SUNFLOWER – 2022 Q4
We are delighted to share with you our 2022 year end highlights from the Sunflower Children's Network. A network that positively impacts the lives of children, and their families, living with cancer and other serious illnesses.
In the photo above, Dr. Mohammad Ishak Tayoob facilitates a children's palliative care workshop at the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care.
Our Vision
The Sunflower Children‘s Network supports healthcare professionals at hospitals and other healthcare facilities in South and Southeast Asia to develop high-quality medical care for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Our vision is for all children with serious illnesses, and their families, is that they have access to the best possible care which supports quality of life and relieves suffering.
In 2015, we started as a regional program focused on supporting children‘s palliative care in Hyderabad. Last year, the program expanded to form the Sunflower Children‘s Network which currently has six regional healthcare centres located in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
It’s Graduation Time
The 2022 Pediatric Palliative Care Fellows will graduate January 12 with a combined online graduation and welcoming Ceremony for the three new 2023 Fellows. We anticipate 50 participants from around the globe at the event – including the grads, new fellows, past fellows, faculty and Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration volunteers and executive members.
The orientation session for the three new Fellows, from Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines, will be held on January 9. The new fellows: Dr. Leicel De Castro Goyena (Philippines), Dr. Biplav Ghimire (Nepal) and Dr. Md. Shaidur Rahman (Bangladesh).
London Global Cancer Week
Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration participated in the third annual London Global Cancer Week focusing this year on our children‘s palliative care partnerships. Dr. Megan Doherty hosted our virtual presentation – Building and Strengthening Health Systems towards Population Based Care for Children with Cancer: Learning from Palliative Care Approaches.
Our presenting partners included Prof. Gayatri Palat (India); Dr. Sudhir Sapkota (Nepal); Dr. Spandana Rayala (Kuwait); Dr. Maria Liza Naranjo (Philippines); and Dr. Stuart Brown (New Zealand).
The webinar focussed on experiences of developing cancer and palliative care programs for children in South and South East Asia. Eighty-six participants attended the event from around the world. The audience learned of the shared experiences establishing and sustaining cancer and palliative care services appropriate for children with cancer in all stages of their illness.
Pediatric Palliative Care
Workshop in Dhaka
Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh, organized a pediatric palliative care workshop: Hands on Training on Pediatric Palliative Care, to improve palliative care knowledge, skills and communication among physicians caring for children with cancer. The workshop included three international faculty- Dr. Megan Doherty (Canada), Dr. Ishak Mohammad Tayoob (India), and Dr. Smriti Khanna (India), with additional virtual teaching from Drs. Mike McNeil and Justin Baker (St. Jude Children‘s Research Hospital, USA). The 25 participants included pediatric oncologists and surgeons from various government hospitals.
Online Mentorship and Training
– Project ECHO sessions
In partnership with PallCHASE, the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care and Project ECHO, Two Worlds Cancer provided a 10-week online, certificate course entitled Introductory Palliative Care for Humanitarian Health Care Workers. The weekly teaching sessions included video lectures as well as virtual presentations and case discussions. More than 80 healthcare providers from 15 countries in Asia and Africa participated in this course with dedicated and dynamic faculties from India, Canada and South Africa.
A more advanced virtual training program for resident doctors is also currently being conducted with 45 healthcare providers participating in this series of weekly teaching sessions. The training includes both didactic lectures and case-based discussions in small groups. Individual cases are discussed to enhance learning and encourage sharing of clinical experiences, empowering the future generation of physicians as experts in caring for children with serious illnesses.
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We look forward to sharing our 2023 updates with you and thank you for your continued support of the Sunflower Children’s Network – a Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration initiative. Please join Two World's Cancer Collaboration's social media for news and updates.
Sincerely,
Dr. Megan Doherty
Pediatric Palliative Director
Sunflower Children's Network
Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration
Dr. Stuart Brown
Paliiative Care Specialist
Director
Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration
Rizwana Hussain
Programs & Project Manager
Sunflower Children's Network
Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration