For nearly 30 years, NBCC has been a leader in supplying the education, tools and training that empowers breast cancer survivors and other advocates to make their own informed decisions and to take leadership roles in clinical, scientific, policy and legislative decision-making that affects breast cancer research, healthcare and public policy.
NBCC’s Advocate Leadership Summit is an annual gathering of breast cancer advocates from across the country and around the world. Participants attend sessions on the latest scientific research, training in effective advocacy strategies and presentations by respected researchers in the field, grassroots leaders from around the country and prominent public policy experts. The Advocate Leadership Summit is the premier breast cancer advocacy event that attracts women and men from the U.S and other countries. Attendees include breast cancer survivors, caregivers, patient advocates and many others who are affected by breast cancer.
Register for NBCC’s 2023 Advocate Leadership Summit
Join us for the 2023 Advocate Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, May 6-8, at the Park Hyatt Hotel! The Summit is the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s premier annual breast cancer advocacy event. The Summit offers discussion sessions with top researchers and advocates, as well as skill-building, message training, and strategic planning activities needed to energize us for the important work in the year ahead.
At the 2023 Advocate Leadership Summit, we will continue to build on the strengths of the tireless and talented advocates who will help NBCC achieve our mission to end breast cancer for everyone.
Register today or learn more about this event here.
On April 30 – May 2, 2022, NBCC hosted advocates in person again for the first time since 2019.
The 2022 program included an array of exciting plenary sessions featuring some of the most distinguished voices in breast cancer research and advocacy. Drs. Fumiko Chino and Lee Newcomer joined Kent Rogers, Beth Emery, and Ivis Febus-Sampayo in a timely discussion about value-based cancer care. NBCC President Fran Visco sat down with The Cancer Letter’s Paul Goldberg to share stories and insights from the organization’s earliest days. Drs. Naomi Ko, Melissa Davis, and Michelle Doose joined advocates Marylinn Minor and Ghecemy Lopez to engage in a crucial conversation about disparities in breast cancer and paths towards equity in health care. Drs. Cyrus Ghajar, Keith Knutson, and Simon Knott, and advocate Pat Haugen gave the annual update on their ongoing work with NBCC’s Artemis Project and how this work is fostering innovative breast cancer research, including the development of a preventative vaccine. There was also an engaging political plenary featuring keynote speaker Rep. Jamie Raskin, as well as Jocelyn Frye of the National Partnership for Women & Families, and Leslie Proll of the Conference on Civil and Human Rights. They discussed strategies for advocates looking to accomplish their goals in the face of ongoing challenges to democracy.
Attendees were also able to enjoy a variety of workshops aimed at honing their scientific understanding and advocacy skills. They heard from Capitol Hill staffers on crucial issues like how to build relationships with new members of Congress, as well as navigating advocacy in this new normal. They learned about the need for awareness about patient data online, as well as how to critically engage with cancer research in the news. The Summit also featured rigorous scientific workshops on topics including liquid biopsies, COVID-19 and cancer, new horizons in breast cancer metastasis research, and the ways in which evidence influences the launching of clinical trials. There were also tailored sessions for first-time advocates including an introduction to Congress, and an interactive round table discussion with seasoned NBCC advocates. Attendees were able to choose between different concurrent sessions in order to tailor their experience to suit their needs.
As usual, the Summit was followed by our annual Lobby Day on May 3. Meetings were held through video conferencing and in-person meetings, and advocates reported many successful conversations with their Representatives. Advocates participated in approximately 150 meetings, added 10 new cosponsors to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act, and received another 15 new indications of support for the legislation. We look forward to adding additional new cosponsors in the near future. It is NBCC’s mission to ensure that, even during these challenging times, the needs of breast cancer patients and survivors will not be forgotten.
