2013 Summit brings international oncology massage community to Minnesota

April 19, 2013 — Northwestern Health Sciences University will partner with the Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM) to host the 2013 Oncology Massage Healing Summit April 19-21. The event brings together hundreds of healthcare professionals from around the world for two days of dynamic presentation and interactive breakout sessions, continuing education, and networking.

Oncology massage is a growing field with a significant impact on patients with cancer, their caregivers and families. More than a dozen presenters will speak on topics ranging from “Aromapsychology in Cancer Care” to “Balance and Self-Awareness in End of Life Care.”

“This is an excellent opportunity for practitioners to network with a community of like-minded colleagues from around the world,” says Meg Robsahm, MEd, LMP, NCTMB, founding director and immediate past president of S4OM. The 2013 Summit touches on a broad spectrum of topics associated with massage. “There is a growing awareness among all healthcare providers of the benefits of massage therapy for patients with cancer.”

The keynote speaker, Frank Ostaseski, is a dynamic Buddhist teacher and consultant. He teaches internationally and is a frequent keynote speaker for hundreds of healthcare organizations such as Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, and the National Hospice & Palliative Care Association, as well as for spiritually based organizations. He co-founded the first Buddhist hospice in America, the Zen Hospice Project, and was honored by the Dalai Lama in 2001. Ostaseski will present “Compassionate Presence.”

The event also features a powerful performance by Megan Cole, a lecturer and award-winning actor, whose performances illustrate skills of empathetic communication to health care professionals. She will perform the diary of Dorothy Pitkin, who spent her last months in a nursing home and died in 1973 at the age of 75. Pitkin, a writer and photographer, was fiercely independent, funny, fearful and brave.

Complete information and registration for the 2013 Oncology Massage Healing Summit can be found online, or contact the office of continuing education via email or 952-888-4777, ext. 446.

Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University, nwhealth.edu