The Global Fight Against Cancer

Media and NGOs Dialogue at American Cancer Society Workshops in Tanzania; ACS Chief Medical Officer Joins Key Global Health Leaders to Open AORTIC Conference

The American Cancer Society’s pre-conference workshops in Tanzania concluded earlier today with a lively discussion between African journalists and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives on barriers to cancer coverage and potential solutions in Africa. In the course of the discussion, the 24 journalists and 34 NGO representatives identified particular cancer myths that contribute to the barriers in cancer awareness in Africa. They also proposed solutions to debunking these myths, including strengthening relationships between journalists and NGOs so that journalists have access to credible and accurate information, and humanizing stories on cancer and destigmatizing the disease by profiling survivors. The discussion was followed by a graduation lunch for all workshop participants, where they were joined by Jean-Baptiste Tapko, MD, the World Health Organization’s country representative for Tanzania. The pre-conference workshops have been generously supported by Oracle, the Canadian Cancer Society, and AORTIC.

Later in the day, American Cancer Society staff and volunteers joined with hundreds of cancer and tobacco control partners from around the world at the opening ceremony of AORTIC Conference 2009. The conference, which runs through November 14, will give participants the opportunity to share ideas and best practices on all aspects of cancer care and management in Africa, from prevention and diagnoses to treatment and palliation. American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, served on a panel during the ceremony with other distinguished guests, including David Mwakyusa, MD, minister for Health and Social Welfare of Tanzania. At the conclusion of the opening ceremony, Brawley was given a special gift in recognition of the American Cancer Society’s role as a key partner in cancer control in Africa. 

New American Cancer Society-sponsored Cancer and Tobacco Control Channel Launched on South African Health Web Site

A new cancer and tobacco channel sponsored by the American Cancer Society has been launched on the Health-e Web site, an award-winning South African health news Web site. The Web site channel, located at http://health-e.org.za/cancer, currently has stories on The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, co-published by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation; an interview with John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society; and the launch of Campaign 4 Cancer by an American Cancer Society grantee. The Web site channel editor is Anso Thom, a former CNN African Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Kaiser Family Foundation award for best reporting in Africa on HIV/AIDS. Anso was a journalist scholar last year at the American Cancer Society Media Summit in South Africa. She is an American Cancer Society journalist fellow at the Society’s Media Summit taking place now in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and will be reporting this week from the 2009 African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Conference in the same location. Health-e stories on cancer and tobacco control from the Tanzania conference will appear on the Web site, in leading South African newspapers, and on leading South African radio stations.

American Cancer Society Convenes 24 Journalists in Tanzania for Media Summit to Address Africa Cancer and Tobacco Burden

On the first full day of the American Cancer Society Media Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 24 journalists from eight African countries engaged in discussions with experts from the Society and other global cancer and tobacco control organizations on the emerging threats of cancer and tobacco use in Africa. The Media Summit is generously supported by Oracle and the Canadian Cancer Society. Two American Cancer Society staff, Thomas Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control; and Evan Blecher, economist, International Tobacco Control Research, joined other tobacco control experts in making presentations on tobacco use and control in Africa, including Tosin Orogun, programme manager, African Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI); Sverre Berg Lutnaes, senior advisor, International Affairs, Norwegian Cancer Society; and Lutgard Kagaruki, Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum. Cancer survivor Samantha Galliet, director, Campaigning for Cancer based in South Africa, and Haskell Ward, a representative of SEACOMM and an advisor to the Society, talked about the importance of survivor stories and advocacy in raising awareness about cancer. In group exercises, the journalists discussed with cancer and tobacco control experts the impact of various cancer and tobacco myths commonly heard on the continent and shared information that could be used to debunk these myths through media stories. In the evening, a panel of cancer control experts spoke with journalists about the challenges and opportunities involved with Africa’s growing cancer burden. The panel discussion was moderated by Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society, and included these other cancer control experts: Twalib Ngoma, MD, president of AORTIC and executive director, Ocean Road Cancer Institute, Tanzania; Lynette Denny, secretary treasurer of AORTIC and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, FACP, professor of medicine and human genetics and director, Cancer Risk Clinic, University of Chicago Medical Center; and Serigne Gueye, professor of urology, University of Cheikh Anta Diop and head of urology, Hospital General de Grand Yoff, Senegal.

American Cancer Society CEO Visits Mexico City to Highlight Expansion of Society-supported Patient Navigation Program in Mexico

John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society (seated at end of table) meets with Mexican journalists in Mexico City.

John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, visited Mexico City October 19-21 to talk with Mexican journalists and health officials about efforts to expand a Society-supported patient navigation program in Mexico. This program, administered by the Mexican National Cancer Institute (INCan), helps cancer patients and their families by providing information and psychosocial support. Seffrin met with several Mexican health officials, including José Ángel Córdova, MD secretary of health for Mexico; Mauricio Hernández, MD, DSc, the Mexican Ministry of Health’s leading tobacco expert; and Alejandro Mohar, MD, director of INCan. Seffrin also conducted a press conference and interviews with Mexican journalists. These discussions led to coverage of the American Cancer Society in some of Mexico’s leading print, radio, and TV media organizations. 

American Cancer Society To Host Pre-Conference Workshops at AORTIC Conference 2009 in Tanzania; New ACS Blog Set Up for Tanzania Activities

 

 
  
The American Cancer Society is participating in AORTIC Conference 2009, being held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from November 11-14. The African Organisation for Research & Training in Cancer (AORTIC) has organized this conference for cancer control advocates from around the world to address the African cancer burden.

