The Conquer Cancer Foundation’s 2015 International Innovation Grants were awarded to the following five organizations conducting research in India, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, and Uganda:
- Tata Medical Center (Kolkata, India). This grant is funding a randomized clinical study testing the success of text message intervention to improve chemotherapy protocol compliance and reduce toxicity in patients. Principal investigator: Tanuj Chawla, MD, MBBS.
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (Mexico City, Mexico). This award is funding a breast health educational program for rural adolescents to increase knowledge of breast health and promote help-seeking behaviors. Principal investigator: Yanin Chávarri Guerra, MD, MSc.
- College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (Ibadan, Nigeria). The study is investigating community-level intervention strategies to recruit and train local health providers to prevent, detect, and treat cervical cancer. Principal investigator: Olutosin Alaba Awolude, MBBS, MS.
- The Oncology Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuţă” (Cluj-Napoca, Romania). Although patients with breast cancer in Romania have access to many standard therapies, they have worse outcomes than patients in developed countries receiving the same therapies. This award will support the implementation of a telemedicine Web-based platform to enable an experienced multidisciplinary breast tumor board to review cases and improve treatment decisions for patients in small, remote cancer centers. Principal investigator: Alexandru E. Eniu, MD, PhD.
- Hutchinson Centre Research Institute of Uganda (Kampala, Uganda). This project involves a 9-month pilot study to test the impact and acceptability of an integrated cervical screening program on identifying early-stage invasive cervical cancer in a high-volume HIV clinic. Principal investigator: Mugume Mugisha, MPH, MBChB. ■
The 2014 and 2015 International Innovation Grants were made possible by the generous support of ASCO International, AstraZeneca, Conquer Cancer Foundation Mission Endowment, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Roche, Thomas G. Roberts, Jr, MD, and Susan M. DaSilva.
If you would like to make a donation to the International Innovation Grant program or to learn more about other initiatives to improve cancer care in low- and middle-income countries, please visit
Conquer Cancer Foundation at conquercancerfoundation.org.
