On Oct. 8, the UF Health Cancer Center hosted the ASCO Direct™ Highlights: Therapeutic Immuno-Oncology Advances for the Practitioner.

This virtual conference focused on bringing oncology care providers the most relevant and timely practice updates related to advances in immunotherapy. In partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, we highlighted recently presented data that impacts patient care including recent pivotal clinical trial results, toxicity management and special patient populations.

“We’re very proud and excited to have sponsored this conference highlighting leading-edge advances in the treatment of cancer by modulating the immune system,” said Jonathan Licht, M.D., director of the UF Health Cancer Center and conference host. “It offered the attendees updates on the science behind immunology and the impactful results from clinical trials, which can be directly translated into patient care.”

The internationally attended conference, which was also a hit among trainees, featured speakers from the UF Health Cancer Center, Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Georgetown University Medical Center.

“While we certainly missed the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our colleagues for networking and enriching discussion, the conference was a great success. It was particularly exciting because the adaptation to a virtual format allowed us to continue meeting the educational needs of cancer care professionals despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Martina Murphy, M.D., conference co-chair. “This year’s virtual format was born out of necessity, but it actually enabled us to have a larger educational impact on our cancer care community than ever before. I look forward to many more opportunities like it in the future.”