IPOS News

May 25, 2022, 10 to 11:30 a.m. EDT

Psycho-oncology has now been standing tall as an evidence-based discipline since more than two decades now. It is well established in the developed nations. However, its growth in LMICs has been sporadic, with some countries with well-set clinical services and solid space for research. It has not been so in some other LMICs. There seem to be regional and cultural challenges but despite that, our resolve is firm. So what can be done to establish, develop and enhance Psycho-oncology throughout the LMICs?  The purpose of this webcast is to learn from our member representatives who have been able to set up and are working on advancing Psycho-oncology services, capacity building and research in their regions/areas.

The key learning objectives are:

• To understand different working models of setting up Psycho-oncology services in an LMIC setting
• To reflect on various challenges and facilitators in different contexts
• To formulate a roadmap for setting up a new Psycho-oncology service

Featuring:

DR. CHIOMA ASUZU, PhD

Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Prof. Chioma C Asuzu is a clinical psychologist, psycho-oncologist, and head of Unit of Clinical Psychology, Department of Counselling and Human Development Studies of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. She also holds joint appointment with the Dept. of Radiation Oncology at the College of Medicine of the University, as well as of the University College Hospital in Ibadan. Her teaching spans the undergraduate and post graduate programmes.  At the Dept. of Radiation Oncology, she runs the unit of psycho-oncology with a weekly clinic thereof. She is a co-author of some books on family life education and psycho-oncology. She has given several lectures and talks on family life, adolescent education and psycho-oncology both at national and international arena.  She is instrumental to the establishment of the Masters’ degree programme in psycho-oncology which is domiciled in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Ibadan. She is the Foundation President of the Psycho-Oncology Society of Nigeria (POSON), the Association for Psycho-Oncology in Africa (APOA) and an executive member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS). She is working hard to spread the practice of psycho-oncology throughout Nigerian universities, the teaching hospitals, Africa and the other LMIC’s. She has supervised several PhD students in area psycho-oncology thereby building and developing the body of knowledge in this area in Africa. She is the first person from the LMICs to be in the IPOS board of directors. She won the IPOS Jimmie Holland Memorial Award in 2021. She is principal investigator and co-investigator of several grants from local and international granting bodies, AORTIC/NCI, TETFUND, UICC, etc. She has served the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and  IPOS in various capacities as vice-president in the AORTIC (2016-2018 and 2018-2020) and as the first person from LMIC be on the board of IPOS, 2015-2017, 2017-2019; as the secretary of IPOS in 2019-2021; and currently as the treasurer of IPOS from 2021 to date. She has co-chaired IPOS academies held in Durban, South Africa, in Marrakesh, Morocco, in Kigali, Rwanda, in Maputo, Mozambique and in Hong Kong.

DR. CRISTIANE BERGEROT, PhD

Head, Department of Psycho-oncology

CETTRO Cancer Research Hospital, Brasilia, Brazil

Cristiane Bergerot, Ph.D., is the head of the Department of Psycho-Oncology at CETTRO Cancer Research Hospital in Brasilia, Brazil. She completed a 3 year research fellowship in the Department of Medical Oncology at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, USA. She has been working with cancer patients for almost 18 years as a clinician and as a researcher. She has over 50 peer-reviewed publications in journals including first-author publications in Nature Medicine, European Urology, Cancer, Journal of Immunotherapy for Cancer, British Journal of Urology International and Psychooncology. She has received four merit awards from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Conquer Cancer Foundation and was selected for the prestigious SWOG Young Investigator Course. In the past year, she has received 3 international Grants from renowned institution; Kure It, Conquer Cancer the ASCO Foundation and Kidney Cancer Association. She is committed to bettering the lives of patients with cancer through (1) obtaining a detailed understanding of their quality of life and (2) addressing their quality of life through novel, targeted interventions. Cris was elected in 2021-2023 to serve as a director representing Latin America at the International Psycho-Oncology Organization (IPOS). She is also serving as a committee member of palliative care, cancer & aging, eHealth and FORwards special interest groups at IPOS. 

DR. JAYITA DEODHAR, MD

Professor

Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India

Jayita Deodhar, MD., is Professor and in-charge of Department of Palliative Medicine and Psycho-oncology Unit at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.  She has 27 years of experience in Psychiatry and has been working with cancer patients for 17 years as a clinician and as a researcher. She has initiated a structured formal consultation liaison psycho-oncology service in her institute. Her research interests are psychosocial interventions in cancer patients, psychosocial palliative care and geriatric oncology. She is committed to forming a national body of Psycho-oncology professionals in India and enhancing capacity building in the region. She is on the Board of Directors, International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) (2019-21 and 2021-23) and is Chair of LMIC Committee of IPOS. She is dedicated to enhancing Psycho-oncology services in culture and context-led methods appropriate in low resource settings.

