gateway for Cancer Research. “We are proud to partner with SIO to establish this promising grant program, and we are confident that our collaboration will significantly contribute to and accelerate progress for the patients we serve.”
“We are excited to collaborate with Gateway for Cancer Research to create a pathway for new integrative oncology research,” said Dr. Ting Bao, President of SIO. “This joint effort aligns perfectly with SIO’s mission to support scientifically robust research on evidence-informed integrative therapies to improve the lives of people affected by cancer and marks an important step forward in the field of integrative oncology.”
For more information on Gateway for Cancer Research please visit us at GatewayCR.org or contact us at Research@GatewayCR.org.
For more information on the Society for Integrative Oncology, please visit our website at integrativeonc.org or contact us at graham@integrativeonc.org.
To submit an LOI, please visit the Grants Management portal at SIO Integrative Program.
About Gateway for Cancer Research℠
Gateway for Cancer ResearchSM is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research that helps people living with cancer to feel better and live longer as we work to end cancer as we know it. Thanks to generous underwriting, 99 cents of every dollar Gateway receives directly funds Phase I and Phase II cancer clinical trials at leading research institutions across the country and abroad. Since 1991, Gateway has supported more than 190 clinical trials and funded over $90 million in breakthrough cancer research, serving over 9,000 patients. Get involved today by visiting GatewayCR.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/GatewayforCR and join the conversation on Twitter at @GatewayforCR and Instagram at @GatewayforCR, #BeAGateway
About Society for Integrative Oncology™
Founded in 2003, SIO is the premier multi-disciplinary professional organization for integrative oncology. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, SIO enables communication, education, and research to occur by bringing together practitioners from multiple disciplines focused on the care of cancer patients and survivors. Follow SIO on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube (@Society for Integrative Oncology), Twitter and Instagram (@integrativeonc). #integrativeonc
In this episode of “Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go”, CancerNetwork takes a look at an article publishing in early 2021 for the Journal ONCOLOGY, titled “Patient-Reported Outcomes of Pain and Related Symptoms in Integrative Oncology Practice and Clinical Research: Evidence and Recommendations.”
The piece summarizes current and validated patient-reported outcomes (PROs) specific to cancer-related pain. The piece also recommends commonly used PROs to be standardized to aid integrative oncology clinicians and researchers in both patient care and study design. For the first of 2 interviews regarding this piece, CancerNetwork spoke with 3 authors of the article, W. Iris Zhi, MD, PhD, and Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Xin Shelley Wang, MD, MPH, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
For the response perspective, CancerNetwork spoke with Linda Carlson, PhD, of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Carlson expanded on the work done by Zhi and her colleagues, emphasizing the importance of understanding reliability and validity. Carlson focused on the importance of the research topic, and the impact properly validated PROs can have on patients for the cancer care team.
https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/oncology-peer-review-on-the-go-recommending-patient-reported-outcomes-of-pain-for-cancer-care
Click here to view this month’s digest.
Integrative Oncology Talk – a top rated podcast – featuring Dr. Santosh Rao, president-elect of SIO as he interviews various movers and shakers in the integrative oncology field is available here. The podcast has since evolved into video format: Integrative Oncology Talk video series hosted by Dr. Rao, Dr. Judith Lacey, a Supportive Care and Integrative Oncology Physician, and Leigh Leibel, a Mind-Body Specialist. The Society for Integrative Oncology, an international multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to advance the science and education of integrative oncology worldwide is proud to help support this video series, and it is available here.
New from Integrative Oncology Talk are discussions with Dr. Claudia Witt about integrative oncology core competencies and Dr. Sheila Garland and Dr. Ashwin Mehta about sleep dysfunction. Click here for the video cast. Click here for the podcast.
Stay tuned for new content on a regular basis as we announce them on our SIO account on twitter, linkedin, facebook, and less commonly instagram.
