Professor Dilyara Kaidarova, representing Kazakhstan, is running for Vice President in the 2026 International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Board of Directors Election. Her candidacy brings forward a leadership profile built across more than three decades of oncology practice, academic work, institutional development, and cancer care reform in Central Asia and the wider former Soviet region.
The IGCS election opened on May 4, 2026, and online voting will continue through June 5, 2026. Eligible IGCS members are voting for several leadership positions, including Vice President, through an online process managed by Simply Voting Inc., an independent election provider.
From Kazakhstan to the Global Gynecologic Oncology Stage
Prof. Kaidarova is a Professor, MD, PhD, and member of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan. She currently serves as Deputy Chancellor of the National Medical University in Almaty and as President of the Kazakhstan Cancer Society. From 2017 to 2025, she served as Director of the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, one of the country’s central institutions for cancer care, research, and policy development.
Her career has covered the full continuum of oncology, from prevention and early detection to advanced treatment and palliative care. This broad experience gives her candidacy a practical focus: improving gynecologic cancer care not only through scientific exchange, but through systems that can be implemented in regions where access remains uneven.
A Vision Focused on Capacity, Mentorship, and Access
At the center of Kaidarova’s IGCS vision is the expansion of sustainable gynecologic oncology services in low- and middle-income countries. Her statement highlights capacity building through tailored education, structured mentorship, and stronger professional networks across regions with diverse healthcare challenges.
For Kaidarova, global oncology leadership is closely tied to regional realities. Her experience in Kazakhstan and across the former Soviet region has shaped a platform focused on translating international expertise into practical improvements for local cancer systems. This includes strengthening training pathways, supporting multidisciplinary care, and helping ensure that advances in surgical techniques and systemic therapies reach women beyond major academic centers.
Building Bridges Across Asia, Oceania, and Eastern Europe
Kaidarova previously served on the IGCS Board for Asia and Oceania from 2022 to 2024, an experience she describes as central to her understanding of the Society’s mission. In her candidacy statement, she presents herself as a bridge between IGCS’s global expertise and the needs of regions where gynecologic oncology infrastructure is still developing.
Her platform also emphasizes stronger collaboration across Asia, Oceania, and Eastern Europe. These regions include countries with very different levels of access to specialized oncology care, modern radiotherapy, precision diagnostics, and systemic treatment options. Kaidarova’s proposed approach focuses on practical cooperation: connecting clinicians, institutions, and professional societies so that expertise can move across borders in a more structured and lasting way.
A Career Rooted in National Oncology Development
Beyond her IGCS work, Kaidarova has played a major role in the development of oncology in Kazakhstan. She has served as Chief Freelance Oncologist of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan and President of the Association of Oncologists of Kazakhstan. Her work has included involvement in national cancer control planning, the introduction of modern clinical protocols, expansion of radiotherapy capacity, development of expert endoscopy centers, oncology rehabilitation services, and broader cancer awareness efforts.
Her scientific profile also reflects a long-standing academic commitment. She is the author of more than 100 scientific publications, five monographs, three textbooks, and several oncology-related patents. She has also contributed to oncology education through her academic leadership and editorial work.
IGCS Introduces Candidates for Vice President in the 2026 Board of Directors Election
Global Partnerships as a Tool for Equity
Kaidarova’s candidacy places particular emphasis on international partnerships. In her IGCS statement, she refers to her roles and involvement with organizations including the ASCO International Affairs Committee, the Lancet Commission, and the Union for International Cancer Control. She frames these connections as tools for aligning IGCS priorities with the broader global cancer agenda and for bringing international standards of care closer to underserved regions.
This emphasis is consistent with her wider career, where institutional development, education, and cross-border collaboration have remained central themes. For gynecologic oncology, where outcomes are often shaped by access to trained specialists, pathology, surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and follow-up care, this type of leadership speaks directly to the gap between scientific progress and real-world availability.
A Leadership Platform Grounded in Service
Kaidarova’s campaign for IGCS Vice President is not centered only on representation, but on expanding the practical reach of gynecologic oncology education and care. Her priorities include capacity building in low- and middle-income countries, stronger global partnerships, and deeper regional collaboration across Asia, Oceania, and Eastern Europe.
Her candidacy brings attention to a region that is often underrepresented in global oncology leadership, while also highlighting a broader question for the field: how international societies can better support clinicians and patients in settings where expertise exists, but resources and infrastructure remain uneven.
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Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD