A Pakistani researcher is one of the 100 scientists who will receive an award from the ASCO Cancer Foundation in Orlando. The foundation will honour oncologists and oncology fellows with the International Development and Education Award (IDEA) and Merit Awards at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's 45t Annual Meeting, Samaa TV reports.
Both awards promote medical education, career development and clinical research to improve cancer care. All award recipients will receive funding to help with travel expenses to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting. The Pakistani researcher is Kashif Iqbal, MBBS, MS, and he works at the Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute in Islamabad.
"It is important to recognise the contributions of clinical investigators from all nations," said Professor Clement Adebamowo, MD, SCD, 2008-2009 IDEA Working Group Chair. "The IDEA Awards provide a unique opportunity for oncologists in developing countries to further their knowledge and careers, and continue the progress against cancer around the world."
The ASCO Cancer Foundation IDEA programme is designed to improve global oncology by providing support to 20 early career oncologists from outside the United States who wish to attend the Meeting. IDEA recipients are paired with ASCO members from the United States and Canada based on shared sub-specialties or research interests. These ASCO volunteer mentors help the awardees navigate the ASCO Annual Meeting, which attracts more than 30,000 attendees world-wide.
Following the meeting, the mentors host the IDEA award recipients at their clinical institutions for several days to facilitate further hands-on learning opportunities. In prior years, these mentorship opportunities have blossomed into long-term collaborations between oncologists practising thousands of miles apart.