Facing a Brain Tumor Recurrence with Resilience

Facing a Brain Tumor Recurrence with Resilience

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January 27, 2026 at 2pmET / 1pm CT / noon MT / 11am PT

Facing a brain tumor recurrence can be emotionally and physically overwhelming for patients and their loved ones. This webinar will provide an overview of the medical aspects of recurrence, including common treatment options, goals of care, and key questions to discuss with the healthcare team. Participants will also explore the emotional and psychological impacts of recurrence and learn practical coping strategies to build resilience. The session will highlight ways to communicate openly with healthcare providers, family members, and support networks to express fears, needs, and next steps during this challenging time.

Webinar Overview:

• Understand the key medical aspects of brain tumor recurrence, including common treatment options, goals of care, and questions to discuss with the healthcare team.
• Recognize the emotional and psychological effects of recurrence on patients, caregivers, and loved ones.
• Identify practical coping strategies to build emotional resilience when facing a recurrence diagnosis or the fear of recurrence.
• Feel empowered to communicate openly with healthcare providers, family, and support systems about fears, needs, and next steps after recurrence.

Presenter

Alyx Porter MD
Dr. Porter is a Professor of Neurology and the Director of the NeuroOncology Section at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Having been with Mayo for over two decades, she has worked diligently to provide care for patients with tumors and cancers involving the nervous system in addition to patients who have neurologic complications resulting from their systemic cancers. Dr. Porter received her undergraduate education at Spelman College and went on to receive her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester in Internal Medicine, residency in Neurology, and Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Porter serves as the Medical Director of the outpatient practice, and serves on the Board as a member of the Executive Operations Team at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is also the medical director of the Undergraduate Plummer Scholars Program, an early undergraduate medical pathway programs for Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Science. Her research interests are aimed at ensuring that patients with brain cancers have the best quality of life as possible. She is the primary investigator on the defining study for the utility of psychostimulants to improve quality of life as well as thinking and memory in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Dr. Porter is also co-author of the book, Navigating Life with a Brain Tumor, a resource for patients and families. She and her husband, Dr. Gregory Umphrey founded a national non-profit in 2019, ElevateMeD. To date, ElevateMeD has awarded over $1.5M in scholarships and support to medical students from underrepresented backgrounds. ElevateMeD is committed to elevating the field of medicine by providing financial support, mentorship and leadership training to future physicians from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. Dr. Porter was the 2020 recipient of the Dean’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Anne B. Young Diversity Scholar Award from Massachusetts General Hospital for her work in equity and inclusion. She was recently recognized as 2023 Alumni Emerging Leader from the Lewis Katz School of medicine at Temple University. She is noted to be a top provider by the Mayo Clinic Office of Patient Experience for the last several years and Castle and Connelly Exceptional Women in Medicine.