Kathleen Schmeler, Associate Vice President of Global Oncology, shared on LinkedIn:
“It was a privilege for our team from UT MD Anderson to spend the week with our colleagues from the Zambian Ministry of Health and the Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) in Lusaka to celebrate the country’s recent re-launch of radiotherapy services.
This was a special and emotional milestone, and we congratulate the Zambian team!
It was also exciting to see the implementation of the Radiation Planning Assistant (RPA), a web-based artificial intelligence tool developed by Laurence Court and his team. The RPA automates key components of radiation treatment planning, helping patients gain faster access to high-quality radiation therapy.
Throughout the week, our teams also participated in multiple educational and training programs for registrars, physicians, nurses, midwives and patient advocates. This included a hands-on LEEP and thermal ablation training to strengthen cervical cancer prevention, as well as pharmacy, safety, radiobiology and research initiatives, reflecting the breadth of our collaboration across the cancer care continuum.
It was particularly meaningful to share these moments with our colleagues back in Houston through a special edition of the UT MD Anderson Research Town Hall, live from Zambia, led by Albert Koong and featuring Lilie Lin, Laurence Court and Susan Citonje Msadabwe. The week culminated with the Greater Horn Oncology Symposium (GHOS), organized by Mira Shah and colleagues from Radiating Hope with an AI in Radiotherapy pre-symposium led by Laurence Court and Tucker Netherton.
As we reflect on this extraordinary week, we continue to be inspired by the persistence, patient-centered focus, and unwavering commitment of our Zambian colleagues.
A heartfelt thank you to Kennedy Lishimpi, Susan Citonje Msadabwe, Paul Kamfwa, George Pupwe, Karen Nakawala, Emily Walubita, and the entire team for their leadership, collaboration, and dedication. In addition, we are thankful for the unyielding support of UT MD Anderson leaders, including Peter Pisters, Albert Koong, Jeffrey E. Lee and Chris McKee, who continue to encourage and enable this important work.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such committed colleagues as we pursue our shared goal to end cancer in Zambia and around the world.”
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