The Oncology Learning Center (OLC) is owned and operated by Stephen Madison.  OLC was started in 2003 to provide specialized oncology and hematology training to physicians and other healthcare professionals who reside solely within the pharmaceutical industry.  The reason for this temporary limitation to physicians employed by pharmaceutical companies, which will no longer apply after December 31, 2006, is to abide by the non-compete clause from sale of Stephen Madison’s former CME company, the CBCE, which he sold in 2000.  Stephen has been an oncology educator for more than two decades.

In early 2007 OLC hopes to become accredited by the ACCME and intends to resume full-time operation within all areas of CME, but limited to cancer, where Stephen Madison and his colleagues and company have an established niche of expertise and professionalism.  The OLC office is 16415 Addison Road, Suite 300, Addison, TX 75001, a suburb of Dallas.  Our telephone number is 214-866-0111.  Or you may e-mail us via steve.madison@olccme.com

OLC has assembled a world class group of experts in key subspecialty areas within oncology and hematology.  The OLC Scientific Medical Oncology Board is instrumental in bringing the most advanced concepts from translational research (“bench-to-bedside”) as well as providing community, private practice medical oncologists/hematologists with the most up-to-date information about the treatment of cancer.  The OLC Board is comprised of the true academic thought leaders from the most prestigious comprehensive cancer centers in the world.

Stephen Madison, RPh, MBA
Stephen is Chief Executive Officer of the OLC.  He is a well known authority on cancer education, with more than 20 years of experience in this field. Highly respected by leading academic medical and scientific authorities in cancer, Stephen is able to bring together the best minds to plan and execute CME activities that will be sponsored by the OLC.

George W. Sledge, Jr., MD, Chairman, Scientific Medical Oncology Board of the OLC
Dr. George W. Sledge is Professor of Medicine and Pathology of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, IN, and Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Program of the Indiana University Cancer Center.  Dr, Sledge is also the Chairman of the Breast Research Committee of the Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group, one of the top two cancer clinical trials groups of the national Institutes of Health.  Dr. Sledge is considered by his peers as one of the top and most respected academic thought leaders in breast cancer in the world.

CME PURPOSE
The purpose of the OLC is to support the continuing education of healthcare professionals by providing the framework and expertise for the development and implementation of educational activities. These activities reinforce current standards of care, impart new knowledge and skills, disseminate information on current trends and research, and enhance the healthcare environment for providers and their patients. CME activities offered by OLC are reflective of evidence-based medicine and designed to provide the healthcare audience with information oriented towards improved patient care.  

    
GOALS AND VALUES
While the CME purpose is to support CME for healthcare professionals, OLC is also focused on bringing the most up-to-date evidence into the hands of those professionals who affect patient care.  The goals and values represent OLC are listed below:

• Assure that all activities are evidence-based, validated for, scientific objectivity and fair balance, and provide actionable patient care recommendations.
• Develop robust and clinically-relevant activities that benefit from our core area of expertise in cancer and help identify emerging areas of unmet educational needs.
• Improve patient care by encouraging a continuous educational dialogue among researchers, clinicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals.
• Proactively measure the outcomes of our educational activities and the value to clinicians and patients.
• Develop and maintain educational alliances with academic institutions and national specialty societies.
• As an accredited provider, perform at an exemplary level by exceeding the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the guidelines of the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA/PRA).

CONTENT AREAS     
The content of the CME Program focuses on oncology, with sub-specialization in various forms of cancer such as solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, pathology and testing, and supportive care for cancer patients. Additionally, activity topics address clinical practice guidelines, factors for the improvement of patient quality of life, and safety considerations for patients. OLC activities serve to bring the latest research to the practicing oncologist and exemplify the phrase “from bench to bedside,” encompassing translational research, individualized therapies and other leading technologies.
   

OLC President, Stephen Madison, is a nationally-respected authority on cancer education. His previous education companies have developed high quality education that focuses on the needs of the practicing oncologist, and have been developed in conjunction with the world’s leading authorities in oncology. He has brought those clinicians and researchers and his experience to Oncology Learning Center.

 

AUDIENCE
The characteristics of potential participants include physicians, scientists, researchers, nurses, pharmacists and other health professional members of the interdisciplinary oncology care team.

Because cancer is treated by a team of specialists, the content is focused on oncologic physicians, but attendance is open to all who care for the cancer patient. Another factor in the determination of participation in OLC’s CME activities is the underlying basic science and research. New developments in cancer treatment are evolving at a rapid pace; therefore scientists also may chose to attend the educational activities to learn about the newest trends, and evidence available.  
 
