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Isabel Mestres: The Patients Can’t Wait and Neither Can We

Isabel Mestres/LinkedIn

May 2, 2025, 18:20

Isabel Mestres: The Patients Can’t Wait and Neither Can We

Isabel Mestres, CEO of City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), shared a post on LinkedIn:

“The patients can’t wait and neither can we.

This Monday, after an overnight flight with no sleep, I went straight into meetings in Phnom Penh. Because when a community steps up to tackle cancer from the ground up, they deserve our full support.

Two years ago, it was hard to imagine how we’d bring the local cancer community together, everything felt fragmented. This week, I witnessed a powerful shift: a united, committed, and deeply engaged network of 100 professionals and volunteers across 19 institutions launching 12 co-created cancer care projects, built on real needs and evidence.

Please expand the image , it’s more than a busy slide. It’s a locally owned first step toward sustainable change.

And there’s more: next Monday, Phnom Penh will launch its National Cancer Control Plan, developed with the support of City Cancer Challenge, combined with C/Can implementation strategy ready to activate. This is what connecting national plans to real, local action looks like.

We also hosted an implementation science workshop, and protocols for key projects are already underway, thanks to the amazing support from Nicole Rankin, Lucio Nacarella, Kim Dalziel from University of Melbourne.

This is why we do what we do. It’s hard work. It means time away from home. But seeing this level of ownership, leadership, and momentum on the ground makes it all worth it.

A heartfelt thank you to Jon Fairest and Andrew Hockey, our strategic partners at Sanofi Global Health Unit : Sustainable change is not only possible, it’s already happening thanks to your long term commitment.

And of course, to all the local stakeholders leading this work and my wonderful team; Thet Ko Aung, Pich Bunthoeun, Suon Sokha, Chika Kitajima, Meritxell Mallafré Larrosa, Alfredo Polo, Harold Cottin, Ivana Lorenzatti and many others!”