IDEA PROGRAM ACTIVITIES REPORT-ASCO ANNUAL MEETING 2012-CHICAGO & NEW YORK

Agir Ensemble has been honored by the award offered to its director of health department, Dr Mateus Kambale Sahani, by ASCO to cover airfare, accommodation, food, transportation to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago and an extension for practical course in New York at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in gynecological oncology. There were 24 IDEA recipients from different countries among which 1 francophone country, Democratic Republic of Congo, represented by, Dr Mateus of Agir Ensemble. On Mai 31, 2012, all IDEA (International Development and Education Award) recipients had a visit tour of a cancer center in Chicago, the Northwestern University cancer centre and after the visit scientific presentations were scheduled by staffs of ASCO and of the Northwestern Hospital. ASCO Annual Meeting is the first great and fabulous conference in the world and there were a lot of things to learn in each aspect of clinical oncology. Among the 24 recipients, 20 were for IDEA program and 4 for IDEA-Palliative care program. The selection was very competitive and only the best could be selected. For IDEA program, 100 applications were submitted and only 20 were selected. We have to note that Dr Mateus is the first from Democratic Republic of Congo to receive this award and has been honored accordingly at the award ceremony at the meeting and mentored by Prof Dr Linus Chuang and Dr David Fishman of Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York. This award allows recipients to remain in permanent contact with their mentors and develop a long friendship and their career in oncology. This to say it is just a beginning and many things are coming in the future. Career development in this field, especially in our country needs efforts from every one, stakeholders and political commitments. Many topics have been developed at the conference among them how to disseminate skills gained and how to improve program in the respective countries. At the end of the ASCO Annual Meeting on June 5, 2012 every IDEA recipient went to the chosen site for ETA (Extended Tour Award) in different cities of USA. Dr Mateus has been placed in New York for 3 days of practical courses from June 6-9, 2012. A lot of things have been learnt and it can be useful for people in Democratic Republic of Congo. I got many skills in mammography (how it is performed and how to read the results), I’ve assisted to 2 cases of radical hysterectomy under laparoscopy and many cases of colposcopy. This is a lot to help people in DRC but assistance is really needed to allow us setting this program. Fifteen countries from every where in the world represented by 24 oncologists have attended the IDEA and IDEA-PC program activities. The delegates were from the following countries: 1. Nepal: 2 delegates 2. Georgia: 1 delegate 3. Honduras: 1 delegate 4. Russia: 2 delegates 5. Jordan: 1 delegate 6. India: 5 delegates 7. Argentina: 1 delegates 8. China: 2 delegates 9. Pakistan: 1 delegate 10. Brazil: 1 delegate 11. Nigeria: 3 delegates 12. D.R.Congo: 1 delegate 13. Kenya: 1 delegate 14. Zambia: 1 delegate 15. Egypt: 1 delegate Done in Goma, June 20, 2012. Mateus Kambale Sahani, M.D. Agir Ensemble/Goma-D.R.Congo, Tel: +243-998625635/+250-788884503, Email: kambalesahani@yahoo.fr or agirense@yahoo.fr, Blog: http://agirensemblerdc.blogspot.com