advocates

The 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit Was Unforgettable – Here’s Why

During January’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM), the 5th annual Cervical Cancer Summit powered by Cervivor, Inc. brought together patients, survivors, advocates, researchers, and healthcare professionals to share knowledge, build community, and inspire action toward ending cervical cancer. Held in Washington, D.C. – where Cervivor was founded 20 years ago – it marked a monumental milestone in the organization’s efforts to ensure no one faces this preventable disease alone or at all.

The 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit drew patients and survivors from around the world, joined here by other advocates, experts, and supporters.

Reflecting on a Transformative Weekend

From January 23 to 26, 2025, the JW Marriott and The National Press Club buzzed with energy as attendees participated in impactful discussions and engaging activities. The weekend kicked off with a Thursday afternoon scavenger hunt to iconic D.C. landmarks and wrapped up with a Sunday morning self-care session for attendees. Friday and Saturday featured nearly 40 speakers and drew over 150 participants, including about 40 virtual attendees. All gathered to explore the latest advancements in cervical cancer advocacy, prevention, and treatment.

Looking back at another successful Summit, it’s clear that we are stronger together, and now is the time to deepen our collective commitment to making every cervix matter. (Cervivor even commemorated this new mantra, “Every Cervix Matters,” with new merchandise for CCAM.) As Cervivor’s Founder and Chief Visionary, Tamika Felder, encouraged the crowd in her welcome address, “Despite everything going on in the world, there is hope. I know it because of the work that all of you are doing, and we know that work will not be stopped.”

From start to finish, the Summit fostered powerful connections and inspired personal transformation. On the left, Cervivor’s DEI Chief, Kimberly Williams, welcomes attendees, while participants relax during a self-care-focused Sunday service including yoga and mindfulness.

7 Highlights from the 5th Annual Summit

Since its inaugural virtual gathering in 2020 during the pandemic, the Summit has become the most well-attended annual event for cervical cancer patients and survivors. It’s the place to discover groundbreaking solutions and identify missed opportunities, so key stakeholders – especially those in Cervivor’s global community of those impacted by cervical cancer – can collaborate to drive meaningful change. Some of the powerful highlights included:

1. Inspiring Keynotes

At left, Cervivor Chief Visionary and Founder Tamika Felder gave her annual State of Cervical Cancer address, mapping out a vision for a cervical cancer-free future. On Saturday, keynote speaker and cervical cancer survivor Trish Toro (right) inspired the crowd with her triumph over adversity.

From Cervivor Chief Visionary and Founder Tamika Felder’s essential State of Cervical Cancer remarks on Friday morning to the inspiring story of endurance athlete and cervical cancer survivor Trish Toro, our keynote speakers highlighted the strength and resilience of the cervical cancer community.

In her speech, Tamika expressed solidarity with attendees: “I know firsthand what it feels like to lack support, visibility, and community. That’s why I created this organization,” she explained. “Looking at where we are now, it’s undeniable – the power of this community and the importance of raising our collective voices for change cannot be ignored.”  She also noted how uplifting it was to see so many in teal and white but reminded the audience, “Don’t be dismayed if not everyone knows our ribbon colors or that January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. More and more people are understanding that this is our month to shine.”

Trish, Saturday’s keynote speaker, shared the irony of her diagnosis – she was training for an Ironman competition when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. “I was in the best shape of my life. I could swim a mile. I could run 31 miles,” she said. “But cervical cancer doesn’t discriminate. I decided to approach cancer like I would a marathon – because I can do hard things.” With that mindset, she chose to walk to and from her cancer treatment center, always accompanied by a supportive friend or family member, she tearfully recounted.

2. Powerful Panels

Two of the impactful panel discussions included “Equity in Action” about addressing healthcare disparities and the “Power of Storytelling” with three cervical cancer survivors turned advocates.

Multiple panels highlighted the critical work being done to address disparities in care and amplify patient voices, which Cervivor believes are the real experts needed to shape research, clinical trials, and public health initiatives.

