In today's busy medical practices, you need to be involved in your own care (or that of a loved one) to assure the best care. In this episode of Beyond the Clinic: Living Well With Melanoma, Melissa Wilson, PA-C, MPAS, and AIM's "Ask a Medical Expert," and Dr. Raymond Liu, Director of Cancer Survivorship for Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, discuss steps to help you to become your own best advocate and take control of your care.

AIM's Melanoma Learning Center is a virtual hub for all types of melanoma education. We provide reliable, relevant, and current information about all aspects of melanoma for patients, families, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and others interested in the disease.

Music can play a powerful role in helping patients find strength and comfort both during and after treatment. During this engaging episode, Dr. Kauffman will demonstrate several methods for using music to train concentration, reduce reactivity, and induce a relaxation response.

Mary Adelyn Kauffman, conductor, vocal coach, and pianist, studied at the University of Miami, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in Collaborative Piano. Upon completion of her studies, Dr. Kauffman was a young artist at the Greater Miami Opera and performed with the Miami City Ballet before moving to Europe. She spent nearly twenty years in Germany, conducting musical theater and opera in both private and public theaters. While in Germany, she worked extensively with both adult and youth choirs and instrumental ensembles, instructing and leading both amateur and professional singers and musicians.

An intense desire to find out just what it is about music that makes everyone feel so good led Dr.Kauffman back to Miami to pursue a master’s degree and board certification in Music Therapy, as well as completing Neurologic Music Therapy certification. She now provides Music Therapy for patients, staff, and caregivers as a part of the Cancer Support Services team at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and is collaborating with colleagues in multiple disciplines on projects exploring the effects of music performance and music listening on mental and physical wellness. Dr. Kauffman is active as a pianist, conductor, and vocal coach in the South Florida area.

Living with hereditary cancer risk can be extremely stressful for all cancer patients. In this episode, Dr. Karen Hurley shares insights on managing and coping with anxieties surrounding risk and uncertainty.

Karen Hurley, PhD, joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2016, bringing with her almost 20 years of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in hereditary cancer risk and psycho-oncology. She received her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1983 and completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Temple University in 1998. After finishing a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention and control at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, she spent eight years on faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, conducting research funded by the National Cancer Institute. She has provided psychotherapy and consultation to hundreds of individuals, couples, and families across the spectrum of cancer from risk to survivorship, and frequently gives lectures to patient and professional audiences, nationally and internationally.  She is a member of several national advisory boards, including FORCE, Bright Pink, Sharsheret, and the Cancer Support Community.  In 2014 she received a Spirit of Empowerment-Individual Commitment award at the 8th Annual FORCE conference, in recognition of her work on behalf of the hereditary cancer community.

A second helping of stress: Coping with hereditary cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic & Dealing with an Extra Helping of Stress

Talking to Patients about Genetic Testing and Psychosocial Implications of that Discussion

Sharing Risk Information with Children

Guest: Melissa Wilson

In this episode, Dr. Raymond Liu, Director of Cancer Survivorship at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, and host of AIM's podcast, "Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, and Melissa Wilson, PA-C, MPAS, Melanoma Lead at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and AIM's Ask a Medical Expert, come together to address the many questions and concerns caregivers have as they support a loved one on immunotherapy.

Practical care issues:

Issues not directly related to the disease:

Emotional impacts:

This episodes discusses the role of social media in patient care with Dr. Don Dizon. Dr. Dizon is the Director of the Pelvic Malignancies Program at Lifespan Cancer Institute, Head of Community Outreach and Engagement at The Cancer Center at Brown University, and Director of Medical Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital.

Living with melanoma is emotionally stressful, no matter which side of the challenge you are on. Melanoma has more than a physical impact when living with the disease. It’s also a significant source of emotional distress, anxiety, and depression—both during treatment and after.

Our new program, “Beyond the Clinic: Living Well With Melanoma,” will feature topics seldom discussed in the exam room but essential to patients and their families during and beyond treatment. Led by the Director of Cancer Survivorship for Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, Raymond Liu, M.D., Beyond the Clinic: Living Well With Melanoma is a monthly live webinar designed to support patients’ and families’ emotional needs.