Together, Dr. Mila P. Salcedo and Dr. Ida Ismail-Pratt led the development of the IGCS Preinvasive Disease Training Program, serving also as Co-Chairs of this international mentorship and training initiative. The program was born following recognition of the lack of systematic training and support in preinvasive cervical disease for local low- and middle-income country champions, who were also fellows and local supervisors in the IGCS Global Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program. The IGCS Preinvasive Disease Training Program supports local clinicians and establishes mentors with the aim to build local capacity in managing preinvasive cervical disease effectively, thereby advancing on the path towards cervical cancer elimination.

Dr. Mila Pontremoli Salcedo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology & Reproductive Medicine and Director of Cervical Cancer Prevention in Global Oncology, Cancer Network at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States. She directs training & education in cervical cancer prevention for programs in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Texas, and other low-resource settings, where she has also led Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) sessions. She is a gynecologist with several years of experience conducting research on cervical cancer prevention. Dr. Salcedo has served, in Brazil, as an Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), where she was the Chair of Gynecology at Santa Casa de Misericordia Hospital of Porto Alegre. She currently also dedicates her time as an international mentor for the IGCS Global Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program site in Mozambique.

Dr. Ida Ismail-Pratt is The President of the Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Singapore (SCCPS). She is also an OBGYN specialist and medical director for The Obstetrics & Gynaecology Centre, Singapore. She leads for the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) ECHO committee that gives a support platform for doctors especially in the LMIC on management of HPV related cases. She is also one of the founding members of the Asia Pacific HPV Coalition, a selected group of HPV related disease experts tackling HPV related issues in the Asia Pacific through research and advocacy initiatives. Dr. Ismail-Pratt has helped establish and support preinvasive training program and colposcopy workshops in various Asia Pacific Countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The IGCS Global Humanitarian Award honors Drs. Salcedo and Ismail-Pratt for utilizing their clinical expertise and commitment to mentorship and training to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in areas of the world that need it most. With over 550 participants enrolled or having completed the training program from 99 countries, the reach of the program continues to expand. With more trained experts in the world, everyone can have access to the necessary prevention, screening, and treatment that saves lives.