The Global Fight Against Cancer

American Cancer Society Trains 26 Scholars from 13 Latin American Cancer NGOs in Advocacy

Participants in the cancer training in Washington, DC

 

Twenty-six scholars from 13 cancer nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Latin America gathered for advocacy training July 12-16 in Washington, DC. This weeklong event was the fourth and final training part of the Latin America Regional Health Grants Program, a four-year American Cancer Society program aimed at strengthening organizations and empowering cancer patients in Latin America that was made possible by a generous educational grant from the Pfizer Foundation. The sessions covered such subjects as selecting advocacy issues, setting advocacy objectives, political mapping, and global advocacy. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network^SM (ACS CAN), the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, hosted the Latin American scholars and provided them a unique opportunity to learn about and experience the advocacy process from our nation’s capital. The speakers included Dr. Elmer Huerta, a past president of the American Cancer Society; Society regional consultants; and from ACS CAN – Molly Daniels, Bob Chapman, Joe Franco, and Mona Shah. Carrie Konosky from the Kidney Cancer Association, Jorge Puente and Gerard Hagn from Pfizer, and Robert Raben from The Raben Group, also delivered powerful speeches. Throughout the training, the scholars also had an opportunity to make presentations about the early detection projects they planned and implemented as part of the program. Finally, the scholars went to Capitol Hill and met with Daniel E. Smith, former president of ACS CAN and current staff director of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). He offered an insider’s perspective on the role cancer NGOs can play vis-à-vis their governments.
 

American Cancer Society Organizes Second Forum in Brazil to Address Breast Cancer Control

Speakers at the breast cancer control forum in Brazil

In collaboration with the Brazilian breast cancer coalition (FEMAMA in Portuguese), the American Cancer Society organized and hosted the Rio Grande do Sul State Intersectorial Breast Cancer Control Forum (I Fórum Intersetorial de Controle de Câncer de Mama do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul) from May 19-20 in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. This forum was the second of a series of American Cancer Society breast cancer forums that will be held in Brazil, aimed at improving breast cancer control and promoting the participation of civil society in cancer planning. Rio Grande do Sul State was chosen as a priority location because of its high incidence rates relative to other states in Brazil as well as the leadership roles of government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in addressing the growing breast cancer burden. During the forum, breast cancer experts and key stakeholders discussed recent advances in heath policies and practices, identified persistent barriers to care, and developed recommendations to improve access to and quality of early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. The forum convened more than 50 participants, including representatives of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA in Portuguese), state and municipal secretaries of health, leading public hospitals, philanthropic hospitals, research universities, and NGOs. Dr. Robert A. Smith, Director of Screening for ACS, was the keynote speaker at the event. Other speakers included Dra. Maira Caleffi (FEMAMA), Nair Ferreira (Instituto da Mama do RS, IMAMA), Dr. José Luiz Telles (Ministry of Health), Dr. Ana Ramalho (INCA), Dr. Sandra Coccaro de Souza (State Secretary of Health), Dr. Luciane Rampanelli Franco (Municipal Secretary of Health, Porto Alegre), Dr. Airton Stein (Grupo Hospitalar Conceição), Rosa Rutta (Instituto da Mama do RS, IMAMA), Dr. José Luiz Pedrini (Brazilian Mastology Society), Dr. Marcus Vinicius Bortolotto (IPUC), Dr. Felipe Zerwes (Brazilian Mastology Society), Dr. Stephen Stefani (UNIMED), and Dr. João Marcos Rizzo (Hospital Moinhos de Vento). The event was spotlighted in leading regional newspapers.

 

American Cancer Society Holds Cancer Control Training in Bangkok, Thailand

Cancer training participants and faculty members on a site visit to a community radio station in Thailand's Angthong province. The radio station regularly broadcasts cancer awareness information provided by an American Cancer Society subgrantee.

The American Cancer Society convened 32 representatives from 15 Asian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for the 3rd American Cancer Society Asia Regional Cancer Control Program Training November 22-25 in Bangkok, Thailand. This training was generously supported by the Pfizer USA Foundation with matching funds from local Pfizer offices in the region. The purpose of the training, co-hosted by the Chulabhorn Cancer Center (CCC), was to share best practices in organizational, strategic, and program planning, and in resource mobilization. Speakers and training participants shared ideas and information about cancer and tobacco control in Southeast Asia, organizational strategic planning, and volunteerism and fundraising. Training faculty members included Iris Pendergast, senior manager, International Relay For Life®, American Cancer Society; Loyce Pace, director of Regional Programs, Global Health, American Cancer Society; James Bradley of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and Dr. Saunthari Somasundaram, executive director and honorary general secretary of the National Cancer Society Malaysia. Guest speakers included Dr. Charas Suwannawella, vice president, Chulabhorn Cancer Center; Dr. Thiravud Khuhaprema, director, Thailand National Cancer Institute; the Honorable Eric John, US Ambassador to Thailand; and Dr. Kwanchanit Tantivejkul, an American Cancer Society consultant. Azwar Kamarudin, senior manager, Public Affairs, Pfizer Malaysia, gave a presentation on corporate partnerships, and representatives of Pfizer Thailand Foundation and Pfizer Asia Pacific were also in attendance. The training was featured in Thai and English language stories from several local radio, television, and newspaper organizations.

