World Cancer Day Conference 2024

Hive Cancer Support World Cancer Day Conference, City Hotel, February 2, 2024

We were delighted to host our biggest ever World Cancer Day Conference at the City Hotel on February 2.

This year we decided to do things a little bit differently and ask our speakers to present a poster of their research findings to our guests.

This new approach helped people engage with the topics, ask questions and give immediate feedback to our researchers.

Thank you to our guest speakers- Kaycee Deery of St Mary’s College for her thought provoking research into eco friendly sun cream.

To Dr Pamela Magee for busting some common myths and misconceptions around soya and cancer.

To Dr Carrie Flannagan of Ulster University who presented the findings of the recent collaborative research into the mental health impact of cancer surgery, based on the personal stories of Hive Cancer Support members which inspired the #WeCarryOn mural.

To Professor Cherith Semple who presented on some of the latest cancer research taking place at Ulster University on topics such as the place of sexual wellbeing in cancer care & the unique needs of head & neck cancer patients.

And to Dr Jeff Hannah of Ulster University who presenting the findings of his PHD study findings into the needs of people in end of life cancer care & the important & challenging conversations that must be addressed.

Thank you also to Steve Wright, Vice President of the Fire Brigades Union who presented a poster on the DECON campaign to mitigate contamination in Fire Services nationwide, researcher Helen Lynn of Menstruation Matters who presented a poster aimed at raising awareness about the impacts of toxic chemicals and pesticides used in period products, and Dr Scott Jones, a restoration ecologist who presented a thought provoking presentation on the impacts of UK agricultural air pollution on human health.

The feedback from our guests was really brilliant, including one young student who told us it’s made her want to pursue a career in science!

The conference was the first time the findings of the Ulster University research project, led by Dr Claire McCauley and commissioned by Hive Cancer Support, into the mental health impact of cancer surgery were publicly presented.

And we also premiered a short film into the research process and the resulting creation of the ‘We Carry On’ mural on Derry’s Strand Road by Peaball graffiti collective.