Grant: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Genetics

In conjunction with the 5th Annual Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research, an interactive trainee workshop will be held. This builds the capacity of the ovarian cancer research trainee community by increasing knowledge in the clinical and biological aspects of ovarian cancer and inspires graduate learners to pursue professional goals as researchers in this field. The workshop provides the trainees with an opportunity for a comprehensive and meaningful learning experience about issues involved in ovarian cancer to connect their laboratory work to women with ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer epidemiology, clinical practice, genetics and pathology and current research being done in Canada. A tour of University Health Network Microarray Centre Labs is included. This is the second time a trainee day is held with this Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive about this learning experience in the previous conference. Junior researchers whose work takes them to the bench in laboratories were enthusiastic to get a sense of the scope of the disease and to actually hear about the direct experience of women with ovarian cancer and about the work of clinicians. About 35 attendees are expected. This funding would help support the logistical expenses of the event which includes a presentation on the genetics of ovarian cancer by Dr. Jeremy Squire and the family issues as a result of the inherited predisposition by Susan Randall Armel, a genetics counsellor. Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research is sponsored by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology of Canada (GOC) and Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC), and builds on the previous meetings of these researchers (previously held in Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal). The conference develops a multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research community.