Health Board: Upcoming conferences, talks, campaigns and events

1) Purple House Cancer Support Centre will be running the six-week Stanford Cancer Thriving and Surviving Programme – starting on Tuesday, September 17th (6.30pm-9pm). This is a self-management programme for cancer survivors with the aim of improving quality of life to better manage daily health. The topics on the course in Bray, Co Wicklow include: Techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain & isolation & poor sleep; Living with uncertainty; Exercises for maintaining & improving strength, flexibility & endurance; Making decisions about treatment and complimentary therapies; Communicating effectively with family, friends, & health professionals; and Nutrition & healthy eating. To register, contact Purple House on (01) 286 6966 or email info@purplehouse.ie.

2) Ireland's Biggest Coffee Morning for Hospice Together with Bewley's is the annual fundraiser for hospice and home care services nationwide and takes place this year on Thursday, September 19th. You choose which hospice and homecare group you want to support and ask your guests to donate what they can. For more information, see hospicecoffeemorning.ie, email info@hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 1890 998 995.

3) The Digital Hub, St James's Hospital and the Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) are hosting the Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Technology 2019 conference on Friday, September 20th from 9am to 4.30pm. Intended for clinicians, healthcare professionals, engineers and scientists, the event is designed to provide the non AI expert with a basic understanding of AI concepts and a road map to the application of AI in healthcare. The event – at Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8 – will begin with an introduction from Lorcan Birthistle, CEO at St James's. Tickets (€40) available at eventbrite.ie

4) Challenge 21, a 21km walk/jog/run, will take place on Saturday, September 14th in Monaghan (Sliabh Beagh, Knockatallon) and on Sunday, September 15th in Dublin (Booterstown to Howth) and Portlaoise (Togher Woods) to raise funds for the Down Syndrome Centre. For more information, or to buy tickets (€10-€21), go to eventbrite.ie or email emma@downsyndromecentre.ie

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5) The Trinity Translational Medicine Institute are hosting the Trinity St James's Cancer Institute 11th International Cancer Conference 'Advances and Future Directions in Personalised Medicine' on September 24th-25th. The conference – at the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital – is intended for health professionals, cancer clinicians and clinical scientists, scientists working in cancer and post-doctoral researchers within medicine and science. Tickets €50-€200. For more details and to register, see ti.to/tcdAlumni/11th-tcd-international-cancer-conference-2019

6) ARC Cancer Support Centres, which provides support to people with cancer and their loved ones from its drop-in centres across Dublin, is organising a talk on "Returning to Work after Cancer" at its centre at 65 Eccles Street, on Tuesday, September 24th, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. The talk is open to all those who have been diagnosed with cancer, as well as to employers wishing to support their staff in getting back to the world of work. To book a free place, or for further information, contact Amy on 01 215 0250 or email amy@arccancersupport.ie

7) The Annual Medical Careers Day takes place Saturday, October 5th at Dublin's Aviva Stadium. The event is a joint initiative between the Health Service Executive, The Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies and the Irish Medical Council. The free event features career planning seminars, presentation, workshops, career clinics and information stands for each postgraduate training body. Attendees will learn about training programmes available and have the opportunity to speak with senior trainees and consultants to find out what life is like working in the different specialties. Register at medcareers2019.eventbrite.ie

8) Now in its ninth year, the annual Great Pink Run with Glanbia – which raises funds to support Breast Cancer Ireland's research and awareness programmes – takes place in three cities this year, with an overseas location featuring for the first time. The 2019 series will begin on Saturday, October 5th in Chicago's Diversey Harbour, before moving to the Phoenix Park, Dublin on Saturday, October 19th and then Kilkenny Castle Park the following day (Sunday, October 20th). More than 35,000 women, men and children have crossed the finish-line in Ireland since the event began in 2011. Entry fee for the 5km/10km walk, jog or run is €5-€25. For more details and to register, see greatpinkrun.ie

9) The inaugural St Kevin's Way 25km Challenge will take place on Sunday, October 6th, with the aim of raising €50,000 for children's charity Barretstown. The walking route is through the scenic hills and varied landscapes of Wicklow, with participants welcome to enter individually or as part of a team of four. Registration on the day will be held in The Brockagh Centre, Laragh. The registration fee is €50 for an individual or €175 for a team of four. All those participating are asked to raise an additional €100 for donation to Barretstown. For more details, visit barretstown.org/events/st-kevins-way-challenge or contact Donna at (045) 864 115 or fundraising@barretstown.org.

10) To mark World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Aware is to host a national conference on the "Future of Depression & Bipolar Disorder" in University College Dublin on Saturday, October 12th from 9.30am. Among the speakers on the day will be consultant in liaison and perinatal psychiatry, Prof John Sheehan, who will address the topic of managing depression and bipolar disorder in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Clinical psychotherapist Dr Joanna Fortune will look at the impact a parent's mental health can have on children and adolescents, and consultant psychiatrist Dr Declan Lyons will focus on the older generation and why clinicians struggle to diagnose late-life depression. The conference takes place in the O'Reilly Hall, UCD. For more information, see awareconference.com

11) The Pigsback 5k/10k Run in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation takes place on October 13th at the Dublin's Phoenix Park. Whether you are an experienced runner or simply want to get out for a walk, it's time to lace up and join the fight against breast cancer. Tickets (€25) can be found at mariekeating.ie/events

12) A national event for people with type 1 diabetes takes place on Saturday, October 19th in The Red Cow Hotel, Dublin. Speakers include diabetes blogger Chris Aldred (The Grumpy Pumper) and Endocrinologist Dr Kevin Moore. The focus of this day is on the psychological impact of living with type 1 diabetes. Tickets €30-45. For more information, see thriveabetes.ie.

13) FORUM 2019, a national conference on death, dying and bereavement, takes place on Thursday, October 24th at Dublin Castle. Organised by the Irish Hospice Foundation, this year's guest speaker is Dr Kathryn Mannix, author of With The End In Mind. Participate in one of eight workshops and interact with panels on the theme 'Dying is Everyone's Business.' More details at hospicefoundation.ie or (01) 679 3188.

14) Dr Bahman Nassereloslami has been appointed the "Tony Coote" assistant professor in MND (Motor Neurone Disease) at Trinity College Dublin. Dr Nassereloslami has already made breakthrough discoveries in brain wave signalling in MND, and his work will help to drive the quest for new and more effective treatments. Fr Tony Coote was diagnosed with MND by Prof Orla Hardiman, professor of Neurology at TCD in March 2018. He passed away on August 28^th, 2019.

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