BC-Wide Virtual Support Group for BRCA Carriers and Families
What’s going on?
BC is developing a virtual online support group for carriers of the BRCA genes and members of their supportive community. This group is a joint partnership project of BRCAinBC, UBC Medicine, InspireHealth and BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program, with funding from the UBC Community University Engagement Fund. The group will launch in September 2023 and is currently funded to run for a minimum of two years.
What will the group involve?
The group is intended to provide a space where carriers can meet to connect, supported by trained counsellors and learn more about topics of interest related to the BRCA genes from experts in the field. It will meet on a semi-monthly basis, with breaks over the holiday periods. The group will be held in two segments, 1) a peer support session, which will be held every 1st Thursday of the month from 7pm-8:30pm and 2) a group education session, which will be held every 3rd Thursday of the month from 7pm-8:30pm. The support session will focus on providing time for carriers to give and receive support to one another with help from a clinical or genetic counsellor and with a nurse practitioner available to answer medical questions. The education session will include an expert speaker on various topics of interest with opportunities for Q&A with the speaker. The education sessions are open to anyone interested, including medical professionals who work with BRCA patients, however, the peer support sessions are restricted to carriers and their personal support systems only. There will also be a monitored Facebook group where you can connect between sessions.
What is the schedule for speakers?
The current schedule is under development. At present, the following speakers and topics are scheduled:
September: “BRCA Basics: Genetics, Risks and Risk Management” September 19, 2023 with Dr. Rona Cheifetz, MD, Surgical Oncologist, BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program High Risk Clinic
Register for the September session here - Registration Now Closed.
Link to the session recording and follow up questions.
October: “Navigating prophylactic mastectomy and breast reconstruction in BC” October 18, 2023 with Dr. Kathryn Isaac, MD, Reconstructive Surgeon, Head of the UBC Breast Reconstruction Program
Register for the October session here - Registration now Closed.
November: “Options for managing ovarian cancer risk and surgical menopause” November 16, 2023 with Dr. Lesa Dawson, MD, Gynecologic Oncologist, BC Survivorship Clinic
Register for the November session here - Registration Now Closed.
December: Support Session ONLY - December 21, 2023. This session will be a unique offering with no speaker or focused topic, but with an extended support session running for 1.5 hours.
Register for the December session here - Registration Now Closed.
January: “Living with risk and coping with uncertainty” January 18, 2024 with Dr. Karen Hurley , PhD, Cleveland Clinic
Register for the January session here - Registration Now Closed.
February: “Surgery, Gender Identity and Body Image” February 15, 2024 with Sarah White, “Not Quite That” Documentary
Register for the February Education session here - Registration Now Closed.
March: “BRCA and men: Managing prostate, breast, pancreatic cancer and melanoma risk” March 21, 2024 with Justin Lorenz, Genetic Counsellor, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Register for the March Education session here - Registration Now Closed.
April: “Navigating the health care system for hereditary high risk patients: Challenges and opportunities” April 18, 2024 with Rebecca Morash, RN, BScN, CON(C), Nurse Navigator / Care Coordinator Hereditary Cancer Program High Risk Clinic
Register for the April Education session here - Registration Now Closed.
May: “Preventing Cancer: Genetic testing for personalized nutrition in people at elevated risk” May 16, 2024 with Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, PhD, Professor, University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Nutrigenomics
Register for the May Education session here
June: “Talking about BRCA in the family” June 16, 2024 with Melanie O’Loughlin, Genetic Counsellor, BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program
Is the group only online or can I attend in person?
In the future, we hope to provide more options for in-person support, however, as we would like this group to be accessible to all people across the province, we are currently only offering an online format.
Is there a cost to attend?
At present, attendance is free of charge, but registration is required and you may be asked for information following your involvement about your experiences with the group. The link to register can be found here once up and running.
How do I sign up?
Formal registration processes are under development and you will need to register at inspirehealth.ca/brca-support-bc/. To express interest in being involved or being added to the waitlist, please e-mail us at info @ brcainbc.ca with your name and interest and you will be added to the list.