The purpose of WCIO is to promote IO globally as the fourth pillar of cancer care. One of our priority initiatives is international outreach to regions where IO is growing and there is a demand for more IO education and training.
I am excited to announce that Alexis Kelekis, MD PhD, EBIR, from the University of Athens has agreed to spearhead this enterprise. Alexis is an expert in musculoskeletal and spinal interventions.
In his volunteer statement, he noted that “participating in [WCIO] will help me serve the oncology community by transmitting the knowledge acquired all these years. Specifically help young physicians become accredited in the treatment of this particular group, which seeks a combination of precise minimal treatment either for cure, loco-regional tumor control, or even palliation. Helping these patients is not only about the procedures, but about the knowledge of hazards the disease inflicts on them and their families. Our point in this society should be to create doctors who can apply the principles of minimally invasive treatments, in order to procure our patients with treatments than provide a high quality of life.”
In his volunteer statement, he noted that “participating in [WCIO] will help me serve the oncology community by transmitting the knowledge acquired all these years. Specifically help young physicians become accredited in the treatment of this particular group, which seeks a combination of precise minimal treatment either for cure, loco-regional tumor control, or even palliation. Helping these patients is not only about the procedures, but about the knowledge of hazards the disease inflicts on them and their families. Our point in this society should be to create doctors who can apply the principles of minimally invasive treatments, in order to procure our patients with treatments than provide a high quality of life.”
Alexis has assembled a distinguished roster of international IO leaders who held their inaugural meeting at WCIO 2013 in New York.
S. Nahum Goldberg, Israel
Sean Tutton, USA
Ricardo Garcia Monaco, Argentina
Eduardo P. Eyheremendy, Argentina
Adrian Gonzalez, Mexico
Mark Bergmans, Holland and Singapore
Sanjeeva Kalva, USA and India
Hunchil Rhim, Korea
Ahmed El Dorry, Egypt
Gassan El-Haddad, USA and Lebanon
Alban Denys, Switzerland
Thomas Vogl, Germany
Lourens Bester, Australia
We welcome their participation in growing the international IO community and enabling cancer patients worldwide to obtain access to minimally-invasive care.
The International Education division is off to a strong start with meetings in Mexico in 2013 (organized by Dr. Gonzalez) and Argentina in 2014 (organized by Professor Garcia Monaco). Negotiations are underway with SIDI and SoBRICE to further expand IO education across Latin America. We look forward to developing relationships in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Any local organization wishing to work with WCIO to develop IO education in their country should contact Dr. Kelekis or the WCIO office.