Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa
African women have double the risk of dying from cancer than women in high-income countries. In Ghana, most women with gynecological malignancies present with advanced-stage disease when treatment is less effective. Barriers to improved cancer outcomes include the availability of cancer screening, a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.603391/full |
| _version_ | 1819275469317472256 |
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| author | Anna Sarah Erem Adu Appiah-Kubi Adu Appiah-Kubi Thomas Okpoti Konney Thomas Okpoti Konney Kwabena Amo-Antwi Sarah G. Bell Timothy R. B. Johnson Carolyn Johnston Alexander Tawiah Odoi Alexander Tawiah Odoi Emma R. Lawrence |
| author_facet | Anna Sarah Erem Adu Appiah-Kubi Adu Appiah-Kubi Thomas Okpoti Konney Thomas Okpoti Konney Kwabena Amo-Antwi Sarah G. Bell Timothy R. B. Johnson Carolyn Johnston Alexander Tawiah Odoi Alexander Tawiah Odoi Emma R. Lawrence |
| author_sort | Anna Sarah Erem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | African women have double the risk of dying from cancer than women in high-income countries. In Ghana, most women with gynecological malignancies present with advanced-stage disease when treatment is less effective. Barriers to improved cancer outcomes include the availability of cancer screening, affordability of treatment, and access to gynecologic oncology specialists. In response to a paucity of gynecologic oncology providers, an in-country fellowship training program was established at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in 2013. Historically, Ghanaian resident physicians were sent to other countries for fellowship training and were unlikely to repatriate. The establishment of an in-country training program not only addresses the challenge of “brain drain,” but also builds local capacity in gynecologic oncology education and emphasizes culturally relevant and accessible healthcare. The four-years gynecologic oncology fellowship program at KATH was developed as part of a longitudinal multi-decade partnership between the University of Michigan and academic medical centers in Ghana. The fellowship trains obstetricians and gynecologists to provide subspecialist clinical and surgical care to patients with gynecologic malignancies. Fellows collaborate with the radiation, oncology and pathology departments, participate in monthly inter-institutional tumor board meetings, conduct research, advise on health policy issues, and train subsequent cohorts. This fellowship is representative of emerging twenty-first-century trends in which subspecialty training programs in low-income countries are strengthened by international collaborations. Providing specialized training in gynecologic oncology can help develop and maintain resources that will improve clinical outcomes for women in low-resources settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:24:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c63ce329efb84ed482b1abbf75a64140 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:24:49Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-c63ce329efb84ed482b1abbf75a641402022-12-21T17:26:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652020-12-01810.3389/fpubh.2020.603391603391Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan AfricaAnna Sarah Erem0Adu Appiah-Kubi1Adu Appiah-Kubi2Thomas Okpoti Konney3Thomas Okpoti Konney4Kwabena Amo-Antwi5Sarah G. Bell6Timothy R. B. Johnson7Carolyn Johnston8Alexander Tawiah Odoi9Alexander Tawiah Odoi10Emma R. Lawrence11Saba University School of Medicine, The Bottom, Saba, NetherlandsDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, GhanaGynaecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, GhanaGynaecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaGynaecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesDivision of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesGynaecologic Oncology Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesAfrican women have double the risk of dying from cancer than women in high-income countries. In Ghana, most women with gynecological malignancies present with advanced-stage disease when treatment is less effective. Barriers to improved cancer outcomes include the availability of cancer screening, affordability of treatment, and access to gynecologic oncology specialists. In response to a paucity of gynecologic oncology providers, an in-country fellowship training program was established at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in 2013. Historically, Ghanaian resident physicians were sent to other countries for fellowship training and were unlikely to repatriate. The establishment of an in-country training program not only addresses the challenge of “brain drain,” but also builds local capacity in gynecologic oncology education and emphasizes culturally relevant and accessible healthcare. The four-years gynecologic oncology fellowship program at KATH was developed as part of a longitudinal multi-decade partnership between the University of Michigan and academic medical centers in Ghana. The fellowship trains obstetricians and gynecologists to provide subspecialist clinical and surgical care to patients with gynecologic malignancies. Fellows collaborate with the radiation, oncology and pathology departments, participate in monthly inter-institutional tumor board meetings, conduct research, advise on health policy issues, and train subsequent cohorts. This fellowship is representative of emerging twenty-first-century trends in which subspecialty training programs in low-income countries are strengthened by international collaborations. Providing specialized training in gynecologic oncology can help develop and maintain resources that will improve clinical outcomes for women in low-resources settings.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.603391/fullmedical educationtrends and challengestwenty-first centurygynecologic oncology fellowshipGhana |
| spellingShingle | Anna Sarah Erem Adu Appiah-Kubi Adu Appiah-Kubi Thomas Okpoti Konney Thomas Okpoti Konney Kwabena Amo-Antwi Sarah G. Bell Timothy R. B. Johnson Carolyn Johnston Alexander Tawiah Odoi Alexander Tawiah Odoi Emma R. Lawrence Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa Frontiers in Public Health medical education trends and challenges twenty-first century gynecologic oncology fellowship Ghana |
| title | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | Gynecologic Oncology Sub-Specialty Training in Ghana: A Model for Sustainable Impact on Gynecologic Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | gynecologic oncology sub specialty training in ghana a model for sustainable impact on gynecologic cancer care in sub saharan africa |
| topic | medical education trends and challenges twenty-first century gynecologic oncology fellowship Ghana |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.603391/full |
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