American Cancer Society Recognizes Accomplishments of Six Latin American Cancer Control Organizations

2009 ACS Latin American Best Practice Award (Premio Excelencia Latina) Winners, from left to right:  Ana Garces, Una Voz Contra el Cancer, Guatemala; German Piraquive Torres, SANAR, Colombia; Guadelupe del Valle, Una Voz Contra el Cancer, Guatemala; Emma Vera Espinoza, Grupo RETO, Mexico; Carmen Riveroll, Grupo RETO, Mexico; Olga Santamaria Fernandez, Liga Colombiana, Colombia; representative with SANAR, Colombia; Arlisa Lifshitz, AMLCC, Mexico; Eva Maria Ruiz de Castilla Yabar, Esperantra, Peru; representative with SANAR, Colombia; Nancy Ortiz, Colegio de Periodistas, Chile.

On November 20, the American Cancer Society held its third annual Latin American Best Practice Awards (Premios Excelencia Latina) ceremony in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. An initiative supported by an educational grant from Novartis, Premios Excelencia Latina recognizes regional best practices of Latin American cancer control organizations in different program categories. This year, winning programs from six organizations were selected from three categories: patient services, collaboration with health care professionals, and media/decision-maker engagement. The six award-winning organizations include Sanar from Colombia, Grupo Reto from Mexico, Una Voz contra el Cáncer from Guatemala, Asociación Mexicana de Lucha contra el Cáncer from Mexico, Esperantra from Peru, and Colegio de periodistas from Chile. The American Cancer Society will award a total of $67,500 in grants to the winning programs, as well as offer a customized fellowship with one of the Society’s Divisions in the United States. The awards ceremony was led by Alessandra Durstine, vice president of Regional Programs and director of Latin America for the American Cancer Society, and Angela Esteva, volunteer board member for the American Cancer Society South Atlantic Division. Colombian leaders in attendance included Senator Dillian Toro; Congress representatives Dr. Elías Raad and Dr. Jorge Morales; Dr. Lucio Rangel de Sosa, regional health director; and Dr. Carlos Vicente Rada, director general of the National Cancer Institute. The awards were also attended by members of Alianza Latina, a regional alliance of hematological cancers. The event received media coverage throughout Colombia and the surrounding region.

International Cancer Conference in Italy Features American Cancer Society Presentations

From left to right:  Dr. Luiz Santini, Brazil's National Cancer Institute (INCA); Jon Kerner, Canadian Partnership against Cancer; Abel Limache Garcia, Peru's National Cancer Institute (INEN); Cristina Parsons Perez, American Cancer Society; Eva Maria Ruiz de Castilla, NGO Esperantra.

At the 3rd International Cancer Control Congress held November 8-11 in Como, Italy, American Cancer Society staff delivered presentations on cancer planning, employer engagement, and tobacco control in Africa. More than 400 cancer control leaders from Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia addressed critical issues in planning and implementing a comprehensive approach to cancer control. In addition to keynote presentations by Ala Alwan, MD, of the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, there were workshops on all aspects of cancer planning and control in low-, middle-, and high-resource settings. Cristina Parsons Perez, PhD, manager, Latin America Initiatives, American Cancer Society, served on a panel about cancer planning with the head of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute. Johanna Ralston, vice president, Global Strategies, American Cancer Society, gave two presentations at sessions organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency on tobacco and cancer control in Africa and working with employers and the public sector on public-private partnerships. The abstracts of American Cancer Society staff presentations were selected for publication in the Congress monograph in the journal Tumori, a journal about experimental and clinical oncology.

American Cancer Society and Other Global Health Leaders Address Breast Cancer in Developing World at Harvard University Conference

The American Cancer Society played key roles in organizing and participating in a major conference on breast cancer in the developing world November 3-5 at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. The aim of the conference, which was called Breast cancer in the developing world: meeting the unforeseen challenge to women, health, and equity, was to raise greater global awareness of the epidemic of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, where the disease is now the leading cause of cancer-related death among adult women. American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John Seffrin, PhD, spoke to the global health leaders attending the conference about the lessons of tobacco control and how these lessons can help the breast cancer movement. Additionally, Alessandra Durstine, vice president, Regional Strategies and director, Latin America Programs, American Cancer Society; and Robert Smith, PhD, director of Cancer Screening, American Cancer Society, discussed advocacy planning and population-based screening. Durstine also represented the American Cancer Society on the steering committee for the event. The conference brought together delegates and speakers from around the world who are working on breast cancer, including leading researchers, policy-makers, and advocates. More than 10 cancer control nongovernmental organizations from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which are partners of the American Cancer Society, participated in the conference.

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Delivers Keynote Address on Colorectal Cancer in Africa; Society Recognizes AORTIC’s Commitment to Fighting Cancer

Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society, speaking at an ACS pre-conference workshop for journalists and nongovernmental organization representatives in Tanzania.