PHILLIP ODIYO, MA

Psychologist and Patient Support Manager

Faraja Cancer Support Trust, Nairobi, Kenya

Philip Ouma is a psychologist working as Patient Support Manager at Faraja Cancer Support Trust in Nairobi and Eldoret. He is currently studying for a Doctoral degree at Erasmus Medical University (Netherlands). Philip trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York through the Union for Cancer Control Fellowship. He is currently a Fellow at the Association of Union for International Cancer Control Fellows and was awarded Naomi Stearns Fellow in 2018 for his role in developing psychosocial oncology in Kenya. Philip was elected in 2021-2023 to serve as a director representing Africa at the International Psycho-Oncology Organization (IPOS). He is also serving as committee member of developing countries committee at the International Society for Sexual Medicine ( ISSM) Philip Odiyo is currently the Secretary for Prostate Cancer Support Association in Kenya, Board Member at the Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations; he is also the founding Chairman of Psycho-oncology Society of Kenya and the founding Vice President of Association for Psycho-Oncology Society in Africa. Philip has presented in several IPOS meetings in Rotterdam (2013), Portugal (2014) and Berlin (2017) Durban (2013), Marrakech (2015) and Kigali (2016) among others. He is a reviewer in the following Journals: The Breast Journal, Supportive Care in Cancer, e-Cancer Journal and Psycho-Oncology: Journal of Psychological, Social and behavioural dimensions of cancer. 

REGISTRATION:

• Free to current IPOS members
• $10 USD for non-members

REGISTER ONLINE BY GOING TO https://ipos-society.org/event-4826096

To read the full article, please go to https://cancerletter.com/conversation-with-the-cancer-letter/20220422_3/

“The IPOS Academy was inspiring and educative.  It has yielded so much positive impact and influence.”
Quote from previous attendee of our IPOS Training Academies

Start Date: September 2022

Deadline to Apply EXTENDED: May 27, 2022

Overall Goal: To train attendees on best-practices in psycho-oncology in African oncology settings

IPOS has developed, in close partnership with partner organizations in Africa, an IPOS Pan-African Capacity-Building in Psycho-Oncology ECHO. Key benefits of ECHO are: 1) To build capacity for comprehensive cancer care in Africa through dissemination of best practices in psycho-oncology; 2) To hear worldwide experts on state-of-the art psycho-oncology practice; 3) To connect with other professionals in oncology and create a community of practice allowing for rich mutual learning and clinical discussions; and 4) To provide consultation and support in creating local program development planning in psycho-oncology.

Please see the following links for a short description of Project ECHO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAMaHP-tEwk&feature=youtu.be and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfqRwNd0Nao&feature=youtu.be

This ECHO will deliver training in evidence-based practices through monthly meetings over the course of one year. Each meeting lasts 1h30-2h and will be on a different topic in psycho-oncology. First, there will be a presentation by an international speaker, then a participant will present a case relevant to the lecture, and third there will be a case discussion led by the lecturer and a panel of experts in the field. Participants in the program will be professional working in direct clinical contact with cancer patients in Africa in a field appropriate to the field of psycho-oncology (e.g., physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers).

Applications are now opened for the program. Kindly complete the scholarship application, which will be peer-reviewed. Eligibility criteria are found below. Applications will only be accepted if they are received at your earliest convenience before May 27, 2022 to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Applications must include the fully completed Application Form including the checklist and a five-page Curriculum Vitae for the applicant.

Our Organization:

IPOS is the sole multidisciplinary international charitable organization devoted to psycho-oncology, leading in education, research, training, public policy, and advocacy. In 2014, IPOS celebrated its 30th anniversary and IPOS holds non-state actor status with the World Health Organization (WHO). Part of our mission is to build capacity for cancer care in low- and low-middle income countries including in Africa. IPOS includes 40+ member countries from 6 continents.

