Prof Paul Ruff appointed as Chair of ASCO’s Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council

Professor Paul Ruff

CANSA congratulates CANSA Research Committee (RESCOM) member Prof Paul Ruff for being appointed as Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council. Prof Ruff is an Emeritus Professor of Medical Oncology at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand.

The Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council has 12 members who are leading oncologists from Sub-Saharan Africa: three from southern Africa, three from eastern Africa, and six from western Africa, including three members from Anglophone and three from Francophone countries.

Aims of the ASCO Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council:

1. Access to cancer treatment especially cancer medicine in low-middle income countries including those in Sub-Saharan Africa.
2. Early diagnosis and detection of cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Teaching and training opportunities available in Sub-Saharan African countries.

These are the 3 major thrusts of the Committee with access to care being done by the entire Committee while teaching and training and early detection being handled by 2 sub-committees each consisting of 6-8 members.

Read more:

• The Ripple Effect: Working to Close the Care Gap for People Living With Cancer Around the World
• ASCO Launches Regional Council to Support Quality Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa
• ASCO’s Regional Councils: Uniting Oncology Leaders to Make a Global Impact

Prof Ruff received the coveted A.G. Oettlé Memorial medal from CANSA in 2020 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to cancer research. Read more…