On July 5, 2017, the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) announced the launch of its Fellowship Programme in Gynecologic Oncology. This collaborative program—created with support from Mulago National Referral Hospital, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, and the Ugandan Ministry of Health—is dedicated to building the capacity of the Ugandan cancer care workforce, and improving the quality and availability of treatment for women with ovarian, uterine, vaginal, vulvar, and cervical cancers.
Last week, HVO announced a new gynecologic oncology training program, dedicated to the support of the UCI gynecologic oncology fellows, as well as UCI faculty, staff, and residents. The program will recruit qualified gynecologic oncologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, and oncology nurses. Volunteers will provide clinical and didactic training, including participation in clinical rounds, surgeries, cancer screenings, colposcopy trainings, and multidisciplinary tumor boards. Volunteers may also deliver lectures on special topics at the request of the project site, and may provide UCI faculty with support, and assistance with curriculum development.
According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer was responsible for nearly a quarter of cancer-related deaths among Ugandan women in 2012, with an incidence rate of nearly 4,000 cases in that year. Access to early detection and screening services is not generally available within the Ugandan population, a gap the UCI hopes to address through: “Building healthcare worker capacity focused on knowledge, awareness and skills development in the disease recognition and early care of females with gynecologic cancers.”
Volunteers to HVO’s newest gynecologic oncology program in partnership with UCI will have the opportunity to contribute to this effort, while empowering their Ugandan colleagues to deliver more and better patient care. Learn how you can get involved by visiting the HVO website and completing our volunteer application.
HVO’s oncology projects are supported by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Oncology Nursing Society, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, and the Society of Surgical Oncology.
Not an oncologist? HVO has projects in more than 14 different medical specialty areas! Use the HVO Project Finder to identify the project that is right for you.
You can also support our mission, and the global health workforce, by making a gift to HVO.