A cancer diagnosis brings up lots of questions – about treatment, outcomes and dealing with the physical, emotional and spiritual tolls of the disease.
The Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology hosts educational webinars on a variety of topics to provide answers to those questions. Now, the center has built a video library so patients and the general public can access the wisdom of these webinars on demand.
“That’s just the digital age we’re moving to,” says Da’Vie Guzman, MA, the Simms/Mann Center’s program coordinator, adding that the new digital library will launch in the coming months. “Digital outreach is integral to the work we do here at Simms/Mann because it allows us to provide more services and support to a wider group of people.”
The Simms/Mann Center has always offered educational webinars, but has increased their frequency since Guzman joined the staff as its inaugural program coordinator in 2024. Now held twice a month, one session focuses on oncology themes and a second centers on nutrition questions. The online programs are free and open to the public.
The abundance of information that comes with a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming.
“Not only is there so much to learn about, but there’s also a whole new vocabulary one needs to understand,” Guzman says. “By providing clinical guidance and evidence-based research on an array of topics in these webinars, participants can feel confident that their information is coming from a reliable source.”
Participants can engage with presenters during webinars, and participant feedback helps inform future content, Guzman says.
Creating the digital library will expand access to Simms/Mann Center experts beyond UCLA Health and illuminate the range of services available to patients, she says. The Simms/Mann Center provides psychosocial support – including spiritual care, nutritional support, counseling, art therapy, mindfulness practice and support groups – free to UCLA Health oncology patients and their families.
“This will help folks who are unaware of our services understand what we offer and how we can help them as UCLA Health patients,” Guzman says.
Upcoming webinars will address advance care planning, coping with chronic pain, nutrient-packed foods during cancer treatment and an introduction to the adolescent and young adult cancer program.
Some programs are recurring, such as the webinar on advance care planning. Others are specific to certain diagnoses, such as Navigating GI Cancer: UCLA Resources and Support.
“We look forward to developing more diagnosis-specific programs,” says Shannon La Cava, PsyD, director of the Simms/Mann Center.
Making these recordings accessible through a digital library means “patients and their families can access evidence-based, informative content when it works with their schedule,” she says.
The video library is just one of the ways the Simms/Mann Center is expanding its offerings, Guzman says. A classroom and kitchen, currently under development in Santa Monica, will host cooking demonstrations and yoga classes.
