Position: Vice-President: Central Africa

Ngalla Calvin
I have been working in a breast and cervical cancer screening program (Women’s Health Program) in Cameroon for over eight years now during which I have developed skills in screening and treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix. This program is the largest cervical cancer prevention program in the Central African Subregion. However, it has screened only one hundred and thirty thousand women to date, despite the 8.01 million at risk of cervical cancer in Cameroon due to resource constraints. Other skills I have learned through this program include the management of reproductive tract infections (RTIs), infertility management, family planning services, Fine Needle Aspiration(FNA), cryotherapy, thermal ablation, punch biopsies( cervix, vagina, vulvar endometrium), and Tru-cut Biopsy. Due to my passion and commitment to this program, I was appointed in January 2022 as the Assistant Supervisor to further expand my leadership and advocacy role through this program. My research interest is preinvasive lower genital tract diseases (cervix, vulvar, vagina, and anus) in the HIV population, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening, and breast cancer (prevention and diagnosis). I did my first AORTIC presentation in April 2023 on single-dose HPV vaccination in boys and girls aged 9-14 years in Cameroon. I have featured in more than 10 scientific publications on these research interests. In October 2022, I backed home with a Master of Oncology degree from Newcastle University after successfully defending the first study on cervical cancer clinical outcomes conducted in Cameroon. I currently have at least 5 manuscripts on my research interests pending publication.
Motivation
Cancer research and global health leadership constitute a passion and an integral part of my career. An AORTIC leadership opportunity will permit me dedicate time and skill to build, coordinate and strengthen ideas among cancer researchers in Central Africa and further foster the vision of this organization through groundbreaking achievements.