Cancer Summit to feature Huntsman Cancer Institute keynote speaker and local physician panel

The 2018 Cancer Summit will feature cancer specialists from St. John’s Medical Center (SJMC) and Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah. The Summit will be held Thursday, October 11, from 6 to 7 pm, in the Grand View Ballroom at Snow King Lodge.

“One of the exciting opportunities that our affiliation with HCI offers is community and clinical education on important medical topics,” said SJMC communications officer Karen Connelly. “We are very pleased to bring a top researcher and several St. John’s specialists together to speak to our community about new developments in cancer care.”

Keynote speaker Jonathan Tward, MD, PhD, an HCI researcher and radiation oncologist, will present on advances in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Tward will describe how advances in molecular testing and imaging are expanding personalized treatment decisions for prostate cancer.

Dr. Tward is a member of the HCI genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancer treatment teams. He is actively engaged in translational, clinical, and outcomes research. He is one of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Prostate Cancer and Penile Cancer Guidelines panelists, and he is also a strong advocate for cancer patients through his annual advocacy efforts in Washington, DC. Dr. Tward earned a PhD in biochemistry and an MD at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Following Dr. Tward’s presentation, the Summit will feature a physician panel facilitated by Dr. Martin Trott, the medical director of St. John’s Physician Practices. The panel will focus on services available for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cancer. The panelists, physicians with medical staff privileges at St. John’s Medical Center, include Dr. John Ward, hematologist/oncologist; Dr. Ryan Bair, radiation oncologist; Dr. Lisa Finkelstein, urologist; Dr. Ted Morgan, urologist; Dr. Randy Kjorstad, general surgeon; and Dr. Bobby Jones, radiologist.

The Summit will also feature information about brachytherapy, a form of radiation oncology therapy that will be available locally this fall for the treatment of some prostate, breast, skin, and gynecological cancers.

In addition, Dr. John Ward will be recognized at the event for his contributions to the Jackson community. St. John’s Health Cancer Pavilion was recently dedicated in honor of Dr. Ward, and a gift from Dr. Emmy Knobloch created the Dr. John Ward Oncology Fund at the St. John’s Health Foundation.

The Grand View Ballroom is located in the Snow King Lodge, behind the Snow King Hotel. Watch for signs. Refreshments will be provided.