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2025 CGO Foundational Research Grant Recipients
The Center for Global Oncology is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Foundational Research Grant Awards, which support bold, equity-focused cancer research in low-resource settings, including two impactful projects funded this year.
These outstanding investigators exemplify the Center's mission to support innovative global oncology research that advances equitable cancer care. We congratulate them on their important work and look forward to the impact of their findings.
The Penn Center for Global Health (CGH) and the Center for Global Oncology (CGO) are pleased to announce that Dr. Katharine (Kate) Rendle and her interdisciplinary team have been awarded CGO Foundational Research Grant funding for their project, “Closing the Gap in Cervical Precancer Care in Botswana.” This award is part of CGO’s inaugural year of grant funding, which drew a number of exciting and innovative applications from across the Penn community. Dr. Rendle’s project was selected for its strong scientific approach, clear potential for real-world impact, and alignment with CGO’s mission to advance equitable cancer care in low-resource settings. The proposed research addresses a critical and understudied gap in the cervical cancer care continuum: the period between abnormal screening results and completion of diagnostic evaluation. In Botswana—where cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among women—the ability to rapidly identify and treat high-grade precancerous lesions can significantly reduce preventable deaths. Dr. Rendle’s mixed-methods study will investigate why delays occur, explore multilevel barriers to care, and generate evidence-based strategies to strengthen timely follow-up. A notable component of this project is its capacity-building focus. Through a structured training-of-trainers model, the team will invest directly in developing Botswana-based expertise in mixed-methods research and implementation science. Early-career researchers and clinical partners will participate in hands-on training, data analysis, and joint dissemination efforts—laying the foundation for sustainable, locally led research long after the project concludes. This effort builds on more than a decade of collaboration between Penn and the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, reinforcing CGO’s commitment to supporting equitable cancer prevention, early detection, and care delivery worldwide. We look forward to the impact of Dr. Rendle’s work as her team advances cervical cancer prevention in Botswana and contributes new insights to global cancer control.
This translational research explores the use of red blood cells (RBCs) as a novel platform for detecting HPV-16 DNA. By optimizing RBC-based diagnostics, the investigators aim to enable low-cost, blood-based cervical cancer screening in countries like Botswana. This could transform early detection & reduce cervical cancer mortality in underserved regions.
Dr. Nilam Mangalmurti is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a leading expert in red blood cell immunobiology. Her NIH- and DoD-funded research explores how RBCs regulate immune responses, with a focus on translational applications in diagnostics and critical illness.
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This project seeks to measure and understand the unique stigma faced by women living with both HIV and breast cancer in Botswana. By developing validated intersectional stigma instruments, Dr. Martei’s work will inform targeted interventions to reduce stigma-related barriers to care and improve survival outcomes.
Dr. Yehoda Martei is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology. A clinical epidemiologist and implementation scientist, her research focuses on breast cancer care delivery in sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on equity & outcomes for people living with HIV.
2025 CGO Foundational Capacity Building Grant Recipients
The Center for Global Oncology is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Foundational Capacity Building Grant Awards, which provides resources to Penn faculty in support of Capacity Building Initiatives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The proposed work focuses on innovative approaches to cancer care delivery, with on-going measurements of system processes and patient outcomes.
These outstanding investigators exemplify the Center's mission to support innovative global oncology capacity building that advances equitable cancer care. We congratulate them on their important work and look forward to the impact on their host countries.
In Ghana, too many women with cervical cancer are diagnosed at advanced stages, when few treatment options remain and even fewer specialists are available to help. This critical challenge stems not only from disease burden but also from limited access to hands-on training for Ghanaian oncology professionals.
To help close this gap, the Center for Global Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania awarded a pilot grant to Dr. Stephen Avery, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of Global Radiation Physics, to launch a novel virtual reality (VR)-based training program focused on gynecologic radiation oncology.
The pilot leverages a train-the-trainer model, immersive VR modules, and international partnerships to equip Ghanaian clinicians with critical early detection and treatment skills. Two trainees will receive training at an IAEA Rays of Hope anchor center in Jordan, using VR simulations to master core techniques in cervical cancer care. Upon return, these master trainers will lead implementation at Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals in Ghana.
To build momentum, Dr. Avery—joined by colleagues Dr. Andrew Maidment, President-Elect of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and Chief of Physics for Radiology at Penn Medicine, and Nehemyah Green, a second-year medical physics graduate student at Penn—led a three-day workshop titled “Empowering Future Leaders in Cancer Care: VR & AI for Transforming Cancer Care in LMICs” at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The event brought together oncologists, physicists, and international partners for live demonstrations, AI workflow sessions, and strategic planning.
