ASCO has announced the participants and mentors selected for its new International Clinical Research Scholars (ICR) program. Eighteen scholars were selected by the ASCO Latin America Regional Council to take part in this 1-year program that pairs clinical research training with mentorship opportunities to enhance clinician research skills. These clinicians, who are based across the Latin America region, have innovative research ideas and will work to advance these projects over the next year.
“The program was conceived for clinicians with compelling research ideas to improve care within their communities and designed to enhance clinical research skills across the region through comprehensive training and mentoring,” said ASCO Latin American Regional Council member Rodrigo Munhoz, MD, a medical oncologist at the Hospital Sírio-Libanês in Brazil. “I’m truly excited about the program’s potential to foster a new generation of cancer researchers in Latin America.”
The training was delivered both in person and virtually, in a 2-day workshop in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 31 and November 1, hosted by Hospital Sirio Libanes, followed by quarterly online learning sessions and additional virtual networking and learning opportunities. Sessions included information on pairing research ideas to appropriate trial designs, developing suitable biostatistical plans for research, common-sense oncology research, and applying for grants.
Each scholar was matched with an ASCO mentor—an experienced clinician investigator with similar interests—to facilitate networking and idea exchange. Most of the scholars also will benefit from the expertise and guidance of a local mentor in their regional setting.
“One of the biggest benefits of the program is for the participants to get hands-on experience and direct mentorship from leading experts in the field,” Dr. Munhoz explained. “This kind of mentorship is invaluable, as it not only enhances participants’ knowledge and skills but also significantly impacts their careers by expanding their professional networks and opening doors to new research opportunities.”
Programs such as these are made possible through the support of generous donors to Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.
2024–2025 ASCO International Clinical Research Scholars
- Ivan Macharashvili, MD, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
ICR mentor: Timothy Gilligan, MD, MS, FASCO, Cleveland Clinic
Local mentor: Federico Cayol, MD, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires - Federico Waisberg, MD, Instituto Alexander Fleming, Argentina
ICR mentor: Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Flávia Amaral Duarte, MD, MSc, Grupo Oncoclinicas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
ICR mentor: Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Local mentor: Clarissa Mathias, MD, PhD, FASCO, Oncoclínicas Núcleo de Oncologia da Bahia, Brazil - Thaiana Aragão Santana, MD, MSc, Grupo Oncoclinicas, Aracaju, Brazil
ICR mentor: Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, FASCO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Local mentor: Clarissa Mathias, MD, PhD, FASCO, Oncoclínicas Núcleo de Oncologia da Bahia, Brazil - Luciana de Moura Leite, MD, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Brazil
ICR mentor: Matteo Lambaertini, MD, PhD, University of Genova–IRCCS San Martino Hospital, Italy
Local mentor: Vladmir Cláudio Cordeiro de Lima, MD, PhD, AC Camargo Cancer Center, Brazil - Giselle de Souza Carvalho, MD, MBA, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Brazil
ICR mentor: Gilberto Lopes, MD, MBA, FASCO, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Local mentor: Andréia Cristina de Melo, MD, PhD, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Brazil - Tercia Reis Villasboas, MD, Grupo Oncoclinicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
ICR mentor: Coral Olazagasti, MD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center - Heloisa Resende, MD, PhD, Hospital Hinja, Brazil
ICR mentor: André Mattar, MD, PhD, Hospital da Mulher-SP, Oncoclinicas SP, Brazil - Daniel Vargas Pivato de Almeida, MD, Grupo Oncoclinicas, Brasilia, Brazil
ICR mentor: Tracy Crane, PhD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Local mentor: Mariane Sousa Fontes Dias, MD, Grupo Oncoclinicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Javier Retamales, MD, Hospital Sotero del Rio, Chile
ICR mentor: Virginia Sun, PhD, City of Hope
Local mentor: Bettina Müller, MD, Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile - William Armando Mantilla Duran, MD, MSc, Fundación CTIC, Colombia
ICR mentor: Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, FACP, Weill Cornell Medicine - Luis Ayala, MD, SOLCA Quito Hospital, Ecuador
ICR mentor: Laura Korin, MD, Instituto Alexander Fleming, Argentina
Local mentor: Marcela Zamora, MD, Hospital Oncológico, SOLCA Quito, Ecuador - Rafael Correa Cano, MD, MHA, Instituto Mexicano de Seguridad Social, Mexico
ICR mentor: Ignacio Duran, MD, PhD, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, Spain
Local mentor: Samuel Rivera, MD, PhD, Centro Médico ABC, Mexico - Eduardo González-Ochoa, MD, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico
ICR mentor: Evelyn Cantillo, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine
Local mentor: Yanin Chavarri-Guerra, MD, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico - Jose Luis Portugal del Pino, MD, Oncosalud, Peru
ICR mentor: Deepti Behl, MD, Sutter Health
Local mentor: Henry Gomez, MD, PhD, Oncosalud, Peru - Patricia Rioja, MD, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas, Peru
ICR mentor: Ian F. Tannock, MD, PhD, FASCO, Emeritus, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Canada
Local mentor: Silvia Neciosup, MD, PhD, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas, Peru - Gustavo Sandival, MD, Hospital Regional Guillermo Diaz de la Vega, Peru
ICR mentor: Andres Wiernik, MD, Hospital Metropolitano Costa Rica - Iván Lyra González, MD, Servicio de Oncología Clínica, Hospital de Clínicas, Uruguay
ICR mentors: Bishal Gyawali, MD, PhD, Queen’s University, Canada, and Bettina Müller, MD, Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile
Local mentor: Mauricio Cuello, MD, Servicio de Oncología Clínica, Hospital de Clínicas, Uruguay
ASCO intends to expand the International Clinical Research Scholars program to other regions of the world, including Africa and Asia-Pacific, in 2025.
Reprinted with permission. ASCO Connection, September 23, 2024. © 2024. American Society of Clinical Oncology.
