A Recap of Our 2022 West Coast Conference

Maddy Meislin on October 27, 2022

We are thrilled to announce the 8th Annual West Coast Conference on Work & Cancer brought record breaking attendance numbers as 151 patients, survivors, advocates, social workers, nurses, caregivers, friends, family & more joined us online to learn about navigating work and cancer.

In our first session of the day, attendees heard from Cancer and Careers Deputy Director Rachel Becker, LMSW and Assistant Director Nicole Jarvis, LMSW on the essential points to consider when navigating work after a diagnosis including disclosure, action plans, managing side-effects, communicating effectively, reasonable accommodations and more.

Throughout the day, attendees learned more about our incredible sponsors while watching our program video. And the day was filled with engagement during polls, Q&A with our staff and speakers, as well as a live chat where we saw our community come together to offer support, personal anecdotes of their experience and build relationships with fellow attendees across the country.

Julie Jansen, author, executive and career coach, followed up the lunch break with Job Hunting in 2022, sharing tools and techniques for the nuts and bolts of a job search including writing resumes, cover letters, networking and interviewing. For more job search information, download or order a free copy of our Job Search Toolkit.

Ms. Jansen closed out the day with Career Shifting: Tips, Tools & Techniques. A cancer diagnosis can often lead to, or require, a career shift. Sometimes this may be towards more meaningful work, a flexible schedule, positions with less stress or movement, as only a few examples. This session provided guidance for how to approach this process, including ideas for self-assessment and noting your transferrable skills, identifying obstacles, and how to pursue the new work opportunities that most interest you. For more information on career change, click here.

Our Technology Assistance Program once again awarded laptops to cancer patients and survivors who don’t have access to a reliable device, having now served 225 individuals since its inception in 2021. (If you are interested in being notified about future Technology Assistance Programs, click here.) Real-time closed captioning was also provided throughout the day for all attendees.

Thank you to everyone who joined us – the event was a success because of you!

We are so thankful to our incredible, generous sponsors for making this event possible: