Sanford Research to host ovarian cancer conference

Sanford Research to host ovarian cancer conference

Contact:

Jon Berg
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / [email protected]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The 6^th annual Ovarian Cancer Midwest Focus Conference (OCMF) will be held Nov. 18 - 19 at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The two-day international event will raise awareness about ovarian cancer research and lift up work and research being performed at several universities across the Midwest.

Established at the University of Minnesota, OCMF brings together experts, advocates and those impacted by cancer to collaborate about the latest advancements in the field that are making a difference in the fight against ovarian cancer.

This year, the conference is joining efforts with Sanford Research's annual CoBRE Center for Cancer Biology Research Symposium. Together, the OCMF Conference and CoBRE Cancer Biology Symposium at Sanford Research, have become a driving force for advancing research and raising awareness of cancer in the Midwest and beyond.

This year's conference will feature two keynote speakers, Don Cleveland, Ph.D. and Denise Montell, Ph.D. Dr. Cleveland is professor and chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California in San Diego and has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Montell is the Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as well as a Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology.

Other speakers at the conference include Sanford medical oncologist and researcher, Steven Powell, M.D., and Sanford researchers, Michael Kareta, Ph.D. and Pilar de la Puente, Ph.D.

Dr. Powell's research laboratory focuses on head and neck cancers, while Dr. Kareta's focuses on stem cell genes and their influence on the formation of multiple pediatric and adult tumors. Dr. de la Puente's laboratory uses patient derived model systems to study ovarian cancer disease progression and personalized therapeutics.

Registration is now open. To register for the conference, visit ocmfconference.com.

About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America's heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves 1.4 million patients and nearly 200,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 45 hospitals, 211 clinic locations, more than 160 Good Samaritan Society senior living centers, 2,900 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 540 active clinical trials, and nine world clinic locations around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health's commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.