The newly-created LMP (Lab Medicine and Pathobiology) Conference on Cancer Research is the only multidisciplinary undergraduate conference to address the future of cancer research, clinical practice and non-profit support in Canada. The conference, which took place this past Saturday, January 12, was founded and organized by Jasmine Song, a fourth-year LMP student, with the support of the LMP student union and Dr. Doug Templeton.
The conference’s keynote address, by Dr. Gurmit Singh from McMaster University, provided an intriguing new perspective on cancer-induced pain and depression as the consequence of physiological signaling. Undergraduates from all over Ontario attended and were the first to hear the terms “oncokinetics” and “oncodynamics,” coined by Dr. Singh to describe the pain and depression felt by breast cancer patients.
The audience had a chance to choose between three seminars on current trends in cancer research, all of which provided a deeper understanding and appreciation the topic in question. Graduate students who are currently studying cancer also discussed their diverse areas of study.
Dr. David Malkin, Senior Staff Oncologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, delivered the closing keynote address, talking about how clinicians diagnose and treat cancer. He discussed how clinicians leverage innovative research to create more personalized treatment for patients.
Undergraduates had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the conference, especially at the panel discussion with Sally Bean, Dr. Sylvia Asa and Dr. David Uehling.
For more on the LMP Conference on Cancer Research, pick up the upcoming January 21 issue of The Varsity.
