2024 London Global Cancer Week: From policy to practice, Transforming cancer care in Africa by implementing guideline-concordant care
Join CGH Scholar Yehoda Martei as she chairs a session at this year's London Global Cancer Week. Transforming Cancer Care in Africa by Implementing Guideline-Concordant Care
London Global Cancer Week
By way of background, London Global Cancer Week started in 2016 at the Royal Society of Medicine when we established a day meeting that brought together people in the UK who were collaborating with colleagues in LMICs with the overall aim of improving cancer outcomes. In 2019 it became a week of meetings and by 2022 was over 30 meetings attended by around 2500 people, virtually, in person or at hybrid meetings. Past hosts have included The Lancet Oncology, Harvard, UN agencies, The Commonwealth, AORTIC amongst many others. Our steering groups consists of international representatives from most continents and from different domains eg policy, surgery, nursing, oncology, publishing (Lancet Oncology), lived experience.
Key characteristics of The Week are:
(1) curation of a diverse series of events presented by a range of hosts committed to improving cancer outcomes globally, focussing on LMICs
(2) presentation of programmes that highlight progress being made by various different initiatives worldwide
(3) encouraging coherence in policymaking at national and international levels by providing space for holistic discussions
(4) acting as a catalyst for change that benefits people affected by cancer in LMICs
Session Title: From Policy to Practice: Transforming Cancer Care in Africa by Implementing guideline-concordant Care
Session Chair:
Yehoda Martei MD, MSCE
University of Pennsylvania
Panelists:
Dr. Mary Nyangasi,MD,MPH,MSc(c)
Technical Officer, Cancer (Lead, The Global Breast Cancer Initiative & Integrated Womens Cancers)
Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Disability and Rehabilitation
World Health Organization
Presentation: Regionalization of cancer care in countries, translating WHO GBCI into practice
Dr. Mary Nyangasi is the technical lead for the Global Breast Cancer Initiative & Integrated Womens Cancers at the World Health Organization. She is an accomplished medical professional with over 15 years career experience, grounded in clinical practice and expanded into a senior leadership role at the National Cancer Control Program (NCCP) in Kenya. She most recently served for 5 years as the Head of the National Cancer Control Program in Kenya where she led the formulation and implementation of various cancer policy documents notably: Kenya’s Cancer Policy 2019-2030, The National Palliative Care Policy 2021-2030, two National Cancer Control Strategies, Breast Cancer Action Plan 2021-2025 and various guidelines. Among her major achievements, she led the scale-up of cervical and breast cancer screening programs, the establishment of regional cancer treatment centers, the strengthening of cancer services at the national referral facilities, the expansion of access to cancer medicines, and chaired the first Kenya National Cancer Taskforce in 2021. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals and is a member of the International Cancer Control Plans (ICCP) Steering Committee, Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO), African Organization of Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a commissioner with the Kenyan Chapter of the NCD Poverty Index.
Dr. Jackson Orem,MBChB,MMed,PhD
Executive Director
Uganda Cancer Institute
Presentation: Implementing quality improvement and outcome metrics into cancer care delivery - the UCI experience
Dr. Jackson Orem, MBChB, MMed, PhD, is a medical oncologist, an Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, and an honorary lecturer at Makerere University. He spearheaded the creation of the East Africa’s Centre of Excellence in Oncology at the Uganda Cancer Institute with a mandate to provide specialized cancer care research and training for the entire East Africa region under the East African Community (EAC) network of Centers of Excellence. Dr. Orem is also leading the development of several international collaborations with renowned international cancer centers and institutions for infrastructure, human resource capacity development. Such institutions include Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Washington, Case Western Reserve University, the National Cancer Center of Korea (NCC), and lately the University of Cambridge
Dr. Lilian Ekpo,MBBS,MBA
Centre Director
NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre (Nigeria's Sovereign Wealth Fund- Lagos University Teaching Hospital),
Nigeria
Presentation: Sustainable financing models for implementing National Cancer Control Plans" with a focus on your experience in Nigeria
Dr. Lilian Ekpo is the Centre Director at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority-Lagos University Teaching Hospital (NSIA-LUTH) Cancer Centre (NLCC), recognized as the leading Cancer Centre of Excellence in Nigeria and West Africa. She is a distinguished professional with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (M.B.B.S.) degree from the University of Ibadan and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from the Warwick Business School. As the Centre Director of NLCC, she is responsible for steering the Centre's strategic direction, overseeing overall performance, and driving innovation at the Centre. Dr Ekpo is a member of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and the Institute of Directors Nigeria (IOD). Before joining NLCC, Dr. Ekpo held pivotal roles, serving as the Medical Director and later as the Executive Director at Avon Medical Practice, where her leadership significantly impacted the institution's success.
Dr. Babe Gaolebale,MD
Palliative Care Consultant
Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana
Presentation: Integrating palliative care into national cancer control plans
Dr Babe Gaolebale offers Specialist Palliative care services at Princess Marina Hospital. She is the leading Palliative care clinician in Botswana, with over 14 years of palliative care experience. She has made significant contributions to the development of palliative care in Botswana including the development of the national palliative care guidelines, and hospice and palliative care policy. She is also a national champion in the Pain Free Hospital Initiative project . She has publications in palliative care and cancer care. She teaches palliative care to both undergraduates and postgraduates at the University of Botswana School of Medicine. She also sits on the Executive Board of for the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) representing Africa, and is an active executive member of the Botswana Hospice and Palliative care Association (BHPCA).