Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, UICC President-Elect of 2024-2026 and a Founder and CEO of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Being in Cairo for the 18th Breast-Gynecological & Immuno-oncology International Cancer Conference (BGIICC), hosted by the Egyptian Cancer Society and the Presidential Initiative on Women’s Health, provided a wonderful opportunity to engage and participate in lofty visions and collaborations to drive breast cancer care initiatives.
At various sessions, as Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) President-Elect and a member of the African Council for Breast Cancer, I engaged with global leaders on how we can strengthen prevention, research and equitable access to care. Some of which include World Economic Forum, World Health Organization, AORTIC- Africa, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), IARC – International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Cancer Patient Coalition, and others.
I also attended a day workshop hosted by the The Egyptian Society For Colposcopy And Cervical Pathology and the Ministry of Health & Population – Egypt where I highlighted our achievements in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer control in Nigeria, our work at National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE), alongside relevant UICC capacity-building and early-career support programs.
Whilst noting that HPV vaccination coverage has been remarkable in Nigeria, more work remains to dismantle cultural, financial and systemic barriers to ensure screening is institutionalized.
Whenever I visit a new country, I make intentional efforts to engage Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) members, who span over 170 countries. This trip, we visited the Baheya Foundation and Hospital for Cancer. Their patient navigation which was designed and developed with support from the American Cancer Society, was quite enlightening, especially as we at MEDICAID CANCER FOUNDATION have recently begun that journey with ACS.
We also took time to visit the new Grand National Museum with my dear friend Gevorg and his his lovely wife. The trip down civilization was truly magical.
I must give a huge shout out to the entire Egyptian team at the Presidential Initiative for Breast Cancer led by Prof Hesham ElGhazaly and for demonstrating the impact of political will, learning, and collaboration in advancing women’s health and cancer care.”
More posts featuring Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu.
