New Pardee Paper: Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa
Cancer is the leading global cause of death, and has been on the rise in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide, which are projected to account for roughly 80 percent of global cancer diagnoses by 2030. Much like the inadequate funding and priority-setting that plagued the treatment of HIV/AIDS early in the epidemic, cancer treatment is suffering from a cycle of inaction in sub-Saharan Africa.
In a new Pardee Paper titled Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Need for New Paradigms in Global Health, Maia Olsen, a 2013 Pardee Graduate Summer Fellow, examines the lessons learned from the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and applies them to the future of political advocacy, funding, and treatment of cancer in the region.
Maia Olsen is a Program Manager for the NCD Synergies project at Partners In Health, a policy and advocacy program focused on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries among the poorest populations worldwide. She holds an MPH in International Health from Boston University and a BA in Anthropology and Global Development Studies from Grinnell College.