SUNFLOWER – 2024 Q2
It's been a busy few months for our Sunflower Children's Network and we are delighted to share our impact and some of our successes.
Please join us us on Two World Cancer Collaboration's social media to see the impact of the Sunflower Children's Network. Every follow, like and share helps amplify what we do and raises awareness of the need for equitable and accessible health and palliative care.
Also, please see the links in this newsletter for the latest episodes of The Sunflower – Palliative Care Podcast.
Our Vision
The Sunflower Children's Network is dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals in South and Southeast Asia, with a focus on improving medical care for children facing cancer and other serious illnesses. Its mission is to extend its reach to numerous vital healthcare centers across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Philippines.
The ultimate aim is to ensure that every child and their family receive optimal care, thereby enhancing their quality of life to the fullest extent possible.
Pediatric Palliative Care Fellowship Program – 2024 Fellows
We were thrilled to extend a warm welcome to five exceptional fellows to the 2024 program, each bringing diverse experiences and perspectives from their respective backgrounds in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In our January edition of SUNFLOWER we highlighted two of the fellows Drs. Anuradha Ganigara and Huma Zafar
It's a pleasure to introduce the others: Drs. Avinder Kaur, Krishnapriya V, and Jerry Pua
Dr. Avinder Kaur, a dedicated pediatrician based at a tertiary hospital in Malaysia, has delved into pediatric palliative care following profound experiences in intensive care settings. Witnessing the tender moments of patients' final days and parents' earnest desires for more time at life's end has driven her commitment to this field. Dr. Avinder obtained her MBBS from the International Medical University (IMU) in Malaysia and later completed her Master's in Pediatrics at the University of Malaya.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Dr. Avinder enjoys various activities for relaxation and rejuvenation. A keen fitness enthusiast, she frequents the gym and plays badminton. During her leisure time, she finds solace in the captivating realm of crime thrillers, both through reading and watching, providing a welcome respite from the demands of her challenging profession.
Dr. Krishnapriya V earned her MBBS from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Pondicherry, and completed her MD in Palliative Medicine at AIIMS in Delhi. Her transition into Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) stemmed from recognizing the inadequacy of her adult palliative care training in meeting the unique needs of children. In her current role, she navigates critical oncological cases in the Pediatric Haemat-Onco ward, directly involved in end-of-life care and family counseling. These experiences underscored the necessity for age-appropriate approaches in PPC, motivating her specialization to ensure compassionate and effective care for
young patients.
Her professional goal encompasses providing effective pain management for both oncological and non-oncological patients through multimodal therapies, alongside raising awareness about pain management and early palliative care. Beyond work, she finds solace in Karnatic music and enjoys exploring diverse perspectives through documentaries and movies.
Dr. Jerry Pua completed his medical school at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and undertook residency at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. This experience instilled in him the values of providing compassionate, committed, and competent medical care to children in need.
During his hematology oncology fellowship, Dr. Pua encountered the challenge of facing situations where medical interventions seemed futile. This led him to recognize the crucial role of palliative care in oncologic care, especially for patients with advanced-stage or metastatic solid tumors. Driven by the desire to offer holistic care, he finds pediatric palliative care fascinating. Through this approach, he aims to redefine hope for children and their families, focusing on quality time and quality of life.
In his leisure time,
Dr. Pua enjoys reading good books and watching movies. He also finds pleasure in writing stories, essays, and journaling. Additionally, he still appreciates the simple pleasure of reading hard copy magazines and newspapers.
ECHO training and mentorship – Eastern Mediterranean Region
In collaboration with pediatric colleagues in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), TWCC and Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care launched Project ECHO online learning programs tailored for general and specialist pediatricians, as well as physicians caring for children with serious illnesses in the EMR. Following the remarkable success and high demand of the inaugural six-week program held in January, a second ECHO series was held in May. Each of the two series program comprised six- weekly online sessions, featuring interactive teaching, case presentations, and discussions.
The leadership team for these courses included faculty members from Canada, India, Qatar and Kuwait, bringing a diverse range of expertise and perspectives to the table. Over 100 healthcare professionals actively participated, engaging in enriching discussions and learning experiences aimed at enhancing pediatric care in the EMR.
See the EMR eHospice feature.
