This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org

with Miles Braun, MD, MPH

Integrative Medicine helps us to make skillful and healthy choices with regard to diet, exercise, sleep, connecting with others, stress reduction, and avoiding toxins. It also incorporates medical practices from other traditions, such as acupuncture, and the use of natural products and botanicals. Mind-body practices like meditation/mindfulness, massage, yoga and tai chi are key elements. Some other practices, more on the fringe, will also be addressed.

 

About Miles Braun, MD, MPH

Miles Braun, MD MPH is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Oncology at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He is also Director of the Adolescent & Young Adult Integrative Oncology Initiative at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. He served for 20 years in the US Public Health Service at CDC, NIH and FDA, including for more than eight years as a Division Director at FDA. He has more than 100 scientific-medical publications, including many in leading journals and some that affected medical practice in the US and beyond. He also has served in senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry.

This class is now full. Please check back at a later date for a similar program.

with Chef Kara Garrett

Start out the new year on a healthy note! Learn tips to make weekly meal planning easier and together we will prepare simple make-ahead and easy-to-reheat meals for the week.

We will prepare 4 dishes together and you will take home individual portions of each to enjoy for your lunch or dinner. Please bring your preferred reusable storage containers. 

Menu items will include:

  • Zesty Veggie & Black Bean Enchiladas 
  • Vegan Homestyle Lasanga
  • Meditteranean Grain Bowl with Baked Falafel
  • Tuscan Vegetable Soup

When registering, please indicate any guest(s) that will be joining you, and if you have any food restrictions or allergies. All items will be vegan, gluten-free and soy-free. 

This class is limited to 10 participants. Be sure to sign up early!

Suggested Donation: $25

 

About Chef Kara Garrett

Kara Garrett Cancer Support Program Coordinator

Kara is a health-supportive chef based in Washington, DC. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, she embraced the challenge of finding a balance between her foodie lifestyle and eating well with cancer. She has adopted a flexible diet plan that focuses on plant-based, sustainable whole foods, but does not restrict indulgences of things she loves. She is passionate about working with others to encourage healthier food choices that energize the body and the soul.

Kara graduated in August 2017 from the Chef Training Program at Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC and spent one month as the sous chef at The Ananda Ashram Yoga Society of New York in Monroe, NY. She is currently enrolled in the Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity graduate program at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

with Erin Price, LGSW, and Samantha Evans

PLEASE NOTE: This program is now full, however, if you would like to be added to the waitlist please complete the form below and we will let you know if space opens up.

 

 “Cancer can be a lonely, isolating journey. I found a powerful community of fellow travelers at my Living Well with Cancer retreat and have returned home with hope and renewed energy, knowing we are all connected in a web of healing and love.”

This one day retreat is designed to empower cancer patients who have completed treatment and are in remission. The goal of the retreat is to build community and be a part of a supportive environment for healing.

During this retreat you will experience:

  • A respite from daily life
  • Delicious, whole foods, health-supportive lunch
  • An education session about healthy eating and nutrition
  • A creativity session to tap into greater self-understanding
  • A community of other individuals who have shared experiences

There is a $45 registration fee associated with this Retreat. Please contact erin@smithcenter.org to pay after you have completed the form below.

 

PLEASE NOTE: This program is now full, however, if you would like to be added to the waitlist please complete the form below and we will let you know if space opens up.

Please register via this form: https://forms.gle/xFzJoHDwV8yvkW9o8

About Erin Price

Erin serves as Smith Center’s Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs. She is trained in Integrative Patient Navigation, a Project LEAD graduate, and holds a Masters in Social Work. A seven-year breast cancer survivor, Erin is passionate about providing support and community to other cancer survivors, especially young adults. She works with Smith Center’s DC Young Adult Cancer Community and is also actively involved in the cancer community through Young Survival Coalition, Critical Mass, the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates, National Breast Cancer Coalition, and the DC Cancer Action Partnership.

About Samantha Evans

Samantha Evans is getting her Masters in Social Work at the University of Maryland. She will be joining the Smith Center as a Social Work Intern until April 2020. Samantha is excited to be joining the team at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. When not studying for graduate school, Samantha spends her free time with her dog, reading, and with friends.

with Julia Rowland, Ph.D.

Does harnessing procrastination to promote change sound like a paradox? It turns out that we procrastinate for a reason, possibly one that is deeply rooted in our emotions. Come explore what keeps us from reaching our goals and learn more about yourself along the way.

