Annabelle Gurwitch and Hitesh Batra, M.D., M.B.A.

On November 1 and 2, UAB Medicine and the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB hosted the 2024 UAB Lung Cancer Update. The UAB Lung Cancer Update serves as a platform for continuing education, networking, and promoting innovative approaches to reducing the global burden of lung cancer.

Author, actor, and television host Annabelle Gurwitch, kicked off the 2024 conference with her keynote speech, “Living with Lung Cancer in the Age of Precision Medicine.” Her personal story set the stage for the next day’s scientific sessions.

Experts Benjamin Wei, M.D., Maya Khalil, M.D., Padma Manapragada, M.D., and Aakash Desai, M.D., MPH, discussed airway reconstruction in lung cancer, new therapeutic advances, and clinical trial updates. UCLA Health’s Scott S. Oh, D.O., FCCP, discussed “Bronchoscopic Therapies on the Horizon.”

The interactive panel discussion “Navigating Success” examined the impact of various aspects of cancer diagnosis and treatment. The session offered lung cancer navigators, community leaders, and patients an opportunity to provide unique and insightful perspectives on current practice and future treatment options.

Maya Khalil, M.D., Jim Donahue, M.D., Yanis Boumber, M.D., Ph.D., and Adam Kole, M.D., Ph.D., covered different medical perspectives during their panel “Neoadjuvant Therapy in Lung Cancer – Presentations and Panel Discussion.”

Jessy Deshane, Ph.D. concluded the event with a review of her project “Spatial Resolution of Response to Combination Immunotherapy.”