In this episode of Global Health Unpacked on OncoDaily, Dr. Gvantsa Khizanishvili sits down with Isabel Mestres, CEO of City Cancer Challenge Foundation, to explore an important question: Is city-level cancer care the missing link in global health systems?
In this conversation, Isabel Mestres shares her perspective on how historical approaches to global health – often rooted in fragmented, disease-specific interventions, have led to systems that struggle to address complex, chronic conditions like cancer. She discusses the shift from global strategies to local implementation, emphasizing that the real challenge today is not what to do, but how to deliver meaningful change on the ground.
The discussion highlights:
The legacy of fragmented healthcare systems and its impact on cancer care.
Why delivery may be the missing link in global health, and what that means for cancer care.
The importance of transitioning from donor-driven agendas to locally led solutions.
The City Cancer Challenge model and its step-by-step framework for transforming cancer care at the local level.
The role of implementation science and data in bridging the gap between knowledge and action.
Why mapping the patient journey is one of the most powerful and cost-effective interventions to improve outcomes.
Isabel also explains how cities serve as the ideal ecosystem to understand and address healthcare fragmentation, offering a manageable scale where stakeholders, systems, and patient pathways intersect.