Full eligibility criteria for the application (please note that all criteria must be met):

• Be a professional working in direct clinical contact with cancer patients in Africa (you will be asked for formal signed letter from your institution as part of the application);-e.g Physicians, Nurses, Psychologists, social workers
• Be a member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)  and of your National Psycho-Oncology Society where it exists, or willing to be a member if accepted to the program
• Be fluent in oral and written English. Note: According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “when a person is fluent, they can speak a language easily, well, and quickly.”
• Have access to a camera and to internet to be able to participate in the ECHO sessions with your camera on during the sessions.
• Commit to attend the twelve ECHO sessions if selected to be a participant in the program (the sessions are scheduled on every first Thursday of each month at 12-2pm EDT starting in September 2022 except for a few sessions which will occur earlier during the day for scheduling reasons and for which we will inform you ahead of time);
• Consent to the ECHO sessions being recorded (the didactic teaching only) and posted on the IPOS website;
• Willing to complete short questionnaires throughout the program to give your feedback about the program as it evolves;
• Commit to sharing the knowledge learned through the Academy to professionals in your city and country in Africa.

Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the application is complete. Incomplete applications or handwritten applications will be automatically withdrawn from the contest without notice. Applications will only be accepted if they are received at your earliest convenience before May 27, 2022 to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Applications must include the fully completed Application Form including the checklist and a curriculum vitae, resume, or biosketch  for the applicant.

Note: Please send any questions you may have about this call for applications to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. IPOS will only be able to answer any questions related to this call for applications from April 11th to 22th, after which IPOS will no longer be able to answer. After the May 27 deadline, the only correspondence the applicants will receive is the result of the competition. Participants should anticipate receiving the results by the last week of May. If you have not received a response, please check the IPOS website to know if there has been a delay in the processing of the applications. If you have not received a letter of offer by the last week of May, unless otherwise indicated on the IPOS website, it means that you were not selected to participate in this ECHO.

HOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION?

• Kindly complete the scholarship application
• When saving your complete application, please save it with your country and complete name including your last name and surname separated by underscore. For example: Nigeria_Henry_Ann
• Please then email your Scholarship Application Form completed via computer or typewriter, including the check list below, a current copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English, and the signed waiver form and institutional letter confirming your work in direct contact with cancer patients in Africa no later than May 27, 2022 to the following email: [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS WITHOUT A 5-PAGE CV WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

All applications must include a fully completed and signed Applicant Waiver Form as well as a letter of attestation of your employment from your institution confirming that you are working in direct clinical contact with cancer patients in Africa. Incomplete waiver forms will result in your application being rejected.

Read more by going to IPOS 2021-22 ECHO Call for Scholarships 06052022 (1).pdf

The 1st Psycho-Oncology Conference in Georgia was held on Saturday, April 2, 2022. The conference was opened by a presentation by Dr. Tom Hack, President of IPOS.

The conference was attended by clinical oncologists, radiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and oncology nurses. The main goal of the meeting was:

• To introduce the psycho-social needs of cancer patients to the clinical oncology society in our country.
• Georgian oncologists need to recognize the requirement for psychological support in cancer patients and referral systems developed accordingly.
• Wide integration, Psycho-Oncology as an imminent part of cancer care, in every cancer profile hospital. 

It was an honor for our society, That Dr. Tom Hack opened our first-ever conference in Georgia. Many thanks to Mr. Hack for this opportunity. 

Thank you again for your support.

Founder and CEO of ART2CARE Program, the first Art Therapy program in the Middle East dedicated to children with cancer, and their families, launched in Cairo, Egypt in 2013 at 57357 hospital. ART2CARE Program has provided Art As Therapy to children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, and a year later it was successfully introduced to children with life threatening diseases. In the past 9 years, Dr. Elewah has presented her program in over 70 international conferences, organized over 200 training workshops, participated in over 50 exhibitions, and conducted over 1000 art therapy sessions with population in need.

Dr. Elewah is holder of PhD in Healthcare Environmental Management from USA, OIDA Psychotherapy Diploma from Bulgaria, Introduction and Foundation Diploma in Art Therapy from Ireland, Therapeutic Arts Practitioner and Expressive Arts Therapist from Canadian International Institute for Art Therapy CiiAT.

Dr. Elewah values art as a means to assist/heal/support individuals in dealing with complex and confusing emotional issues.  She has also worked at orphanage where her passion for children led her to provide art as therapy and conduct case studies for children dealing with the uncertainties. She provided Art As Therapy to children and families dealing with grief, loss, and changes in family dynamics. She continues to help children deal with the realities of painful medical procedures, using Art As Therapy to develop emotional strength and stability.

It is our pleasure to invite you/your organization to participate in an international online survey of psychosocial care for cancer survivors that is being conducted by the Survivorship Special Interest Group under the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS).

It is our pleasure to invite you/your organization to participate in an international online survey of psychosocial care for cancer survivors that is being conducted by the Survivorship Special Interest Group under the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS).

The aim of this international survey is to identify barriers, facilitators and examples of good practice in different global settings. Thus, we are interested in knowing more about whether psychosocial care is available to cancer survivors in your country and how it is provided.

