Center for
Global Health

Scholar

Languages: English (native), Hindi (fluent), Punjabi (fluent)

Bio statement

Surbhi Grover, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she serves as Director of Global Radiation Oncology and Director of the Penn Center for Global Oncology. She also serves as Director of Oncology for the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and Center for Global Health, Director of the Program in Global Cancer Innovation at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Botswana. Clinically, she serves as Oncology Consultant at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, where she also directs the hospital's Gynecological Multidisciplinary Care Clinic — the first multidisciplinary tumor board for gynecological cancers in Botswana. Dr. Grover holds an MD from Harvard University and an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Grover's work is rooted in the belief that high-quality cancer care should not be determined by geography, infrastructure, or resource availability. Since 2011, she has collaborated with the Botswana-UPenn Partnership to strengthen oncology care in Botswana, where she has been based full-time since 2014. Her clinical and research focus encompasses cervical cancer, HIV-associated malignancies, radiation oncology capacity-building, multidisciplinary care, and implementation strategies that strengthen health systems over time. She has led an NIH-funded U54 study on cervical cancer outcomes, completed an NIH pilot study on HIV and cervical cancer, and currently leads a K08 study examining HPV viral load as a biomarker for treatment response in cervical cancer, as well as a U01 focused on improving timely treatment adoption for women presenting to the gynecological multidisciplinary clinic in Botswana.

Mentorship and capacity-building are central to Dr. Grover's academic mission. She directs the UPenn Botswana Radiation Oncology Rotation and mentors Penn students, residents, fellows, faculty, and international trainees pursuing careers in global oncology, while also mentoring junior investigators at the University of Botswana. Her collaborative partnerships span Penn, the Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Princess Marina Hospital, the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand, and international organizations including ASTRO, ASCO, AORTIC, IGCS, IAEA, WHO, UICC, and ICEC. Through these efforts, Dr. Grover works to translate global health principles into sustainable oncology programs that improve patient outcomes while building lasting clinical, research, and educational capacity across institutions.

Recent global health projects

Project 1: Strengthening cervical cancer care delivery in Botswana
I have worked through the Botswana-UPenn Partnership and Princess Marina Hospital to strengthen cervical cancer care delivery, with a focus on improving timely diagnosis, treatment initiation, multidisciplinary care, and follow-up. This work includes leadership of the Princess Marina Hospital Gynecological Multidisciplinary Care Clinic and ongoing research through the NCI-funded Thibang Diphatlha study, which tests adaptive strategies to close the gap from cervical cancer diagnosis to treatment in Botswana.

Project 2: Improving care for cervical cancer among women living with HIV
I have led global oncology research focused on improving outcomes for women with cervical cancer who are also living with HIV. This work includes studies evaluating treatment response, recurrence, and the role of HPV viral load, as well as newer projects examining immunotherapy for cervical cancer management in HIV-positive patients. These projects reflect my broader interest in generating evidence that is directly relevant to cancer care in high-burden, resource-constrained settings.

Selected publications

1: Corn E, Becht K, Adefres B, Monare B, Ketlametswe R, Sedabadi L, Oliva Díaz
JA, Vuylsteke P, Grover S, Bazzett-Matabele L. The challenges of implementing
less invasive surgical management for cervical cancer in a limited-resource
setting in Botswana: A case series. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2026 Apr 21;65:102089.
doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2026.102089. PMID: 42078477; PMCID: PMC13133944.

2: Grover S, Chambers A, Azoba C, Bhatia RK, Phaladze N, Mokalake M, Koyabe B,
Jemmott JB 3rd, Robertson E, Zetola N, Ramogola-Masire D. Overcoming Logistical
Barriers to Conducting Collaborative Clinical Research Between a High-Income
Country and a Low- and Middle-Income Country. JCO Glob Oncol. 2026
Jan;12:e2400534. doi: 10.1200/GO-24-00534. Epub 2026 Jan 23. PMID: 41576316;
PMCID: PMC12848930.

3: Cancedda C, Brooks M, Nkomazana O, Keetile M, Ramogola-Masire D, Tsima B,
Steenhoff AP, Gross R, Grover S, Lautenbach E, Kebabonye M, Motlhatlhedi K,
Ndlovu K, Gaulton G, Barg FK; BUP Evaluation Working Group. Finding the balance
between academic productivity and impact: evaluation of the Botswana -
University of Pennsylvania partnership over a 5-year timeframe. BMJ Glob Health.
2026 Jan 16;11(1):e017944. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-017944. PMID: 41545212;
PMCID: PMC12815144.