About Julia H. Rowland, Ph.D.

Dr. Rowland, newly named Senior Strategic Advisor to Smith Center, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, published broadly in psycho-oncology and co-edited the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology.  Dr. Rowland received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Dr. Rowland helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 Dr. Rowland moved to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center.

with Julia Rowland, Ph.D.

Behavior change, why is it so hard to do? Come and learn the answer to this age-old question, along with techniques you can use to reach the goals you set for yourself.  Even if you have long since given up those New Year’s resolutions, it is never too late to honor a commitment to improving your health and sense of well-being. Worry that the cancer may come back is the most common long-term effect of living with a history of cancer. Curiously, it is not the most frequently studied, leaving many to wonder how to manage this anxiety. Come learn about techniques and strategies to master fear of recurrence and embrace uncertainty.

About Julia H. Rowland, Ph.D.

Dr. Rowland, newly named Senior Strategic Advisor to Smith Center, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, published broadly in psycho-oncology and co-edited the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology.  Dr. Rowland received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Dr. Rowland helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 Dr. Rowland moved to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center.

The Guardian by Michael Winger

Retreat Reunion Event Information & Directions

The Guardian

Tina’s experience at her 2004 Cancer Retreat inspired her to create a healing garden in her home. The focal point of the garden is a sculpture, “The Guardian”, created by one of her fellow CHP participants, Michael Winger. “The concept of ‘The Guardian’ is that of avian forms protecting their eggs- their young. Four birds hover over and under their young with outstretched wings, protecting their young. When viewed from the side, the negative space created by the egg forms create two eyes. These are the eyes of the guardian. Others have seen an image of the Madonna and Child from the front, and lovers from the side. I think these images are all present in ‘The Guardian.’”

– Michael Winger, Artist and CHP Alum (2004)

Directions

The event is located at the home of Retreat alumna, Tina Cleland

9506 Culver Street, Kensington, MD 20895

The venue is ADA accessible. Street parking is available.

More information on Kensington, MD

METRO: The venue is close to the Medical Center, Grosvenor, and Bethesda Red Line Metro stations. From the station, it is a quick trip via Uber or Lift.

We will also have volunteers available to drive people from the Medical Center metro station to Tina’s house.

To request a pickup from the metro, please email DeAnne Nehra at Rdan89@aol.com by May 29, 2018.

Accommodations

There are a number of hotels in Kensington, Bethesda, and Silver Spring that are nearby.

If you are coming in from out of town and would like to request a place to stay with a local Cancer Retreat alum, please email DeAnne Nehra at Rdan89@aol.com by May 1, 2018. to request a placement. Spaces available are dependent on how many local Cancer Retreat alums volunteer to host. We cannot guarantee accommodation space will be available.

If you are a local Cancer Retreat alum and would like to volunteer to host a Cancer Retreat Alum from out of town please email DeAnne Nehra at Rdan89@aol.com to volunteer your home.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

with Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Mandalas for Managing Stress and Increasing Wellbeing

Mandalas – circular designs that communicate symbolic meaning – have been used for centuries as a form of contemplative practice in many spiritual traditions.

In this brief but focused workshop, we will use mandala imagery, writing, and meditative practice to bring creativity, healing, and an increased sense of grounding and balance into our lives. Absolutely no previous art experience is needed. The workshop is designed for all ranges of artistic experience–you need not consider yourself an artist to attend.

 

Suggested Materials:

  • Paper to draw on – can be any size or color that you like; we usually work with something between 6 x 6 to 12 x 12
  • Art supplies to draw or paint with – E.G. colored pencils, magic markers, chalk or oil pastels, watercolor paints, and/or acrylics
  • Plate or circular shape – to draw an outline of a circle on the paper
  • For those of you who do creative or art journaling, you are welcome to use your journal to create your mandala.

Suggested Donation: $10


About Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Rebecca Wilkinson

Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, is a Registered and Board Certified art therapists with twenty years of experience in mental health and in facilitating training and workshops. She serves as adjunct faculty at George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program and provide continuing education and development through the Potomac Art Therapy Association. She facilitates supportive workshops for those affected by life threatening illness and the professional providers working with them. Co-founder of Creative Wellbeing Workshops, LLC, which provides training, consultation, and clinical therapy designed to reduce stress, prevent burnout and increase life satisfaction and wellbeing.