Position: Vice President – East Africa

Dr. Omar Abdihamid is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Cancer Researcher, and passionate advocate for equitable cancer care in Africa. He leads the Garissa Cancer Center—the first and only Oncology facility in Northern Kenya—bringing lifesaving treatment closer to thousands who once had to travel vast distances for care.

His research and advocacy focus on decentralized oncology services, culturally informed care, palliative integration, and digital health innovation in low-resource settings.

Dr. Abdihamid has spearheaded projects quantifying the impact of regional cancer centers, advancing patient navigation systems, and exploring how African cultural and faith contexts influence treatment access and outcomes.

A 2024 Common Sense Oncology Fellow and Cancer Research Fellow at Queen’s University, Canada, he also serves as a 2023 Africa Cancer Leadership Institute Fellow and ASCO IDEA Award recipient. He was recently appointed as a founding Editorial Board Member of the AORTIC Journal for Cancer Research (AJCR), launching in October 2025, where he is committed to amplifying African scholarship and mentoring the next generation of researchers.

If elected as Vice President for East Africa, Dr. Abdihamid will champion:

Stronger cross-country collaborations to address regional disparities.
Policy advocacy to ensure equitable access to cancer care and research funding.
Capacity building and mentorship for the oncology workforce.
Promotion of African-led, evidence-based solutions to guide practice and policy.
With a proven record of vision, action, and results, Dr. Abdihamid is ready to serve—and to ensure East Africa’s voice is strong, united, and heard globally.

Motivation
On the AORTIC Council, I will strengthen regional partnerships to harmonize cancer control strategies, facilitate training exchanges, and accelerate research translation. I will champion African-led publications and mentorship, leveraging my role as a founding Editorial Board Member of the AORTIC Journal for Cancer Research to expand opportunities for emerging scholars.

I am a medical doctor with specialties in epidemiology and bioethics, bringing over 20 years of experience as a clinician, researcher, academician, and programmer. My current focus is on cancer epidemiology, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2011, I played a key role in establishing Ethiopia’s first cancer registry and have since contributed longitudinal data to the WHO’s Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN). Since 2015, I am founding chair for a multidisciplinary Cancer Research Working Group at Addis Ababa University.

Over the years, I maintained strong international cancer research collaborations, notably with Martin Luther University in Germany and the WHO Collaborating Center at IARC in Lyon, France. I have supervised over 10 PhD candidates in cancer epidemiology and authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, including book chapters on cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

Since 2022, I have served as director of two major international cancer research consortia—NORA (Network for Oncologic Research for Africa) and REACCT-CAN (Research and Excellence in African Capacity to Control and Treat Cancer). These multi-million-dollar, multi-country initiatives span over 25 African nations and focus on research and capacity building in collaboration with the African Cancer Registry Network and AORTIC. We have strongly supported AORTIC attendances and will continue doing so.

I have led or co-led over 20 multidisciplinary cancer research grants, collectively securing more than $15 million in funding. My work continues to contribute significantly to public health, particularly in advancing cancer research and capacity development across Africa and beyond.

Motivation
As a qualified and experienced council member, I continue to work-hard towards more Africa-led, Africa-relevant cancer research by training the next generation of African cancer research leaders, to better understand and address unique aspects (biological, social and epidemiologic) of cancer in Africa, through fund-raising and equitable international partnerships. I will also work for more AORTIC memberships, contributions and active attendance.

My name is Nana Jacqueline Nakiddu from Uganda. I am a lecturer and practicing paediatric haematologist-oncologist at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences/Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania. With over ten years of clinical and research experience in East Africa and a pedagogical background spanning five years, I am deeply committed to advancing paediatric healthcare in the continent.

I completed sub-specialty training in paediatric haematology and oncology at Makerere University, Uganda, under the auspices of Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital global programs and have accumulated five years of hands-on experience in this field. During my fellowship, I participated in the CAPP study which describes the clinical and histopathological patterns of childhood cancers in Uganda. In the recent publication, we realise that haematological malignancies led by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and Burkitt lymphoma, similar to global epidemiological data, contribute largely to the burden of childhood malignancies in Uganda. Furthermore, I spearheaded the establishment of the survivorship clinic as a quality improvement project at Mulago National Hospital, creating diagnosis specific point of care guidelines adapted from existing long term follow up protocols. Currently in my faculty position at the largest medical training institution in Tanzania, my primary role is to train and mentor fellows in the clinical paediatric haematology and program. Inaugurated in 2021, we have since successfully trained a total of twelve paediatric haematologist-oncologists from central, eastern and southern Africa. Furthermore, I teach both undergraduate students and residents, creating an opportunity to inspire the future generation of doctors into taking up the sub-specialty. On a daily basis, I routinely provide clinical care to children with cancer and blood disorders as well as participate in quality improvement projects in the service.

My research focus is on developing innovative models for the delivery of childhood cancer survivorship care appropriate for Africa. In our settings, cancer survivorship care is still in its early stages despite the major advancements in access to diagnosis and treatment of paediatric cancers. My ultimate career goal is to lead research and care initiatives for the growing population of childhood cancer survivors in Africa.

Motivation
I recognise the urgent need for specialised care and research for paediatric cancer patients in Africa and thus, remain committed to growing the mass of paediatric haematology and oncology experts through training and mentorship. I believe my background in pedagogy and the lessons learnt through my unique oncological experiences from East Africa will be a key leverage in developing an efficient education program for AORTIC.

Dr. Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed is a molecular geneticist, genetic counsellor and biomedical researcher based at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), where he serves as a lecturer and research coordinator in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His research interests focus on the integration of genomics in healthcare delivery across Africa, with specific work in rare diseases, cancer genetics, cardiomyopathies, molecular diagnostics, advanced therapy for Sickle cell disease and pharmacogenomics.

Dr. Zahir is a co-founder and Secretary of the Tanzania Human Genetics Organization (THGO), which he has led to become a national voice for genomic research, policy development, and training. His recent work includes building research collaborations for cancer diagnostics between Tanzania and global institutions and mentoring early-career scientists in genomics. He is also a co-founder of the African Genetic Counselling Association and co-chair of the African Society of Human Genetics Young Investigators.

He is involved in cancer genomics initiatives, notably supporting molecular subtyping of prostate and breast cancers in Tanzania and advocating for equitable access to genetic services. Through partnerships with regional cancer centers and participation in policy roundtables, Dr. Zahir has contributed to the national cancer control research agenda. He has organized national and international symposia, including on precision oncology, and actively engages in capacity-building through training workshops and stakeholder outreach.

Dr. Zahir serves on various regional and international advisory boards and is a reviewer for oncology and genetics journals. His long-standing commitment to Africa-focused cancer research, equitable diagnostics, and collaborative science makes him a passionate advocate for advancing cancer care in the region.

Motivation
I am honored to accept the nomination to serve as AORTIC Vice President for East Africa. I bring a strong commitment to expanding equitable cancer genomics and diagnostics, and will contribute by forging regional partnerships, promoting research collaborations with global centers, and building sustainable training and infrastructure for impactful cancer care across Africa.