Join us in Ontario

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Registration form

Print and fax or mail the form to the Committee in Canada

We have planned an exciting three days for you in Ontario! Please join us!

For Researchers

Those engaged in biomedical research, or interested in hearing the state of research, will want to begin at 8 AM on Thursday morning with an exciting lineup of speakers, reporting on the status of their studies into the mechanisms of VHL in the cell.

For Clinicians

Clinicians will especially want to be there for Friday and Saturday’s lineup of talks on improvements in diagnostics and treatment of the various aspects of VHL. Continuing Medical Education credits are offered by the University of Western Ontario. Nursing credits can be arranged.

For Families

Families will not want to miss Friday and Saturday in particular. You should know that the language of this meeting will be technical. When we hold meetings designed for families, we ask the doctors to constrain the language and remember that they are speaking to patients.

This meeting, however, is designed primarily for doctors and researchers, to allow them to collaborate, and share the state of their research, As families, we need them to do that! So we don’t want to hold them back by asking them to remember that patients are in the room too. In this meeting, we are listening in on a technical meeting, and we want them to move the research forward.

You can still learn a great deal, and we encourage you to come. It would be a good idea to re-read your handbook before you come, and perhaps bring it along so you have that glossary handy. Feel free to ask one of us for explanations in the hallway as necessary.

Saturday's meeting is particularly designed for patients and their families. The Friday and Saturday meetings will be talking about clinical issues -- the latest ways of diagnosing and treating particular kinds of tumors.

The Thursday meeting will be highly technical, allowing the basic science researchers to collaborate, exchange ideas, and move the pace of research forward. You are always welcome, but please know that much of Thursday will be challenging even for physicians.

Want to be a leader?

Those who are leaders for VHL -- or who might want to become a leader -- in any part of the world are invited to a Leadership Meeting Saturday, following the meeting. Leaders from states of the U.S., provinces of Canada, and from any other countries of the world, are invited. This is a great opportunity to meet your peers, or to explore the possibility of becoming a leader in your own area. The most important work we do is at the local level -- raising the visibility of VHL and helping people with VHL feel less alone. There is always work for new leaders!

Fun Stuff Too!!

We are planning lots of fun stuff around the edges as well. There will be time to schmooz in the hallways or over breaks and meals, talk with the authors of the many posters, and chat with the presenters.

Travel

Fly to London, Ontario, Canada, airport code YXU. Or drive from Detroit or Toronto. Click for Map

London, Ontario, Canada, is half-way between Detroit, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It takes about two hours to drive from either major city.

Housing

The conference hotel is the Four Points Sheraton in London, Ontario. A block of rooms is being held for us at the conference rate. When you make your reservation, please specify that you will be attending the Canadian VHL Family Alliance meeting.

Conference speakers and attendees are responsible for making their own hotel arrangements. Reservations must be made by September 29, 2006, to obtain the conference rate. Please reserve early to be sure to secure a room.

Standard rooms are $99, Executive King Suites are $109 and Deluxe Tower Suites are $124, all prices quoted are in Canadian dollars. As of August 2006, $99 CAD = $89 USD.

Register by paper or fax

Click here to print or download the registration form. There is no online registration. Credit cards are accepted via paper or fax.

See http://www.vhl.org/conf2006 for details about the meeting, and for information about meeting registration and travel arrangements. Call 800-767-4845, ext. 4, for assistance by phone.

To receive the latest info via e-mail, be sure to register for our online mailing list at vhl.org

We look forward to seeing you there!

You’re comin’, eh?

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 14:2, August/September 2006. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.