Blog

Feb 7, 2025, 17:50

Upal Basu Roy: Co-chairing the Patient Advocacy Workshop on behalf of LUNGevity Foundation

Upal Basu Roy, Executive Director of Research at LUNGevity Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:

“The past week has been incredibly meaningful and soul-nourishing!
I just returned from the inaugural Pan-Africa Conference on Lung Cancer, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in Accra.

This conference was fueled by the passion of Caleb Egwuenu, a changemaker and advocate from Nigeria, whose unwavering commitment to health equity in cancer care for low- and middle-income countries ignited this collaboration with IASLC and global thoracic oncology leaders. It all begins with a vision, and Caleb’s dream has sparked a powerful movement. I am beyond honored I get to call him my friend.

One of my personal highlights was co-chairing the Patient Advocacy Workshop on behalf of LUNGevity Foundation, alongside my dear friend and mentor, Jill Feldman, and Caleb. With over 40 attendees from across Africa, we focused on prioritizing advocacy initiatives in low- and middle-income countries.
I was also fortunate to spend time with my advocate bhai, Dr. Vivek Tomar, and fellow advocate, Lauren Pretorius.

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Karen Kelly, CEO of IASLC, for her inspiring vision and dedication to improving thoracic oncology outcomes worldwide, and to Becky Bunn and Kelsey Hecker for their invaluable support and friendship.

As climate change and rising air pollution threaten to increase the burden of lungcancer in LMICs, we must act now as a global community to transform outcomes for those at risk of and diagnosed with lung cancer.
Thank you, Caleb, for uniting us in this important mission!”

Upal Basu Roy: Co-chairing the Patient Advocacy Workshop on behalf of LUNGevity Foundation