The “Power of Storytelling” panel with Cervivor’s Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer Kimberly Williams, MHCM, and cervical cancer survivors and advocates Aisha McClellan and Arlene Simpson, demonstrated how they’ve transformed their personal narratives into powerful teachable moments for their close friends, families, and broader communities.

“Be patient with yourself,” encouraged Arlene, who was initially hesitant to talk about her cervical cancer diagnosis due to stigma in her community. “Let yourself heal from the journey. If you’re not ready to tell your story yet, don’t tell it. But know that your story is important. There’s someone out there who’s going to take it to heart, and it’s going to spread.”

Attendees were fully engaged during the “Equity in Action” session, featuring experts on cancer care gaps such as Dr. Susan Vadaparampil, Senior Member and Professor at Moffitt Cancer Center; Dr. Lynn Richards McDonald, Clinical Program Director for cervical cancer screening at Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Dr. Isabell Scarinci, Clinical Psychologist at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. While sharing a personal story from her childhood in Brazil, where she had polio, Dr. Scarinci expressed her vision for a world where cervical cancer is as rare as polio – another vaccine-preventable disease: “I dedicate my work to cancer elimination because I’ve seen the end of one disease,” she said. “I want to see the end of another.”

3. Interactive Sessions

In sessions on navigating financial toxicity due to overwhelming medical bills, becoming shame-resistant, and other key topics, attendees were encouraged to ask questions and share their perspectives.

To empower participants with practical tools and resources, four panels addressed highly relevant topics:

  • Trauma-Informed Care and Building Shame Resilience with Dr. Stephanie Broussard, Director of Social Work at Thyme Care and Vice President of Policy for Adjuvant Behavioral Health
  • Managing Medical Debt with Cervivor’s Community Engagement Liaison, Morgan Newman, MSW; Nurse Navigator, Glenda Cousar, RN, BSN, OCN; and Cancer Support Community’s Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Daneen Sekoni
  • Navigating Clinical Trials with Tiffany Drummond of Opinionated STEM and cervical cancer survivor and patient advocate Linda Ryan.

4. Cervivor Awards

From left, the Cervivor Champion Award winners included Pamela Akers, RN, Cindy Craddock, and St. Jude’s Julia Brown, MPH, and Andrea Stubbs, MPA, and Glenda Cossar, RN, BSN, OCN.

Cervivor proudly honored outstanding individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the mission to end cervical cancer. Pamela Akers, RN, Cindy Craddock, The St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program Team, Virginia “Ginny” Marable, and Glenda Cousar, RN, BSN, OCN all received our coveted Cervivor Champion Award for their exceptional dedication and impactful work.

From left, more Cervivor Champion Award winners included Glenda Cossar, RN, BSN, OCN, and Ginny Marable.

Ginny moderated a session on the “Pathway to Parenthood” with cervical cancer survivors Dulcely Tavarez and Anna Ogo, who have all faced fertility challenges due to their cervical cancer treatments. The session concluded with the first presentation of the Virginia “Ginny” Marable Cervivor Baby Gift Fund to Dulcely, an emotional moment for Ginny, Dulcely, and Tamika who joined them on stage. Generous donations to the fund included over $2,500 in financial contributions, as well as baby essentials from Dr. Brown’s, and gift cards from Target, Starbucks, and more.

Tamika Felder and Ginny Marable presented the first-ever Cervivor Baby Gift Fund to Dulcely Tavarez.

5. Meaningful Connections

Throughout the weekend, attendees explored informational booths and participated in engaging activities, including the KickIt Pajamas Party Powered by Cervivor, Inc. on Thursday evening. Tracy Weiss, a cervical cancer survivor and Executive Director of Chick Mission, spoke to the group, setting a warm, vibrant tone for the weekend.

On Thursday night, attendees donned pajamas for a fun get-to-know-you event, while cervical cancer survivor Tracy Weiss from Chick Mission inspired the group.

