Browsing by Author "Varon, Melissa Lopez"

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    American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Cervical Cancer Prevention Program: A Hands-On Training Course in Nepal
    (ASCO, 2021) Phoolcharoen, Natacha; Kremzier, Megan; Eaton, Vanessa; Sarchet, Vanessa; Acharya, Sandhya Chapagain; Shrestha, Eliza; Carns, Jennifer; Baker, Ellen; Varon, Melissa Lopez; Karmacharya, Saujanya; Aryal, Binod; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Salcedo, Mila Pontremoli; Schmeler, Kathleen M.; Pariyar, Jitendra; Bioengineering
    Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death among women in Nepal. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center collaborated with international and local experts to hold a cervical cancer prevention course in Nepal in November 2019. The course included didactic lectures and a hands-on workshop. The didactic lectures included the epidemiology of cervical cancer globally and locally, cervical cancer screening guidelines, human papillomavirus vaccination, colposcopy and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), cervical dysplasia, and cervical cancer treatment. The hands-on workshop consisted of four stations: (1) VIA; (2) colposcopy, cervical biopsy, and endocervical curettage; (3) thermal ablation; and (4) loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). A train-the-trainer model short course was held by the international faculty to assist six local faculty to become familiar with the instruments, procedures, and models used in the hands-on training stations. Forty-two people (84% gynecologist, 8% radiation oncologist, and 8% other) attended the course. Following the course, the international faculty visited the regional hospitals for additional educational activities. Increased knowledge in cervical cancer screening guidelines and ability in performing VIA, colposcopy and cervical biopsy, thermal ablation, and LEEP were reported by 89%, 84%, 84%, 87%, and 84% of participants, respectively, from the postcourse on-site evaluations. From the 6-month follow-up survey, all respondents reported that they had made practice changes based on what they learned in the course and had implemented or tried to implement the cervical cancer screening guidelines presented at the course. In conclusion, the course evaluations suggested an improvement in participants' ability to perform cervical cancer screening and diagnostic procedures and reported the changes in practices after training.
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    Cervical cancer prevention program in Nepal: a ‘training of trainers’ approach
    (International Society of Global Health, 2023) Batman, Samantha; Piya, Madan; Chapagain, Sandhya; Lama, Poonam; Maharjan, Pabitra; Aryal, Binod; Neupane, Maya; Pariyar, Shashwat; Phoolcharoen, Natacha; Eaton, Vanessa; Sarchet, Vanessa; Kremzier, Megan; Carns, Jenny; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Baker, Ellen; Varon, Melissa Lopez; Salcedo, Mila Pontremoli; Milan, Jessica; Schmeler, Kathleen; Pariyar, Jitendra; Bioengineering
    Background: Cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death among Nepalese women. To this effect, Cancer Care Nepal established an international collaboration to implement a 'training of trainers' (TOT) program to expand the reach of cervical cancer prevention techniques. Methods: The Nepal cervical cancer prevention program began with an in-person TOT session in Kathmandu in November 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two additional TOT courses were held in October and November 2021 with virtual support, didactic lectures from international faculty, and a hands-on component by Nepalese faculty. The Nepalese providers underwent training in these courses and then held further training in five collaborating centers across Nepal. Participants completed pre- and post-course knowledge assessments. The trainings were supplemented by the creation of a new Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) telementoring hub at Cancer Care Nepal. A capstone refresher course was held in November 2022. Results: 42 participants attended the initial TOT course in 2019. The two follow-up TOT courses held in October/November 2021 were two days long and included providers from five participating regions in Nepal. The courses included virtual didactic sessions followed by hands-on stations led by the Nepalese faculty who had participated in the 2019 TOT course. The stations included: visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), colposcopy, thermal ablation, and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). There were 41 participants in the October/November TOT courses. The trainers who received the TOT education then conducted local courses of similar content in each of the five regions for 152 local providers. Participants had improved mean knowledge scores after the training (0.70, 95% CI=0.67-0.72) in comparison to prior to training (0.50, 95% CI=0.47-0.53), p\<0.001. The program concluded with a capstone course in November 2022 attended by 26 participants. To date, 11 Project ECHO sessions have been held, with an average of 20 participants per session. Conclusions: Nepal's cervical cancer prevention program has increased the number of providers trained in cervical cancer prevention techniques. By increasing provider capacity, individuals will have increased access to cervical cancer screening and treatment of pre-invasive disease, hopefully decreasing the burden of cervical cancer in Nepal.
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    Hands-On Training Courses for Cervical Cancer Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Procedures in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
    (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2022) Phoolcharoen, Natacha; Varon, Melissa Lopez; Baker, Ellen; Parra, Sonia; Carns, Jennifer; Cherry, Katelin; Smith, Chelsey; Sonka, Theresa; Doughtie, Kathleen; Lorenzoni, Cesaltina; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Schmeler, Kathleen; Salcedo, Mila Pontremoli; Bioengineering
    In 2018, there were approximately 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer worldwide. More than 85% of cases occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), primarily because of poor access to screening and a limited number of medical providers trained to diagnose and treat cervical precancerous lesions. Our objective was to provide locally arranged, hands-on training courses for medical providers in LMICs to learn to perform cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment procedures. The courses included didactic lectures and hands-on training stations using low-cost simulation models developed by bioengineers and students at Rice University in Houston, TX, United States, and the Malawi Polytechnic in Blantyre, Malawi. The hands-on training stations included visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), colposcopy, cervical biopsy, endocervical curettage, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), and thermal ablation. Provider pre- and postcourse confidence levels in performing the procedures were evaluated. From February 2017 to January 2020, we arranged 15 hands-on training courses in seven cities across six countries (El Salvador, Mozambique, Trinidad and Tobago, Lesotho, Malawi, and Nepal). Overall, there were 506 participants. The average number of participants per course was 38 (range 19-92). The participants included doctors, nurses, and midwives. The course duration varied from 1 to 3 days. Increased confidence in performing VIA, colposcopy and cervical biopsy, ablation, and LEEP was reported by 69%, 71%, 61%, and 76% of participants, respectively. Our findings suggest that locally arranged, hands-on cervical cancer prevention training courses in LMICs can improve provider confidence in performing cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment procedures. These courses are part of a larger strategy to build local capacity for delivering and improving cervical cancer prevention services in LMICs.