Free Conference at Des Moines University on Treating Patients with Cancer, Not Just Disease

April 8 Event Open to All, RSVP Soon

DES MOINES, IA (03/31/2010)(readMedia)-- Sometimes a diagnosis becomes all-consuming and overshadows the patient. Good health practitioners should always focus on the person.

A discussion on how to best do that will take place during "A Holistic Approach to Cancer Care: treating the patient, not the disease," at Des Moines University (DMU) on April 8. The free conference begins at 6 p.m., includes a free dinner and is open to the public. DMU's Sigma Sigma Phi (SSP) chapter is sponsoring the event. Guests are invited to RSVP by April 5 to www.DMU.edu/RSVP/SSPconference.

"Every year SSP puts on a cancer conference open to the community. We want to bring awareness of this challenge in care in hopes of overcoming the obstacle," explained Anastasia Marx, SSP member and second-year D.O. student. "The conference allows us to bring in experts in oncology to share their expertise and patients to present their experiences and struggles."

Dinner will be followed by presentations from well-respected oncologist Richard L. Deming, M.D., the medical director of the CyberKnife Radiosurgery Center of Iowa at Mercy Medical Center. At 7:30 p.m. a panel of cancer patients will take questions from the audience. The event is in the Des Moines University Student Education Center Auditorium, 3300 Grand Ave. in Des Moines.

For more information, call 515.271.1382.

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Des Moines University is the only private medical school in Iowa, offering graduate-level, professional degree programs in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, anatomy, biomedical sciences, health care administration and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' pass rate on national examinations and board certifications is consistently higher than the national average and the rates at similar institutions.