This initiative was first spotlighted at the Global Health Catalyst (GHC) Summit, where Dr. Avery serves as Co-Director. The GHC Summit is a premier platform for advancing equitable cancer care and fostering cross-sector collaboration. The upcoming GHC Summit in September at MIT will feature early outcomes from the VR pilot and explore opportunities for expansion.
Together, these efforts lay the foundation for a future Comprehensive Cancer Center of Excellence in Ghana, where VR and AI will shape a new era of clinical education and cancer care delivery. By supporting this initiative, the Center for Global Oncology is helping to pioneer scalable, technology-driven training models that build sustainable cancer care capacity in low-resource settings.
This initiative builds on a longstanding partnership between Penn, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Partners In Health to support the development of a national cancer program in Lesotho. The project will focus on:
• Strengthening pathology infrastructure through training and implementation of telepathology
• Advancing gynecologic oncology surgical capacity via in-country mentorship and visiting expert clinicians
• Supporting multidisciplinary staff development and coordination through a national oncology retreat
• Implementing metrics to evaluate improvements in quality, timeliness, and coordination of cancer care
Dr. Larry Shulman is Co-Director of the Center for Global Oncology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He has led cancer care delivery programs in Rwanda, Haiti, Botswana, and Lesotho. A recognized expert in global health systems and quality cancer care, he is the former Chair of the Commission on Cancer and recipient of the ASCO Humanitarian Award.
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Despite having the tools to prevent, and even eliminate, cervical cancer, it continues to affect hundreds of thousands of women, families, and communities each year, largely because access to life-saving vaccines, screening, and treatment remains scarce in the places that need them most.
To advocate for strategic investments in treatment, Dr. Grover joined the second Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Forum. Here government officials and global health implementors, including Gavi, Unitaid, UNICEF, EPICC and the Gates Foundation, gathered to assess progress, sharpen strategies on vaccination, screening, and treatment, while catalyzing fresh commitments toward the ambitious goal of global elimination.
Speaking to international implementors, Dr. Grover advocated for funding beyond vaccination programs and recognize that, “Now is the time for us to think hard about the treatment pillar to target cervical cancer elimination fully and comprehensively,” said Dr. Grover, underscoring Penn’s commitment to supporting interventions beyond prevention.
Throughout the Forum, Dr. Grover held early-stage discussions with leaders from Rwanda and Papua New Guinea on expanding radiation and brachytherapy capacity—conversations that signaled tangible national-level engagement. She facilitated dialogue among global funders to spotlight the urgent need to fund not only HPV vaccination, but also treatment access. By elevating treatment support alongside prevention, Penn is helping to shift global strategies in the fight to eliminate cervical cancer.
National cancer control plans are essential frameworks for coordinating effective, evidence-based responses to the growing cancer burden, guiding investment, policy, and clinical strategies at the national level. At the Union for International Cancer Control’s (UICC) National Cancer Control Plan forum, Dr. Grover advised best practices in developing and implementing national cancer control plans to the investment case for such efforts. She shared her experience and Penn’s expertise advising decision makers to craft laws and policies to better plan for cancer control. She positioned the Center for Global Oncology as a national-level capacity builder eager to support innovative public policy.
Closing the busy spring season, Dr. Grover helped catalyze new institutional partnerships with the Swiss-led City Cancer Challenge at the IAEA-ICARO meeting. Together Penn, IAEA and C/CAN will leverage their shared mission to advance and wider reach to position further advance access to radiation oncology expertise, equipment, and impact.
More than three years of war have strained Ukraine’s health system, making it difficult for oncologists to access the tools needed to care for their patients reliably.
This summer, the Penn Center for Global Oncology welcomed five oncologists as part of a delegation selected by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The team attended the ASCO Annual Conference and then traveled to Philadelphia for a one-week observership at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.
The delegation traveled from the embattled city of Dnipro where overnight air assaults by drone and missiles have become a regular occurrence. The team consisted of medical and surgical oncologists, hematologists, and a pathologist from Dnipro City Clinical Hospital No. 4.
Hosted by Dr. Lynn Schuchter of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, the team observed in clinics, rounded with care teams, and participated in Penn’s multidisciplinary tumor boards. The delegation gained firsthand insight into how multidisciplinary tumor boards produce more robust, adaptive, and safer care strategies. By drawing on diverse clinical perspectives, interdisciplinary tumor boards can anticipate complications, reduce delays, and better tailor care to each patient.
Dr. Schuchter shared with the delegates, “Your passion for advancing cancer care under such difficult circumstances reminds us of the global community we share through oncology.”
Through our global observership program, the Center for Global Oncology offers visiting clinicians a chance to observe and learn from team-based care practices they can adapt at home, helping improve outcomes and patient trust amid the challenges of war.