Helping Kids Understand Brain Tumors

Helping Kids Understand Brain Tumors

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Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 at 2pm ET / 1pm CT / 12pm MT / 11am PT

Talking to children about brain tumors can be challenging, whether they are the patient or have a loved one affected. This webinar will offer age-appropriate ways to explain the diagnosis and share strategies to support children’s emotional well-being throughout the journey. Participants will also discover helpful tools and resources to encourage open, honest conversations within families.

Webinar Overview:

• Learn age-appropriate ways to explain brain tumors to children, whether they are the patient or have a loved one affected.
• Identify strategies to support children’s emotional needs and help them cope during diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.
• Discover tools and resources to facilitate open, honest conversations about brain tumors with children and families.

Presenters:

Elias Sayour, MD, Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research – Elias Sayour, M.D., PhD, is the Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research and Co-Leader of the UF Cancer Institute’s Immuno-Oncology and Microbiome (IOM) Program. He completed undergraduate training at Fordham University, received his medical degree from the University at Buffalo, and his doctorate from Duke University. After finishing his pediatric residency at the Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in NY, he completed a hematology-oncology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center before accepting a faculty position at the University of Florida. Dr. Sayour is currently an NIH funded investigator, and a board-certified pediatrician and oncologist. He has extensive translational experience having served as sponsor of multiple FDA-IND submissions and as Study Chair/Sponsor of several first-in-human clinical trials (NCT04573140, NCT05264974 NCT05660408, NCT06389591). He serves as institutional PI for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC) and Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) allowing him to coordinate national resources to advance promising therapeutics. Dr. Sayour has spearheaded creation of the UF Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Initiative (PCI2) and Large Animal Comparative Oncology Initiative and serves as principal investigator of the RNA Engineering Laboratory where he has been the primary inventor on a number of issued/licensed and pending patent applications concerning the immunologic treatment of cancer, many of which have been commercially licensed. In 2024, he was named the University of Florida Innovator of the Year.

Katelin Jones, CCLS Senior Child Life Specialist – Katelin Jones, CCLS is a Senior Child Life Specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she primarily works with solid tumor and neuro-oncology patients and families by promoting effective coping through developmentally appropriate education, medical play, and procedural support. She studied Psychology and Child and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has experience supporting oncology patients across multiple pediatric hospitals, including perioperative care for brain tumor resections. She has created individualized materials to foster understanding about diagnosis, and is currently developing a generalized resource for early introduction to treatment to strengthen communication and trust between patients, families, and staff.