6. Collaboration

Another central theme of the Summit was collaboration, focusing on innovative strategies to ensure that everyone – regardless of background or location – has access to life-saving screenings, treatments, and HPV vaccinations. Sessions included:

  • “Expanding Access and Reducing Barriers through HPV Self-Collection” and “What’s the Latest in HPV Vaccination?” – moderated by Dr. Linda Eckert, author of Enough: Because We Can Stop Cervical Cancer – sparked valuable discussions on overcoming barriers to care and promoting health equity.
  • During the HPV self-collection session with Dr. Carolyn Kay and Vanessa Bennett, attendees were encouraged to open and handle the tests provided by Roche Diagnostics, exploring the impact of self-collection on increasing screening access.
  • Participants also gained historical context on cervical screenings through a reading by Dr. Wendy Kline, author of Exposed: The Hidden History of the Pelvic Exam
  • A talk on the evolution of cervical cancer screenings from Dr. Kyle Bukowski, Medical Director at Hologic emphasized the groundbreaking impact of the Pap test when it was first introduced in the 1950s.

Teamwork makes the dream work! The experts on stage participating in a session on the latest in HPV vaccination included: Dr. Linda Eckert, Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, (Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI)), Andrea Stubbs (St. Jude HPV Cancer Prevention Program), and Zuli Garcia (Cervical Cancer Survivor).

7. Tools for Self-Care

On Sunday, the remaining attendees enjoyed a serene closing session featuring art therapy – resulting in a one-of-a-kind Cervivor quilt by Sandi Goldman – plus meditation, mindfulness, motivation, and more. The sessions were led by self-care experts Lisa Simms Booth of The Smith Center for the Healing and the Arts; clinical psychologist David Zuniga, PhD, MDIV, MA; and Tara Casagrande of Yoga + Mindfulness.

On the final day of the Summit, participants gathered in The Congressional Room for healing and reflection, including guided sessions by Lisa Simms Booth (left) and Tara Casagrande, and Dr. David Zuniga (right).

Our Heartfelt Thanks

To everyone who joined us in D.C. or followed the Summit online, we offer our sincere gratitude. A special thank you to our presenting sponsors Hologic, Roche, Pfizer, Genmab, and our supporting sponsor, BD, and of course, our volunteers who made this event possible, too.

We left this Summit inspired and ready to carry the lessons learned into our communities. Let’s continue to educate, empower, and advocate. Let’s keep sharing stories, sparking conversations, and working toward solutions. Let’s keep working together. 

Together, we are Cervivor Strong. Together, we will eliminate cervical cancer.

Mark Your Calendars!

Join us again in January 2026 for the next Cervical Cancer Summit. Be among the first to receive updates and secure your spot by signing up here. (If you attended this year, don’t forget to share your favorite Summit moments on social media by tagging us and utilizing the following hashtags: #Cervivor, #EndCervicalCancer, and #CervicalCancerSummit). Keep an eye out for upcoming webinars and other Cervivor community events. Your voice and your participation are critical to the mission of ending cervical cancer.

A Decade of Advocacy

It is surreal for me to think that I have been an advocate and sharing my story of cervical cancer for ten years.  I say this because after treatment, I just wanted to stay quiet.  Not talk about the whole ordeal and just move forward.

I am sure many survivors feel this way after treatment, but I have also met many that are very vocal about every single step of their journey.  I was not one of them.  I do not have any documentation about my journey.  The only thing I have are 35 hospital bracelets for each time I had a radiation treatment.  

It wasn’t until four months after treatment that my brother insisted on doing a cervical cancer walk. A coincidence? Perhaps. I will never know.  At first, I did not want to do it, but he insisted so much that I gave in. 

Walk to Beat the Clock – NYC

On September 19, 2009, at the Walk to Beat the Clock, I met Tamika Felder, a cervical cancer survivor and the founder of Tamika and Friends, which later rebranded to Cervivor.  That day I met other survivors as well.  They were sharing their cervical cancer stories.  These stories were similar to mine and told with such heart, passion and confidence.

