Colorectal Cancer Awareness Webinar

Participants will learn everything they need to know but were afraid to ask!

BENNINGTON, VT—September 3, 2021—For many patients, asking questions about colon cancer and colon cancer prevention can be difficult. That’s why the American Cancer Society and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) have gathered an expert team to address your questions anonymously from the comfort of your home. This colorectal cancer awareness webinar is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, September 23 virtually online. The program is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k1Kei1MORziGPRDwdBvrIQ.

Expert panelists Gastroenterologist David Furman, MD; Registered Dietitian Elise Cushman, MS, RD, CSO, LD; and Endoscopy Nurse Mollie McMahon, RN-C, will answer some of the most commonly asked questions, including what are Colorectal Cancer screening guidelines, at what age do I begin screening, how do I prevent colon cancer, how do genetics play a part, what screening options are available, what is a colonoscopy, can I take a test at home, do I need a referral, and how do I schedule my screening? They will also take questions from the audience.

A native New Englander, Dr. Furman received his medical degree from Boston University school of medicine.  He then served for 11 years as an officer and physician in the United States Navy. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia, where he also served as chief resident in Internal Medicine. He completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, and went on to become an assistant professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda. Dr. Furman was part of the core clinical faculty as an instructor of functional gastrointestinal diseases and motility at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. 

Cushman is a clinical dietitian at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, where she has worked since 2011. She is board certified in oncology nutrition. She received her master’s degree in dietetics from the University of Vermont, a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and an associate’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. She has also worked as a chef and as an adjunct instructor at the New England Culinary Institute.

McMahon received her nursing degree from Memorial School of Nursing in Albany, NY. She has worked in the endoscopy department of SVMC for nearly 20 years and estimates she has helped tens of thousands of patients reduce their risk of colon cancer through colonoscopy. She is a certified gastroenterology nurse with the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates.

All participants qualify to win one of two $50 gift cards at the end of the presentation. For more information, please contact Amy Deavitt at amy.deavitt@cancer.org.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index. It is a four-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Leapfrog Group.  

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

About ACS:
The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. The organization funds and conducts research, shares expert information, supports patients, and spreads the word about prevention so everyone can live longer—and better. The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. With Global Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization has regional and local offices throughout the country to ensure a presence in every community. To learn more, visit cancer.org.