The American Association for Cancer Education (AACE), the Cancer Patient Education Network (CPEN), and the European Association for Cancer Education (EACE) invites students, educators, researchers, health professionals, and community members to submit their research, practice, education and evaluation findings for dissemination at the annual conference.
Thirty years ago, Jane Dixon described the goals of education as an evolutionary cascade that can now be conceptualized as the 'Dixon-6' steps of health care education:

1. Increasing awareness/changing attitudes
2. Building skills
3. Increasing knowledge


4. Changing behaviors, with the goal of changing the experience of: Patients and families & health care organizations and society

Recognizing that knowledge alone is insufficient to change the experience of patients and families, health care organizations and societies, and that many evaluations of educational initiatives have not looked at the impact on patients and families, the theme for this year's AACE-CPEN-EACE meeting, the "Art and Science of Cancer Education and Evaluation" focuses on the current state of cancer education. Participants are invited to present and discuss innovative cancer education initiatives, evaluation techniques and outcome measurement throughout the continuum of cancer care including the following (which will also serve as the abstract submission categories):

• Prevention, including risk factor reduction and special populations


• Early detection, including screening strategies


• Treatment, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, complementary and integrative medicine


• Survivorship


• Palliative care, including pain and other symptom control, effective communication strategies


• Disparities in access to care and services


• Patient/family education, including program development, management, literacy, competencies


• Health care professional education, including medical, nursing, pharmacy, social work, and trainees


• Community outreach and education

OBJECTIVES
Those involved in education related to any cancer such as breast, colorectal, lung, prostate, etc., including health care professionals, patient and family educators, researchers, public health and other professionals are invited to:

• Present and discuss innovative cancer education initiatives, their evaluation and dissemination


• Develop new skills in the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of cancer education initiatives


• Identify sources of support for new cancer education initiatives


• Renew participants' sense of professional enthusiasm for the field

GOALS
The overall goals of the meeting are for cancer educators to:

• Learn about innovative interventions and methods to successfully educate cancer care professionals, patients, their families and the public in the areas of:
  
  • Cancer Research - Basic, Clinical, Behavioral and Community
  
  
  • Cancer Prevention- Risk Factor Reduction (such as smoking), Screening, Nutrition
  
  
  • Cancer Treatment - Chemotherapeutic, Immunological, Radiological, Surgical
  
  
  • Supportive Cancer Care - Communication Skills, Access to care and services, including literacy
  
  
  • Palliative Cancer Care - Pain and Symptom Control
  
  
  • Survivorship
  
  
• Develop new skills in the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of their cancer education programs
  
• Identify federal and non-federal sources of support for their education programs
  
• Renew their sense of professional enthusiasm for the field

The meeting is being developed to meet the expressed needs of the AACE, CPEN and EACE memberships, both from their evaluation of the 2008 and in response to the survey identifying the "most important" aspects of the meeting that would meet the needs of the members. The evaluation of the 2008 meeting confirms that the meeting planners effectively assess member' needs and develop a program to meet them.
Our members' innovative ideas and research advances are published in our Journal of Cancer Education, as well as in other leading medical, educational, and cancer journals. Each year our annual meeting has a theme that highlights an important aspect of cancer education.
We trust you will enjoy this year's presentations, workshops, symposia, plenary, concurrent sessions, and posters delivered by leading educators from around the world.
Frank D. Ferris, MD, AACE Chair, 2009 Annual Meeting Planning Committee
Louise Villejo, MPH, CHES, CPEN Chair, 2009 Annual Meeting Planning Committee
Jakob de Vries, MD, PhD, EACE Chair, 2009 Annual Meeting Planning Committee