Africa: Media Workshop: Understanding Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 14 July 2022/ African Media Agency (AMA)/- On behalf of a leading global biopharmaceutical company, MSD, we invite you to attend a hybrid media training workshop featuring renowned oncology industry experts.

Purpose of the workshop:

This session aims to deepen the media’s understanding of the oncology landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa and the impact of cancer on patients and healthcare systems. Experts will also delve into the latest available treatment options, the challenges, and opportunities pertaining to access to cancer care – from screening and diagnosis to palliative care.

We will have a mixture of information that also offers patient perspectives and will conclude the webinar with an interesting segment highlighting the role of the media in cancer reporting.

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Details:

Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Time: 09:00 AM Abidjan | 11 AM Johannesburg | 12 PM Nairobi

Location: Johannesburg and online via Zoom

Speakers:

Dr. Thulo Molefi

Prof. Raanan Berger

Kawaldip Sehmi

Ina Skosana

Please register your interest here.

Speaker Biographies:

Dr. Thulo Molefi

Specialist and Senior Lecturer at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH)/University of Pretoria (UP) Department of Medical Oncology in South Africa.

Dr Thulo Molefi is a specialist physician with certification in medical oncology from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the leading professional organization for medical oncology. He currently holds the position of Specialist and Senior Lecturer at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH)/University of Pretoria (UP) Department of Medical Oncology in South Africa.

Dr Molefi is a published academic, and he was awarded a South African Medical Research Council Clinician Researcher Scholarship in 2020. He is currently pursuing a PhD in medical oncology, which is focusing on the genomics and health disparities of endometrial cancer in South African Black women.

Dr Molefi treats a variety of solid and haematological malignancies and is involved in the training of medical students, as well as junior doctors and subspecialty trainees in the Department of Medical Oncology. He is also a member of the Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI) Management Committee of the UP. This cancer institute is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of precision oncology, cancer prevention and bringing new approaches for early diagnosis and novel therapeutic agents to improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities, strengthen health systems in underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. He is also the Chair of the PACRI Population & Prevention Cancer Research Research committee. He is one of the founding Members of the PACRI HPV Vaccination and Screening Promotion Steering Committee. He is also a member of the steering committee for Phakamisa, an AstraZeneca initiative, in collaboration with the South Africa National Department of Health, to improve community cancer awareness, cancer screening and eliminating barriers within the public health sector cancer care pathway.

Dr Molefi is passionate about improving the outcomes of patients with cancer in South Africa.

Prof. Raanan Berger

Director, institute of Oncology, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

Raanan Berger, M.D, Ph.D, is the Director of the Cancer Center, a senior Oncologist and Radiotherapist, heading the clinical research facility in the Institute of Oncology and Radiotherapy at the Sheba Medical Center.

Prof. Berger obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Sackler Medical School at the Tel Aviv University and is a member of European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Prof. Berger initiated and established a support service at the Institute of Oncology, with the purpose of granting the patients and their families the environment of multi-systemic treatment. The patients receive not only the cutting-edge medical solutions, but the assistance of trained psychologists and social workers, who offer a personal approach for the patients and the members of their families.

Prof. Berger leads the genitourinary oncology program, as well as running a basic and translational research lab studying molecular mechanisms in prostate and breast tumorigenesis. He is co-author of 20 peer reviewed scientific articles.

Kawaldip Sehmi

CEO, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO)

Kawaldip Sehmi is Chief Executive Officer of the International Alliance of Patient’s Organization (IAPO). He champions patients’ right to access personalised health care, biotherapeutics, cell and gene therapies through robust legal, policy, practice & institutional frameworks in healthcare.

Keen on improving cancer survivorship through early access to genomic based diagnostics and medicines, advocating access to immunotherapies and liquid biopsies and detection, imaging, and analysis of circulating tumour cells.

He as an academic background in Public Health and Law and has a passionate belief in improving access to healthcare services and justice through digital healthcare (e-Health) and virtual courts (e-Law).

As the CEO of an international mental health charity specialising in niche mental health services, has experience in supporting young people and adults with complex mental health, personality disorder and substance misuse problems through telehealth and digital mental health services.

A passionate advocate of WHO’s human rights-based approaches to health and of strengthening of the institutional, legislative, policy, practice and standards framework needed to support the achievement of health in all goals of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and universal health coverage SDG 3.8.

Ina Skosana

Health & Medicine Editor, The Conversation Africa

Ina Skosana is Health & Medicine Editor at The Conversation Africa. She is a former health researcher at Africa Check based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to that she was a journalist at Bhekisisa, the Mail & Guardian’s Centre for Health Journalism. Before joining Bhekisisa in February 2013, she was the health reporter at The New Age newspaper. Ina has won several awards including the Discovery Health Journalist of the Year and the Discovery Young Health Reporter of the Year.

Distributed byAfrican Media Agency(AMA) on behalf of MSD.

About MSD

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