HVO is pleased to announce the launch of a new oncology training project in partnership with the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Volunteers will work collaboratively with hospital faculty to provide training to students enrolled in the medical oncology residency training program. Volunteers will also provide didactic instruction to residents in other specialty areas, including pediatrics and internal medicine, and to other hospital staff, with the goal of increasing staff knowledge of oncology.
Established in 1947, Bir Hospital is the oldest hospital in Nepal, and the primary government referral hospital. The hospital’s mission is to be a “[center] of excellence for higher education and medical services.” In addition to providing high quality health care to the people of Nepal, Bir Hospital seeks to contribute to health policy within the country, engage in research activities, and provide education to health workers-in-training. Bir Hospital has provided both curative and palliative care to cancer patients since establishing a radiotherapy unit in 1991. In 2013, the unit was expanded to become the Department of Clinical Oncology. The hospital launched its medical oncology residency training program in conjunction with this expansion.
As of 2016, Bir Hospital is able to enroll two new students per year in its three-year oncology residency training program. In order to enroll, students must first successfully complete the hospital’s three-year internal medicine residency training program. HVO volunteers will collaborate with two primary, designated faculty members to provide training to the residents enrolled in this program. Volunteers must be board certified oncologists.
To learn more about this and other oncology training projects, please visit our oncology program page. Those interested in volunteering should contact Andrea Moody or visit the HVO website to begin the volunteer placement process. You can also support this project by making a gift to support HVO, or by sharing the news with your network on Facebook and Twitter.
HVO would like to thank the American Society of Clinical Oncology for supporting its medical oncology program.