An international flow of ideas and information has begun at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, thanks to a fellowship program funded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
“When we started the global oncology program, one of the important things we wanted to do was to bring people from around the world to the cancer center for training,” says Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, MD, PhD, who was hired in April 2024 as the CU Cancer Center’s associate director of global oncology.
Recent arrivals
That effort began in earnest this spring with the arrival of two international fellows to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus — Mildred Medina, from Mexico, and Umesh Velu, from India. Both spent eight weeks working with CU Cancer Center providers and patients, learning about advanced treatments and patient care.
“There is a tradition in our country where people go abroad to learn new techniques, because although we have the resources, the training is lacking,” says Velu, who spent his fellowship time learning about treatments for metastatic brain cancer. “To get this hands-on experience is very valuable.”
Velu says he now has knowledge he can bring back to India that may help to change the way brain metastases are treated.
“In India, if you have a brain metastasis, you get palliative care. We don't think of curative options at all,” he says. “But coming here, I realized that metastasis is not the end. I've seen people treated with radical curative intent, and they have survived for two or three years without any issues.”
Lessons in geriatric oncology
Medina spent her fellowship with Soto, shadowing him during patient appointments to learn more about treating older adults with cancer.
“In younger patients, the oncologist will just treat the disease, but in older adults, you have to focus on other areas, like the social network they have, the environment,” Medina says. “Where are they living? Is their family actively helping with the treatment, with taking patients to the hospital? You also have to consider any other chronic conditions they may have.”
UICC fellow Mildred Medina came to the CU Anschutz campus from Mexico City.
Medina says that working with Soto, a renowned specialist in geriatric oncology, taught her valuable lessons she is excited to take back to Mexico.
“As a mentor, he's always inspiring me and always motivating me to put in extra effort to be a better doctor, a better person,” says Medina, who also worked with Soto in Mexico prior to his move to Colorado. “The most valuable thing I learned is how powerful the decision-making process is, based on the person. I’m excited to get back to Mexico and apply these things and to inspire other geriatricians to get involved in this and work with me to improve the care in the hospital.”
Bright future
Already another UICC fellow — this one from Guatemala — is on their way to the CU Cancer Center for training. Soto says he is excited to see the program to continue to grow in Colorado.
“The idea is that people can come to learn about anything they want — anything that builds their capacity and provides them with resources to bring back to their home institutions by learning new skills,” he says. “It doesn't have to be an MD; it can be public health professionals, cancer researchers, or nurses.
“We're opening the call for this year on June 4,” he adds, “so anyone in the cancer center who would like an opportunity to liaison with someone from outside of the U.S. or bring someone from outside of the U.S. to train in a specific area, I think this is an excellent way to do it.”
Two-way street
As valuable an experience it is for a fellow to come to the CU Cancer Center to train, gaining perspectives on how cancer is treated in other countries is equally valuable for the cancer center and its members, Soto says.
“Part of the role of the cancer center is to conquer cancer worldwide, not only in our city,” Soto says. “Being part of the UICC program helps us to make sure that the innovations we have at our cancer center are used around the world, to expand our reach. And the fact that we now have people from around the world coming here will also provide us with important learnings to treat the population we have in Denver, which is very diverse. Learning from people around the world allows us to be better doctors for the people who live in our catchment area.”
Learn more about the UICC fellowships and sign up on the UICC website.
Featured image: UICC fellow Umesh Velu, second from left, with his mentor Timothy Waxweiler, MD, far left, Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, MD, PhD, and radiation oncology resident Adam Avant, MD.
