Oncology in low-middle income settings: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Dr Ophira Ginsburg is a medical oncologist and global women’s health researcher with technical and policy expertise in noncommunicable diseases prevention and management.  She is the director of the high-risk cancer genetics program and associate professor in the section for global health, department of population health at New York University School of Medicine. Formerly based at the University of Toronto, from 2015 to 2016 she was a medical officer at WHO and continues to serve as a consultant to several UN agencies, providing technical assistance to member states on national cancer control planning and policies.

Over the last 15 years, Dr Ophira Ginsburg developed an inter-disciplinary collaborative program of research, education, and policy guidance in cancer control, with colleagues on five continents. The overarching aim of her work is to improve equitable access to early detection for breast and cervical cancer in low-income and middle-income countries. She also conducts public health research to reduce cancer disparities for women in underserved communities in North America, and is leading a new study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (“Cancer Moonshot” program), to improve access to cancer genetics services through primary care clinics in the New York area.

Professor Richard Sullivan is professor of cancer and global health at King’s College London, and director of the King’s Institute of Cancer Policy and co-director of the Conflict and Health Research Group. As well as holding a number of visiting chairs, Professor Richard Sullivan is an non-communicable disease (NCD) advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO), civil-military advisor to Save the Children, and a member of the National Cancer Grid of India.

His research focuses on global cancer policy and planning, and health systems strengthening, particularly fragile and conflict settings. Professor Richard Sullivan’s research teams have programs in capacity building in conflict and health across the Middle East and North Africa (r4hc-mena.org), as well as programmes in women’s health, digital innovation (VR enhanced surgery) and a wide range of global health security projects. Professor Sullivan qualified in medicine and trained in surgery (urology), gaining his PhD in biochemistry from University College London. As well as working as research and development lead in industry he was also clinical director of Cancer Research UK, one of the world’s largest research funders between 1999 and 2008.