panelist

Personal Statements

Dr. Achille Manirakiza is an early-career Clinical Oncologist having worked at the first radiotherapy center in Kigali, Rwanda, after completing his residency in Clinical Oncology at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in 2018.  He currently leads the Oncology Unit at the King Faisal Hospital, in Kigali. His research work has been focused on gynecological malignancies treatment outcomes in Low-Income Countries, contributing to knowledge in the global cancer treatment access movement, and medical/oncology education in general.

He has developed, over time, a great interest in cancer genetics, particularly related to genital-urinary malignancies. Notable, ongoing projects are under the Men of African Descent Carcinoma Prostate consortium, a study on PSA cost-effectiveness in Africa, and disease databases development of patients treated at the radiation center in Kigali. In the same realm, he intends to focus his future research work in the relatively less known area of genital-urinary malignancies epidemiology, with a special interest in castrate-resistant prostate cancer, the correlation between prostate cancer genetics and its incidence and treatment outcomes in Rwanda, under the mentorship of Prof Timothy Rebbeck at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health and Prof Leon Mutesa at the University of Rwanda.

Positions and Honors:

Positions

• October 7th  2013- November 30th 2014: Intern Doctor at Ruhengeri Provincial Hospital
• December 1st 2014 – September 15th 2015: Medical Officer at the Rwanda Ministry of Health
• November 2015- December 2018: Resident – Clinical Oncology Department, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
• January 2019 – Present: Clinical Oncologist, Rwanda Military Hospital Radiotherapy Centre, Kigali, Rwanda. 
• January 2019 – Present: Visiting Clinical Oncologist, King Faisal Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda

Honors

• Pediatric Global Oncology and Blood Disorders Education (GLOBE) award – Dana Farber, Boston, MA, October 2016;
• Union for International Cancer Control – Technical Fellowship (UICC-TF) award – Dana Farber, Boston, MA, October 2017;\
• African Cancer Leadership Institute Award – African Organization of Research and Treatment In Cancer (AORTIC), November 2017
• POETIC fellowship award– Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, September – October 2018;
• International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Research Academy & World Congress Travel Grant award – Hong Kong, China, November 2018
• Mayo Clinic Inaugural Resident Exchange – Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, November 2018

Contributions to Science

Van Essen C, Cartledge P, Kyamanywa P, Manirakiza A. Is HINARI appropriate for medical students in the developing world? Tropical Medicine & International Health. 2012 Apr;17(4):406-8.Manirakiza A, Longombe AN, Kyamanywa P, Rulisa S. Cervical cancer in Rwanda: Why do women consult in late stages? Rwanda Medical Journal. 2016 Dec;73(4):9-11.

Rubagumya F, Greenberg L, Manirakiza A, DeBoer R, Park PH, Mpunga T, Shulman LN. Increasing global access to cancer care: models of care with non-oncologists as primary providers. The Lancet Oncology. 2017 Aug 1; 18(8):1000-2.

Manirakiza A, Sinha S, Rubagumya F. Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma Management., InTech Open, 2018

Manirakiza A, Hrdy M, Ginwalla R, Kamanzi B, Calland JF. Mentorship Role in the choice of surgery as a career among medical students in Rwanda, Rwanda Medical Journal, Vol. 73, No. 3, 2016, pp. 17-20

Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance

ACTIVE

Code: 12665 (Rubagumya)

ASCO – Conquer Cancer Foundation – International Innovation Grant    

Use of smart phone application for early detection of skin cancers in people with albinism

Validation of a smart phone application in skin cancer detection for people living with albinism in Tanzania

Role: Co-PI

Dr. Tesesa Lotodo has a master’s degree in General Pathology from the University of Nairobi (2013) with an interest and experience in the diagnosis of hematological disorders, both benign and malignant. She is currently taking a Ph.D. in Immunology from Moi Univerity, Kenya. Her areas of training at the master’s level included surgical pathology, hematology, transfusion medicine, immunology, microbiology, parasitology, and clinical chemistry. Since the completion of her residency, she has been involved in the diagnosis of hematological disorders on peripheral blood films, bone marrow aspirates, and trephine biopsies. She also does fine-needle aspirates – especially in suspected lymphoma cases –  and reporting of lymph node biopsies. She also has an interest in flow cytometry for the characterization of hematological disorders especially acute Leukemia and other lymphoid neoplasms. After completing her master’s, she spent six weeks at the hematopathology laboratory at Indiana University and learned about flow cytometry for the diagnosis of hematological disorders using blood, aspirates, and lymph nodes besides general hematopathology.

