Startingin 3 mins! Looking forward to the #AACRCOVID Patient Advocate Forum on COVID-19 and cancer. With #AACRSSP founder @AnnaBarker20 and @slibutti @DrLauraEsserman @adamhayden @AACR_CEO among others. Proud to be an alum of the @aacr Scientist Survivor Program! https://twitter.com/cancerassassin1/status/1311689699111690240

Here is the agenda for today's #AACRCOVID Patient Advocate Forum on COVID-19 and cancer: https://www.aacr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AACR_PAF_Agenda-1.pdf

And here is info on the @AACR #AACRSSP Scientist<>Survivor Program:
https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/patient-advocacy/scientist-survivor-program/
#AACRCOVID

I HIGHLY recommend that cancer patient advocates w/an interest in research, #clinicaltrials, & collaboration w/scientists and researchers check out this incredible program. I learned so much when I participated in 2017 and hope to have the privilege of joining again! #AACRCOVID

Now up: @AnnaBarker20 - founder of the #AACRSSP program (it has been around for over 20 years! Now, THAT's visionary), introducing @adamhayden of #btsm, alum of #AACRSSP, and the @StanfordMedX #ePatient program. #AACRCOVID

I can't tweet now as @adamhayden is giving us a visualization exercise! #AACRCOVID

@adamhayden's visualization exercise asks us to envision the immediate personal disruption that #covid19 has wrought as well as the long term community/society ripple effects (he has us imagine a body of water and then throwing a rock into it - the rock = covid) #AACRCOVID

If you don't know @adamhayden here is his website: https://glioblastology.com/  #AACRCOVID

Up now @slibutti with a presentation on the state of #COVID19 Science. #AACRCOVID

@slibutti begins his talk about #COVID19 science with a recap on previous coronaviruses: SARS and MERS. SARS which was highly lethal actually burned itself out in about a year. Also MERS, which is still around but less easily transmitted than COVID19. #AACRCOVID

And now he is recapping facts on #covid19 including the the varied symptoms we have all heard about. Here is a recap of the types of testing available: #AACRCOVID

And here @slibutti shares the graph that shows the two spikes we have had so far in the US. #AACRCOVID

Yet again, another scientist confirms for us that you can significantly decrease the risk of transmitting #covid19 with masks and physical distancing. Thank you @slibutti #AACRCOVID

Reassuring reports from @slibutti about surface transmission: with best cleaning/hygiene practices it seems less high-risk as a transmission pathway for #covid19. #AACRCOVID

First question from @AnnaBarker20 for @slibutti: why do some people get mildly ill while others come down with the most severe version of #covid19? #AACRCOVID

BTW, here are today's #AACRCOVID speaker bios: https://www.aacr.org/paf_speakerbios/

Up now, @DrLauraEsserman on the topic of "Care For Patients With Cancer In The #covid19 Pandemic" @AnnaBarker20 reminds us of Dr Esserman's innovative work in #clinicaltrials and #bcsm. #AACRCOVID

@DrLauraEsserman opens with a recap of the things we know about #covid19, and also mentions ACE inhibitors (as did @slibutti) as mechanism for the virus to get in #AACRCOVID

Sharing @DrLauraEsserman's slides. Sorry! My brain went into chemobrain mode and I can't find the words! #AACRCOVID

@DrLauraEsserman's KEY point re #covid19 learnings: if you don't have virtual pt support offering you're discriminating as not everyone can drive to a support group. People in the #disability community have bn saying this for EVER. And I can say I have been there too #AACRCOVID

Up now, Dr Avram Spira sharing his learnings from several ICU rotations treating #COVID19. Over time his team learned more about the virus and how to improve ways to treat it in real time.
#AACRCOVID

Dr Spira and team managed to improve mortality in the ICU over a short period of time by being willing to learn and adapt in real time to this complex disease. Always important to hear stories of hope. #AACRCOVID

Now Dr Spira gives an overview of the #covid19 vaccine landscape. #AACRCOVID

Dr Spira is at BU as well as J&J. He is now discussing the J&J vaccine initiative. #AACRCOVID

As I understand it, Dr Spira explains that JnJ has an underlying vaccine product that's already in use for other vaccines against diseases like Ebola—and are using it as a base to develop their #covid19 vaccine. #AACRCOVID

Not yet peer-reviewed, so must be seen with precaution, but JnJ moved into a Phase 3 #clinicaltrial of their single-dose #covid19 potential vaccine just last week. #AACRCOVID

Dr Spira concludes he is confident we will beat this virus based on rapid iteration of treatment modalities AND unprecedented collaboration and rapid development of potential vaccines. #AACRCOVID

Great question from @AnnaBarker20 to Dr Spira: why do we have 180 vaccines in development for this one disease? His answer: we need multiple shots on goal given the urgency, the multiplicity of ways in which people are affected by the disease, etc. #AACRCOVID

Very important thread through this whole #AACRCOVID
forum: racial disparities and #covid19 — cancer and #clinicaltrials also have these racial disparities.