Have you ever wondered what it is like to practice radiation oncology in Botswana? How can technology and smartphones be used to optimise cancer care?
In today’s episode Rachael Babin chats to Surbhi Grover, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at University of Botswana. They’re joined by Givy Dhaliwal, Founder & CEO of ONE BCG, the company behind the OP Care app.
Surbhi and Givy collaborated on a smartphone app to optimise the care of gynaecological patients and remove common barriers to treatment success.
This is the second special episode of Experts on Point focused on cancer care in Botswana. In the first episode, Hans Prenen spoke to Peter Vuylsteke about his experiences practicing medical oncology.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode of Experts on Point, brought to you by The Oncology Podcast.
Papers, Resources & Links:
Grover S, Shah S, Bhatia R, et al. Development and Usability of a Smartphone Application for Tracking Oncology Patients in Gaborone, Botswana. Methods of Information in Medicine. 2020 Feb;59(1):31-40. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1713129. PMID: 32838443; PMCID: PMC7895484. Access online here.
Other Episodes Mentioned:
Cancer Care in Botswana: Medical Oncology
This Week’s Team:
Associate Professor Surbhi Grover
Surbhi Grover
Dr. Surbhi Grover is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, Director of Global Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at University of Botswana. She is interested in addressing the growing global cancer burden by focusing on public health endeavors and cost-effective clinical initiatives to improve access to care and outcomes of care in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Since 2011, Dr. Grover has been working with the Botswana-UPENN partnership, strengthening the oncology program in Botswana. She moved full-time to Botswana in 2014. In her current role, she is seeing cancer patients at the public hospital, conducting research and teaching. She is involved in several clinical and implementation research projects in Botswana and broadly in sub-Saharan Africa, and has been the principal investigator for several large NCI funded grants. She also works closely with IAEA, WHO, AORTIC, ASTRO and NCI Center for Global Health in cancer care improvement efforts in LMICs particularly Africa.
Mr Givy Dhaliwal
Givy Dhaliwal
Givy Dhaliwal is Founder & CEO of ONE BCG, the company behind the OP Care application. ONE BCG is a Global Software Consulting and IT services firm offering integrated business solutions, enabling clients to optimise their business with greater efficiency, and increased responsiveness. OP Care was developed with the dream of addressing the medical concerns facing the Cancer patients in Botswana.
Rachael Babin
Rachael Babin is Host of The Oncology Podcast, Editor-in-Chief of The Oncology Newsletter, Publisher of Oncology News Australia and The Oncology Network, and Producer of The Oncology Journal Club.
With a background in oncology communications and academic publishing, Rachael is happiest sitting behind the mic chatting to interesting people about the impact their work makes in oncology.
Connect with us on Twitter here: @OncologyNewsAus
