Announced Speakers:

Dr. Berton Zbar:

This year’s invited guest speak is Dr. Berton Zbar, who has over 20 years experience in the field of renal cancer genetics and the organisers are delighted that he has agreed to address the symposium. The provisional title for Dr Zbar’s presentation is “A personal view of renal cancer genetics: history and lessons”.

Before his retirement, Dr Zbar was chief of the Laboratory of Immunobiology at the Center for Cancer Research, NCI-Frederick, USA, where he and his colleagues have studied families affected with the BHD Syndrome as well as von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome, hereditary papillary renal carcinoma (HPRC), and Hereditary Leiomyoma and Renal Cell Carcinoma (HLRCC).

Dr Frank McCormack:

Dr McCormack will be attending the conference and has agreed to talk about “LAM and BHD, similarities and differences”.

Dr McCormack is an expert in the field of Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a progressive lung disease that affects women almost exclusively and is characterised by the development of pulmonary cysts, which overtime, obliterates lung function.

Joyce Graff:

Joyce Graff is currently the Executive Director of the VHL Alliance and we are pleased that she will be sharing her vast experiences with VHL  disease (both as a patient advocate and founder of the VHL Alliance) to the BHD community.

Lindsay Middleton:

Lindsay Middelton is a genetic counselor with the Urologic Oncology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD and a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. She will lead a session discussing topics of interest to patients and their families such as what services are available at the NIH, familial communication, when to get genetic testing, how to tell your children they are at risk for BHD, recommended screening guidelines and health insurance concerns about genetic testing.