Global Oral Cancer Diploma pilot is now underway
AO CMF, in conjunction with the International Academy for Oral Oncology (IAOO), in February 2023 kicked off the Global Oral Cancer Diploma pilot. This interactive, self-directed online program is designed to provide a standardized, evidence-based knowledge platform for multiple specialties involved in the treatment and management of oral cancer cases.
The Global Oral Cancer Diploma pilot started with an online welcome session on the February 4, 2023, with a cohort of 34 participants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Welcoming participants and describing expectations and goals associated with the program were Global Oral Cancer Diploma Steering Committee members Gregorio Sanchez Aniceto (chairperson AO CMF International Board), Marcelo Figari (AO Foundation Board member, craniomaxillofacial expertise), Stefano Fusetti (chairperson AO CMF Education Commission), Ian Ganly (IAOO secretary general), and Moni Abraham Kuriakose (IAOO president). The main goals of the five-and-a-half-month program are:
- To pilot the program concept and gain participants’ feedback on improvements
- Provide live sessions with expert faculty as well as interactive case discussions
- Allow participants to learn from the experience and support of global leaders in oral cancer along the learning pathway
- Provide participants with networking opportunities and career advancement
The pilot includes four modules and several module faculty joined the welcome session to provide insights on their respective pilot modules. Besides the Steering Committee members, who are also involved as faculty in the modules, the following module faculty joined the welcome session:
Etiology and prevention (three weeks)
- Praveen Birur, professor and Head of Department, KLE Society's Institute of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, India
- Irfan Shah, associate professor, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Islamabad, Pakistan
- Gulraiz Zulfiqar, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Pakistan
Epidemiology, clinical research, and biostatistics (three weeks)
- Krishnakumar Thankappan, PhD, professor, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, India
Communication (four weeks)
- Satyesh Parmar, consultant, maxillofacial Surgeon, University Hospital, Birmingham, England
- Dr Ayesha Younas, assistant professor, Shifa College of Dentistry Department of Medical and Dental Education, Punjab, Pakistan)
Surgery (twelve weeks)
- Brett Miles, professor and chair, Lenox Hill Hospital Division Head and Neck Oncology, Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, United States
The full Global Oral Cancer Diploma Program will be launched globally in 2024 with six additional modules. Those modules and their approximate durations are:
- Diagnosis and workup (one month)
- Staging and outcome evaluation (one month)
- Treatment planning (one month)
- Adjuvant treatment (two weeks)
- Posttreatment management and survivorship (two weeks)
- Surveillance and salvage treatment (four weeks)
Each module includes:
- Synchronous live sessions with renowned content experts as faculty
- Pre- and post-module assessment
- Prerecorded lectures from international authors
- Asynchronous discussion forums moderated by well-known content experts as faculty
- Quizzes for weekly knowledge assessment