Hepatitis B Foundation hosts B Informed Patient Conference
The event brought together participants from around the Philadelphia region.
Doylestown, Pa., July 31, 2024 – The Hepatitis B Foundation hosted its B Informed Patient Conference in Philadelphia on July 27, a day before World Hepatitis Day, for people living with hepatitis B, clinicians treating them and public health experts engaged in the field.
The half-day meeting allowed people with hepatitis B to hear from others with lived experience, expert providers and researchers in the field. Topics included understanding and managing a hepatitis B diagnosis, liver cancer research ongoing at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, the path towards a cure for hep B and future treatments in the pipeline.
World Hepatitis Day is celebrated annually around the globe on July 28 in honor of Baruch S. Blumberg’s birthday. A Nobel Laureate, Dr. Blumberg played a key role in helping develop the Hepatitis B Foundation. Foundation President Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH, said last Saturday’s event was a great success.
“We very much appreciate the presenters, particularly our #justB Storytellers, who shared with us their lived experience as people living with hepatitis B,” she said.
Dr. Cohen thanked Catharine and Rob Williams for funding the real-time translation service that allowed audience members to listen in Mandarin. She also expressed appreciation to the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University for providing a first-rate meeting space.
Conference organizer Catherine Freeland, PhD, MPH, the Foundation’s associate director for public health research, said more than 75 people from around the region participated, from Washington D.C. to New York City, with many from the Philadelphia metro.
“We’ve heard considerable positive feedback, and it seems many of those who joined us plan to stay engaged, which is one of our goals,” Dr. Freeland said.
Among the experts speaking at the July 27 conference were (L-R) Dr. Jesse Torgersen, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Dr. Kenneth Rothstein, University of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Su Wang, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Hepatitis B Foundation.
The next in-person gathering for patients that the Foundation has planned is the Hepatitis B Community Forum on Sept. 11 in Chicago, which also offers online participation. Part of the International HBV Meeting again this year, which focuses on the latest advances in HBV research. Co-sponsored by ICE-HBV, the Forum facilitates engagement between attendees at the International HBV Meeting, public health professionals and the broader community affected by hepatitis B. The main goal is to promote communication between these groups to identify the best approaches to fast-track a cure for hepatitis B and eliminate stigma and discrimination.
Registration is required to attend the free Community Forum. To register for ONLY the Community Forum, please click here.
About hepatitis B: The world’s most common serious liver infection, chronic hepatitis B, is caused by a virus that attacks and injures the liver. Each year up to 1 million people die from hepatitis B worldwide, even though it is preventable and treatable. Hepatitis B is a “silent epidemic” because most people do not have symptoms when they are newly or chronically infected. Thus, they can unknowingly infect others and continue the spread of hepatitis B. For people who are chronically infected but don’t have any symptoms, their livers still are being silently damaged, which can result in serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
About the Hepatitis B Foundation: As the world’s leading hepatitis B advocacy and research organization, the Hepatitis B Foundation is one of the most active proponents of improving hepatitis B screening, prevention, and treatment of the disease. We are the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with offices in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900.