The topic being explored was the next era of cancer innovation.
When Amy Sriberg's husband was fighting cancer, she saw how other patients in the chemo infusion center at UCLA Santa Monica needed a friendly face.
"We talk about their fears. We talk about their anxieties. We talk about everything they fear, and I just listen," she said.
She handles the needs of 80 patients which led to a new role called "patient hospitality."
"Everybody walks out of there feeling like they've been taken care of. Feeling like somebody cares," said Sriberg.
At the American Cancer Society's Trailblazers in Cancer Summit, patient care heroes, top scientists and medical leaders came together to see how to turn ideas into impact. Plus, how to use artificial intelligence to identify people for clinical trials and other patient services.
"We are trying to use technology to help us advance our prevention and screening programs to communities that we don't touch every day," said Cindy Chavira, vice president of operations at Cedars-Sinai, who also sits on the ACS Greater Los Angeles Board of Directors.
Each year, more than two million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer and more than 600,000 lives are lost.
"We're helping patients understand what their risk is, understand how often they should get screened so that we can catch their cancers at earlier stages, which obviously have better outcomes," she said.
The Trailblazers in Cancer Summit raised more than $700,000 for groundbreaking research that will impact all communities. The goal is to improve access for everyone.
"And hopefully have them have a better cancer experience. Nobody wants to have cancer, but if you do, having somebody navigate through your journey always makes it a little bit easier," said Chavira.
Many of discussions held during Friday's event centered on promising new research in the laboratory and technological breakthroughs that can bring those treatments to the bedside faster. For Sriberg, it's something that can inspire the many cancer patients she greets every day.
"There's always something to hope for, no matter where you are in your diagnosis. There's always something to hope for," she said.