Information from this survey will be a unique resource for healthcare providers, researchers and policy-makers in the development and implementation of models of psychosocial care that may improve the psychosocial outcomes of cancer survivors globally.

This survey is anonymous and should take approximately 15 – 20 minutes to complete. Click on the link below to learn more and to start the survey: https://unsw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_802Y4mOcVWIWID4

If you have any questions please contact the Survivorship SIG Chair, Prof Michael Jefford at [email protected]

Your contribution is important and we look forward to learning more about psychosocial care for cancer survivors in your country. You are also welcomed to forward this email to any colleagues who can contribute to this survey.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,

On behalf of

The International Psycho-Oncology Society Survivorship Special Interest Group

Thursday, March 31 - 7:00 p.m. EST

(+1 day for Africa, Asia, Australia, & Europe)

Duration: 60 minutes

Speakers

• Perri Tutelman, BHSc, PhD Candidate, Dalhousie University

• Jani Lamarche, BA, PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa

• Angélica Cusson, Undergraduate Honours Thesis Student, University of Ottawa

• Dawn Pickering, Parent Caregiver, Ottawa, Canada

Moderator: Sophie Lebel, PhD, University of Ottawa

The FORwards Webinar Series aims to bring together the international community of researchers and clinicians interested in fear of cancer recurrence, to provide cutting-edge updates on brand-spanking new research, and to spark conversations and collaborative projects across the globe.

This webinar will be of interest to both clinicians and researchers who want to better understand and manage FCR in people living with cancer and their loved ones.

Attendance is free, but registration is required

Go to https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s3xF6dBCTG251aXfGY9nvQ

DR. MARIA MADELINE BAYLON-MALLILLIN, is a psychiatrist and a medical acupuncturist practicing in the Philippines. She is currently the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry of Asian Hospital and Medical Center, part of the Supportive and Integrative Services of Asian Cancer Institute, and Head of Psycho-oncology Service of the Cancer Institute of St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City. 

Dr. Mallillin has been drawn to cancer patients and their families even during her residency training in Psychiatry. Hence, she decided to do a Clinical Observer-ship in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after finishing her fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine of the University of the Philippines. She dedicated most of her time in psych-oncology work when she returned to the Philippines in 2006. She has been doing clinical work, lectures and trainings, as well as advocacy programs in the field of psycho-oncology since. Dr. Mallillin has been an IPOS member since 2006. She is currently a part of the IPOS Palliative Care SIG and the Education SIG and believes that by educating the community and creating awareness, cancer care and services, especially psycho-social services, can be improved and be brought to areas that are difficult to access.

Aside from her work in the medical field, Dr. Mallillin loves to knit and travel with her family and friends. She is a foodie and loves to try delicacies in different parts of her country and the world.

Currently a student of Psychology, Adrian Pogacian has a PhD in History. He is interested in developing the Psycho-Oncology field of research in Romania, as well as in Eastern Europe. He launched ReThinking Cancer, a regional non-profit, non-partisan and politically independent think tank, based in Tîrgu-Mureş, Romania. ReThinking Cancer's work focuses on the following topics: Psycho-Oncology and Health Security. 

Adrian Pogacian’s fields of interests are: Fear of Cancer Recurrence, Social Acceptance of Cancer Patients and Educational Psychology.

February 22, 2022, 6 to 7 p.m. GMT+1 (1 to 2 p.m EST)

The e-health and survivors Special Interest Groups (SIG) of IPOS are organizing this webinar hosted by the Co-Chairs of the IPOS e-health SIG, Tania Estapé and Claire Foster. It aims to bring together the international community of researchers and clinicians interested in remote delivery of physical activity, diet and psychological support to people affected by cancer. It is also to encourage discussions and collaborations across the globe. This webinar will be of interest to both clinicians and researchers who want to know more about supporting lifestyle change and psychological support in people living with cancer from a distance.

Chairs: Tania Estapé (Spain) and Claire Foster (United Kingdom)
Welcome and intro: Savita Goswami (India), Chair of the Survivor's SIG Education Committee.

SPEAKERS

Dr Chloe Grimmett, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow for Macmillan Survivorship Research Group, Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

Title: Remote delivery of a multimodal intervention for people affected by cancer – lessons learnt from the SafeFit trial.

Dr Gemma Pugh, Research Lead, National Child Cancer Network, New Zealand

Title: Exercise referral and peer-support for young adult cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic: moving the RENEW programme online

Registration:

• Free to current IPOS members
• $10 USD for non-members

REGISTER ONLINE: go to https://ipos-society.org/event-4653402