UNMC is continuing its six-week cancer education series for the public, with sessions held throughout June and July as part of a collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has 1,738 members across 76 Nebraska communities and 21 states.
The “Highlights in Cancer Research and Care at UNMC” course brings together experts from the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center to share the latest advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment with people from across the state and region.
David Dyke, MD, curriculum director for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and a retired gastroenterologist, initiated the idea for the cancer education course. Dr. Dyke graduated from UNMC in the mid-1960s.
“At that time, cancer detection and treatment were still in its early stages,” he said. “It was often discouraging and grim.”
Dr. Dyke said his goal in developing the course with Joyce Solheim, PhD, professor at the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases and associate director of the Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Program at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, is to show “how far we’ve come.”
He said the organizers want to replace fear with knowledge and hope.
“I hope this course helps people feel more positive about cancer,” Dr. Dyke said. “And I hope they’ll share what they’ve learned and encourage others to get involved too.”
The initial sessions shared insights into how collaborative efforts with community members and public health leaders across the state are helping broaden outreach and improve early detection through new screening strategies.
“We’ve had tremendous engagement from participants both in-person and on Zoom,” Dr. Solheim said.
Sessions are scheduled for each Monday until July 7 from 3-4:30 p.m. Remaining topics include:
- New approaches to detect pancreatic cancer.
- Innovative treatments for gastrointestinal tumors.
- Prostate cancer research updates.
- How gut bacteria influence cancer development and treatment.
- Strategies to help survivors successfully manage post-treatment challenges.
The series will conclude with insights into how foundational research leads to tomorrow’s treatments.
Courses are free and open to the public. In-person sessions are held at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Room 0.12.103, with free parking available, or participants can join via Zoom.
Those interested in attending can join a webinar via Zoom at this link or register through the OLLI website.