Please join the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) at its Annual Education Conference, April 18 to 21, at the Gaylord National in Washington, D.C. The conference will include cutting-edge plenary sessions, timely panel discussions, informative breakout sessions, and an exhibit hall showcasing the newest in cancer registry products and services.

With more than 30 sessions, you won't want to miss this opportunity to earn up to 20 continuing education credits. Sessions fall into four topic areas: central registry, hospital registry, professional development, and informatics. The tracks provide attendees with a wide range of choices to meet individual educational needs. Whether you are looking for in-depth technical information or you want to gain greater leadership and career advancement knowledge, NCRA's conference sessions will not disappoint.

A sample of plenary and concurrent sessions include: Enhancing Cancer Registry Data for Comparative Effectiveness Research, Taking Aim at the New Site-Specific Factors in the Collaborative Staging for Colon Cancer, Searching for Evidence-based Oncology Data: Tips and Tools for the Cancer Registrar, and Meeting the Demands of Cancer Registries Today: Making It Happen with What You Have.  

The location of the annual conference in Washington, D.C., provides a unique opportunity for NCRA members to visit Capitol Hill and educate Congress on what cancer registrars do. The Walk on the Hill: A Day of Advocacy is Thursday, April 19. NCRA will arrange a meeting with your member of the House of Representatives, provide materials to share during the meeting, and offer training to learn more about the best approaches for an effective Hill visit. NCRA will also provide transportation to and from Capitol Hill and will grant electronic access to any educational sessions missed while at the meeting. Send an e-mail to policystaff@ncra-usa.org for more details.

Two scholarship programs are available to assist members in attending the conference. Both cover the full conference registration fee, round-trip coach airfare, and hotel for three nights. The Danielle Chufar Memorial Annual Conference Scholarship is named in memory of the NCRA staff member who died in February 2004 from cancer. To be eligible, members must complete an application and write a 500- to 750-word essay. The Danielle Chufar Scholarship deadline is Feb. 24.

The James A. Bradley Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the father of Bob Bradley, the President of MedPartners HIM. The recipient must be an active member of NCRA, working/employed in the cancer registry profession, and have not attended an NCRA annual conference within the past two years. The scholarship is funded by MedPartners HIM. The deadline for the James A. Bradley Memorial Scholarship is Feb. 17.

To learn more about the conference-including registration, hotel, travel, and scholarship information-go to NCRA's website at www.ncra-usa.org.

Several workshops also have been designed to meet specific training needs and include: 

• Central Cancer Registry: Design, Management & Use Workshop (pre-conference)
Tuesday, April 17 - 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This workshop provides an executive summary of all functions and processes of the central registry and is aimed at new or current cancer registry staff, and users of cancer registry data. Topics include: types and characteristics of registries, budgeting and staffing, case ascertainment and reporting, data sets, using central cancer registry data for cancer research and control, training and retention, record linkage, and much more.

• SEER Workshop: Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals (pre-conference)
Tuesday, April 17 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Advanced Topics for Registry Professionals Conference is a two-day educational session on the upcoming 2013 Multiple Primary and Histology Coding Rules revisions and the 2012 Hematopoietic Database updates for registry professionals.The workshop will include didactic database presentations, handout materials, and an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the SEER MPH and Hemato subject matter experts. Registration will open mid-January 2012 and close when full or by mid-March 2012. Register through SEER. Check their website (http://seer.cancer.gov) for registration information.

• Fundamentals of Abstracting (Note: The workshop runs concurrent with NCRA conference sessions. Workshop participants do not have access to any conference sessions, but can visit the exhibit hall and attend the welcome reception.)
Thursday, April 19, through Saturday, April 21
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Fundamentals of Abstracting Workshop is an intensive, three-day training program designed to focus on the concepts of quality abstracting and data reporting practices. The curriculum provides an in-depth discussion of the coding rules and reporting requirements and includes several site-specific discussions. In addition, there will be hands-on training exercises incorporated throughout the workshop with designated time for individualized instruction. The workshop is only suitable for cancer registry employees with between six months and two years of experience.

Linda Corrigan is the NCRA 2012 program committee chair.