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Public Seminars

All of these seminars and events have been sponsored by The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation

Breast Health Roadshow - dates and venues click here

Stewart Dunn

Professor Stewart DunnTalking about the psychological side of cancer can be hard. Someone who brings a great deal of insight and compassion to the subject is inspirational international speaker Professor Stewart Dunn. Professor Dunn is the Head of Department of Medical Psychology at the University of Sydney Northern Medical School, and Director of the Pam McLean Cancer Communications Centre, where he teaches health professionals to communicate effectively and compassionately with patients and fellow practitioners.

Over one thousand people attended the Professor Stewart Dunn speaking tour on his recent trip to New Zealand. He was very well received at seminars in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with thought provoking, humorous, but sensitive presentations.

The seminars focused on how people cope with cancer and Stewart effectively presented this by using a ‘time’ theme:

Time to stress and time to cope
He explained differences between stresses and coping, saying people are actually coping when they are talking about their cancer, asking for help and discussing issues when under extraordinary stress.

  • Time for family and friends
    In general people are often ‘lost’ on how to comment when someone has cancer. Stewart says it is important to educate friends/family to talk in a way that is helpful about their relatives/friends cancer.
  • Time for men and children
    A focal point was how to talk to your kids when a parent has cancer. An excellent reference he suggested is on the website: www.cancercouncil.com.au where they have produced a small booklet that is a down-loadable PDF ‘When a parent has cancer: how to talk to your kids’.
  • Time with doctors
    Stewart emphasized that it is important to get your doctor’s attention about managing and coping with cancer because coping strategies need to be addressed and discussed factually as with any other aspect of cancer care. Dealing with emotions (time to experience fears; time to be normal) was another fundamental aspect of his presentation.

A DVD of the seminar is available on loan from the Foundation - please phone 0800 902 732 or email: enquiries@nzbcf.org.nz

Public Forum (2005)

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation sponsored a FREE public forum at SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre following the 2nd National Conference on Diseases of the Breast. The successful half-day event on Saturday 5th November ran between 9.00am - 12.30pm and was open to anyone with an interest in breast cancer. The speakers included:

  • John Robertson MD, FRCS, MBChB, BSc
    Professor of Surgery, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
  • Stephen Duffy BSc, MSc
    Professor of Cancer Screening, Cancer Research UK, Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics, UK
  • Steve Parker MD
    Interventional Radiologist, Sally Jobe Breast Centre, Englewood, Colorado, USA
  • Stewart Dunn
    Medical Psychology, University of Sydney Northern Clinical School, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
  • Belinda Scott FRACS
    Breast Surgeon, Breast Associates, Auckland, New Zealand
  • Madeleine Wall MB, ChB, FRANZCR
    Clinical Leader, BreastScreen Aotearoa, New Zealand

The forum provided an opportunity for the public to gain local and international information about breast cancer topics, such as new findings in radiology, updates on breast screening, surgery and oncology. There was also an opportunity for the audience to ask the expert panel questions. Three hundred people attended the forum and the response was overwhelmingly positive, with calls for another one in the future.

To view the presentations from the forum click on one of the items below:

These articles/presentations are the copyright of the authors. All rights reserved.

Dr Susan Love (2004)

One of the highlights of 2004 for the Foundation was the visit to New Zealand of Dr Susan Love in August. The renowned American breast cancer expert, researcher, surgeon and best selling author of Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book gave two free public presentations to over one thousand women in Auckland and Christchurch. Dr Love covered many interesting topics including new screening techniques, menopause and menopause treatments, and general breast health and lifestyle choices in her seminars and in interviews with the media.

Of particular interest was exciting new research called ductal lavage which Dr Love is confident will be a major breakthrough in helping to prevent breast cancer, within the next 5-10 years. Put simply, it would be the equivalent of the pap smear, but for breast cancer.

A video and DVD of Dr Love’s presentation is available on loan from The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. Phone 0800 902 732 or email enquiries@nzbcf.org.nz.

Dr John Link (2003)

The Foundation invited Dr John Link, author of The Breast Cancer Survival Manual and Take Charge of your Breast Cancer, to give a series of FREE public lectures in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch in March. The series received strong support from both the public and health professionals, and feedback was extremely positive. Near-capacity attendance confirmed the Foundation’s belief that the public are ‘hungry’ for more information about breast cancer including information on current trials and research trends. The first 100 women who registered in each area received a copy of his second book Take Charge of your Breast Cancer. This book encourages all women to become their own advocate and take a more assertive role in their treatment.

Education & Awareness
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