Announcing a Strategic Advocacy Partnership Between the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition
It is my pleasure to announce a Strategic Advocacy Partnership between the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) and the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition (WOCC). This partnership maximizes the collective influence, membership, force, and reach of these two premiere organizations and establishes a framework through which they will provide tangible benefit to gynecologic cancer survivors-patients worldwide, with special emphasis on ovarian cancer.
Established in 2016, WOCC is a not-for-profit organization with 145 patient advocacy organization partners in 37 countries. WOCC works to ensure that every woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has the best chance of survival and the best quality of life possible, wherever she may live. Its mission aligns perfectly with that of the IGCS of enhancing the care of women with gynecologic cancer worldwide. Uniting the globe in the fight against gynecologic cancers since 1985, IGCS currently has over 3,200 members in 115 countries. The membership of both organizations encompasses low-, middle-, and high-resource countries, consistent with their commitment to global health equity.
Elisabeth Baugh, Chair of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, explains, "As the largest global ovarian cancer patient advocacy network, the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition is committed to making a difference to the lives of all women affected by ovarian cancer. This strategic partnership creates a powerful global advocacy movement, uniting and strengthening patient and clinical voices to act as a force for urgent change. It is our firm belief that we will achieve much more together.”
With each organization retaining its independence, focus, and governance and with each committed to mobilizing outstanding global leadership, experts, and advocacy to reduce the burden of gynecologic cancers globally, this partnership does indeed represent a formidable force for change.
Emphasizing the importance of advocacy partnerships, IGCS President Roberto Angioli notes, “This partnership with the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition is representative of our commitment to working collaboratively with advocates worldwide to ensure best outcomes for all women and families affected by gynecologic cancers. We will continue to partner with local, regional, and global advocacy groups across all gynecologic cancer sites. These partnerships are essential to our mission.”
And, specifically, in activating this partnership, we will
- Launch the WOCC’s Global Ovarian Cancer Charter—a call-to-action to all involved in the care of ovarian cancer survivors-patients—during the 2020 IGCS Annual Global Meeting.
- Convene cancer site-specific partnership meetings and other forums that support the IGCS-initiated Global Advocacy Network focused on gynecologic cancers.
- Integrate into IGCS, WOCC, and other international meetings, our individual organization-specific, mission-driven programming that supports advocacy broadly.
Together, IGCS and WOCC will amplify the global voices of gynecologic cancer survivors-patients and will prompt and accelerate change that expands awareness and options, improving survival rates and survivorship. To manage joint initiatives, each organization has a dedicated partnership lead—Dicey Jackson Scroggins, IGCS Director of Global Outreach & Engagement, and Clara MacKay, WOCC Executive Director.
We are well positioned to take on the challenges and excited by the opportunities to benefit women and families—wherever and under whatever circumstance they might live.
Sincerely,
Mary Eiken, MS
IGCS Chief-Executive Officer