First time meeting Tamika

I was in awe.  I was inspired and motivated but most importantly I did not feel alone anymore.  At that moment, I made a decision that I wanted to join the cause and the movement. I wanted to share my own story and let other women know that my journey did not have to be theirs and that they were not alone. 

My mission became even clearer when Tamika invited me to a Latino Summit in Washington D.C. It was there that I learned the statistics between cervical cancer and Latinas. 

To be able to share my own story I needed to be authentic, open and be able to deliver it with an open heart.  Tamika said to me at the very beginning “always tell your story from your heart, because when it comes from the heart people listen.” I have applied this statement to the hundreds of times I have told my story and I still do.  

First radio interview

I still remember the first time I told my story. It was March 28, 2010 and it was a radio interview in Spanish for 95.9 FM El Poder Latino (The Latino Power).  I was so nervous, my heart was pounding, but I remembered what Tamika had told me to do and I spoke from the heart.

On January 25, 2014, I attended the first Cervivor School, which took place in New York City.  Cervivor School is a life-changing event. It is empowering, informational, educational and inspirational.  We also get to share our views, our stories, our concerns, our goals, our obstacles and our strengths.  It is so important that survivors who become advocates are educated and informed with the latest facts to be able to bring the proper message forward. 

It has been a journey of highs and lows.  The reality of things is that not everyone is going to be interested in listening to your story or anything you have to say and this had to be OK with me. I did not let this discourage me.  As advocates, we set to save the world. Unfortunately, I came to the realization that I cannot save the world, I cannot even save New York City, where I reside, but if my message gets to one person in the crowd, I have completed my mission. 

Through the years, there have been many ways I have advocated: free cervical cancer screening events, health fairs and interviews with different media outlets. Not every presentation or interview has been perfect, but I can honestly say that I never did it for the accolades.  I do it to educate women that need to know that this cancer is preventable and treatable if found early.  We lose over 4000 women every year in the United States alone. These women were someone’s wife, aunt, daughter, mother, grandmother and their lives matter.

I am very proud of the work I do as an advocate and I am humbled to say that my advocacy work has been recognized.  

New York City Proclamation

All the work has been important to me, but I hold two events dear to my heart. The first is the proclamation for my advocacy, given to me by the New York City Council on January 10, 2015. This was one of the proudest moments of my advocacy world. 

Lasker Awards with Dr. Lowy

The other was being invited to the Lasker Awards  in 2017 where I met Dr. Douglas R. Lowy and Dr. John T. Schiller, the two scientists that were the recipients of that year’s  award for their technological advances enabling the development of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which prevents cervical cancer and other tumors.  So proud that my story was featured in their submitted video. 

My advocacy journey has brought me full circle.  Today I lead a survivor fitness group as the Cervivor Wellness Instructor.  Survivor Slimdown is a Facebook group open to ALL CANCER SURVIVORS.  It is a space for inspiration, motivation and accountability as we learn to navigate our way to health after a cancer diagnosis.

I must say that the best part of my advocacy has been meeting my wonderful and inspirational Cervivor sisters.  Every single one of them has a story that matters.  Stories that show resilience, courage and strength.  Unfortunately, many of them are no longer here, but we keep them in our hearts.  We honor them by continuing to share their stories and legacies because they did make a difference. 

We all bond with the same mission to end cervical cancer and to make our generation the last one to fight this disease.

Advocacy in action!

My heartfelt thanks to Tamika Felder and the Cervivor organization for giving me a voice and a platform to share my story. This organization has supported me on my way back.  They have also supported so many other women fighting and surviving this disease. I will never feel alone again.

Patti is a Cervivor Ambassador and Cervivor’s Wellness Instructor who manages our Survivor Slimdown Facebook group. She is a retired NYPD police officer and an 11 year cervical cancer survivor. She resides in NYC with her husband of 21 years where she’s a Group Fitness Instructor and a Health Advocate.