ONCOLOGY

In my view, one week is a short time and no volunteer should have the expectation that they will significantly impact individual Honduran women encountered in the hospital and clinics. Rather, one should view the trip as having an emphasis on education, and try and contribute to the knowledge of these surgical oncology residents, who are going to one day graduate, stay in Honduras, and be taking care of women with gynecologic cancer. We are best suited to contribute to their knowledge so that THEY can best serve the women of Honduras.”

-HVO Oncology Volunteer to Honduras

READY TO VOLUNTEER?

There are multiple steps to the placement process and often more than one approval is required. The process varies slightly from country-to-country and project-to-project. We strive to make this process as quick as possible but potential volunteers should be aware that final approval can take several months.

• To begin the placement process, complete the volunteer application and submit your CV.

ACTIVE PROJECTS

Thimphu, Bhutan – National Referral Hospital
Physicians, laboratory professionals, and nurses are needed. To fulfill the project goals, volunteers participate in the daily activities on the oncology inpatient and outpatient unit with the emphasis on education and role modeling. In addition, volunteers prepare lectures/presentations for the hospital staff about cancer related topics. As the project develops, there is interest in collaborating with the chemotherapy pharmacist and helping to develop chemotherapy and pain management protocols.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras – Hospital Escuela, Hospital San Felipe, & the Cancer Center Emma Callejas
Volunteers will provide teaching and training in surgical, gynecological and pediatric oncology to staff (physicians, nurses, lab personnel, etc.), residents and students at three hospitals in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Training activities fall under four main categories: cancer control, pediatric/surgical oncology seminars & workshops, & curriculum development.

Bhaktapur, Nepal – Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital (BCH)
HVO volunteers will contribute to the development and implementation of a structured surgical gynecologic oncology training program at BCH. Volunteers will work with BCH staff to develop a gynecologic oncology curriculum for both didactic and clinical skills, and provide surgical and didactic training to BCH gynecologic oncologists.

Kathmandu, Nepal – National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS)
HVO volunteers will seek to improve NAMS oncology residency program and increase knowledge of non-oncology residents and staff regarding oncology.

Kampala, Uganda – Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI)
Partnering with UCI, HVO volunteers will work to develop and implement a structured gynecologic oncology training program, promote sustainability and acceleration of gynecologic cancer care training for Ob-Gyn physicians and residents, and facilitate multidisciplinary care and collaboration among clinical oncology, radiation oncology and pathology.

Hanoi, Vietnam – National Cancer Hospital (NCH)
HVO volunteers will work with NCH personnel to increase knowledge and skills in medical, surgical and radiation oncology, as well as increase the capacity of NCH oncologists to design, conduct and publish research. The project will recruit volunteers to serve in six multi-disciplinary teams of 2-4 people covering topics specified by NCH; volunteers may also serve individual assignments to augment and expand the training offered by volunteer teams.