Acknowledgement

This activity is provided by Talem Health and RME Collaborative.
     
This online program is supported by an independent medical education grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Credit Available

• Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
• Nurses — 1.0 Contact Hour (1.0 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit)

All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.

Target Audience

This activity is designed specifically for oncologists, advanced practice providers, and other members of the healthcare team who serve patients from rural and underserved communities. 

Program Overview

While overall rates of head and neck cancer have declined nationwide, they remain high in rural and underserved communities due to higher smoking and alcohol use, as well as lower rates of HPV vaccination. In addition, unique barriers to care in these areas such as long travel distances, limited access to specialists, and low vigilance for the disease can cause delays in diagnosis and increased mortality. In this activity, expert faculty will review the latest clinical data on novel therapeutic approaches for head and neck cancer, as well as evidence-based strategies for selecting and sequencing treatment. Best practices for improving multidisciplinary care and patient outcomes in rural and underserved communities will also be discussed.

The content for this enduring activity was recorded on November 10, 2023.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to: 

• Describe the changing epidemiological trends of head and neck cancer in rural and underserved communities
• Evaluate the safety and efficacy of available systemic therapy options for patients with head and neck cancer 
• Develop individualized treatment plans for patients with head and neck cancer
• Employ evidence-based strategies and best practices to improve multidisciplinary care and collaboration for patients with head and neck cancer who reside in rural and underserved communities

Faculty

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD
Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Hillman Professor of Oncology
UPMC Senior Vice President for Oncology Programs
Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA


Chris Prakash, MD
Director, Quality Services - Texas Oncology
Chair, Medical Oncology Quality - Texas Oncology
President, Texas Society of Clinical Oncology
Medical Director, Texas Oncology - Paris
Paris, TX

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Talem Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statement

Physician Continuing Medical Education
Talem Health designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Nursing Education
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.0 contact hour. Designated for 1.0 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Talem Health adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to Talem Health policy. Talem Health is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CE activity:

Faculty

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: consultant/advisory board member for Adagene, Inc., Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Aduro Biotech, Inc., Bicara Therapeutics, Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb, Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics LLC (now Eterna Therapeutics, Inc.), Catenion, Coherus BioSciences, Inc., CureVac, CytoAgents, Inc., Eisai Europe, Ltd., EMD Serono, Inc., Everest Clinical Research, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd., Federation Bio, Inc., Genocea Biosciences, Inc., Genmab, Hookipa Biotech GmbH, Instil Bio, Inc., Kowa Research Institute, Inc., Lifescience Dynamics, MacroGenics, Inc., MeiraGTx, Merck & Co., Inc., Merus N.V., Mirati Therapeutics, Inc., Nanobiotix, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novasenta, Inc., Numab Therapeutics AG, OncoCyte Corporation, Pfizer, Inc., Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc., Rakuten Medical, Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sanofi, Seagen, Inc., SIRPant Immunotherapeutics, Inc., Vir Biotechnology, Inc., and Zymeworks, Inc.; research support from AstraZeneca/MedImmune, LLC, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., Inc., Novasenta, Inc., and Tesaro, Inc.; member of the Data Safety Monitoring Board for Mirror Biologics, Inc.; and stock ownership interest in Novasenta, Inc.

Chris Prakash, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: speakers’ bureau/honoraria from Myriad Genetics, Inc.

Planners, Managers, and Reviewer

The Talem Health planners, managers, and reviewer have nothing to disclose.

Instructions for Participation and Credit

This activity is offered at no cost to participants. To receive CME credit, participants must:

1. Read the CME/CE information, including learning objectives and disclosure statements.
2. Complete the pre-test.
3. View the online activity.
4. Complete the post-test and evaluation form.

A post-test score of 75% or higher is required to obtain credit. Your certificate will be made available for immediate download.

Course Viewing Requirements

Supported Browsers:
Internet Explorer 8.0+ for Windows 2003, Vista, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and above
Google Chrome 28.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Mozilla Firefox 23.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Safari 6.0+ for Mac OSX 10.7 and above

Supported Phones & Tablets:
Android 4.0.3 and above
iPhone/iPad with iOS 6.1 or above

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. 

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

©RME Collaborative, a division of Talem Health, LLC. All Rights Reserved. These materials may be used for personal use only. Any rebroadcast, distribution, or reuse of this presentation or any part of it in any form for other than personal use without the express written permission of Talem Health, LLC is prohibited.

Media

Internet activity

Fee Information

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Contact Information

General Questions
For questions about this activity, please contact RME Collaborative (a division of Talem Health) at 800-913-9370 or cme@cmeruralhealth.com.