The Only Way We Can Go is Up: Improving Screening and Management of Female Cancers
March 5, 2025 | Hear from her, Women in Leadership, oncology, podcast
One of the toughest challenges of educating many African women about female cancers and disease prevention is overcoming cultural biases, as well as shame, stigma, and misinformation. Here’s how two global leaders in oncology and women’s health, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu and Dr. Nermean Mostafa, are making headway.
“There is a misconception about oncology that it’s a depressive, very sad branch of medicine,” says Dr. Nermean Mostafa, lecturer of Clinical Oncology at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, and member of the scientific and executive committee of the Presidential Initiative of Cancer, Early Detection and Management. “But to me it’s extremely dynamic, and rewarding. You develop a special, very strong bond with your patients and their caregivers. To them you are God in the Sky.” Those relationships, plus new drug developments that are improving patient outcomes, are the tools to change people’s lives.
Listen to Episode 1 of Season 3 here.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, our other guest on this episode focusing on female cancer awareness and prevention, is living proof. After training as a pediatrician in the UK, and self-specializing in neonatology, Dr. Bagudu returned to her native Nigeria, “ready to take on all the children, malnutrition.” What she didn’t expect? That many of the mothers who brought their kids to her hospital would confide their own intimate health concerns to her: a breast lump, a funny discharge. They just saw me as a woman who happens to be a healthcare provider, whom they could share their problems with, she says.
What stunned her was the women’s lack of awareness around their health, particularly breast health. Recognizing a dire need for education, she and a few colleagues took on the challenge, but it soon became apparent that she couldn’t do that plus run her pediatric clinic. So she started the non-profit Medicaid Cancer Foundation in northern Nigeria, and it grew steadily from there. “We rose to fill a need that I discovered through my clinical practice,” she says.
Dr. Bagudu, who is also president-elect of the Union for International Cancer Control, and Dr. Mostafa are passionate about moving the needle, raising awareness about cancer screenings in their part of the world, so it’s detected early and survivors thrive. And the stigma and shame—which are huge—disappear.
“In my language, the local name for cancer is ‘disease of the forest,’ a disease of the wild,” says Dr. Bagudu. “In typical African societies, there’s a belief that illness has supernatural roots rather than a medical cause,” she explains. “Even the most educated people will often come at you with those kinds of ideas,” including in middle-class cities, where you don’t expect it. When it comes to healthcare, women tend to go to places that are faith-based or even to traditional healers, rather than seeking conventional medical care.
Listen to Episode 1 of Season 3 here.
Both Bagudu and Mostafa say they’re laser focused not just on increasing awareness around cancer and disease progression, but also making sure the information is explained in a way that is “contextually, easily digested.” And the education process must begin in childhood, they say, because statistics show that better educated girls grow up to be more empowered, confident women. That dynamic supports better health outcomes not only for the women themselves but also for their families and, ultimately, the community.
If we stay positive and keep moving forward, they say, “the only way we can go is up.”
Listen to Episode 1 of Season 3 here.
Hosted by Jelena Spyropoulos, Vice President at Medscape Education
Follow us on LinkedIn for updates on upcoming podcasts and more insightful conversations. For more information, please contact Jelena Spyropoulos.
Catch up on Season 1 and Season 2 on:
Apple
Spotify
Medscape
About Medscape Education
Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free accredited CME and CE courses for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
This content was provided by Medscape Education
Company Details
Latest Content from Medscape Education
Leading with Heart: Why Vulnerability is a Force Multiplier
In a world that often prizes "macho" decisiveness, Dr. Lobna Salem (CMO at Viatris) and Dr. Amrit Ray (Board Chairman and former Pfizer executive) are advocating for a more human...
Cardiology Education in the Age of AI: Join Medscape at ACC 2026
As medical knowledge now doubles every 73 days, the challenge for cardiology clinicians has shifted from finding information to mastering precision. At the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 65th...
Medscape Launches “Where Public Health Meets Practice” Learning Center to Translate Public Health Strategies into Patient Care
The Medscape Division of Public Health announced the launch of the "Where Public Health Meets Practice" Learning Center, a dedicated educational destination on Medscape.org. The new center serves as...
Data, Evidence, Education: Tackling the Global Multi‑Trillion‑Dollar Rare Disease Burden
Rare diseases are individually uncommon, yet together they affect an estimated 300 million+ people worldwide and touch the lives of over one billion when families and caregivers are included. For...
#ShortenTheJourney
For the millions of people living with a rare disease, the path to a diagnosis (if ever received) is often a long and frustrating odyssey. This delay is frequently driven...
Why We Must Stop Normalizing the “Pregnancy Itch”
In the world of rare diseases, success is often measured by the speed of diagnosis. However, for women facing rare liver conditions like Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP), the medical...
The Greatest Form of Caring: Medscape’s Commitment to Advancing Cardiovascular Health
A February Focus on the Heart While February is known as the month of love, it is also National Heart Month, a time for highlighting the importance of cardiovascular health....
AI, Agility, and Connected Impact at Alliance 2026
Join the Medscape team in Atlanta, February 16–19, 2026, as Alliance celebrates 50 years of excellence in continuing education for health professionals. We’re bringing our 3 decades of experience in...
Why Sleep Health is the Missing Link in Women’s Wellness
While obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects approximately 32% of US adults—nearly 80 million people—it remains an "epidemic hiding in plain sight". Perhaps most staggering is that 90% of women with...
The Heart and Mouth Connection Every Woman Needs to Know
For decades, modern medicine has treated the mouth and the body as separate entities. But for Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a renowned cardiologist, and Dr. Maria Ryan, Chief Clinical Officer at...