Hackathon Produced By CancerCare and Guidemark Health Develops Solutions to Address Unmet Needs in Metastatic Breast Cancer

PRINCETON, N.J., March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- How do you bring a group of diverse, health-minded thinkers together to ideate innovative solutions with the potential to address healthcare's greatest challenges? You host a hackathon. Guidemark Health and CancerCare did just that and welcomed over forty guests to our inaugural H.A.C. (Health Action Community) event.

The event focused on helping those impacted by Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). The unique needs of people living with MBC are well researched and documented, but sadly, significant and vast unmet needs remain. While positive trends in survivorship are encouraging, these challenges compound, detracting from the focus on treatment and negatively impacting quality of life.

The success of the event was in large part due to the incredible contributions of a group of amazing individuals. Carolyn Ricci, Advocate and Former Program Director for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade was the event keynote. She was joined by an esteemed judging panel including: Christine Verini, Chief Operating Officer, CancerCare; Michael Zincone, Advocacy and Professional Relations, Pfizer Oncology; Wayne Sichel, Former Head, U.S. Federal Policy, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; and Nora Herting, Co-Founder and CEO, ImageThink. Guest speakers included Kathleen Nugent, Director of Regional Programs, CancerCare and Andrea Ottaiano, Founder, Certified Health Coach, Health and Wellness Advocate, Silver Lining Holistic Health. Each contributor brought a unique perspective allowing participants to learn firsthand about the physical, practical, emotional, and psychosocial challenges faced by the MBC community.

Teams spent half the day ideating against the problem challenge to design a solution to address daily challenges in MBC so those impacted can gain back control despite uncertainty.

The winning group envisioned a solution to help MBC patients and caregivers find reliable and credible information with less difficulty. Their solution involved a platform that would allow CancerCare and other vetted organizations to curate content via a portal where this content could be personalized based on immediate patient and caregiver needs.

According to Christine Verini, Chief Operating Officer of CancerCare, "Great things can happen when people with diverse expertise and skillsets come together to share their passion. We had a fantastic day that resulted in four feasible concepts that address the needs of patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer. CancerCare can build on these concepts as they continue to pursue their mission to provide free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer."

Michael Parisi, CEO Guidemark Health, added, "We were thrilled with the outcome of the day and look forward to working closely with the team at CancerCare to help bring much needed services to the metastatic breast cancer community."

About CancerCare^®

Founded in 1944, CancerCare is the leading national organization providing free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical and financial challenges of cancer. Our comprehensive services include counseling and support groups over the phone, online and in-person, educational workshops, publications and financial and co-payment assistance. All CancerCare services are provided by oncology social workers and world-leading cancer experts.

To learn more, visit www.cancercare.org or call 800-813-HOPE (4673).

About Guidemark Health

Guidemark Health is a health care communications agency dedicated to a delivering impactful brand and business solutions for our clients. We're creating a unique agency culture where passion meets flexibility on behalf of our clients, their brands and their markets.

Our services include: Advertising/Marketing/Communications and Audience Engagement, Medical Communications, and Learning all within the same agency. This unique mix enables clients to access specialized and consistent expertise that meaningfully raises the bar. Whether the challenge is disrupting a disease, an established paradigm, or an entire market, we do so with energy, passion, and the insight, forethought, and stability that come from experience.

At Guidemark Health, we go beyond full-service to "full-engagement", meaning, we are driven by greater involvement and ownership in the relationship and the work. We pride ourselves on being One Need Ahead.

Guidemark Health is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey, and Stamford, Connecticut. To learn more about Guidemark Health, please visit www.guidemarkhealth.com or contact Michael Parisi, CEO, at 201-740-6100.

Media Contact: Jackie Singley, [email protected]

SOURCE Guidemark Health

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