Olubukola Ayodele, Breast Cancer Lead at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, shared on LinkedIn:
“We spend a lot of time telling communities what they need to know about cancer.
But how much time do we spend listening to them?
I have spent years working with communities outside the hospital, and one thing I have learnt is that you cannot simply turn up with a health message and expect people to engage.
We organise awareness campaigns, distribute leaflets and deliver health talks. These all have their place, but they are only part of the solution.
What are the concerns within the community?
What barriers prevent people from accessing services?
Who do they trust?
What happens after the awareness event?
We cannot prescribe trust. It has to be built.
Cancer literacy goes beyond awareness. It is about enabling people to understand, navigate and engage with cancer services, and ensuring those services are accessible and responsive to their needs.
At London Global Cancer Week 2026, we are bringing together four outstanding voices for what promises to be one of our most interactive sessions:
Building Community-Anchored Cancer Literacy Across Borders.
Our facilitators:
- Carolyn Taylor – Global Focus on Cancer
- Nazik Hammad – University of Toronto
- Flora Tarisai Dangwa – Global Power of Oncology Nursing
- Miriam Mutebi – Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi
Together, we will explore how to move from designing interventions for communities to developing solutions with them.
We will discuss culturally appropriate communication, the role of patient advocates and nurses, lessons from diaspora communities, and how to avoid the short-term, externally driven approaches that too often characterise community engagement.
But we want to go further: how do we know our interventions are actually working?
Attendance at an awareness event is not the same as improved access to care.
Greater awareness does not automatically translate into earlier diagnosis. Community engagement should not end when project funding runs out.
This will not be another session where experts simply talk at an audience.
We want participants to share their experiences, challenge assumptions and work through practical approaches they can take back to their own communities and health systems.
Whether you work in oncology, nursing, public health, primary care, research, patient advocacy, charities or community organisations, this conversation is for you.
Friday 6 November 2026
Great Hall, King’s College London
Join us as we explore what it really takes to build cancer literacy across borders, cultures and communities.
The people closest to the problem must be part of designing the solution.
Register: Global Partnerships for Equitable Cancer Care: Moving From Local Insight to Worldwide Impact.”
Other articles about London Global Cancer Week 2026 on OncoDaily.
