12th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research

8:00-9:00AM

Networking & Poster Walk

Session Description: Participants will join Gather Town to network with fellow participants, speakers, and organizers, and to view posters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

9:00-9:10AM

Welcome 
Sudha Sivaram, DrPH, MPH, Program Director, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

Opening Remarks 
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Director, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA 

9:10-10:10AM

Understanding the Landscape and Opportunities for Clinical Research in LMICs 

Session Moderator: 
LeeAnn Bailey, MBBS, PhD, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

Unique opportunities to advance cancer science by supporting clinical research in LMICs  
Ophira Ginsburg, MD, MSc, Senior Advisor for Clinical Research, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

Developing clinical research capacity in LMICs: Lessons from CReDO 
Priya Ranganathan, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Lead Organizer of CReDO Workshop, Tata Memorial Center, Mumbai, India  

Collaborations and capacity building for prevention clinical trials in LMICs: Observations from the NCI HIV/HPV-Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Networks 
Vikrant Sahasrabuddhe, MBBS, DrPH, MPH, Program Director, Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

Discussion: Q&A

10:10-10:50AM

Meet the Abstract Authors: Interactive Poster Session on Gather Town
Posters on view, Monday, May 6^th: Posters 1-27 

Session Description: Participants will be directed to Gather Town to view posters and engage with abstract presenters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

10:50AM-11:55AM

Finding a Mentor, Developing a Protocol and Conducting Clinical Research in LMICs: Perspectives from Early Career Scientists and their Mentors

Interactive Exercise Using Slido: Gathering Perspectives on Training and Patient-Centered Approaches in Global Cancer Clinical Research
Moderator: Sana Haider, MSc, Presidential Management Fellow, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA

Session Description: Speakers will share insights on how the collaboration came about, what barriers they encountered (in developing the protocol, patient recruitment, regulatory affairs), and how this question is relevant to their population. 

Session Moderator: 
Yelena Shnayder, MHS, Public Health Analyst, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

Mentor and Early Career Investigator Pairs 

International Collaboration for Research Methods Development in Oncology (CReDO) 
Mentor: Priya Ranganathan, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Lead Organizer of CReDO Workshop, Tata Memorial Center, Mumbai, India 
Mentee: Shama Pandey, MD, Fellow, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal 

Global Training for Research and Equity in Cancer (GlobTREC) Uganda 
Mentor: Edus H. Warren, MD, PhD, Program Head, Global Oncology, Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA 
Mentees: Peter Ziribagwa Sabakaki, PhD Candidate, Bioinformatics, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; Fredrick Elishama Kakembo, PhD Research Fellow, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 

Discussion: Q&A 

11:55AM-12:00PM

Conclusion and Wrap-up
HyoSook Bae, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

8:00-9:00AM

Networking & Poster Walk

Session Description: Participants will join Gather Town to network with fellow participants, speakers, and organizers, and to view posters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

9:00-9:10AM

Welcome 
Mishka Kohli Cira, MPH, Public Health Advisor, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA

Opening Remarks 
Kalina Duncan, DrPH, MPH, Director, Partnerships and Dissemination Branch, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA 

9:10-10:10AM

Scientific Session: Impacting the Cervical Cancer Burden in India: Collective Efforts and Strategies to Train Healthcare Providers on HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening 

Session Chair: Jennifer Nkonga, MS, Senior Director, Regional Strategy & Implementation, American Cancer Society, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA 

