Center for
Global Health

Scholar

Languages: English (native)

Bio statement

I am an attending physician in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Penn. My research focuses on evaluating and improving access to cancer medicines and treatment outcomes in breast cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa, and assessing the impact of access to essential medicines for cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries, on clinical outcomes among cancer patients. I have also worked on the WHO Steering Committee/ Union for International Cancer Control Task Team for updating the Model List of Essential Medicines for Cancer and the Steering Committee for the Medicine Patent Policy: “Feasibility of expanding the Medicines Patent Pool’s scope to include all patented essential medicines.”

Recent global health projects

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38296302/
This pilot study explored leveraged an implementation science approach to develop and examine the acceptability and usability of culturally appropriate survivor narrative videos for breast cancer treatment in Botswana. The results of the pilot study show that culturally appropriate survivor video narratives have high acceptability and usability among patients with breast cancer in Botswana. In future studies we ill test the implementation and effectiveness of narrative videos on a wider scale as part of a bundled intervention for breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37405697/
This study which was funded by an NIH K01 award from the Fogarty International Center, looked at factors associated with fidelity to guideline concordant breast cancer care in Botswana. In the published results from our qualitative analysis we identified stigma and other multilevel modifiable patient and health system factors associated with fidelity. The results of this study provide supporting data for tailoring future interventions to address these barriers.

Selected publications

Gupta V, Satlin MJ, Yu K, Martei YM, Sung L, Westblade LF, Howard SC, Ai C, Flayhart DC. Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance in Adult Hospitalized Patients With Cancer: A Multicenter Analysis. Cancer Med. 2024 Dec;13(24):e70495. doi: 10.1002/cam4.70495. PMID: 39673173; PMCID: PMC11645461.

de Sousa Neves D, Jayasekar Zürn S, Khuc-Bilon T, Rendler-Garcia M, Martei YM, Krishnamurthy Reddiar S. The Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition: Enhanced in-Country Coordination for Sustainable Access. Cancer Manag Res. 2024 Nov 16;16:1609-1616. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S459873. PMID: 39575163; PMCID: PMC11579523.

Pain D, MacDuffie E, Martei YM, Kassick M, Ikeda DJ, Shulman LN, Salazar LL, Diaz Pardo D, Nag S, Grover S. Barriers to Implementing a Quality Improvement Program in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Adequacy of Resources. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024 Oct;10:e2400114. doi: 10.1200/GO.24.00114. Epub 2024 Oct 24. PMID: 39447091; PMCID: PMC11529835.

Castillo BS, Boadi T, Han X, Shulman LN, Martei YM. Racial Disparities in Receipt of Guideline-Concordant Care in Older Adults With Early Breast Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Oct 1;7(10):e2441056. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.41056. PMID: 39446324; PMCID: PMC11581576.

Dykstra MP, Sadigh KS, Nkele I, Bvochora-Nsingo M, Martei YM, Wester J, Manyake K, Efstathiou JA, Vuylsteke P, Tapela NM, Dryden-Peterson S. Quality of Life Gain Following Treatment Among Breast Cancer Survivors With and Without HIV. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024 Aug;10:e2400110. doi: 10.1200/GO.24.00110. PMID: 39116360; PMCID: PMC11315356.

O'Neil DS, Martei YM, Crew KD, Castillo BS, Costa P, Lim T, Michel A, Rubin E, Goel N, Hurley J, Lopes G, Antoni MH. Time to Cancer Treatment and Chemotherapy Relative Dose Intensity for Patients With Breast Cancer Living With HIV. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Dec 1;6(12):e2346223. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.46223. PMID: 38051529; PMCID: PMC10698616.

Martei YM, Obasohan M, Mokokwe L, Ralefala T, Mosepele M, Gross R, Barg FK. Stigma and Social Determinants of Health Associated With Fidelity to Guideline-Concordant Therapy in Patients With Breast Cancer Living With and Without HIV in Botswana. Oncologist. 2023 Dec 11;28(12):e1230-e1238. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyad183. PMID: 37405697; PMCID: PMC10712728.

Kizub DA, Naik S, Abogan AA, Pain D, Sammut S, Shulman LN, Martei YM. Access to and Affordability of World Health Organization Essential Medicines for Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examples from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Oncologist. 2022 Nov 3;27(11):958-970. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac143. PMID: 36094141; PMCID: PMC9632308.

Martei YM, Binagwaho A, Shulman LN. Affordability of Cancer Drugs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects of Pricing on Needless Loss of Life. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Apr 20;PubMed. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.0479.

Martei YM, Grover S, Tapela N, Dryden-Peterson S, Pusoentsi M, Shulman L, Chiyapo S. Availability of WHO Essential Medicines for Cancer Treatment in Botswana. Oral Presentation. JGO 2018 4:1-8. doi: 10.1200/JGO.17.00063.

Martei YM, Chiyapo S, Grover S, Hanna C, Dryden-Peterson S, Pusoentsi M, Shulman LN, Tapela NM. Methodology for Forecasting and Costing Chemotherapy Need in Low-and Middle-Income Countries. JGO 2018 4:1-8. doi: 10.1200/JGO.17.00114.

Martei YM, Narasimhamurthy M, Prabhakar P, Hutson J, Setlhako DI, Chiyapo S, Ramogola-Masire D, Makozhombwe I, Feldman M, Kayembe MKA, Grover S. Breast Cancer Pathology Trunaround Time in Botswana. JGO January 2018.12. doi: 10.1200/JGO.17.00090. 

Eniu AE, Martei YM, Trimble EL, Shulman LN. Cancer Care and Control as a Human Right: Recognizing Global Oncology as an Academic Field. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2017;37:409-415. doi: 10.14694/EDBK_175251.

Grover S, Balogun OD, Yamoah K, Groen R, Shah M, Rodin D, Martei YM, Olson AC, Slone JS, Shulman LN, Coleman CN, Hahn SM. Training Global Oncologists: Addressing the Global Cancer Control Problem. Front Oncol. 2015 Apr 8;5:80. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00080.

Olson AC, Coleman CN, Hahn SM, DeWeese TL, Shulman LN, Chabner BA, Chao C, Martei YM, Mundt AJ, Grover S. A Roadmap for a New Academic Pathway for Global Radiation Oncology. Int J Radiation Oncol Biol Phys, 2015; Nov 1;93(3):493-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2015.06.023. 

Grover S, Martei YM, Puri P, Prabhakar P, Mutebi M, Balogun OD, Price AJ, Freeman AH, Narasmhamurthy M, Rodin D, Rayne S, Zetola N. Breast cancer and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A complex relationship. Journal of Global Oncology 2016; January 11, 2017. doi: 10.1200/JGO.2016.006585.

Last Updated: 27 February 2025