Princess Margaret Global Cancer Program

Led by Dr. Michael Milosevic, this program accepts and trains clinical fellows at the Princess Margaret within the University of Toronto's partnership with Moi University to improve productive health in Kenya.

The Princess Margaret and the TMC in Mumbai, India have exchanged clinical fellows for on-site training since 2013.

The Princess Margaret has trained and hosted KHCC Clinical Fellows since 2013 as part of an overarching agreement between our institutions to share information about clinical know-how, best clinical research practices, and educational innovations.

The Global Oncology Leadership Development (GOLD) Program is an interdisciplinary program for clinical fellows of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM). PM hosts nearly 200 fellows annually across the cancer centre, of which 75% were trained outside of Canada. The GOLD Program includes intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational and systems leadership skills training and blends this with training on health systems. This content is delivered through a mix of didactic lectures, workshops, networking events, Insights to Discovery personality inventory, online learning and a formal connection with a mentor. Invited presenters included healthcare providers with expertise in leadership, health policy and social networking, as well as health service researchers, economists, philanthropists, and health communication and organizational change specialists. GOLD was purposefully designed to remove both financial and time barriers to participation by offering this program free of charge and by ensuring protected time from clinical duties from executive and departmental leadership.

In 2021, 31 fellows participated in the program, with 90% of participants from outside of Canada.

Learn more about the GOLD Program »

In 2020, the Princess Margaret Global Cancer Program partnered with the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and the American Association of Residents in Oncology (ARRO) on a collaborative, multi-institutional program to network, receive mentorship, and explore the field of global oncology, which is currently not included as part of core training. The program is free and is run online through the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre's online educational platform Cancer Campus. Running for the second year, the course includes 10 sessions held live and recorded each month from September to June. Additional networking events are offered with in-person events at the annual meetings of CARO and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

In the second year, there were 282 registered course participants from 14 different countries spanning the disciplines of clinical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, medical physics, radiation therapy and physician assistant. The overall program objectives include to:

• Introduce key concepts in global oncology and cancer control including cancer policy, the economics of cancer care, and research and innovation in cancer care
• Develop a community of practice in global oncology among emerging leaders in the field
• Provide mentorship opportunities to build strategic connections with current leaders in global oncology

Learn more about the Global Oncology Enrichment Program »

The organization of cancer care, education and research into Comprehensive Cancer Centres provides political, clinical, research and educational focus to improving delivery of care and achieving better outcomes for cancer patients. Cancer is a significant and growing problem for health systems. There is a need for creating guidance and global solidarity to build cancer units with truly comprehensive programs.

This Master course will address the organization of a Comprehensive Cancer Centre, focusing on integration of high-quality patient-centred care with education and research. Examples will be drawn from comprehensive cancer centres on four continents and is led by experts from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, AC Camargo Cancer Center (São Paulo, Brazil), King Hussein Cancer Centre (Amman, Jordan), and Tata Memorial Centre (Mumbai, India).

Learn more about the UICC Master Course: Comprehensive Cancer Centres »

Since 2012, Princess Margaret hematologists have been travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to train the fellows from the Addis Ababa University. Trainees are also invited to Toronto to participate in observerships.

This tri-institutional philanthropic initiative partnership began in 2014 between the Princess Margaret (PM), Moi Training and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery (AKUSONAM).

The initiative involved creating an Oncology Nursing Diploma Program that met the standards of the Nursing Council of Kenya, adapted from the PM Specialized Oncology Nursing foundation course that was grounded in the practice standards from the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology. PM supported a Canadian Oncology Nurse Educator to work jointly at MTRH and AKUSONAM in Kenya to develop a joint curriculum. Much of the nursing oncology content created by PM Advanced Practice Nurses was adapted and new curriculum reviewed by PM Advanced Practice Nurses.

The initiative concluded in 2018 after 7 nurses graduated from the MTRH program in 2017 and 16 student nurses graduated from AKUSONAM in 2018.

Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz, senior advisor to the Global Cancer Program (GCP), and Prof. Felician Knaul, a health economist from the University of Miami and member of GCP's International Advisory, are two of the co-chairs on a new Lancet Commission on Cancer and Health Systems. The Commission was launched in August 2021 and brings together international experts from oncology, public health, economists, NGOs, and government organizations. The Commission will identify pathways that improve access to technology and innovations that support better and more equitable cancer control, spanning prevention to palliation, while strengthening health systems to be more prepared for other health challenges, including future pandemics. The Commission's report is expected in 2023.

Established to mobilize the calls to action in the Lancet Oncology’s Commission on Radiotherapy, GIRO’s mission is to reduce inequalities and ensure universal access to radiotherapy. As a founding member of GIRO, the Princess Margaret supports the organization’s initiatives such as a study on international patterns of care in radiation oncology.

An organization of the United Nations, the IAEA works with its member states and multiple partners to promote the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. Through its Division in Human Health, the organization is also active in the establishment and support of radiotherapy services in LMICs. The Princess Margaret has participated in many IAEA lead initiatives including radiotherapy capacity building through teaching and training.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, which leads our international community in convening, capacity building, and advocacy initiatives to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and ensure that cancer control continues to be a priority in the world health and development agenda. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre has had a long and rich history of engagement with the UICC and has included scientific contributions and global leadership.