“It is critical to separate evidence-based, integrative health approaches from those without evidence,” said Ting Bao, MD, DAMBA, MS, president of SIO. “These guidelines will help the cancer community ensure safe, effective use of integrative approaches for managing patients’ cancer-related symptoms.”
The majority of people with cancer seek out integrative therapies sometime after receiving their diagnosis. Integrative health approaches during cancer care are patient-centered treatments that utilize evidence-informed mind and body practices, natural products, and/or lifestyle modifications from various traditions, alongside conventional cancer treatments.
“We are delighted to collaborate with SIO on the development of evidence-based guidelines that will help optimize the care of patients with cancer using therapies complementary to cancer treatment,” said Chair of the ASCO® Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, Douglas E. Peterson, DMD, PhD. “The guidelines will focus on important concerns in patient care that greatly impact quality of life, and will help equip the oncology community with the essential knowledge needed to manage integrative therapy approaches.”
SIO and ASCO® will convene independent panels of experts representing members of both societies to produce a series of three evidence-based guidelines for adults focusing on cancer-related pain management, fatigue in cancer survivors, and care of anxiety and depressive symptoms experienced by those with cancer. The topics were selected based on expert consensus and surveys of SIO’s membership. Each expert panel will review published literature, including systematic reviews and existing guidelines. The expert panels will outline and recommend evidence-based integrative therapies to use, as well as caution against ineffective or harmful approaches, for specific clinical indications during and after cancer treatment.
“Many patients already use integrative approaches during and after their cancer treatment, but medical decisions need to be made based on firm science,” said Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, co-chair of SIO’s Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee. “By co-developing these clinical guidelines, SIO and ASCO® will help bring this evidence-based treatment information to patients and oncologists worldwide, so they can wisely allocate resources to the most effective complementary approaches.”
SIO received an unrestricted grant to fund guideline development from the Samueli Foundation.
ASCO® is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. and is used with permission. ASCO is not a partner or affiliate of SIO and does not recommend or endorse any organization, product, or service.
About The Society for Integrative Oncology:
Founded in 2003, SIO is the premier multi-disciplinary international professional organization for integrative oncology. The mission of the SIO is to advance evidence-based, comprehensive, integrative healthcare to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. SIO enables communication, education, and research to occur by bringing together practitioners and researchers across professions focused on the care of cancer patients and survivors. Members share the common goals of excellent comprehensive patient care, enhancement of anti-cancer therapy, supportive care, and prevention of cancer. SIO members are part of a unique multidisciplinary community of oncologists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, complementary therapy practitioners, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, epidemiologists, researchers, and many other health care practitioners. Learn more at https://integrativeonc.org/, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Tamara Moore, 202-868-4008
October 27, 2020 tmoore@thereisgroup.com
SIO to Work with Leading Oncology Society on Guidelines for Integrative Approaches for Cancer Care
Medical societies to develop three evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in 2021
WASHINGTON (October 27, 2020) – The Society for Integrative Oncology announced today that it is collaborating with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®), the world’s leading professional organization of its kind representing oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer, to develop a series of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative therapies in oncology care. The guidelines, planned for publication in 2021 and 2022, will provide clinicians and patients much-needed guidance on safely and effectively treating common cancer symptoms and side effects using integrative approaches.
SIO is thrilled to announce our popular Wellness Wednesday series will return this summer with two webinars per month from June through August. Each Wellness Wednesday will include a free, live, one-hour informal lunch conversation with cancer subject matter experts who will illuminate the challenges faced by people touched by cancer, particularly those in underrepresented communities. Our goal is to highlight the benefits of integrative medicine in the context of equitable cancer care.
Click here for information on Episode One.
Click here for information on Episode Two.
Click here for information on Episode Three.
Click here for information on Episode Four.
Click here for information on Episode Five.
Click here for information on Episode Six.
SIO Wellness Wednesdays Series Available on YouTube
In case you missed our 2020 summer series #WellnessWednesdays – or, if you want to watch an episode again, visit SIO’s YouTube channel to access recordings and the meditations and yoga practices.
