International lesbian health organizations?
Meet the Experts
Lisa Weissmann, M.D. is an attending physician at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, dedicated to breast cancer care, with an appointment at Harvard Medical School.
Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H. is a director of health education and research with the Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer.
Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.
Question from Pat-2: Does the Mautner Project have links with anything similar in the U.K. and Europe? Can we contribute to the work of the project in any way?
- Answers —Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H.: Of course! I'm not aware of any similar organizations that exist in the U.K. There is some work being done in Canada around lesbian health, and I believe in Australia around lesbians with cancer.
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: Thank you to our U.K. participant who is up at 4 a.m. to participate in this event.
- Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H.: You can always contribute to the Mautner Project. You can go to our website. There are ways to contribute through that. In the United States, you can designate the Mautner CFC (Combined Federal Campaign).
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: Also Breastcancer.org would welcome your support for a program such as this and the support of our discussion boards in this area.
- Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H.: I don't remember if I said this before we got on the conference or after, but the Mautner Project will be convening the National Lesbian Cancer Conference in 2002. This will be the second national conference on lesbians and cancer, and it will be held in Washington, D.C. Information will be announced on the Mautner Project website about the conference (dates, times, etc.). This conference is really geared toward inviting lesbians with cancer and their partners, as well as health care professionals, lesbian cancer organizations, grassroots activists, and lesbian cancer researchers.
- Lisa Weissmann, M.D.: I would like to thank Marisa and Breastcancer.org, and Cheryl from the Mautner Project for doing fabulous work on the issues of breast cancer and lesbians with breast cancer. I urge lesbians who are dealing with new diagnoses of breast cancer to look for support from their communities, from their health care providers, and from the organizations that you've heard about tonight to support you during the difficult times of your diagnosis and in the years to come.
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: Thank you, Dr. Weissmann, who has been an amazing member of our professional advisory board, and to Cheryl Fields, for your invaluable contribution tonight, and to the Mautner Project, which has been a terrific collaborator on this event. And thank you to Pat in the U.K., who's on our Consumer Advisory board that helps us devise new programs that are enlightening, youthful, and appropriately sensitive.
- Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H.: I want to thank Marisa and Breastcancer.org for including this issue in their conference and recognizing the unique needs and concerns of lesbians with cancers.
On Wednesday, November 21, 2001, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Lesbians and Breast Cancer. Lisa Weissmann, M.D., Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H., and Marisa Weiss, M.D. answered your questions about being gay and having breast cancer.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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