May 25, 2022, 10 to 11:30 a.m. EDT

Psycho-oncology has now been standing tall as an evidence-based discipline since more than two decades now. It is well established in the developed nations. However, its growth in LMICs has been sporadic, with some countries with well-set clinical services and solid space for research. It has not been so in some other LMICs. There seem to be regional and cultural challenges but despite that, our resolve is firm. So what can be done to establish, develop and enhance Psycho-oncology throughout the LMICs?  The purpose of this webcast is to learn from our member representatives who have been able to set up and are working on advancing Psycho-oncology services, capacity building and research in their regions/areas.

The key learning objectives are:

• To understand different working models of setting up Psycho-oncology services in an LMIC setting
• To reflect on various challenges and facilitators in different contexts
• To formulate a roadmap for setting up a new Psycho-oncology service

Featuring:

DR. CHIOMA ASUZU, PhD

Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Prof. Chioma C Asuzu is a clinical psychologist, psycho-oncologist, and head of Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. She also holds joint appointment with the Dept. of Radiation Oncology at the College of Medicine of the University, as well as of the University College Hospital in Ibadan. Her teaching spans the undergraduate and post graduate programmes.  At the Dept. of Radiation Oncology, she runs the unit of psycho-oncology with a weekly clinic thereof. She is a co-author of some books on family life education and psycho-oncology. She has given several lectures and talks on family life, adolescent education and psycho-oncology both at national and international arena.  She is instrumental to the establishment of the Masters’ degree programme in psycho-oncology which is domiciled in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Ibadan. She is the Foundation President of the Psycho-Oncology Society of Nigeria (POSON), the Association for Psycho-Oncology in Africa (APOA) and an executive member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS). She is working hard to spread the practice of psycho-oncology throughout Nigerian universities, the teaching hospitals, Africa and the other LMIC’s. She has supervised several PhD students in area psycho-oncology thereby building and developing the body of knowledge in this area in Africa. She is the first person from the LMICs to be in the IPOS board of directors. She won the IPOS Jimmie Holland Memorial Award in 2021. She is principal investigator and co-investigator of several grants from local and international granting bodies, AORTIC/NCI, TETFUND, UICC, etc. She has served the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and  IPOS in various capacities as vice-president in the AORTIC (2016-2018 and 2018-2020) and as the first person from LMIC be on the board of IPOS, 2015-2017, 2017-2019; as the secretary of IPOS in 2019-2021; and currently as the treasurer of IPOS from 2021 to date. She has co-chaired IPOS academies held in Durban, South Africa, in Marrakesh, Morocco, in Kigali, Rwanda, in Maputo, Mozambique and in Hong Kong.

DR. CRISTIANE BERGEROT, PhD

Head, Department of Psycho-oncology

CETTRO Cancer Research Hospital, Brasilia, Brazil

Cristiane Bergerot, Ph.D., is the head of the Department of Psycho-Oncology at CETTRO Cancer Research Hospital in Brasilia, Brazil. She completed a 3 year research fellowship in the Department of Medical Oncology at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, USA. She has been working with cancer patients for almost 18 years as a clinician and as a researcher. She has over 50 peer-reviewed publications in journals including first-author publications in Nature Medicine, European Urology, Cancer, Journal of Immunotherapy for Cancer, British Journal of Urology International and Psychooncology. She has received four merit awards from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Conquer Cancer Foundation and was selected for the prestigious SWOG Young Investigator Course. In the past year, she has received 3 international Grants from renowned institution; Kure It, Conquer Cancer the ASCO Foundation and Kidney Cancer Association. She is committed to bettering the lives of patients with cancer through (1) obtaining a detailed understanding of their quality of life and (2) addressing their quality of life through novel, targeted interventions. Cris was elected in 2021-2023 to serve as a director representing Latin America at the International Psycho-Oncology Organization (IPOS). She is also serving as a committee member of palliative care, cancer & aging, eHealth and FORwards special interest groups at IPOS. 

DR. JAYITA DEODHAR, MD

Professor

Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India

Jayita Deodhar, MD., is Professor and in-charge of Department of Palliative Medicine and Psycho-oncology Unit at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.  She has 27 years of experience in Psychiatry and has been working with cancer patients for 17 years as a clinician and as a researcher. She has initiated a structured formal consultation liaison psycho-oncology service in her institute. Her research interests are psychosocial interventions in cancer patients, psychosocial palliative care and geriatric oncology. She is committed to forming a national body of Psycho-oncology professionals in India and enhancing capacity building in the region. She is on the Board of Directors, International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) (2019-21 and 2021-23) and is Chair of LMIC Committee of IPOS. She is dedicated to enhancing Psycho-oncology services in culture and context-led methods appropriate in low resource settings.

PHILLIP ODIYO, MA

Psychologist and Patient Support Manager

Faraja Cancer Support Trust, Nairobi, Kenya

Philip Ouma is a psychologist working as Patient Support Manager at Faraja Cancer Support Trust in Nairobi and Eldoret. He is currently studying for a Doctoral degree at Erasmus Medical University (Netherlands). Philip trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York through the Union for Cancer Control Fellowship. He is currently a Fellow at the Association of Union for International Cancer Control Fellows and was awarded Naomi Stearns Fellow in 2018 for his role in developing psychosocial oncology in Kenya. Philip was elected in 2021-2023 to serve as a director representing Africa at the International Psycho-Oncology Organization (IPOS). He is also serving as committee member of developing countries committee at the International Society for Sexual Medicine ( ISSM) Philip Odiyo is currently the Secretary for Prostate Cancer Support Association in Kenya, Board Member at the Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations; he is also the founding Chairman of Psycho-oncology Society of Kenya and the founding Vice President of Association for Psycho-Oncology Society in Africa. Philip has presented in several IPOS meetings in Rotterdam (2013), Portugal (2014) and Berlin (2017) Durban (2013), Marrakech (2015) and Kigali (2016) among others. He is a reviewer in the following Journals: The Breast Journal, Supportive Care in Cancer, e-Cancer Journal and Psycho-Oncology: Journal of Psychological, Social and behavioural dimensions of cancer. 

REGISTRATION:

• Free to current IPOS members
• $10 USD for non-members

REGISTER ONLINE BY GOING TO https://ipos-society.org/event-4826096