EDUCATION FORMATS
All of the activities are based on recognized adult learning principles, including but not limited to, case-studies, small-group interactive learning, audience response technology, question-and-answer discussions, and the incorporation of other technology-based learning systems. Types of activities include:

• Live symposia, workshops, video conferences and audio conferences
• Enduring materials including print and computer-based media such as CD-ROMs
• Internet CME including both live web casts and enduring formats

The educational design is tailored to the specific needs of the identified audience for our activities, and is also a function of the needs identified, urgency of the topic area, and available funds for the planning and development of the activity.

EXPECTED EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
OLC is committed to assessing the impact and effectiveness of its CME Program, and employs methods that focus on clinical behavioral changes, skill acquisition, attitude changes and patient outcomes, as follows:

• Consistent use of post-activity evaluation tools that measure immediate participant learning and new attitudes about behavior change
• Follow-up outcomes measurements to determine if clinicians changed practice behaviors on the basis of what they learned at the activity
• Educational effectiveness is determined by applying the following criteria:
• Learners either validated current behaviors or adopted new behaviors
• Outcomes of behavior change have impacted patient health [when performance improvement (PI) activities are utilized]
• Activities provide tools that help the healthcare professional deflect barriers that may prevent the implementation of new behaviors, such as healthcare systems, cultural competencies, access to care, and cost
• Patient safety is addressed and improved through the activity

Approval by the Executive Committee
The complete CME Mission follows this section and was approved by the Executive Committee  on March 3, 2006.
 

CME MISSION STATEMENT

PURPOSE
The purpose of Oncology Learning Center (OLC) is to support the continuing education of healthcare professionals by providing the framework and expertise for the development and implementation of educational activities. These activities reinforce current standards of care, impart new knowledge and skills, disseminate information on current trends and research, and enhance the healthcare environment for providers and their patients. CME activities offered by OLC are reflective of evidence-based medicine and designed to provide the healthcare audience with information oriented towards improved patient care.  
The OLC encourages healthcare professionals to commit to change and distinct outcomes in their practices that will improve patient care and quality of life for the American public.

GOALS AND VALUES

• Assure that all activities are evidence-based, validated for, scientific objectivity and fair balance, and provide actionable patient care recommendations.
• Develop robust and clinically-relevant activities that benefit from our core area of expertise in cancer and help identify emerging areas of unmet educational need
• Improve patient care by encouraging a continuous educational dialogue among researchers, clinicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals.
• Proactively measure the outcomes of our educational activities and the value to clinicians and patients
• Develop and maintain educational alliances with academic institutions and national specialty societies.
• As an accredited provider, perform at an exemplary level by exceeding the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the guidelines of the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA/PRA).

CONTENT
The content of the CME Program focuses on oncology, with subspecialization in various forms of cancer including both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.  Additionally, activity topics address clinical practice guidelines, factors for the improvement of patient quality of life, and safety considerations for patients. OLC activities serve to bring the latest research to the practicing oncologist and exemplify the phrase “from bench to bedside.”

AUDIENCE
The characteristics of potential participants include physicians, scientists, researchers, nurses, pharmacists and other health professional members of the interdisciplinary oncology care team. Topics will be determined from the results of the needs assessments process conducted by OLC.  

EDUCATIONAL FORMATS
OLC activities are based on recognized adult learning principles, including but not limited to, case- studies, small group interactive learning, audience response technology, question-and-answer discussions, and the incorporation of other technology-based learning systems. Types of activities include:

• Live symposia, workshops, video conferences and audio conferences
• Enduring materials including print and computer-based media such as CD-ROMs
• Internet CME including both live web casts and enduring formats

The educational design is tailored to the specific needs of the identified audience for our activities, and is also a function of the needs identified, urgency of the topic area, and available funds for the planning and development of the activity.

EXPECTED EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
OLC is committed to assessing the impact and effectiveness of its CME Program, and employs methods that focus on clinical behavioral changes, skill acquisition, attitude changes and patient outcomes, as follows:

• Consistent use of post-activity evaluation tools that measure immediate participant learning and new attitudes about behavior change
• Follow-up outcomes measurements to determine if clinicians changed practice behaviors on the basis of what they learned at the activity
• Educational effectiveness is determined by applying the following criteria:
• Learners either validated current behaviors or adopted new behaviors
• Outcomes of behavior change have impacted patient health [when performance improvement (PI) activities are utilized]
• Activities provide tools that help the healthcare professional deflect barriers that may prevent the implementation of new behaviors, such as healthcare systems, cultural competencies, access to care, and cost
• Patient safety is addressed and improved through the activity