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
Why Women in Medicine Should Embrace Social Media
Of course social media has its downside. But online platforms are a powerful tool for women in medicine in terms of forming communities, fighting misinformation, amplifying one another, and galvanizing...
Exceptional Impact Presented at ECCMID 2024
The ECCMID conference in Barcelona, Spain marked the start of Medscape’s publication season in Europe. With three posters being presented at the conference, Medscape shared highlights from the powerful impact...
Showing Deep Expertise at ONS
The Medscape Oncology team will be connecting with the oncology nursing community this week in Washington, DC for the ONS Congress 2024. Medscape Oncology has deep expertise in the oncology...
MEDSCAPE’S NEW AGE OF CERTAINTY FOR CME
The CME industry is changing. More than ever, activities need to be prioritized and measured to increase their impact on patient outcomes. Improving patient outcomes is the core objective for...
Getting Past the Old-Fashioned View of Patient Advocacy
Patient advocacy organizations today are data-driven, doing amazing work — and have the hard evidence to support their impact on patient care. The challenge is getting past the perception of...
Mile High Impact at AAN 2024
The Medscape team will be joining our neurology colleagues in Denver, CO for this year’s AAN Annual Meeting. Impact will take center stage at this year’s event as Medscape presents...
Everything Was Peachy at ACC 2024 in Atlanta, GA
The annual ACC meeting has officially wrapped up in Atlanta, bringing a successful conference to a close for another year. During the conference, members of the Medscape team hosted a...
A Woman Should Not Be Treated As a Small Man
What should the future of women’s healthcare look like? Two renowned physicians say it involves a multidisciplinary, holistic approach, where a group of different specialists work together to provide a...
Sharing Four Times the Impact at ACC 2024
ACC is kicking off next week in Atlanta, GA, and Medscape is heading south to join our cardiology colleagues. The Medscape team will be hosting booth #3431 on the exhibit...
Transforming San Diego for AAD 2024
The 2024 meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology has wrapped up, and Medscape has returned from a series of successful days at their booth, symposia, and offsite event. To...