Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) May 04, 2016
An accurate diagnosis is critical to planning the best treatment for cancer. That message is reaching the global health community through expanding activities that embrace training, standards, technology and new methods of making diagnoses to reduce the burden of cancer in the resource-limited countries.
In support of this important work, ASCP is co-sponsoring the inaugural Global Action: Pathology Conference with the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on May 2-4, 2016 in Bethesda, Md. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are also co-sponsors.
The NCI established the Center for Global Health (CGH) in 2011 to support its goal to fully integrate research on cancer into U.S. global health initiatives. CGH develops initiatives and collaborates with other NCI divisions, NCI-designated cancer centers, low- and middle-income institutions, foreign Ministries of Health, Science, and Technology to support cancer control planning, build capacity, and support cancer research and cancer research in low- and middle-income institutions. CGH’s objectives are to create sustainable international partnerships; support programs that address global gaps in research and scientific training; and disseminate information and best practices that drive improvements in cancer research and cancer control.
During the conference, ASCP CEO E. Blair Holladay is presenting a session on ASCP’s collaborative work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the past decade to strengthen laboratory capacity and work toward accreditation under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. After a 10-year investment in laboratory capacity, laboratories are now able handle more complex diagnoses and disease monitoring.
In 2015, ASCP launched a global initiative, Partners for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Africa, to provide patients in underserved areas of Sub-Saharan Africa access to rapid cancer diagnostics and appropriate care and treatment. The ASCP-led coalition was formed in response to a call to action issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and is a recognized Commitment to Action by the Clinton Global Initiative.
CGH, ASCP, CAP, and ASCO share the goals of reducing the burden of cancer and ensuring evidence-based interventions through advocating and supporting the advancement of the field of pathology. The summit aims to enable the open exchange of scientific knowledge and to strengthen collaboration in global health research, cancer research, and cancer control through a program of provocative scientific presentations and interactive discussions. The summit will be consistent with the organizations’ respective missions by providing content focus specifically on scientific research in cancer control through accurate pathological diagnosis, low-cost technologies for low-resource settings, evidence-based efforts and global partnerships. The cosponsoring parties represent two key sectors involved in the global cancer control field that the symposium endeavors to unite for common purpose: government and non-profit organizations.
About the NCI
The National Cancer Institute leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.
About ASCP
Founded in 1922 in Chicago, ASCP is a medical professional society with more than 100,000 member board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologists, pathology residents and fellows, laboratory professionals, and students. ASCP provides excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals. To learn more, visit http://www.ascp.org. Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ascp_chicago and connect with us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ASCP.Chicago.
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