4: Morris L, Thiruthaneeswaran N, O'Donovan A, VanderWalde N, Cree A, Grover S,
Jeppesen SS, Simcock R. Review of current best practice in radiation oncology
for older adults with cancer: Updates from the International Society of
Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) Task Force. J Geriatr Oncol. 2026 Mar;17(2):102839.
doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2025.102839. Epub 2025 Dec 21. PMID: 41429070.

5: Achilonu O, Ayeni O, Adeleke M, Mmereki D, Mistry H, Swanson S, Chen WC,
Singini M, Joffe M, Grover S, Ramiah D. Treatment patterns, care delays and
outcomes in advanced cervical cancer: study protocol for a mixed retrospective
and prospective single-centre cohort in South Africa. BMJ Open. 2025 Dec
3;15(12):e105299. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-105299. PMID: 41338619; PMCID:
PMC12682174.

6: Corn E, Becht K, Adefres B, Monare B, Ketlametswe R, Sedabadi L, Díaz JAO,
Vuylsteke P, Grover S, Bazzett-Matabele L. Assessing the Clinical Utility of MRI
for Preoperative Staging of Early-Stage Cervical Cancer in a Limited-Resource
Setting: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Botswana. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2025 Nov
18:rs.3.rs-8041378. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8041378/v1. PMID: 41333441; PMCID:
PMC12668144.

7: Kernell C, MacDuffie E, Lin X, Gao L, Ramogola-Masire D, Grover S, Robertson
E. HPV profiles in Botswana: An analysis of healthy women, cervical
intraepithelial neoplasia, and invasive cervical cancer. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2025
Oct 17;62:101971. doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2025.101971. PMID: 41209663; PMCID:
PMC12590286.

8: Sims TT, Yoshida-Court K, El Alam MB, Ramatlho P, Ketlametswe R, Ning MS,
Robertson ES, Schmeler KM, Colbert LE, Klopp AH, Grover S. Cervical and Tumor-
Associated Microbiomes in Botswana Women With and Without HIV With Carcinoma of
the Cervix Before and After Definitive Chemoradiation. JCO Glob Oncol. 2025
Oct;11:e2500036. doi: 10.1200/GO-25-00036. Epub 2025 Oct 29. PMID: 41160784;
PMCID: PMC12688299.

9: Lichter KE, Asaro A, Qureshi MM, Truong MT, Parekh A, Witztum A, Anand C,
Silva GS, Royce TJ, Zaorsky NG, Grover S, Abdel-Wahab M, Kouzi ZE, Gadoue SM,
Thiel C, Eckelman MJ, Prionas N, Yom SS, Mohamad O. The climate and health
impact of U.S. radiation therapy: estimating greenhouse gas emissions, DALYs,
and potential of hypofractionation. Radiother Oncol. 2026 Jan;214:111161. doi:
10.1016/j.radonc.2025.111161. Epub 2025 Sep 20. PMID: 40983187.

10: Jalink M, King WD, Anderson BO, Sutradhar R, Tørring ML, Brundage MD, Groome
PA, Chan KKW, Urquhart R, Peng Y, Eskander A, Grover S, Raphael MJ, Grieve R,
Laub C, Booth CM, Hanna TP. Recommendations for studying the association of the
cancer diagnosis to treatment interval with overall survival: a modified Delphi
process. Br J Cancer. 2025 Nov;133(10):1526-1534. doi:
10.1038/s41416-025-03158-3. Epub 2025 Sep 5. PMID: 40908299; PMCID: PMC12603028.

11: MacDuffie E, McCallister C, George J, Monare B, Ketlametswe R,
Ramontshonyana G, Mmari A, Pharithi M, Mntande L, Vuylsteke P, Bazzett-Matabele
L, Kernell C, Hughes K, Kassick M, Bvochora-Nsingo M, Rendle KA, Grover S.
Assessing the impact of multidisciplinary team gynecological oncology care in
Botswana: A potential model for low- and middle-income countries. Cancer. 2025
Aug 15;131(16):e70006. doi: 10.1002/cncr.70006. PMID: 40781842; PMCID:
PMC12334905.

