GPON Newsletter - Updates from the Global Power of Oncology Nursing
SPOTLIGHT on London Meeting London Global Cancer Week
Saturday 11th November 2023 07.00-11.00 (GMT) and 20.00-22.200 (GMT)
GPON Steering Committee members, Vera Larfi Samba, RN, NP (Cameroon) and Myrna Doumit, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN (Lebanon) represented oncology nursing and GPON at the Royal Society of Medicine, during London Global Cancer Week on 17 November 2023
Program Title: Global Cancer Control – bridging boundaries
Session Title: The role of nursing in the global oncology agenda
Vera spoke about Psychosocial Support for the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) in Cameroon and Myrna shared The role of nursing leadership in promoting oncology nursing; a win-win situation. Myrna’s final comment says it all…
“We need to shift oncology nurses from being invisible to invaluable”
Leadership by nurses like Vera and Myrna is one way we stand up and are seen as invaluable!
GPON special issue publication
Julia Challinor
RN, PhD, MA Ed, MSc Medical Anthropology – Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California San Francisco
GPON’s vision is to achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all, in the context of cancer care (SDG 3.8).
To this end, GPON was asked to contribute articles from oncology nurses in low- and middle-income settings on…
Climate Change and Oncology Nursing
https://ecancer.org/en/journal/special-issue/35-climate-change-and-oncology-nursing
Oncology nurses from Africa, Colombia, the Philippines, Turkey, Palestine and Lebanon describe how the effects of climate change such as drought, wildfires and floods affect their nursing practice and patients’ lives every day. The special issue also explores the heightened skin cancer risk due to rising temperatures and increased exposure to UV light and the negative effects of food insecurity and poverty caused by climate change on the quality of life and survival of cancer patients in LMICs.
Mindful of the work of GPON, I was recently asked to present a paper at the UK Oncology Forum on the global picture of oral health in the cancer setting. Oral diseases, including 380 000 new cases of oral cancer each year, are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide (World Health Organisation (WHO) 2022). Forty five percent of the world’s population (3.5 billion people) suffer from oral diseases, however, oral diseases disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations (WHO 2022).
Three out of every four people affected by oral malignant and non-malignant disease are living in low-and middle-income countries (Global Oral Health Status Report 2022).
During the meeting the UK and European Oral Care in Cancer Group agreed to reach out to GPON and oncology colleagues from low and middle income countries about the possibility of working together to adapt the principles of the current European and UK oral care in cancer guidance for national regional use.
GPON Annual Awards
Every year, GPON gives out 3 awards with funding. 2023 winners are as follows:
GPON RISING STAR AWARD
Norma Miroslava
GPON 2023 Rising Star Awardee
Norma Miroslava Vera Hernández has a degree in Nursing with three years of experience at the Teletón Children’s Oncology Hospital in Mexico. My work focuses on the area of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation (HSCT). In addition to my work as a nurse, I play the role of active trainer, sharing knowledge with rotating colleagues, colleagues from different states of Mexico and nurses from El Salvador who are introducing themselves to the HSCT program.
As co-author of a scientific article on immunotherapy with Blinatumomab and member of the team responsible for the first administration of Naxitamab in Mexico, I am committed to the continuous improvement of treatments. Derived from this achievement, I have developed a research protocol, an “immunotherapy infusion instrument” and a “immunotherapy infusion checklist”, which are used in our institution to guarantee safety in the administration of these treatments.
Recognition with the GPON “Rising Star” award is an honor that drives my dedication to continue contributing to the advancement of pediatric oncology nursing in Mexico. My goal is to continue preparing myself professionally to offer significant contributions in this field and improve the quality of life of pediatric oncology patients in my country.
Master of Nursing Awardee
Mathew Varghese V
Master of Nursing Awardee
GPON Master of Nursing award: Mathew Varghese V, Nursing Officer (Oncology), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi. I’m Mathew Varghese V, a Nursing Officer at AIIMS, New Delhi. I am proud to have won the prestigious Global Power of Oncology Nursing – Master of Nursing Award 2023.
My passion for oncology nursing goes back to nursing school days when I received the Best Oncology Nurse Award by the Oncology Nurses Association of India in 2016. Now I am honoured to be an Editorial Board Member of the Indian Journal of Oncology Nursing and actively engaged in the Oncology Nurses Association of India – Delhi Chapter.
I was humbled to be nominated for the GPON award by my colleague who kindly said of me, “As an oncology nurse at AIIMS New Delhi for the last 12 years, Mr. Varghese possesses a unique blend of clinical expertise, compassion, and leadership skills that set him apart in the field of oncology nursing. He consistently goes above and beyond to alleviate the physical and emotional burdens of cancer patients and their families.”
I thoroughly enjoy preventive oncology and hemato-oncology nursing and work hard to raise awareness of cancer, in particular cancer prevention and screening, by talking to the public on “CANTalks on CANScreen” across India, backed up by publications.
Most of all, I enjoy my mentorship role, nurturing the next generation of oncology nursing professionals and strive to embody the epitome of nursing excellence and to leave an indelible legacy in patient care, academia, and community empowerment.
Outstanding Contribution to Nursing in L/MIC Awardee 2023
Jackline Addae
Outstanding Contribution to Nursing in L/MIC Awardee 2024
Jackline Addae, Oncology Nurse Specialist, Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Sekondi Takoradi, Ghana.
At present there are only two established Government institutions that treat cancer in Ghana meaning that 70% of Ghanaians do not have access to local care. I work in a regional hospital in West Ghana that serves over 4 million people but with limited oncology services. I previously worked in the general wards including paediatrics where cancer patients were cared for; referral to the cancer centre in Accra meant a journey of over 200 kilometres. When oncology nursing specialisation was introduced by the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, I was successful in completing the training – the first oncology nurse specialist in the region.
Oncology services have now been introduced into our hospital – screening, diagnosis and treatment. This transition of care has been challenging; telemedicine and multidisciplinary team meetings with the national cancer centre has transformed the care of West Ghanian people with cancer.
I was honoured to be part of this transformation, supporting cancer advocacy, awareness, screening and data collection for research. The GPON 2023 award, ‘Outstanding Contribution to Cancer Care’ in an LMIC is a big honour for me, empowering me to continue to make a difference to the care of people with cancer in West Ghana. Thank you.
Whats on:
Upcoming events of interest to our members:
4-8 June: The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Africa https://siopafrica.org/
19-22 June: Latin American Society of Pediatric Oncology (SLAOP)
22-25 June: The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Asia http://siopasia2024.umin.jp/
11-13 September: Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses (APHON) www.aphon.org
14-16 September: European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) https://cancernurse.eu/
18-20 October: The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP)Hawaii https://siop-congress.org/
24-27 October: Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (Cano)/ Association canadienne des infirmières en oncologie (ACIO) https://www.cano-acio.ca/
12 November: The Global Power of Oncology Nursing Conference (GPON) 2024
15-16 November: UK Oncology Nurses Society (UKONS) https://www.ukons.org/