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Transforming Oncology Training in Ghana with VR
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.
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Announcing the 2025 Center for Global Oncology 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.
Leveraging Red Blood Cells for Ultrasensitive HPV Detection in Low-Resource Settings led by Dr. Nilam Mangalmurti.
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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Development of Breast Cancer and HIV Intersectional Stigma Measures led by Dr. Yehoda Martei
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. Follow us on LinkedIn
Advocating for Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Care
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.
Influencing National Cancer Control Policies
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.
Forging New Partnerships at the IAEA Radiation Oncology Summit
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.
Ukrainian Oncologists Observe Collaborative Cancer Care in Action
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.