Global healthcare leaders continue to share their support for Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan’s candidacy for WHO Director-General.
Dr. Charles Balch, former CEO of City of Hope National Medical Center and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, highlights Tamamyan’s leadership of the OncoCorridor initiative.
“This is a story why Dr Gevorg Tamamyan is uniquely and powerfully qualified to be the next Secretary General of the WHO.
He not only has compassion for those in need in different countries, he develops unique strategies and solutions, with ACTION to make a difference. OncoCorridor is but one of the many worthwhile projects that Gevorg has led.
OncoCorridor connects cancer patients in conflict zones to treatment centers worldwide. More than 2 billion people now live in areas affected by conflict. For the millions among them who have cancer, war disrupts care, delays treatment, and too often turns a treatable cancer into a fatal one. Living through conflict and then dying of a cancer that could have been treated is a double injustice. Our professional oaths oblige us to confront it. The problem is not that treatment does not exist. It is that patients have no way to reach it. Chemotherapy is interrupted by bombardment. Children with curable cancers cannot cross a border. Oncologists have fled, and hospitals have been destroyed.
OncoCorridor, led by Dr Tamamyan, OncoDaily and the Institute of Cancer and Crisis, aims to prevent these avoidable deaths. It is building a global network that connects patients in conflict-affected regions with cancer centers around the world.
Cancer centers can pledge a set number of named patient places each year. Each pledge is specific, real, and tracked. Physicians in conflict zones refer patients through the secure OncoCorridor platform, without bureaucratic barriers. Patients then receive treatment, and their outcomes are tracked. Each case strengthens the network and extends its reach.
If your cancer center can pledge even one patient place a year, please join us. Write directly: secretariat@oncocorridor.org
Gevorg, being the personal and kind person he is, took me to lunch in Geneva beforehand. I was privileged to speak at the launch of this project. Shown in the photo are a few of the speakers:
Right to left: Gevorg Tamamyan, President SIOP, Editor-in-Chief 0f OncoDaily, Charles Balch, President of ISOPT, HRH Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, Past President of UICC, Nazik Hammad, University of Toronto, H. E. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu,gf President of UICC, Ophira Ginsburg, National Cancer Center’s Center for Global Health.
Read more about this worthwhile project:
Title: OncoCorridor: connecting patients with cancer in conflict zones to treatment centres worldwide
Authors: Jemma Arakelyan, James Adnan Nassur, Emma Tadevosyan, Gevorg Tamamyan
Read the full article in The Lancet Oncology.”
About Charles Balch
Dr. Charles M. Balch, MD, FACS, FASCO, is an internationally recognized surgical oncologist, researcher, and academic leader. At The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, he served as Chairman of the Department of Surgical Oncology, Head of the Division of Surgery, and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, contributing to the advancement of multidisciplinary cancer care and clinical research.
Dr. Balch founded Annals of Surgical Oncology and served as its founding Editor-in-Chief, establishing an important platform for scientific advances in the field. He later served as President and CEO of City of Hope National Medical Center and as Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), where he helped expand the organization’s membership, educational programs, and fundraising initiatives.
At Johns Hopkins University, he held leadership positions in clinical trials and outcomes research and founded the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network. He also contributed to landmark international analyses that shaped global melanoma staging guidelines, helping advance the classification and prognostic assessment of melanoma.
He has been recognized through numerous professional honors, including ASCO’s Statesman Award and Special Recognition Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Association of Surgical Oncology, and honorary fellowships from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Japan Surgical Society.
About Dr Gevorg Tamamyan
Dr Gevorg Tamamyan, MD, MSc, PhD, DSc, FASCO, is a prospective candidate for the post of Director-General of the World Health Organization, nominated by the Republic of Botswana. He is a global leader in oncology, health systems strengthening, and international health cooperation, recognized for building bridges between countries and advancing equitable cancer care in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Tamamyan is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Yerevan State Medical University and CEO of the Immune Oncology Research Institute (IMMONC).
He is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily, one of the world’s largest oncology media platforms, created to democratize access to reliable, independent, and evidence-based cancer information globally.
Dr. Tamamyan was elected and currently serves as President of two major international pediatric oncology organizations: the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Asia Continental Branch, representing pediatric oncology professionals across Asia, and the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) Group, uniting 28 countries and 110 cancer centers. He also serves as Co-Chair of the St. Jude EURO Regional Advisory Committee, encompassing 13 European countries.
At the age of 31, Dr. Tamamyan was appointed Head of the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia, where he led the consolidation of previously fragmented pediatric oncology and hematology services into a single national center. Under his leadership, the Center evolved into a regional reference point, with survival rates reaching up to 80%.
He also co-founded City of Smile, a national pediatric cancer charity that helps ensure universal coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of every child and young adult with cancer in Armenia.
Dr. Tamamyan is Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Cancer and Crisis and an adviser to the Rector of Yerevan State Medical University. He previously served as President of the Harvard Club of Armenia.
Educated and trained across seven countries in Europe, North America, and Asia, his professional journey spans frontline clinical practice, research, academic leadership, national cancer center management, global health diplomacy, and institution building.
He is the recipient of numerous international awards and distinctions, including Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO); ASCO LIFe and IDEA Awards; UICC and IARC Young Leader Awards; the 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award; the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM) Award for Global Oncology Leadership; and the Global Health Catalyst Distinguished Leader Award.
He is married and has two daughters, Charlize and Letizia.
Read more about Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan’s WHO candidacy:
Dr Gevorg Tamamyan is Nominated as a Candidate for WHO Director-General Position
Watch HRH Princess Dina Mired’s interview with Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan: The Man Who Challenged Cancer Hierarchies
