Erick Estuardo Estrada ZaldañaAssistant Professor Gynecology and Obstetrics, Hospital General San Juan de Dios, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Member of IGCS since 2013.
It all started in 2010, when I was a first year Obstetrics & Gynecology resident at Hospital General San Juan de Dios in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I had the pleasure of meeting two amazing doctors, Dr. Pedro Ramirez and Dr. Kathleen Schmeler who visited our hospital as part of CONEP (Central America Oncology Education Program), an IGCS sponsored educational program to improve the Gynecologic Oncology training of Obstetrics & Gynecology residents in Central America. Dr. Ramirez and Dr. Schmeler spent a week in Guatemala giving lectures and teaching in the operating room and left a lasting impression on all of us. In 2014, I was a recipient of International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Traveling Scholar Award, this provided me the opportunity to apply to go to MD Anderson Cancer Center, as this was something that I truly believe that I could not do it by my own means. After this experience I was determined onto becoming a Gynecology Oncology Fellow, because this experience was a true Eye Opener.
The “Eye Opener” was a thank you letter to IGCS, it was not just the name of the most popular morning coffee from the Cool Beans Cafe located on the second floor from the Duncan Building at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Instead it describes my experience and the new perspective of the world that I gained during my three-month observership in Houston sponsored by the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) traveling scholars program. I was also able to become involved in research projects and was even given my own review paper to write under their direction. They encouraged me to pursue research in my home country, something that I will keep on doing and try to inspire others just like me. Proof of this in 2016, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists awarded me, as Mentor of the Year.
Unfortunately, cervical cancer is the number one cause of death among women in Guatemala and the lack of access to health, makes this worst. I work at one of the biggest Public Hospitals in Guatemala, however resources are limited, but our willingness to go an extra mile is enormous. To see women being defeated by something that could have been prevented, it tears my heart. This women don´t just leave behind a family, they are the pillars of society itself. This is one of the reasons that makes me want to keep on pursuing to be a Gynecology Oncologist, I hope next year I will be part of the IGCS Gynecologic Oncology Global Curriculum and Mentorship program.
Surbhi GroverUniversity of Pennsylvania
IGCS Member since 2014
Since medical school, I was interested in a career in global health. As I learned more about oncology and my interests in global health developed further, gynecological radiation oncology seemed to be the right fit due to the heavy burden of cervical cancer globally.
Since completing my training in 2014, I have been based full time in Botswana, in southern Africa. My work here entails running the largest public clinical oncology department, and focusing my clinical and academic work on women's cancers-gynecological and breast. Along with my local colleagues, I developed gynecological multi-disciplinary tumor board that allows us to provide streamlined and evidence based care to women around the country. Through this clinic, we have been able to to minimize delays in care and also develop a follow up care pathway for women with gynecological cancers. We hope to emulate this model for others common cancers in Botswana as well such as head and neck and breast.
Thomas HerzogDeputy Director University of Cincinnati Cancer Center
IGCS Member for more than 10 years
I pursued a career in gynecologic oncology because I was attracted to the opportunity to help women when the need is greatest through surgery and adjuvant therapies while helping to unravel the causes and newest treatments of cancers.
I am lucky to be able to wear multiple hats that include the roles of clinician, researcher, clinical trialist, patient advocate, and administrator. Needless to say these disparate roles cause endless scheduling difficulties but keep me rewardingly busy without burnout in any one concentrated area. I feel that the other roles actually make me a better physician as I am able to see the emerging ‘big picture” to the benefit of my patients. Helping lead the IGCS has been extremely rewarding as this responsibility is a mechanism to pay back to our field and move the field forward not only in the USA but throughout the world.
Olubanji OguntundeLagos University Teaching Hospital. Nigeria
IGCS Member since 2014
Endometrial and cervical cancers are amongst the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. My career choice of gynaecologic pathology is to be part of the mercenaries needed to help reduce this disease burden.
I am currently having a 3 month IGCS-sponsored fellowship at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS under the supervison of Dr Sanjiv Manek. I am being trained in the proper handling and pathologic reporting of gynae-oncology specimens. We hold regular multidisciplinary meetings on the oncology cases. The hospital, being one of the largest cervical cancer screening centres in the United Kingdom further affords me a huge learning opportunity in cytology. It's barely one month into the programme and the experience has been very rewarding. My special thanks to IGCS for making this a reality.
