I am one of 4 colposcopy faculty traveling together to Phnom Penh , Cambodia to teach a culturally modified version of the ASCCP's Comprehensive Colposcopy course to Cambodian doctors out of Luang Me Hospital. For 3 days, we will give lectures and lead hands on workshops to train Cambodian physicians and providers from all over the country in the knowledge and skills of cervical cancer screening, diagnostic colposcopy and biopsy, and precancer treatment (i.e. LEEP, cryotherapy, thermal ablation, etc). The goal of this conference is to increase the number of colposcopists in Cambodia in order to reduce the burden of cervical cancer, and to train future doctors within their own country--training the trainers.
The attendees will be physicians, providers, and trainees from the country of Cambodia. The beneficiaries of this work, ultimately, are the women (or persons with a cervix) of Cambodia. The more trained colposcopists there are, the more cervical precancer can be detected and removed before progression to cancer.
The annual incidence of cervical cancer in Cambodia is 13.5-15/100k. It is the second most common cancer in women and responsible for 600-800 deaths per year, but it's largely preventable. We were asked by the doctors in Cambodia to come and train them in cervical cancer screening and prevention.
As you can see above, training the trainers translates to some of the biggest impact you can do in a medical mission trip. Once we leave, the providers we have trained will have the knowledge to carry forward and perform these procedures and train residents and other providers thereby perpetuating the knowledge and skills. Ultimately, this will likely have a significant impact on reducing the cervical cancer burden in Cambodia.
I am incredibly grateful to the Dox Fund for supporting my travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where I joined three other American healthcare providers on behalf of the ASCCP to help train 25 Cambodian physicians in cervical cancer screening and colposcopic skills. Our program combined didactic education on cervical cancer screening guidelines and the research supporting them with instruction in the principles of colposcopy and the recognition of low-grade lesions, high-grade lesions, and invasive cancer. We complemented these sessions with hands-on simulation, allowing participants to develop practical skills in focusing and using the colposcope, performing LEEP procedures, and providing thermal ablation. The training culminated in a clinical session in which we collectively evaluated 20 prescreened patients, mentoring and proctoring the Cambodian physicians as they performed colposcopy, identified appropriate biopsy sites, and provided LEEP treatment when indicated. Beyond the patients we were able to care for directly, the greatest potential impact of this work lies in training local physicians who can carry these skills back to their own practices and communities. By “training the trainers,” programs like this can extend knowledge and expertise far beyond a single medical mission, building local capacity and creating a more sustainable approach to improving cervical cancer prevention and treatment in underserved areas. I am deeply appreciative of the Dox Fund for making it possible for me to participate in this meaningful work.