Session Description: Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in India. More than 77,000 women die each year due to cervical cancer, accounting for 23% of all cervical cancer deaths globally. Without measurable action, the estimated deaths from cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries will rise by 50% in the next two decades. The Global HPV Cancer Free program of the American Cancer Society (ACS) envisions a world free of HPV cancers, starting with cervical cancer. To increase uptake of cervical cancer prevention services in India, ACS has partnered with civil society organizations (CSOs) to prevent cancer by catalyzing engagement of trusted health care providers through implementation of two programs at the national and district level. A key component is training health care providers at multiple levels to increase knowledge, confidence, beliefs and intent around HPV vaccination and cervical screening. At the national level, the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), with support from Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) and ACS, are convening and training 20,000+ pediatricians and obstetrician-gynecologists via a train-the-trainer model to collectively advocate for cervical cancer elimination. The training refreshes physicians on HPV vaccination facts and shares evidence-based messaging and communication strategies. At the district level, Cancer Awareness, Prevention, and Early Detection (CAPED), in collaboration with selected districts across three states, is training community health workers (CHWs) and primary health center (PHC) nurses to facilitate and mobilize community uptake of cervical cancer prevention services, starting with screening. A 2022 pilot successfully trained 213 CHWs and 61 nurses covering 73 villages, who mobilized 5,653 women for cervical screenings. In addition to convening partners and co-conceptualizing trainings, ACS provides programmatic and evaluation support, funding and resources. Health care providers are the most trusted source of health information for the community. A strong recommendation can increase the demand and uptake of cervical cancer prevention services across communities in India. This scientific session will include speakers from partner organizations in India and ACS to represent and showcase their work around cervical cancer prevention.  

Speakers: 

Priya Ganesh Kumar, MD, Chairperson, Gynaecologic Oncology Committee, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India, Thane, India

Purna Kurkure, MD, Head of Department, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology & BMT, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Mumbai, India   

Mridu Gupta, DBA, CEO, CAPED India, Gurgaon, India   

Sutapa Biswas, PG, Co-Founder, Cancer Foundation of India, Kolkata, India

10:10-10:50AM

Meet the Abstract Authors: Interactive Poster Session on Gather Town
Posters on view - Tuesday, May 7: Posters 28-67

Session Description: Participants will be directed to Gather Town to view posters and engage with abstract presenters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

10:50-11:50AM

Rapid Fire Abstract Session: Global Cancer Research 

Session Chair: María Teresa Bourlon, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology Department, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico; Representative, Academic Global Oncology Task Force, American Society of Clinical Oncology 

Session Description: This session will be a series of rapid-fire presentations from the top-scoring accepted scientific abstracts for the 12^th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research. Each presentation will be a 5-minute oral PowerPoint presentation (5 slides) by the lead author providing a high-level overview of the research study. 

Transcriptomic features associated to neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in four molecular breast cancer subtypes., Hedda Michelle Guevara-Nieto, MSc, Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Colombia 

Unique glycosylation pattern governs metastatic organotropism of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Venkatesh Varadharaj, MS, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA 

Deciphering the Nuclear Role of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Prostate Cancer: Transcriptional Reprogramming and Neuroendocrine Differentiation, Rocio Seniuk, BSc, IQUIBICEN-CONICET, Argentina 

Genomic and immunophenotypic characteristics of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma in a sub-Saharan African cohort suggest a role for immune checkpoint inhibitors in locally advanced or metastatic patients, Bita Esmaeli, MD, MA, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, USA; Mekelle University, Ethiopia 

Breast cancer pharmacogenetics in Botswana, Keneuoe Cecilia Nthontho, BS, University of Botswana, Botswana 

“If I have the courage…I prefer to see a doctor”: A qualitative exploration of Ethiopian women’s hesitancy to screen for cervical cancer using HPV self-sampling, Nimra Rahman, BA, City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, USA 

Racial disparities in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: An NCDB analysis, Anjali Mishra, BS, Creighton University, USA 

Patient Financial Well-Being and Access to Cancer Treatment during Wartime, Taras Ivanykovych, MS-4, Danylo Halytsky, Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine

11:50AM-1200PM

Closing Remarks

María Teresa Bourlon, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology Department, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico; Representative, Academic Global Oncology Task Force, American Society of Clinical Oncology 

8:00-9:00AM

Networking & Poster Walk

Session Description: Participants will join Gather Town to network with fellow participants, speakers, and organizers, and to view posters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

9:00-9:10AM

Welcome
Mishka Kohli Cira, MPH, Public Health Advisor, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA

Opening Remarks 
Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD, FASCO, President & Founder, Latin-American & Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM); Co-Chair RINC-SLACOM; Editor-in-Chief, ecancer; Co-Editor, The Oncologist, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