12: Kernell CG, Kassick M, George JM, Anakwenze CP, Trimble EL, Grover S.
Assessing delays in accessing and completing radiotherapy for cervical cancer
treatment: A multicenter survey of oncology providers in go further-funded
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2025 Jul 18;60:101810. doi:
10.1016/j.gore.2025.101810. PMID: 40740416; PMCID: PMC12309483.

13: Grover S, Moorkanat GG, Ketlametswe R, Monare B, Puri P, Seiphetlheng A,
Ramontshonyana G, Friebel-Klingner TM, Bhatia R, Bvochora-Nsingo M, Chiyapo S,
Bazzett-Matabele L, Vuylsteke P, Rendle KA. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on
Cervical Cancer Treatment Delays in Botswana. JCO Glob Oncol. 2025
May;11:e2400300. doi: 10.1200/GO-24-00300. Epub 2025 May 9. PMID: 40344549.

14: Grover S, Bhatia R, Zhang S, Khan S, Bvochora-Nsingo M, Chiyapo S, Balang D,
Lin LL, Vinod S, Polizzotto MN, Taylor N, Canfell K, Zetola N, Robertson E,
Ramogola-Masire D. Cervical cancer treatment outcomes and survival in Botswana
by human immunodeficiency virus status: Ipabalele study results. JNCI Cancer
Spectr. 2025 Apr 30;9(3):pkaf045. doi: 10.1093/jncics/pkaf045. PMID: 40342166;
PMCID: PMC12167595.

15: Bazzett-Matabele L, Gupta M, MacDuffie E, George J, Ball J, Hazan J,
Narasimhamurthy M, Maoto-Mokote A, Seiphetlheng A, Monare B, Luckett R,
Ramogola-Masire D, Grover S. Outcomes of Loop Electrosurgical Excision
Procedures Performed for Severe Cervical Dysplasia in Botswana. JCO Glob Oncol.
2025 Mar;11:e2400472. doi: 10.1200/GO-24-00472. Epub 2025 Mar 20. PMID:
40112256.

16: Luckett R, Ramogola-Masire D, Moyo S, Gompers A, Modest A, Moraka N,
Kashamba T, Tawe L, Noubary F, Kuhn L, Grover S, Dryden-Peterson S, Dreyer G,
Makhema J, Botha MH, Hacker MR, Shapiro R. Improved cervical screening using HPV
type restriction and cycle threshold limit setting with the AmpFire assay: A
prospective screening cohort of women with and without HIV in Botswana. Int J
Gynaecol Obstet. 2025 Aug;170(2):882-892. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.70074. Epub 2025 Mar
19. PMID: 40105043; PMCID: PMC12255922.

17: MacDuffie EC, Cocka L, Lin X, Bvochora-Nsingo M, Chiyapo S, Balang D,
Maswabi B, Ngoni K, Ramogola-Masire D, Zetola NM, Wei Z, Shen H, Bassa S, Grover
S, Robertson ES. Patients with Cervical Cancer with and without HIV Infection
Have Unique T-cell Activation Profiles despite Similar Survival Outcomes after
Chemoradiation. Cancer Res Commun. 2025 Apr 1;5(4):610-620. doi:
10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-24-0364. PMID: 40099965; PMCID: PMC11995389.

18: Grover S, Bhatia RK, Khan S, Tladi P, Gabaitiri L, Bvochora-Nsingo M,
Chiyapo S, Balang D, Vinod S, Polizzotto MN, Taylor N, Canfell K, Zetola N,
Ramogola-Masire D, Lin LL, Robertson E, Rendle KA. Longitudinal study on quality
of life following cervical cancer treatment in Botswana. BMJ Glob Health. 2025
Mar 15;10(3):e017206. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-017206. PMID: 40090695; PMCID:
PMC11911664.

19: Maina J, Lichter KE, Benishay ET, George J, Henry M, Fakie N, Grover S.
Patterns of Care and Outcomes Among Women With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
Treated With Curative Intent at a Tertiary Center in South Africa. Cancer Med.
2025 Mar;14(6):e70712. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70712. PMID: 40083112; PMCID:
PMC11906364.

20: Ren J, Ma N, Seckar T, Bassa S, Zetola N, Grover S, Wei Z, Robertson E.
Characterization of the Genomic Landscape in HPV-positive Cervical and Head and
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas by Whole Genome Next Generation Sequencing. Cancer
Genomics Proteomics. 2025 Mar-Apr;22(2):188-207. doi: 10.21873/cgp.20496. PMID:
39993810; PMCID: PMC11880920.

Last Updated: 18 May 2026