The Hirshberg Foundation is happy to share that Shelby Yaceczko, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC will be joining us at the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss nutrition management post-diagnosis.

This interactive discussion will explore nutrition principles after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and what both patients and caregivers should know. We will review the importance of diet and wellness at every phase of the pancreatic cancer journey including meal planning and symptom management as it relates to food.

Shelby Yaceczko works with the Integrated Practice Unit (IPU) at UCLA leading the Nutrition for Safer Surgeries Program, funded through the Hirshberg Foundation. This program aims to provide early nutrition assessment and intervention for any patient with a new or existing gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis, with a special focus on pancreatic cancer. Shelby provides medical nutrition therapy services covering a range of areas such as preventing or correcting nutritional deficiencies, enhancing quality of life during cancer treatment, minimizing side effects from cancer treatments, and providing personalized nutrition prescriptions and goals to both patients and caregivers. She knows how important nutrition is before, during, and after cancer treatment and its related surgeries, and this new program aims to support patients and their caregivers throughout the process.

Shelby Yaceczko is one of few advanced practice registered dietitian nutritionists in California. She holds a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and is currently finishing her Doctor of Clinical Nutrition studies. Additionally, she is board certified in sport nutrition, transplant nutrition, and nutrition support. Shelby focuses her efforts on providing personalized nutrition therapy in the treatment of complex disease states at UCLA Health including nutrition for cancer, gastrointestinal surgeries, and improving the general wellness of patients through diet and lifestyle changes. She understands that good nutrition is a catalyst to help you thrive and reach life potential. Shelby is described as passionate and innovative, while firmly believing in the mind-body connection. Throughout her career, she has worked to empower people of all ages to better understand the power of nutrition and its impact on overall well-being and disease management.

Nutrition plays an important role at all stages of treatment and it is one of the most requested topics at our annual Symposiums. We look forward to hearing Shelby Yaceczko’s, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC presentation on Dietary Management Post-Diagnosis.

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to welcome Sandra H. Sacks, MD, MEd to the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss Palliative Care – It’s Not Hospice!

There is clear evidence that patients living with serious illnesses can benefit greatly from early palliative care. Palliative care is not hospice care. It does not replace any cancer-directed treatment. Instead, palliative care teams work together with oncology teams to decrease pain, relieve symptom burden, and improve the quality of life in patients living with serious illnesses and their families.

Dr. Sacks is a triple board-certified physician in Anesthesiology, Palliative Medicine, and Pain Medicine. She serves as the current Chair of the Committee on Palliative Medicine for the American Society of Anesthesia (ASA). She is a cancer pain specialist at UCLA, and is committed to delivering compassionate and quality palliative care to patients and their families. Her clinical focus is on managing oncologic pain through multimodal medical management and minimally-invasive interventions.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Sacks present on this ever-important topic Palliative Care – It’s Not Hospice!

The Hirshberg Foundation is delighted to announce that Randall Brand, MD will be joining the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to present Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial?

Dr. Brand will describe the importance of clinical trials for pancreatic cancer early detection and treatment. He will also discuss how to get involved in a clinical trial and review how to determine if participating in a particular clinical trial is the right step for a treatment plan.

Randall Brand, MD, is a gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is the academic director for the GI Division at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. Dr. Brand also directs the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s GI Malignancy Early Detection, Diagnosis and Prevention Program and leads UPMC’s Hereditary GI Tumor Clinic.

Dr. Brand’s clinical interests include the early detection of pancreatic cancer, evaluating and caring for family members from pancreatic cancer-prone families, hereditary GI cancers, and evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions. He participates in multiple NCI-, NIH- and DoD-funded research projects focused on the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

We are excited to welcome back Dr. Brand to our Symposium to present Should I Participate in a Clinical Trial?

The Hirshberg Foundation is pleased to announce that V. Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS will be joining us at the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to discuss the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cysts.

