Nineteenth Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer

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Held in collaboration with the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases at the Luskin Conference Center
April 5, 2025
8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Schedule

8:30 am – 9:00 am Check-in
9:00 am – 9:15 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
Lisa Manheim, Executive Director
Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Agi Hirshberg, Founder & CEO
Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Tim Donahue, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
9:15 am – 9:45 am Navigating Your Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Right From The Start
Emily Martin, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
9:45 am – 9:55 am  Q & A
9:55 am – 10:25 am Pancreatic Cancer Progress Report 2025
Tim Donahue, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
10:25 am – 10:35 am Q & A
10:35 am – 10:50 am Break
10:50 am – 11:15 am Surgical Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer: A Moving Target
Jon King, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
11:15 am – 11:25 am Q & A
11:25 am – 11:50 am Staying Strong Through Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Nutrition and Movement Matter!
Shelby D. Yaceczko, DCN, RDN-AP, CNSC
University of California, Los Angeles
11:50 am – 12:00 pm Q & A
12:00 pm – 12:10 pm Survivor Photo
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm – 1:20 pm Empowering Pancreatic Cancer Patients with Mindfulness
Barbara Demman, MSN, RN, ACNP, CNS
University of California, Los Angeles
1:20 pm – 1:50 pm Cannabis and Oncology: What Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Should Know
Ziva Cooper, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
1:50 pm – 2:00 pm Q & A
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Panel Discussion: Perspectives from Survivors and Caregivers
Moderator: Annette Stanton, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles


Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Emily Martin, MD, to discuss Navigating Your Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Right From The Start

The Hirshberg Foundation is happy to announce Emily Martin, MD, will be joining us at the 19th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to share ways to navigate your pancreatic cancer treatment once diagnosed.

In this presentation, Dr. Martin will introduce a framework for patient-centered pancreatic cancer care and provide practical tools and resources to assist patients in navigating their treatments. She will address common challenges patients face and highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to treatment starting at diagnosis.

Dr. Emily Martin is a Palliative Medicine physician, physician informaticist, and health services researcher at UCLA. She serves as the Director of Palliative Care and is co-leading UCLA’s efforts to advance the delivery of comprehensive, interdisciplinary, person-centered pancreatic cancer care across the trajectory of illness.

An important topic for our pancreatic cancer community, we are so happy to have Dr. Martin present Navigating Your Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Right From The Start at the 19th Annual Symposium.


Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Tim Donahue, MD to share Pancreatic Cancer Progress Report 2025

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Tim Donahue will attend the 19th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to share a 2025 progress report on pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Donahue will provide an update on promising new treatment developments for pancreatic cancer. These include advancements in earlier diagnosis strategies, surgical interventions, targeted therapies, and immunotherapies, which are beginning to show potential for this challenging disease. He will also review state-of-the-art approaches to medical and comprehensive patient care offered at the Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases.

Dr. Timothy Donahue serves as Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, which supports his robust research program. As the Medical Director for Cancer Services, Dr. Donahue oversees all cancer-related care across the UCLA Health System. In his role as Director of the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases, Dr. Donahue is a highly skilled pancreatic surgeon, performing three to four pancreatic surgeries per week. He and his team tackle some of the most complex cases, achieving outcomes that rank among the best in the world. Dr. Donahue is deeply committed to providing patients with pancreatic cancer state-of-the-art care and personalized treatment. Beyond his clinical expertise, Dr. Donahue leads a National Institutes of Health-funded research laboratory as Principal Investigator. His research focuses on developing innovative drugs and improving treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer. He collaborates extensively with researchers across UCLA to advance the scientific understanding and management of this challenging disease.

An important presentation for our pancreatic cancer community, we are so happy to have Dr. Donahue present Pancreatic Cancer Progress Report 2025 at the 19th Annual Symposium.


Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Jon King, MD to discuss Surgical Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer: A Moving Target

The Hirshberg Foundation is excited to announce that Dr. Jon King will be joining us at the 19th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss the evolving nature of surgical treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Surgery is a cornerstone of treatment for pancreatic cancer that has not spread outside of the primary (main) tumor. While surgery to remove most pancreatic tumors is complex and has historically been associated with poor outcomes, improvements in pancreatic surgery in the past 40 years have made surgery reliably safe for nearly all patients. More recent advances have brought minimally-invasive techniques, complex vascular (blood vessel) resection/reconstruction, and enhanced recovery after surgery into routine clinical use. These, along with effective chemotherapies that are frequently applied before surgery, means that more and more patients are candidates for surgery today than ever before.

Dr. Jonathan King is an Associate Professor in the Division of General Surgery at UCLA. He attended the University of Maryland for his M.D. degree before coming to UCLA for his general surgery residency. After residency, Dr. King spent two years in Pittsburgh, PA (UPMC) for a surgical oncology fellowship before returning to Los Angeles to join the surgery faculty. He is board certified in General Surgery as well as Complex Surgical Oncology and has particular interest in pancreatic cancer and disseminated peritoneal malignancies. He has expertise in robotic-assisted minimally invasive pancreas surgery and performed UCLA’s first minimally-invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure). He also started UCLA’s program for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC).

In addition to his clinical interests Dr. King has authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts as well as book chapters in some of the authoritative surgical textbooks. Dr. King is an enthusiastic surgical educator and is developing the UCLA residency training curriculum for robotic-assisted surgery and he is a member of numerous professional societies.

A valuable presentation for our pancreatic cancer community; we are so happy to have Dr. King present the Surgical Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer: A Moving Target at the 19th Annual Symposium.


Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Shelby Yaceczko to share Staying Strong Through Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Nutrition and Movement Matter!

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Yaceczko will join us at the 19th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss the importance of staying strong through pancreatic cancer treatment through nutrition and movement.

This topic will review the intersection of diet and physical activity in maintaining muscle health and reducing whole-body inflammation. Designed for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers, the session will explore evidence-based strategies for optimizing nutrition to preserve muscle mass and boost energy throughout the entire cancer continuum. Attendees will learn practical tips on incorporating cancer wellness strategies to improve overall well-being, enhance treatment outcomes, and reduce fatigue to stay strong.

Shelby Yaceczko is an advanced practice registered dietitian who specializes in complex gastrointestinal conditions. She leads the Nutrition for Safer Surgeries program and supports the Division of Digestive Diseases and Surgical Oncology patient population at UCLA Health. She is part of the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases, where she spends most of her time helping patients with pancreatic cancer improve their nutritional status and overall wellbeing during their cancer journey. 

An important presentation for our pancreatic cancer community, we are so pleased to have Shelby Yaceczko present Staying Strong Through Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Nutrition and Movement Matter! at the 19th Annual Symposium.


Symposium Speaker Spotlight: Barbara Demman to present Empowering Pancreatic Cancer Patients with Mindfulness

The Hirshberg Foundation is happy to announce Barbara Demman will join us at the 19th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to show how Mindfulness can empower pancreatic cancer patients.

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which we focus on awareness in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind. Mindfulness offers additional support to people with pancreatic cancer and their caregivers by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression while also increasing positive emotions and enjoyment of daily life. In this segment, we will participate in a group activity of a guided mindfulness meditation.

Barbara Demman is a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist. She currently serves as a hospice nurse practitioner and lecturer at UCLA School of Nursing.

Barbara completed a yearlong fellowship at the UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center. Her current research, supported by the Hirshberg Foundation, examines mindfulness-based interventions and decreasing symptom burden among patients with pancreatic cancer, as well as fostering connection and intimacy between cancer patients and their primary caregivers.

Barbara also has a passion for working with patients and families throughout the entire dying process in her hospice nurse practitioner role. She advocates for those who are dying and facilitating patient and family wishes and care preferences at the end of life.

An important tool for our pancreatic cancer community, we are so pleased to have Barbara Demman present Empowering Pancreatic Cancer Patients with Mindfulness at the 19th Annual Symposium.