This includes leadership in the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors (TNM) as a globally recognized standard for classifying the extent of spread of cancer, a project for which Princess Margaret oncologists Mary Gospodarowicz and Jim Brierley are the current co-chairs. Many Princess Margaret faculty also contributed as authors to the UICC book “Cancer systems and control for health professionals”, including Editor in Chief Dr. Meredith Giuliani and co-editors Dr. Gospodarowicz and Dr. Brierly. This book addresses the complexities of global cancer, emphasizing a systems approach to cancer control.

Dr. Gospodarowicz also served as the President of the UICC from 2012-2014 and Dr. Danielle Rodin previously sat on its Board of Directors.

Led by Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, the Princess Margaret’s Radiation Medicine team partnered with Elekta China, a global leader in precision radiation medicine equipment and technology to enhance delivery of radiation therapy in China. The initial project term provided RMP training and introduced quality assurance processes to Chinese institutions and medical facilities. As a complement to on-site training, selected participants were provided the opportunity to access RMP’s Accelerated Education Program. This collaboration allowed Elekta China and its affiliates to partner with North America’s leading radiation program while enriching its training catalogue and ultimately enhancing patient care in China.

From 2015 to 2018, the Princess Margaret partnered with Qatar’s national public health provider to implement am oncology subspecialty model of care at its National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR). Over a three year period Princess Margaret staff conducted numerous site visits to the NCCCR to support this transition, as well as provide tailored sub-specialty training and education to its staff. This work was complemented by hosting over 70 medical professionals from the NCCCR in Toronto for educational placements in their area of practice. As a result of this collaboration, the NCCCR now boasts several Oncology and Pathology subspecialty practice models and saw a reduction in length of stay in select inpatient units. The leads for this project were Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz and Marnie Escaf.

From 2018-2019 the Princess Margaret partnered with KPMG to advise the Bahamian Government on their planned expansion of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Program. Teams from Princess Margaret travelled to Nassau to define the clinical care pathways for the NHI and advise on their optimized payment and costing methodologies with the goal of ensuring affordability and sustainability for the health system in the Bahamas. In consultation with local physician groups, the Princess Margaret teams developed revised clinical guidelines, as well as provided a variety of disease site-specific workshops customized for the local environment.

In 2010 the Kuwait Ministry of Health selected UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre as a world-leading partner to help provide people living in Kuwait with access to the highest level of cancer services. This five-year collaboration, with oversight by Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz and Marnie Escaf, saw over 200 UHN-PM staff members conduct site visits to the Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC), advising on ways to optimize its clinical operations, infrastructure, and technological capabilities.

The project resulted in a number of ‘First in Kuwait’ initiatives, including the establishment of a Breast Rapid Diagnostic Clinic and the achievement of internationally recognized hospital accreditation. In addition, UHN-PM welcomed dozens of Kuwaiti medical professions to Toronto for supplemental clinical training, resulting in expanded patient care at the KCCC.​

The Canadian Global Oncology Network (CGON) is a network of global oncology organizations across Canada. CGON hosts annual conferences as an opportunity for Canadian leaders in global health to convene and share ideas, experiences, and lessons learned in the field. These events foster collaboration and dialogue on initiatives in research, education, advocacy and policy across the cancer care continuum, and to identify opportunities for pan-Canadian action in the field.

In March of 2026, the conference will be co-hosted in Toronto by the GCP and the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

• Visit the CGON website to learn more
• Read about this initiative in Lancet Oncology

The Virtual Speaker Series was developed to provide education and develop relationships in research, clinical expertise, and education within departments and across disciplines with global partners. The aim of the series was to engage experts from different institutions and to learn from different perspectives across disciplines.

Recordings of past virtual events are available on Cancer Campus.

To continue to enhance our global reach, and foster bi-directional learning internationally, the GCP hosted leaders from our global partner organizations in Toronto for the PM Global Partners’ Consultation. Representatives from 10 organizations from around the world came together to discuss global cancer control, identify global priorities to improve cancer outcomes, and provide an opportunity for networking with and between our global partners. The event highlighted common challenges and opportunities facing global cancer control, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and Comprehensive Cancer Centres in global access to cancer care.

• Learn more about the Global Partners’ Consultation

In 2020, the Global Cancer Program partnered with the Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC) and the Institute of Health Policy at King's College London to develop Palliative Care, Culture and the Clinic. The multidisciplinary symposium brought together experts in palliative and supportive care, health policy, and global and public health to examine the influence of culture and bio-medicine on resource allocation for palliative and supportive care, and the nature and form of cancer care in the last year of life.

• Read about this initiative in Lancet Oncology

The Princess Margaret Global Cancer Program and the International Cancer Expert Corps (ICEC) jointly hosted a two-day symposium (February 20-21, 2020) on the role of current and future role of AI in global health and oncology.

Co-hosted by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health took place from March 1-3, 2018. This conference featured international leaders in cancer care and global health, and brought together 352 delegates from more than 30 countries. A wide range of topics were explored including opportunities to accelerate progress in cancer control and care delivery, research and innovation, healthcare economics and narrowing the divide in access to care, treatment outcomes and survival rates amongst patients in high, middle and low-income countries.​