Dr. V. Raman Muthusamy, Director of Endoscopy at UCLA Health and Professor of Clinical Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, last shared important information on pancreatic cysts in 2021 as part of our Patient and Family Webinar Series. Dr. Muthusamy will return to our Symposium stage to update us about pancreatic cysts.

With advances in imaging and technology, much is changing in the world of pancreatic cysts. Dr. Muthusamy will explain what pancreatic cysts are, how commonly they are found, the different kinds of cysts and the overall risk for any cyst. He will talk about the various diagnostic tests that are currently available to help determine what type of cyst a patient may have. He will also discuss the guidelines on how to manage the cysts.

V. Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS is currently a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and is the Medical Director of Endoscopy for the UCLA Health System. His clinical research interests include endoscopic eradication techniques for Barrett’s esophagus, clinical applications of EUS and ERCP as well as endoscope reprocessing. Dr. Muthusamy has helped develop quality metrics in Barrett’s esophagus and led the initial multi-center evaluation of the first single-use duodenoscope. Previously, he was a faculty member at the University of California Irvine (UCI) Medical Center, where he served as the director of the GI Fellowship Program, as well as director of Endoscopic Ultrasound at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Muthusamy completed his undergraduate work at Stanford University with distinction and went to medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he graduated with Honors. His residency was undertaken at Duke University Medical Center where he served as assistant chief resident and traveled abroad to study evidence-based medicine under Dr. David Sackett at Oxford University. He completed his GI fellowship at UCSF before undertaking his advanced endoscopy fellowship at UCI, which he completed in 2001. Dr. Muthusamy is a past-president of the Orange County GI Society and a current Councilor and a Past- President of the Southern California Society of Gastroenterology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA). He recently completed two three-year terms as the ACG Governor for Southern California and is the immediate past Chair of the AGA ’s Center for GI Innovation and Technology. He is an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Gastroenterology and previously served as Co-Director of the ASGE’s Improving Quality and Safety in Your Endoscopy Unit course.

An important and evolving topic, we are honored to have Dr. Muthusamy present Pancreatic Cysts: Diagnosing and Treatment in 2023.

The Hirshberg Foundation is happy to welcome a panel of patients and caregivers to share their cancer stories with us at the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer.

We are honored, each year, to share the stories of pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers. These honest and personal discussions give us all perspective, insight and sensitivity to the journey of both patients and loved ones once someone in the family is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This year we have an amazing line up of two survivors, Jay Sandler and Judith Anne Desjardins, and two caregivers, Shirley Peppers and Leslie Nelson to be moderated by Jenny Tran, PhD.

Dr. Tran works at the Simms/Mann Center, in addition to providing support within the UCLA Alhambra Cancer care clinic, and co-manages the psychosocial care within the UCLA Advanced GI Cancer Program. She provides a monthly online orientation for patients and family members to learn about the supportive care services available to them, including information about the Simms/Mann Center, Palliative Care, and Nutrition Oncology.

Jay Sandler, Survivor, Diagnosed December, 2012

I was born in Boston and came out to California in 1987. I have two Berkeley Grads, a boy and a girl and have 3 grandkids. I am an accountant by training working as a Controller in manufacturing firms and along the way I owned a Dunkin Donut and an Orange Julius. I’m currently working with friends at the Canopy Cancer Collective as we started an online peer-to-peer Pancreatic Cancer Support Group through AnCan that meets on the 4th Thursday each month at 5:00PM (Pacific).   

Judith Anne Desjardins, Survivor, Diagnosed October 7, 2020

I have been an Oncology Social Worker (1976-78), the wife of a prostate cancer patient (wrote the book, “Our Journey with Prostate Cancer: Empowering Strategies for Patients and Families” 2014), and produced the video “How To Beat Cancer in A Holistic Way” about my pancreatic cancer journey (2020 – present). I am cancer-free 29 months and have a holistic psychotherapy practice.

