Nelli Saraí Padilla Ruíz: Medical Partner Advancing Cancer Care in Honduras – The Max Foundation
The Max Foundation shared a post on LinkedIn:
“This month we’re thrilled to introduce you to Nelli Saraí Padilla Ruíz, our medical partner in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, who’s been a medical provider for 14 years! Swipe to learn more about her.
When did you start working with The Max Foundation?
Around 2013, when we received the first GeneXpert machine at our center (thanks to The Max Foundation’s partnership with Cepheid). I remember our excitement was immense, as it opened the door to molecular monitoring, something that made a huge difference in patient follow-up and treatment, and that at the time felt like a distant dream for our country.
How many patients are you treating in the Max program?
About 385 active patients and 17 in the Treatment-Free Remission (TFR) program. While patients are treated by the institution’s hematologists, some of my clinical tasks include follow-up medical consultations and providing palliative care to patients with advanced or treatment-resistant disease. The program allows us to build close relationships with patients that go beyond the clinical setting.
Describe a typical work week:
My workday usually begins at 7 a.m., and I split my time between office work and patient care, especially for patients in advanced stages of illness who require attention from a palliative care team, the area in which I specialized.
Starting at 9 a.m., I see scheduled or emergency patients in the clinic. Other days, I conduct home visits for patients who, due to their advanced illness, can’t travel to the cancer center.
On Fridays, we have team meetings with the institution’s medical staff to discuss complex clinical cases, and once a month we participate in an international tumor board to review breast and uro-oncology cases.
What does your partnership with The Max Foundation look like?
In our department, we manage everything related to The Max Foundation patients. This includes enrolling new patients with the required documentation, making treatment changes once approved by the treating physician, and receiving patients who come in for daily consultations to verify they’re active and eligible for treatment. At those times, we hand out educational brochures, raise awareness if they’ve been missing appointments, and update their phone numbers.
We also track patients in the TFR program. Two of our team members stay in phone contact with these patients to ensure they keep their appointments. We maintain excellent communication with the treating hematologists for any needs that may arise.
Other responsibilities include helping with medication inventory, organizing Max events, and coordinating blood draws for mutation testing.
When not working, what do you like to do for fun?
Hiking, outdoor activities, walking my dog, vacationing in mountain or beach areas, reading, watching documentaries, and spending time with my family.
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