The first post-pandemic ASCO Direct™ Highlights Held in Seattle

The Binaytara Foundation (BTF) held ASCO Direct™ Highlights: 2021 Official Annual Meeting Review from July 24-25, 2021 at Crowne-Plaza in Downtown Seattle. The meeting saw an incredible turnout of 112 participants from the United States, with people joining from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington, and Wyoming. In fact, this was one of the largest in-person medical conferences to be held in the United States since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The weekend included a diverse array of presentations led by national leaders in hematology-oncology, including world-renowned physicians like Dr. Neeraj Agarwal (University of Utah), Dr. Shaji Kumar (Mayo Clinic), Dr. Ranjana Advani (Stanford University), Dr. Jack West (City of Hope), and Dr. Mark Pegram (Stanford University). 

The first day of the conference included updates on lymphoid malignancies, hematological malignancies, lung cancer, women’s cancers, brain tumors, and sarcomas. On Sunday, the meeting wrapped up with conversations surrounding gastrointestinal malignancies and an array of general oncology topics.

Binaytara Foundation prioritizes providing a diverse learning environment, so lectures were paired with engaging rapid fire Q&A with audience polling, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions. The presentation content also included an array of information for participants to directly apply in the clinic such as patient-centered care, medical knowledge, system-based practice, and practice-based learning and improvement.

This event was talked about across multiple social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, to Linkedin with the event’s specific hashtag, #ASCOReview21, drawing more than 10,000 engagements. Throughout the weekend, participants shared their excitement of being at an in-person meeting in much time.

“I had almost forgotten how amazing it feels to see all friends and colleagues in person Grinning face with smiling eyes Thoroughly enjoying the @ASCO highlights session by @btfoundation AND the networking.” 

Dr. Siddhartha Yadav, Mayo Clinic.

A majority of participants indicated that this event improved their medical knowledge and clinical competence. Many also stated that they appreciated the accessibility to the speakers, intimate atmosphere, and audience generation system. If you would like to attend future events or view enduring materials from previous conferences, please visit education.binayfoundation.org.