Shirley Peppers, Caregiver, wife of Roger Fox, diagnosed May 2018

Roger was diagnosed five years ago and has been cancer free since his Whipple surgery in February 2019.  He has continued to work as a money manager, investor and CPA.  I retired in 2018 from a fundraising career for Stanford, Harvard and UCLA. I am now an artist.

After Roger’s diagnosis, I was on a panel with other classmates – two doctors and a cancer survivor – for our 50th Reunion.  I talked about my role as a caregiver and that the grief and concern we feel for our loved one can’t be avoided.  Also, I was introduced to a woman whose husband was also struggling with the after-effects of pancreatic cancer.  We had phone conversations every few weeks which was invaluable to both of us to have someone to connect with in a similar situation.  During the last few months, I have amped up my exercise routine substantially and it has moderated the anxiety and the circular worrying.  Roger continues cancer free and is slowly getting more energy.

Leslie Nelson, Caregiver, daughter of Dr. Norman Carabet, diagnosed January, 2016

Our father Norman was a very healthy and active 82-year-old retired doctor at the time of diagnosis. His father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 94.  The fact that our father was a doctor was both a blessing and a curse.  It gave him the ability to recognize symptoms early on. Yet it also made it impossible for him to not “manage” some of his healthcare alongside his Oncologist which wasn’t always in his best interest. Post diagnosis our father continued to live his life as fully as possible with a positive attitude. He traveled, enjoyed the company of his family and friends, built models and spent as much time as possible on his boat relaxing in the sun.  Nothing made him happier than to share his knowledge with his grandchildren and then watch them as they applied those lessons in their own life.  Throughout his journey he continued in his role as our patriarch and our hero.

We look forward to hosting this uplifting and informative Panel Discussion: Perspectives from Survivors and Caregivers.

The Hirshberg Foundation is happy to announce KaKit P. Hui, MD will be joining us at the 17th Annual Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer to review Integrative East-West Medicine to Optimize Health & Wellness.
Stress-related problems are widespread for both cancer patients and their families. The person-centered, integrative East-West model will be helpful in these challenging times. The Center for East West Medicine at UCLA offers world-class medical care for both hospitalized and ambulatory patients in several locations, blending the best of modern Western and traditional Chinese medicine.
Ka-Kit Hui, M.D., F.A.C.P. is the Wallis Annenberg Professor in Integrative East-West Medicine and Founder and Director of the Center for East-West Medicine at the Department of Medicine of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Hui, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, is an internationally acclaimed educator and researcher and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, with an expertise in Geriatrics. He is a recognized authority on Chinese Medicine and integrative medicine, and is bilingual in Chinese and English. Since 1990s, Dr. Hui has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) in different areas, including Standard Terminology in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Appropriate Integration of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM or TCM) into Health Systems and Health Care Services, and Quality of Academic Education in Traditional Medicine. He has also provided consultation to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), health insurance companies, drug companies and the media, and has held visiting and honorary professorships in various universities throughout the world.

In December 1993, Dr. Hui founded the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, which is one of the first integrative medicine centers in the United States. His basic and clinical investigations, as well clinical practices as both generalist and consultant, have provided him with unique insights into the concepts of regulation, homeostasis and balance, as well as the complementarity of modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. He has developed a model system of comprehensive care that is a patient-centered, problem-solving approach emphasizing health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, and is safe, effective, affordable and accessible to all. The Center’s clinical program receives referrals from more than 500 physicians within UCLA for refractory problems, including many pain conditions, and continues to expand to meet the demand for a holistic patient care model within UCLA. Dr. Hui understands the importance of disseminating the Center’s innovative healthcare model so that more people can benefit from it. The Center’s extensive education programs offer fellowships, rotations, classes, workshops, conferences and events to physicians, medical residents, health care professionals, medical and non-medical students, and community members throughout the year.

We are privileged and honored to have Dr. Hui present Integrative East-West Medicine to Optimize Health & Wellness.