In addition to its participation in the conference, the American Cancer Society will be hosting two pre-conference workshops in Dar es Salaam. One is an training event organized for representatives of African nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as part of the American Cancer Society Africa Cancer Information (ACI) program. The ACI event, taking place from Nov. 8-11, will allow these NGOs to learn about NGO management practices and cancer control activities. The other event is an ACS Media Summit for journalists representing print, radio, and TV media organizations thoughout Africa. Journalists will learn about best practices in health reporting, especially as they relate to creating greater awareness of cancer and tobacco control in the public. This Media Summit, taking place from Nov. 9-11, has been made possible with the generous support of Oracle, the Canadian Cancer Society, and AORTIC.

The American Cancer Society has set up a new blog at http://cancer.blogs.com/acsaortic to post materials and updates related to both pre-conference workshops and the AORTIC Conference. Materials include press releases, speaker biographies, fact sheets, and more. You can use the links in "Catgories" in the left column of the blog to find materials related to each subject. Also, check the "Quick Links" and "Twitter Updates" section in the right column to find useful information and resources on cancer and tobacco control in Africa and around the world.

American Cancer Society Staff Serve as Judges in First Tobacco Control Journalism Contest in Guatemala

 
Volunteers with Una Voz contra el Cáncer (One Voice Against Cancer) join some of the award winners at the Guatemala tobacco control journalism contest.

The American Cancer Society recently evaluated the work of Guatemalan journalists as part of the first tobacco control journalism contest to be held in the country. American Cancer Society staff Thomas Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control, and Catherine Jo, manager, International Tobacco Control, served as judges for Guatemala Libre de Tabaco 2009 (Guatemala Tobacco Free 2009). The event was organized by Una Voz contra el Cáncer (One Voice Against Cancer), a Guatemalan cancer and tobacco control group and American Cancer Society grantee. About 40 journalists and members of civil society organizations were in attendance, including members of leading Guatemalan media outlets and representatives from the Pan American Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund. Three awards were given for excellence by Guatemalan journalists in the categories of TV, radio, and written media. The cancer control group organized this event to show the importance of the media in building public awareness of tobacco control and other health issues in Guatemala.
 

American Cancer Society Media Awareness Workshop on Tobacco Control in Vietnam Concludes in Ho Chi Minh City

 Participants in the Media Awareness Workshop for a Smoke-free Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City

On September 19, the American Cancer Society convened about 50 journalists in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for the second and final part of the Media Awareness Workshop for a Smoke-free Vietnam. This event, organized by the Society and the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH), followed the successful first part of the media workshop, held earlier last month in Hanoi. American Cancer Society experts shared experiences on writing news stories on tobacco control and other health-related topics. The experts described ways in which journalists can capture the reader’s attention and improve health awareness, especially related to tobacco use. Speakers from the Ho Chi Minh School of Public Health, National Youth Newspaper, and Ho Chi Minh Health Services Department shared their success stories on smoke-free policies in the workplace. Vietnamese journalists came away from the workshop with more knowledge on the impact of tobacco use and vowed to disseminate more information on tobacco control to the public. According to the World Health Organization, each year approximately $786 million is spent on cigarettes and 40,000 people die due to smoking-related illnesses in Vietnam.

 

American Cancer Society Holds Media Awareness Workshop on Tobacco Control in Hanoi; First of Two-Part Tobacco Control Program in Vietnam

More than 30 Vietnamese journalists and tobacco control advocates attended the first part of the Media Awareness Workshop for a Smoke-free Vietnam in Hanoi this week. This is the first part of a two-part tobacco control program hosted by the American Cancer Society in Vietnam. The advocates and journalists received media training and heard from a panel of tobacco control and health experts. By the end of this part of the workshop, the journalists developed stories about and interviewed advocates on tobacco control issues in Vietnam.The event was featured on VTV10, a Vietnamese television channel, and featured in Nhan Dan (People), a Vietnamese newspaper.The American Cancer Society team organizing the workshop is now heading for the second part of the training, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City starting September 19.

Watch Video Podcast of American Cancer Society CEO Interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN's 'House Call'

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (center) interviews American Cancer Society CEO Dr. John Seffrin (right) on CNN program 'House Call.'

Last weekend, on the CNN program 'House Call,' Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported from Dublin, Ireland, from the first-ever LiveStrong Global Cancer Summit. He interviewed American Cancer Society CEO Dr. John Seffrin, asking Dr. Seffrin about the passing of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, reports on Senator Kennedy’s courageous battle against brain cancer, and his example as an “empowered patient.”

You can view the full interview by clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/PEMOh  Look for the interview starting about 10 minutes, 10 seconds into the broadcast.

WATCH – Dr. Seffrin to Appear on Weekend Airing of ‘House Call’ with Dr. Sanjay Gupta

This weekend, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports from Dublin, Ireland, from the first-ever LiveStrong Global Cancer Summit on progress in the fight against cancer around the world, tobacco control, and eliminating the stigma of cancer. In an interview with American Cancer Society CEO Dr. John Seffrin, Gupta talks about the passing of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, reports on Senator Kennedy’s courageous battle against brain cancer, and his example as an “empowered patient.”  Dr. Gupta also interviews Dr. Henry Friedman, an internationally-renown neuro-oncologist at the Robert Preston Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University in North Carolina, and discusses treatments for brain tumors.