Our 13th annual National Conference on Work & Cancer was held last week on Friday, June 23rd. We were thrilled to see a mix of patients, survivors, caregivers, HR/ nonprofit/healthcare professionals, managers, coworkers, advocates, friends and family members come together from around the country – and even the globe!

This year’s Conference saw a record-setting attendance with a total of 747 attendees throughout the day. To have our largest turnout since the 2011 launch of program was a huge milestone, but more than that a resounding reminder of how vital this day of learning and support truly is. Attendees joined us from 44 states (plus DC and the Virgin Islands) as well as from 11 other countries. 

To make sure we offered an engaging and inspiring day, this year’s content brought a mix of formal presentations and panel discussions, which offered our audience the opportunity to hear from speakers with diverse perspectives on some of the issues that sit at the heart of the work and cancer conversation. Topics covered during the day included navigating work after a cancer diagnosis, managing stress, how to get the best support from your medical team, engaging HR to help address your needs in the workplace, identifying strategies for managing nutrition, treatment and work and more! 

We were thrilled to be able to award 40 laptops through our Technology Assistance Program. These computers are provided to cancer patients and survivors who don’t have access to a reliable device and would be otherwise unable to attend the Conference. (If you are interested in being notified about future Technology Assistance Programs, click here.) To continue to reach our accessibility goals, we also provided real-time closed captioning throughout the day for all attendees.

We start planning the National Conference six months before we host it, so to receive feedback like this from one of our attendees reminds us how every single detail is appreciated. “Absolutely Amazing conference! Everything was so well organized and professional. From the email reminders, PowerPoint slides and agendas, everything was well presented. Timely Q&A responses in the chat. All of the topics were relevant, and each session included a diverse population with so much great information and resources. Cancer and Careers is the Best!"

If you were unable to join us for the Conference, please check out our upcoming live Balancing Work & Cancer Webinars where you’ll find deep dives on many of the issues explored during the day. We also offer these sessions on our video archive to replay at your convenience. In addition, next week registration opens for our virtual West Coast Conference on Work & Cancer happening on October 21st. Details will be posted here.

And as always, our conference simply would not be possible without the overwhelmingly generous support of our sponsors.