9:10-10:10AM

Rapid Fire Abstract Session: Global Cancer Control 

Session Chair: Rahma Mkuu, PhD, MPH, CPH, Chair, Global Cancer Research Special Interest Group, American Society of Preventive Oncology; Assistant Research Scientist, Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA 

Session Description: This session will be a series of rapid-fire presentations from the top-scoring accepted scientific abstracts for the 12^th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research. Each presentation will be a 5-minute oral PowerPoint presentation (5 slides) by the lead author providing a high-level overview of the cancer control program. 

Examining Vaccine Attitudes: A Comparative Study of Parents of Healthcare Workers and the General Population in Japan, Hasan Jamil, MD, Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke International University, Japan 

Piloting a model for cervical cancer screening through community outreach and government capacity building in India, Shaylen Foley, MPH, American Cancer Society, USA 

From self-collected HPV sampling to self-administered treatment cervical pre-invasive lesions: A dream to reality, Alia Rahman, BASc, Acting CEO, Amplex’d Therapeutics, Inc. 

Global landscape of phase III interventional clinical trials in colorectal cancer, Oluwatayo Adeoye, MD, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, USA 

Successful establishment of a national cancer control Program (NCCP) and cancer registry in Eswatini: Lessons to inform NCCPs in low- and mid-income countries, Xolisile Dlamini, MPH, Ministry of Health, Eswatini 

Health System Strengthening Strategies for Improved Cancer Control in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case of the International Cancer Institute's Blueprint for Innovative Healthcare Access Program in Western Uganda, Gloria Kitur, BSc, MA, FHPM, International Cancer Institute, Kenya 

Collaborative Action for Public Health: The Esophageal Cancer Consortium's Approach to Policy Influence and Capturing Policy Makers' Attention In Ethiopia, Biniyam Tefera Deressa, MD, Adama Hospital Medical College, Ethiopia 

Cancer data systems in Africa: a scoping review, Benson Nyambega, PhD, MSc, BSc, Western Kenya Cancer Care and Research Center, Kenya 

Closing Remarks: Dr. Mkuu

10:10-10:50AM

Meet the Abstract Authors: Interactive Poster Session on Gather Town
Posters on view - Wednesday, May 8: Posters 68-106 

Session Description: Participants will be directed to Gather Town to view posters and engage with abstract presenters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

10:50-11:50AM

Scientific Session: The Impact of Cross-Cultural Collaboration on Clinical Trials Successes in the US-Latin American-Caribbean HIV/HPV-Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (ULACNet) 

Session Chair: Emma Brofsky, MSPH, Scientific Program Analyst, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA  

Session Description: The US-Latin American-Caribbean HIV/HPV-Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (ULACNet) brings together a variety of collaborators from institutions in the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. United in the goal of conducting high quality cancer prevention clinical trials for people living with HIV, these collaborations have been cultivated and challenged over the first 4.5 years of this network. There are four open trials focused on optimizing dosing and evaluating new indications for HPV prophylactic vaccines and improving accuracy of cervical and anogenital cancer screening/triage. This session features a panel of Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) and US based network members working to operationalize these clinical trials. The conversation will dive headfirst into the challenges and lessons learned in creating and maintaining cross-cultural partnerships focused on carrying out clinical trials on HPV-related cancer prevention and screening. From operating in limited resource settings and interacting with vulnerable populations, to confronting language barriers and considering local contexts for recruitment, ULACNet colleagues have worked together to successfully accrue participants in clinical trials and are building a sustainable infrastructure for conducting future trials in the region.   

Speakers

Frances Vazquez Sanchez, MSC, Research Scientist/Study Coordinator, Comprehensive Cancer Center Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 
 
Betania Allen-Leigh, MA, PhD, Professor/Investigator, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Mexico City, México 
 
Caique Mello, MPH, Program Manager, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA 
 
Delia Pinto-Santini, PhD, Research Associate, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
 
Giovana Teixeira, MSc, Subinvestigator, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 
Jessica Gutiérrez, Study Coordinator, Via Libre, Lima, Peru

Vanessa Rouzier, MD, Research Site Leader, GHESKIO, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

11:50AM-12:00PM

Closing Remarks

Rose Ihuoma Anorlu MBChB, FMCOG, FRCOG, FWACS, MPH, Immediate Past President, African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer; Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria 

8:00-9:00AM

Networking & Poster Walk

Session Description: Participants will join Gather Town to network with fellow participants, speakers, and organizers, and to view posters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

9:00-9:10AM

Welcome
Mishka Kohli Cira, MPH, Public Health Advisor, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA

Opening Remarks 
CS Pramesh, MS, FRCS, Professor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India 

9:10-10:10AM

Scientific Session: Building Cancer Genetics Infrastructure in Resource Limited Settings: Multinational Experiences and Perspectives 

Session Chair: Gerneiva Parkinson, MD, MHS, Resident PGY3, Department of Internal Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Executive Director, Caribbean Alliance to Control and Prevent Cancer, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago 

Session Description: While the clinical importance of cancer genetics testing is well established, there are severe disparities with respect to access to global cancer genetic testing. This translates to a lack of diversity within the cancer genomics field. Despite a plethora of genetic testing options and improvements in affordability, many low-resource countries continue to face major challenges in implementing hereditary cancer genetic testing. Challenges include limited regional infrastructure, lack of clinical expertise on managing the results, and socio-cultural barriers. Therefore, we propose a session to discuss innovative approaches to address these challenges. We will use the experience of our panelists to display two adaptations of the US standard of care, which have been used in Rwanda and Trinidad & Tobago. Through this session, we hope to demonstrate how access to cancer genetic testing can be increased in resource-limited sessions in a practical and sustainable manner. We hope that our session will allow participants to use the experiences shared from the project models in Rwanda and Trinidad & Tobago, to help create their own international projects surrounding cancer genetic testing. This would include how to establish and foster international collaboration between academic institutions, low-resource clinical settings and cancer genetic testing industry partners. We hope to impart tools that would assist innovative approaches to building a local workforce within low-resource settings to improve access to cancer genetic testing. We also hope to share real-world experiences that would serve as models for integrating clinical cancer genetic testing and research within clinical environments in an optimal way that is beneficial to patients and does not disrupt local provider workflow or work burden. 

Speakers: 

Temidayo Fadelu, MD, MPH, Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA  

Brittany Bychkovsky, MD, MSc, Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA  

Achille Van Christ Manirakiza, MD, MedicalOncologist, King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda  

Kellie Alleyne-Mike, MD, PG Dip Pal Med, MMed Rad Onc, FC Rad Onc, Clinical Oncologist and Medical Director, Cancer Center of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

10:10-10:50AM

Meet the Abstract Authors: Interactive Poster Session on Gather Town
Posters on view, Thursday, May 9^th: Posters #107-146 

Session Description: Participants will be directed to Gather Town to view posters and engage with abstract presenters in this immersive web-based platform that allows participants to move and interact freely within a virtual space.

10:50-11:50AM

Pearline Award Presentation & Keynote Address

Session Chair: Franklin Huang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, California, USA 

Pearline Awardee: Benda Kithaka, Founder and Executive Director, KILELE Health, Nairobi, Kenya 

Session Description: The Rachel Pearline Award honors Rachel Pearline, MD, MPH. Dr. Pearline was a revered oncology fellow committed to global cancer control, who received the award named in her memory in 2016 following her death at the age of 38, in November 2015, from gastric cancer. In honor of Dr. Rachel Pearline, each year the Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research Steering Committee recognizes one outstanding professional who embodies virtue and eminence in cancer research, practice, and/or training in a low- and middle-income country setting.  

The 2024 Rachel Pearline Awardee is Benda Kithaka, Founder and Executive Director of KILELE Health, a Kenyan non-profit organization that promotes cancer prevention and control using the power of storytelling to harness lived experiences as tools for advocacy. 

11:50AM-12:00PM

Closing Remarks

Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, Director, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA