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International Pain Policy
Fellowship (IPPF)
Funded by the Open
Society Institute’s (OSI) International Palliative Care
Initiative
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life
of patients and their families by relieving pain, but cannot be
effective without access to opioid analgesics. Because opioid
analgesics also have a potential for misuse, they are controlled
by international treaties and national drug control policies.
Many drug regulatory policies are very strict and have become
outdated as the science of pain has evolved and as chronic diseases
have increased. Consequently, more and more patients, especially
in the developing world, lack access to the opioid analgesics
that the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated as essential
medicines. A fellowship with some of the world’s experts
in opioid availability can empower already-motivated health professionals
to evaluate and help improve the regulatory environment in their
country.
The purpose of the International Pain Policy Fellowship
is to assist low and middle income countries to improve patient
access to pain medicines recommended by the WHO for pain of cancer,
HIV/AIDS and other diseases. United Nations bodies, including
the WHO and the International Narcotics Control Board, have expressed
concern about the low consumption of controlled pain medicines
in the world, especially in developing countries.
The Fellowship is intended for health professionals
(for example, oncologists, AIDS clinicians, pharmacists, pain
and palliative care physicians), health care administrators, policy
experts, social workers, or lawyers from low- or middle-income
countries who have an interest in drug policy advocacy to improve
availability of opioid analgesics for pain relief and palliative
care.
The IPPF began with an inaugural class in 2006.
Due to the success of the IPPF 2006, the Open Society Institute’s
(OSI) International Palliative Care Initiative decided to fund
a second class of Fellows for another two-year project. Each class
of Fellows trained with the PPSG and other international experts
in Madison, Wisconsin, USA to develop action plans to improve
opioid availability for implementation during their two-year Fellowship
with follow-up technical support from the PPSG and grant support
from the OSI.
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2008 IPPF
16-20 June 2008
- Fellows:
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Zipporah Ali, MD,
MPH, Dip. Palliative Care -Kenya
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Eva Rossina Duarte
Juárez, MD, MA - Guatemala
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Pati Dzotsenidze,
MD - Georgia
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Hrant Karapetyan,
MD, PhD - Republic of Armenia
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Irina Kazaryan,
PharmD, PhD, MSc - Republic of Armenia
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Bishnu Dutta Paudel,
MD, MBBS - Nepal
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Margaret Dingle
Spence, BSc, MBBS, Dip. Pall. Med., FRCR - Jamaica
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Verna Walker-Edwards,
BSc, Pharmacy - Jamaica
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2006
IPPF
23-27 October 2006
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Fellows:
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Dr. Simbo Daisy
Amanor-Boadu, MBBS, FMCA - Nigeria
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Prof. Snežana
Bošnjak, MD, PhD - Serbia
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Prof. Rosa Buitrago,
BS, MCPh - Panama
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Mrs. Nguyen Thi
Phoung Cham, Pharm - Vietnam
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Dr. Henry Ddungu,
MB ChB, M.Med - Uganda
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Dr. Jorge Eisenchlas,
MD, MSc - Argentina
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Dr. Marta Ximena
León, MD - Colombia
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Mr. Gabriel Madiye,
DPH - Sierra Leone
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Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit
Dublin, Ireland
24-26 August 2009
From 24-26 August 2009, PPSG staff members (James Cleary, Martha Maurer, and Karen Ryan) and five of their International Pain Policy Fellows participated as Delegates in the Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland.
The Summit was a landmark event bringing together world leaders, industry, non-governmental organizations and individuals to spotlight their collective commitment to the global fight against cancer.
The Fellows in attendance were:
- Rosa Buitrago, BS, MCPh, University of Panama College of Pharmacy, Panama City, Panama
- Snežana Bošnjak, MD, PhD, Institute for Oncology & Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
- Accompanying Prof. Bosnjak was the Director of the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Prof. Nenad Borojevic
- Marta Ximena León, MD, Universidad de la Sabana, Palliative Care Dept., Bogotá, Colombia
- Pati Dzotsenidze, MD, P. Sarajishvili Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Eva Duarte, MD, MA, Chief Palliative Care Unit, Instituto de Cancerología (INCAN Guatemala), Guatemala
- Accompanying Dr. Duarte was the Director of INCAN Guatemala, Dr. Walter O. Guerra
Unfortunately, due to visa problems, our colleagues in Sierra Leone, Mr. Gabriel Madiye (Executive Director, Shepherds Hospice) and Dr. Daoh (Chief Medical Officer of Ministry of Health and Sanitation), were unable to attend and present on their success in providing pain medications to needy patients in Sierrra Leone.
In addition, two members of the PPSG's International Expert Collaboration were also in attendance:
- Dr. M.R. Rajagopal, Pallium India, India
- Dr. Eric Krakauer, Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, USA
The PPSG is grateful for the opportunity to participate in this groundbreaking new global initiative in the fight against cancer and pain. We look forward to continued leadership from the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Jim Cleary, Rosa Buitrago, Marta Leon, Eva Duarte, Pati Dzotsenidze |
Lance Armstrong, opening ceremony |
Martha Maurer, Snezana Bosnjak, Marta Leon, Karen Ryan, Pati Dzotsenidze, Eva Duarte |
Dr. Jim Cleary, session moderator |
Rosa Buitrago carrying Panama's flag
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Eva Duarte carrying Guatemala's flag
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Pati Dzotsenidze carrying Georgia's flag
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Eva Duarte, dinner at Guinness
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Willem Scholten and Rosa Buitrago, dinner at Guinness |
Group photo with Fellows
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