Dr. Lotodo has participated in recruiting research participants for Aids Malignancy Consortium (AMC 068) study and presented in several conferences on HIV-associated malignancies. In one particular study where the main aim was diagnosis and staging of a suspected Burkitt’s lymphoma patient within a week, she was involved in reading the touch print cytology specimens from a biopsy and interpretation of flow cytometry within 72 hours.

In April 2015, she also had an opportunity to visit the Cytogenetics lab at Indiana University for 2 weeks to learn about Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) for the diagnosis of Burkitt’s lymphoma. This was through the collaboration of the pediatric oncology program in Kenya and Indiana University. As a result, through a grant by Indiana University, a FISH platform was set up at AMPATH reference labs. In the past 2 years, they have been able to validate the platform for c-my and T(8;14) for the diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma, and currently, they are doing validations for BCR ABL fusion gene for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. She hopes to get an opportunity to train on molecular aspects of hematopathology through a fellowship training

In the AMPATH Multiple Myeloma program, She is the Principal Investigator. The program is funded by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF) for the next 3 years (2021-2023) tasked with overseeing that all goals and objectives are achieved and reported back to BMSF at least twice a year. She is also involved in diagnostic work up of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias through bone marrow aspirates and biopsies. 

Teaching

As a lecturer, She is involved in teaching and assessing students at both undergraduate and graduate levels in hematology and blood transfusion. She is also involved in supervising undergraduate projects and dissertation thesis at graduate levels. She participates in the development of undergraduate and graduate courses. She initiates, promotes, and participates in research projects through applications for research grants. She provides professional service and participates in community service delivery through linkages and collaborations. She has also been a facilitator in the yearly trainings on pediatric oncology and other lymphoma programs held every January for several years now. She has also worked closely with the PEARL programme at Webuye to train technologists on laboratory diagnosis of hematological disorders. She has also participated and presented in conferences within Kenya and beyond

Administration

Her administrative duty as a current Head of Thematic Section of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in the Department of Pathology is to ensure coordination and effective delivery of the curriculum at the University through teaching and research. She has also been involved in protocol development for Flow Cytometry and FISH labs.

Positions and Honors

2003‐2004 Internship, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

2004‐2008 Medical Officer, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

2009-2013 Resident, Department of Pathology, University of Nairobi

2009-2014 Tutorial Fellow, Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Moi University

2015 (April) to date Lecturer, Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Moi University

2018 to 2020 Head of Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Moi University

2006-date Registered with Kenya Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Council

2015 to date Member of Kenya association of clinical pathologists (KACP)

2016 to date Member of Kenya medical association

2017 to date Member of African Blood Transfusion Service (AfBTS)

2018 to date Member of British Society of Hematology     

2020 to date Member of International Society of pediatric Oncology

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1l3wh-lXlomk9/bibliography/public/

Dr. Anthony Betbadal graduated cum laude from Tulane University with a degree in molecular biology in 2008 after receiving the Deans’ Honors Scholarship. He went on to complete medical school at Indiana University, graduating with honors after induction into Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors’ fraternity and receiving the Eugene C. Klatte scholarship. Residency was done at University Hospital Case Western Medical Center in 2015 before heading to Indiana University to complete a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology in 2018.

After completing his training, He joined the practice at Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center. His role there has been broad, touching on rare bleeding disorders, sickle cell disease and hemoglobinopathies, malignant hematology, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, and venolymphatic malformations. He has taken an active role in the IHTC Kenya program since 2020 and is a lecturer on myeloma at the ICI.

Dr. Rubagumya is a clinical and radiation oncologist at Rwanda Military Hospital. He is currently a clinical and research fellow at Queen University and Kingston General Hospital in Canada. Dr. Rubagumya has clinical and research interests in head and neck cancers, gynecological, and gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Rubagumya is a recipient of many prestigious awards from different Cancer organizations like ACS, ASCO, UICC, and AORTIC, among others. Dr. Rubagumya has authored and co-authored different publications in major journals. 

Dr. Chakou Halfani Tindwa MD, MMed. MBA, MPH, MSc

Dr. Chakou Halfani is the Managing Director of TMHS, Chairman of Tanzania Health Summit, and past senior Clinical Oncologist at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. He serves on various local and international committees and boards. He holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Dar Es Salaam, Master of Medicine (MMed. Clinical Oncology) from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and Master of Business Administration (MBA-Finance) from the University of Dar Es Salaam, Master of Public Health (MPH-Global Health) from University of Manchester-UK and Master of Science in Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (MSc. PMME) from MUHAS.