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, delivered a keynote address about the colorectal cancer burden in Africa November 13 at AORTIC Conference 2009 in Tanzania. His address included the latest available data and opportunities to intervene now to prevent the cancer from becoming a public health challenge in the region by using lessons learned from the US and other developed parts of the world. At the conference’s gala dinner, the Society presented AORTIC’s leadership with a gift to recognize the organization’s commitment to the fight against cancer in Africa. The new president and executive council of AORTIC were named at the dinner. Serigne Gueye, MD, from Senegal, will serve as president of AORTIC for the next two years.

American Cancer Society Holds Training for Latin American Tobacco Control Advocates in Mexico City

Participants at the American Cancer Society tobacco control workshop held prior to the 2nd SRNT – IAHF Latin American Conference on Tobacco Control in Mexico City.

The American Cancer Society held a workshop October 13-14 in Mexico City for 15 Latin American tobacco control advocates who have attended previous training programs provided by the Society. The workshop, titled Building and Sustaining Relationships with Companies for Smoke-free Success, was held in conjunction with the second Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) – InterAmerican Heart Foundation (IAHF) Latin American Conference on Tobacco Control. This workshop served as a follow-up to the American Cancer Society University (ACSU) training program held in August 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts, where the topic of smoke-free worksites was introduced. At the October workshop, participants shared their experiences with smoke-free worksites since the 2008 training. It was standing room only at the October event as the participants were joined by 11 speakers who were previously scheduled to speak, as well as 14 special guests, from the Mexican Ministry of Health, companies, and other organizations, who asked to join in because of their interest in the subject. Speakers included representatives from nongovernmental organizations in Latin America, the Mexican Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP), the Mexican Institute for Family and Population Research (IMIFAP), and multi-national companies, including DuPont, GE, and Pfizer. In lively discussions with the participants, all of the speakers shared useful resources that the participants can use in their ongoing engagement with companies in Latin America. Those speakers representing companies presented their organizations’ perspectives toward – and initiatives around – workplace wellness. 

American Cancer Society Hosts Training Program for 34 Breast Cancer Groups in Brazil

Presentation during the American Cancer Society breast cancer advocacy training program in Gramado, Brazil

The American Cancer Society organized a training program in Gramado, Brazil, from October 13-15, titled Giving Voice to the Breast Cancer Movement: Foundations of Advocacy (Dando voz ao Movimento de Câncer de Mama: Fundamentos de Advocacy). The program brought together representatives of 34 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from the Brazilian breast cancer advocacy coalition FEMAMA (Federação Brasileira de Instituções Filantropicas de Apoio a Saude da Mama). This training was made possible thanks to an educational grant from Roche. The keynote speaker for the event, Ricardo Caponero, MD, president of the Brazilian Association of Palliative Care, talked about the Fundamentals of Breast Cancer. Bob Chapman, director of Operations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN), gave a presentation on Working in Advocacy Coalitions, together with Anna Monteiro, director of communications, Brazilian Tobacco Control Alliance (ACT). Cristina Camara, a consultant for the American Cancer Society in Brazil, gave a lecture on Decision Making Processes of the Brazilian Public Health System and trained participants on Political Mapping. Other key speakers included Cristina Parsons-Perez, manager of Latin American Programs, American Cancer Society; Gustavo Azenha, program manager, Brazil Programs, American Cancer Society; Adriana Bacci, a consultant for the American Cancer Society in Brazil; Maira Caleffi, MD, president of FEMAMA; and Regina Vargas, a representative of FEMAMA. During the program, the American Cancer Society also announced an ambitious grant program to support breast cancer advocacy and information efforts by NGOs with FEMAMA. The event was followed by the American Cancer Society-sponsored 8th Annual meeting of Breast Health Philanthropic Organizations (VIII Encontro de Entidades Filantrópicas e Grupos de Apoio pela Saúde da Mama), where key breast cancer advocacy goals and actions for the upcoming year in Brazil were defined.Coinciding with this training program was the Brazilian Mastology Society’s 1st Brazilian Women’s Health Forum, which included a breast cancer march culminating in the presentation of the “Letter of Gramado” to the director of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA). This letter – the product of a series of participatory meetings on breast cancer planning – delineates a series of recommendations to improve breast health in Brazil.
 

American Cancer Society Actively Participates in First Full Day of AORTIC Conference

 
Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society (second row, standing in center), with other distinguished guests at AORTIC Conference 2009, including His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania (seated first row, second from right).

On Thursday, November 12, the first full day of the American Cancer Society-supported AORTIC Conference 2009 got off to a great start. The conference has attracted record attendance, with more than 700 global government and health leaders convening to discuss cancer and tobacco control in Africa. American Cancer Society staff and volunteers delivered presentations at key plenary sessions and workshops on tobacco control, advocacy, and cancer planning, including Van Wolf, chair, National Board of Directors; Thomas Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control; Ann McMikel, strategic director, International Affairs; and Loyce Pace, director, Regional Programs, International Affairs. Following the morning sessions, Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, officially welcomed the conference delegates and pledged his commitment to making cancer a priority in the region. In the evening, the American Cancer Society delegation hosted a dinner for Society partners attending the conference.