Children’s Palliative Care Leadership Program
The Children's Palliative Care Leadership Program is a pioneering initiative to empower the next generation of healthcare leaders from nursing, medicine, and allied health fields, equipping leaders with the essential skills needed to drive innovations in children's palliative care.
This collaboration led by the Sunflower Children’s Network, includes Pain Relief and Palliative Care Society (Hyderabad, India), St. Jude Global Palliative Care (Memphis, USA), Canuck Place Children's Hospice (Vancouver, Canada), Cipla Foundation (India), Stanford University (USA), and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network.
This comprehensive one-year program for leaders in South and Southeast Asia, includes 20 participants from six countries. As part of the program, participants receive support and mentorship as they plan and implement new projects to develop children’s palliative care, here are a few notable projects which have been started with the support of the Children's Palliative Care Leadership Institute:
“Finding Strength in Loss” – A bereavement program for caregivers in Chennai, India. Stella Matthew, managing trustee of Golden Butterflies, is a leadership program participant. Recently, she and her team realized that there was no support system for caregivers who have lost their child and their grief is unaddressed. Recognizing this gap, they created the bereavement program which provides bereaved family members with a safe space for sharing and reflection.
See a news feature
Children’s Palliative Care Training in Bhutan – Despite its small population (800,000), Bhutan faces considerable challenges in implementing palliative care for children, due to its remote and mountainous terrain. Recently Dr. Tara Laabar, a leadership program participant and palliative care nurse, provided in-person training and clinical support for pediatricians and nurses in several other centres.
Read the eHospice feature
National Paediatric Palliative Care Training Manual for Nepal – Using their combined experience and expertise, Dr. Krishna Sagar Sharma and Roshani Tuitui, an experienced nurse educator, have joined together to lead a series of national workshops to develop a children’s palliative care training package for healthcare providers in Nepal. Since there is no existing training program, this will be the first of its kind in Nepal, ensuring that all children’s healthcare workers will be equipped to support children and their families.
Read more about this success via eHospice
Reflective practice tools for palliative care ECHO
The Sunflower Children’s Network recently launched an innovative an ECHO online program on ‘Clinical Reflection’ to support the needs of palliative care professionals. The course is intended to provide practicing clinicians with skills to help them navigate difficult clinical and ethical scenarios, providing strategies to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue.
The interactive course sessions, spanning four weeks, delved into crucial aspects of clinical reflection. Utilizing a blend of didactic lectures and group activities, participants were immersed in a comprehensive exploration of topics such as enhancing clinical decision-making, navigating traumatic situations, mitigating burnout and compassion fatigue, addressing ethical dilemmas, and refining clinical supervision skills, including the art of providing constructive feedback. A total of 15 participants, all experienced palliative care providers, participated in the pilot phase of this program
Bangladesh Pediatric Palliative Care ECHO
Supported by a recent Global Health Grant from SickKids (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada), a team of clinicians from Bangladesh and Canada developed an online course focussing on enhancing knowledge and skills for healthcare professionals in delivering comprehensive care to children needing palliative care in Bangladesh.
The six, weekly online sessions featured interactive teaching, case presentations, and discussions led by a diverse faculty from India, Bangladesh and Canada. Over 40 healthcare professionals actively participated in the program, from key health facilities in Khulna, Rangpur and Sylhet, which are regional hubs in Bangladesh.
Read more about the Bangladesh ECHOs
The Sunflower – Palliative Care Podcast
The Sunflower Children's Network launched a series of podcasts in 2023 to engage with clinicians, policy makers, and others interested in palliative care, bringing curiosity, humour, and reflection to the field of children's palliative care.
Please have a listen to of the latest episodes available on Spotify or wherever you listen including:
Mirror, Mirror: The benefits of Reflective Practice
How harmonies help: Music Therapy as a tool to support children with serious illness
Nursing Leadership: Advancing pediatric palliative care in Bangladesh
Building a global children’s palliative care network
Living well: Using Project ECHO as an innovation to reduce the burden of global suffering
Developing nursing leadership in palliative care
🎙️ Coming soon a three part series ‘Through a nurses lens’. Please keep an eye on TWCC’s social media for new podcast episodes. We are on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) – Join with us today!
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Thank you for your continuing support of the Sunflower Children's Network. And we look forward to sharing more news with you throughout the year.
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