2026 ZERO Support Group Leader & MENtor Training

Speakers: Chuck Ryan MD, Adam Murphy MD, Tim Malouff MD, Alison Sachs MSA, LSW, OSW-C

This expert-led panel will deliver an up-to-the-minute overview of advances shaping prostate cancer care today. Leading clinicians and researchers will discuss innovations in imaging and diagnostics, next-generation systemic therapies, focal treatments, and evolving surgical and radiation techniques. The conversation will explore how genomics and biomarker-driven decisions are refining personalization, what’s new in active surveillance and disease monitoring, and practical strategies to support quality of life across the survivorship continuum. Participants will:

• Gain clarity on the newest diagnostics, imaging, and treatment options across disease stages
• Discover strategies to address side effects and support quality of life during and after treatment
• Explore the role of clinical trials, real-world evidence, and patient advocacy in advancing care
• Strengthen skills for communicating complex treatment choices to support group members and MENtors

Speakers: Courtney Bugler, Brian Bragg

This session invites Support Group Leaders and MENtors to reflect on why measuring impact is an act of care, not just a task. Together, we’ll explore how paying attention to outcomes builds trust with the people we serve, shows accountability to our donors and partners, and advances equity by making sure no one’s experience is overlooked or unheard.

Led by our CEO and Chief Mission Officer, this conversation explores why measurement is essential to mission. Participants will leave with a renewed sense of purpose and a shared language for why making our impact visible truly matters.

Speaker: Lisa Hall, MHA

Description: 

This session introduces support group leaders and MENtors to the foundational principles of health equity and what it means to lead inclusively in the prostate cancer space. Through honest dialogue, real-world examples, and reflective activities, participants will examine how race, culture, socioeconomic status, and the social determinants of health shape the experiences of the men and families they serve and discover how their role as a leader can be a powerful force for change.

Participants will:

• Define health equity and distinguish it from equality in the context of prostate cancer support
• Explore disparities in prostate cancer outcomes, with a focus on Black men, rural communities, low-income patients, and LGBTQ+ individuals
• Identify how social determinants of health show up in the lives of support group members and MENtees
• Recognize personal assumptions and unconscious bias that may affect how they lead and engage
• Connect health equity principles to their everyday actions as a support group leader or MENtor

Facilitator: Jean Rowe LCSW + CJT

Description: 

Expressive writing has been studied for over 40 years. The bottom line is that research shows that writing down our thoughts and feelings can be good for us! Cancer Caregivers take on new and numerous roles when their loved ones are diagnosed. Sometimes, those roles can become all-consuming, and caregivers can develop symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout. Join Jean in this session to learn a simple and elegant tool for setting self-loving intentions, practical self-care tools and reframing our thoughts through the journal. 

Facilitator: Jean Rowe LCSW + CJT

Description:

If you knew that 5 minutes of writing might change your perspective, your mood, your feelings, would you do it? Expressive writing is more than a chronicling of daily events. Join Jean to learn more about how expressive writing helps in more ways than just getting it out on paper (although that counts)! When we serve in supportive roles, we can carry a lot. This practice has been shown to help with self-support and self-care. 1-2 short timed prompts will be offered for attendees to experience this simple, powerful act.

Presenter: Hakim Asadi, LMSW
 

Session Overview

Support group leaders and peer mentors often become anchors for others navigating prostate cancer, caregiving, fear, grief, uncertainty, and identity shifts. While this role can be deeply meaningful, it can also carry emotional weight that impacts personal wellness, boundaries, and capacity.

This session will explore the emotional realities of holding space for others while also tending to yourself as a peer and leader. Participants will engage in conversations around recognizing emotional fatigue, identifying triggers and stress responses, understanding when additional support or referrals may be needed, and developing practical tools for sustainable self-care. The session will also encourage honest reflection around capacity, boundaries, and what it means to lead from a place of awareness rather than depletion.

Participants will leave with language, strategies, and grounding practices that support both compassionate leadership and personal wellbeing.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize and identify signs of emotional overwhelm, compassion fatigue, triggers, and stress responses in themselves and others that may indicate the need for additional support, resources, or referral.
2. Develop practical self-awareness and self-care strategies to support sustainable peer leadership, including naming personal capacity, setting boundaries, and utilizing tools for emotional regulation while holding space for others.

Speaker: Mark Moyad, MD, MPH

 Session Description:
Join world-renowned public health educator Mark A. Moyad, MD, MPH, for a practical, no-nonsense look at lifestyle, supplements, and overall wellness for men and families navigating prostate cancer. This will be a relaxed informal setting,  and he will  take many questions!

 As the Jenkins/Pokempner Director of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Education at the University of Michigan Medical Center’s Department of Urology, Dr. Moyad has spent more than 30 years focused on how comprehensive lifestyle changes can improve mental, physical, and spiritual health—while cutting through the hype around dietary supplements, over‑the‑counter products, and other “wellness” claims.

Drawing on his 175+ medical publications, 20 books, and thousands of lectures worldwide, Dr. Moyad will translate the latest clinical research into clear, usable guidance you can bring back to your support groups. You’ll learn what’s truly evidence-based, what remains unproven, and how to help men and families ask better questions, make safer choices, and feel more empowered in their daily lives. This session will equip Support Group Leaders and MENtors with practical talking points, realistic strategies, and trustworthy resources to support whole‑person wellness in their communities.