UC to Host Forum on Breast Cancer Risks and Prevention

WHAT: The Athena Breast Health Forum will host the first of an ongoing series of live discussions between breast cancer experts, health care providers, patients and community members about critical issues and advances in breast health.

The first session will focus on breast cancer risk assessment and prevention.

The forum is hosted by the Athena Breast Health Network, a collaboration of the five University of California medical campuses in which as many as 150,000 women in California will be screened for breast cancer and tracked for decades. Athena will test and compare new methods of delivering breast health care for women.

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, 7 - 9 p.m.

WHERE: Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street, San Francisco

WHO: The forum will be moderated by Michael Krasny, PhD, host of the KQED Public Radio talk show Forum. Speakers are:

• Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, founder of Athena and director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center;
• Joshua Fenton, MD, MPH, assistant professor of family and community medicine at UC Davis;
• Per Hall, MD, PhD, a director of the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden;
• Arash Naeim, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and hematology/oncology at UCLA and Athena site principal investigator;
• Anne Wallace, MD, division chief of plastic surgery at UC San Diego and breast care unit director.

CONTACT: Admission is free, space is limited. Members of the public should RSVP to (415) 476-0267; media should contact Elizabeth Fernandez at (415) 514-1592.

For more information on Athena, visit athenacarenetwork.org.

About UCSF Medical Center
UCSF Medical Center consistently ranks as one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States. Recognized for innovative treatments, advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals and scientists, and a highly compassionate patient care team, UCSF Medical Center serves as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco. The medical center's nationally preeminent programs include children's health, the brain and nervous system, organ transplantation, women's health and cancer. It operates as a self-supporting enterprise within UCSF and generates its own revenues to cover the operating costs of providing patient care.

Follow UCSF Medical Center on www.facebook.com/UCSFMedicalCenter or on Twitter @UCSFHospitals.

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