Dr. Chakou Halfani is the Managing Director of TMHS, Chairman of Tanzania Health Summit, and past senior Clinical Oncologist at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. He serves on various local and international committees and boards. He holds a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Dar Es Salaam, Master of Medicine (MMed. Clinical Oncology) from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), and Master of Business Administration (MBA-Finance) from the University of Dar Es Salaam, Master of Public Health (MPH-Global Health) from University of Manchester-UK and Master of Science in Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (MSc. PMME) from MUHAS.

Dr. Helena Musau, MBChB, MD.

Dr. Helena Musau is a Consultant Clinical/Radiation Oncologist with robust experience in palliative care. She has worked in both the private and public sectors as well as managing projects at various levels. She is involved in teaching and health education for both oncology and palliative care. She is a member of various Kenya Ministry of Health technical working groups aiming to improve access to cancer care. She is involved in the Blueprint Print for Success Initiative in Kenya whose vision is to create an ecosystem for comprehensive cancer control in sub-Saharan Africa and aims to improve access to medicines in developing healthcare systems through sustainable partnerships.

Positions

• 2021 – Present: Consultant Clinical Oncologist Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital.
• 2020 – Present: Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Nairobi
• 2017 – Present: Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Private Practice.
• 2019 – 2021: Head of Department – Oncology and Clinical Executive Special Services, Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital.
• 2018 – 2019: Consultant Clinical Oncologist, AIC Kijabe Hospital.
• 2013 – 2017: Registrar, Groote Schuur Hospital/University of Cape Town
• 2011 – 2013: Medical Officer, Cancer Care Kenya
• 2010 – 2011: Education and Research Officer, Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association
• 2007 – 2010: Deputy Senior Medical Officer, Nairobi Hospice
• 2007: Medical Officer-In-Charge, Kianyaga Health Center, Kenya 2006 Medical Officer Intern, Nyeri Provincial Hospital, Kenya.

 Dr. Benjamin Odongo Elly, MBChB, MMed ClinFell (GynOnc)

Dr. Elly Odongo is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Gynecologic Oncologist with over 20 years of experience in clinical practice and programmatic leadership of public health initiatives. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Kenyatta University School of Medicine. He has previously served as the Head of The Department of Gynecologic Oncology at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Eldoret/ Moi University. Prior to his current engagement.

Dr. Elly was a Technical Lead in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/Maternal and Child Health (PMTCT/MCH) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Elly served as North Eastern Provincial Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Garissa and founder of Garissa Obstetric Fistula Centre. In this role, he promoted service delivery excellence and standards based on evidence and also provided administrative and clinical leadership to trainee medical officers and other cadres of health care workers, developed protocols for obstetric emergencies, conducted weekly medical education, monthly maternal and perinatal death reviews, and participated in target setting and budgetary allocation for the department.

He is a published researcher and is in the process of developing multiple protocols. He has presented at International and local conferences and participated in various reproductive health discussion forums. Dr. Elly is the Immediate Past President and Current Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (KOGS), providing leadership and strategic direction for a professional body of over 400 Kenyan Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dr. Gregory Ganda, MBChB. MMed ClinFell (GynOnc)

Dr. Ganda is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist and gynecologic-oncologist with over 13 years of experience. He holds a Master of Medicine from Moi University and a Fellowship in Gyn-Oncology from the University of Toronto. He boasts a wealth of skill and expertise in the management of cancers of the female genital tract and is passionate about cancer prevention through early detection and treatment. He is a founder member and chair of the Kisumu Cancer Alliance. In 2019, this passion saw him recognized and appointed as the Lead Consultant for the National Ministry of Health Cervical Cancer training guidelines which was the first strategy of its kind in Kenya. He was subsequently appointed as the Lead Consultant for Rwanda Cancer Screening Trainer of Trainers in 2020.

Dr. Ganda is a contributor and lead writer in the Gynecology chapter in the Kenya cancer prevention guidelines as well as an Editor for the cancer treatment guidelines. He has a keen eye for research and has been a Principal Investigator in various studies and has presented on several topics at local and international conferences. He is a member of the International Gynecological Cancer Society (IGCS), Kenya Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (KOGS), and the Kenya Medical Association (KMA). Apart from spending most of his days in theatre or in Gynecologic Outpatient Clinics, Dr. Ganda has carved out a niche as a seasoned and experienced administrator and leader rising through ranks to the pinnacle. Currently, Dr. Ganda is the acting County Executive Committee Member and Chief Officer for Health and Sanitation in Kisumu County providing strategic policy direction for the department.