Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Inc

TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT BLADDER CANCER, TO ADVANCE BLADDER CANCER RESEARCH, AND TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE BLADDER CANCER COMMUNITY.

RESEARCH BCAN WORKS TO ADVANCE BLADDER CANCER RESEARCH. RECOGNIZING THE OVERWHELMING NEED FOR RESEARCH FUNDING, BCAN HAS ENGAGED A NEW GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS WITH THE YOUNG INVESTIGATOR RESEARCH AWARDS, AND IN 2021 GRANTED FIVE AWARDS. IN ADDITION, BCAN SUPPORTS EXCEPTIONALLY NOVEL AND CREATIVE PROJECTS WITH GREAT POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE BREAKTHROUGHS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BLADDER CANCER THROUGH ITS BLADDER CANCER RESEARCH INNOVATION AWARD, A 300,000 GRANT AWARDED OVER TWO-YEARS. TWO RESEARCH INNOVATION AWARDS WERE GRANTED IN 2021.

EDUCATION AND INFORMATION BCAN HOSTS A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND PUBLISHES PRINTED MATERIALS TO EDUCATE THOSE COPING WITH A BLADDER CANCER DIAGNOSIS. BCANS COMPREHENSIVE PATIENT HANDBOOK, BLADDER CANCER BASICS FOR THE NEWLY DIAGNOSED, HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO THOUSANDS OF SURVIVORS, CAREGIVERS, UROLOGY PRACTICES, AND CANCER CENTERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE PATIENT INSIGHT WEBINAR SERIES IS AN INTERACTIVE PROGRAM THAT ADDRESSES A VARIETY OF ISSUES. THE WEBINARS FEATURE TOP EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD AND ADDRESS PATIENT CONCERNS IN AN EASY FORMAT. THE SURVIVOR 2 SURVIVOR PROGRAM CONNECTS NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH SURVIVORS WITH A SIMILAR DIAGNOSIS.

THINK TANK THE BLADDER CANCER THINK TANK (THINK TANK) IS THE PREMIER SCIENTIFIC MEDICAL SYMPOSIUM DEDICATED SOLELY TO BLADDER CANCER. THROUGH COLLABORATION, UROLOGISTS, ONCOLOGISTS, SCIENTISTS, AND RESEARCHERS ARE PIONEERING NEW TREATMENT PROTOCOLS, INVESTIGATING GENETIC EXPRESSIONS, AND IMPROVING ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH THE DISEASE. THE 2021 THINK TANK WAS HELD VIRTUALLY DUE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC.

WALK TO END BLADDER CANCER THE WALK TO END BLADDER CANCER IS BCANS SIGNATURE AWARENESS EVENT AND PRIMARILY TAKES PLACE IN MAY. THE WALKS UNITE BLADDER CANCER SURVIVORS, LOVED ONES, AND THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY TO PROMOTE RECOGNITION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISEASE. IN 2021, BCAN HAD 1,443 VIRTUAL PARTICIPANTS FROM 714 CITIES IN 47 STATES (INCLUDING D.C. AND PUERTO RICO) AND 11 COUNTRIES. BCANS SOCIAL MEDIA REACH WAS 3.1 MILLION PEOPLE. ADVOCACY AS THE VOICE FOR THE PATIENT COMMUNITY, BCAN PARTICIPATES IN COALITIONS AND WORKS WITH OTHER MEMBERSHIP GROUPS TO WEIGH IN ON POLICY ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THOSE LIVING WITH BLADDER CANCER. BCAN PROVIDES THE BLADDER CANCER COMMUNITY WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD CONNECTIONS, IDENTIFY BLADDER CANCER STATE AND NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE, AND LEARN BEST PRACTICES FOR RAISING AWARENESS OF BLADDER CANCER WITHIN COMMUNITIES. PATIENT AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT BCAN IS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION AND VOLUNTEERS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF PATIENT OUTREACH. BCAN CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS WHICH WERE FORMALIZED IN 2014. - SURVIVOR 2 SURVIVOR MATCHES NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH OTHER SURVIVORS WHO HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. THROUGH THESE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS, NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVING WITH BLADDER CANCER AND TREATMENT OPTIONS.