Message from our President, Paula Stewart, M.D., CLT-LANA

Dear LANA Members,

I wanted to share the ongoing progress that members of the LANA board have made in organizing the 25th year anniversary Summit. Those board members have been working diligently over the last few months on the preparations for the 25th anniversary Summit sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA). The Lymphedema Summit will be hosted by Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1998 the ACS hosted a conference of the Lymphedema stakeholders in the field. One of the primary conclusions was that there was little oversight or standardization of therapists‘ competency to treat lymphedema. Further, there was no simple method for a person seeking lymphedema treatment to identify therapists with adequate training and expertise.

The primary outcome of the 1998 ACS Lymphedema Conference was the recommendation that an organization be created that provided testing of therapists’ knowledge after they underwent training in lymphedema treatment. Thus, LANA was founded.

We are honoring that conference and pivotal moment in the founding of LANA by revisiting seven of the topics discussed in 1998. The purpose is to not only illustrate how much the field of Lymphedema has evolved, but to map a path forward as so much in the field is changing.

In part, the Summit has been made possible by a generous grant provided by the American Cancer Society. Further, the conference would not be possible without Washington University School of Medicine allowing access to their state-of-the-art conference facilities.

The conference is being hosted by Washington University in St. Louis Missouri on the weekend of October 6th-8th, 2023. 75 invited participants will gather to hear the findings of seven teams who have been investigating key areas in lymphedema treatment. On Sunday, everyone of the 75 invitees will participate in a workshop with a goal of achieving a consensus on topics related to the seven presentations.

The ACS has offered an additional grant for funding the publication of the proceedings from the Summit. It is anticipated that publication will be in 2024.

As the summit draws closer, I will keep you informed of preparations. We are hoping to live stream the event virtually for interested LANA members, and other stakeholders within the field of Lymphedema. If we are able to live stream, you will receive further information about how to join the meeting, virtually and possibly utilize your participation for CME or CEU credit.

Stay tuned for further news regarding the ACS-LANA Lymphedema Summit!

Sincerely,

Paula Stewart, M.D., CLT-LANA
LANA President