Speakers Profiles

Prof Fredrick Chite Asirwa

Fredrick Chite Asirwa M.D. is the CEO of International Cancer Institute, an organization whose main purpose is to expand Education, Clinical Care and Training opportunities in cancer control and research across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) through multi-sectoral collaborations and partnerships with relevant organizations both governmental and NGOs.

He is a Medical Oncologist & Hematologist, PD/PI of several access to personalized cancer care and research initiatives including Blueprint Program (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda), Shining Tower Program, Clinical Trials Program-all geared towards enhancing early detection, promoting primary HPV screening, providing SOC diagnostics & therapeutics cancer research. He has developed several training programs including SSA Oncology Preceptorship training, Digital Pathology Program, Telemedicine Program, Oncology training for Physician assistants (Clinical Officers), development of Oncology Nursing training program in Kenya, Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, Oncology Pharmacy program and assisted in the development of gynecologic oncology program. He also conducts Oncology and Hematology Clinical Trials in SSA.

He was previously (2011-2019), the Director of Academic Model Providing Access to Health Care (AMPATH Oncology & Hematology Consortium) in Kenya. In this role he developed infrastructure for telemedicine at AMPATH, created a robust hematology & oncology outreach program in rural Kenya and participated in the development of the Kenya National Cancer Control policies, strategic plans and guidelines by the National MOH. As PI to various clinical and research programs he established Multiple Myeloma program, Lymphoma Program, functional tumor registry, Breast Cancer screening & treatment program, Hemophilia and Sickle cell diagnostics, treatment & research, EMR for Oncology care and screening, a multinational Lung Cancer Control Program, MLCCP (Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini). He also teaches at various Universities in SSA and participates in Scientific Review Committees (SRC) of various Oncology Clinical Trial Centers in SSA.

He has also been an active ASCO member through ASCO’s Multidisciplinary Cancer Management Course (MCMC), International Affairs Committee (IAC), Education Council, ASCO‘s Academic Global Oncology Task Force and as a Peer reviewer to ASCO Journals. He is also currently a member of ASCO-ESMO Global Oncology Curriculum committee and a member of ASCO’s board of directors. He has been recognized for his work to increase access to cancer control for the underserved through various awards including the United States’ National Cancer Institute’s Pearline Global Cancer Research Humanitarian Award, 2020; The Children’s Place International ‘s 2018 Hero Award for his pioneering work in treating children and adults with cancers in Kenya. He is the current Interim President of the College of Oncology of East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA-CO) and a senate member for ECSA Health Community. He is also a distinguished Faculty speaker in both local, regional and International professional conferences and events including ASCO, AORTIC, KESHO, Africa Cancer ECHO, APCA amongst others.

He did his Undergraduate training (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) in Kenya and Post-graduate/specialty training (Internal Medicine Residency & Heme/Onc Fellowship) in the United States.

Dr Karen Mbaabu

Karen Mbaabu is a oncoplastic breast surgeon based at the MP Shah hospital Nairobi. She completed her fellowship in oncoplastic breast surgery training in the UK. Prior to that, she had worked as a General Surgeon at a The Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Nairobi.

She undertook her medical training at the University of Nairobi Medical School and her postgraduate training in General Surgery at the Aga khan University Hospital, Nairobi. Dr Mbaabu’s most recent accomplishment is graduating with a Postgraduate certificate in Surgical Leadership from the Harvard Postgraduate Medical School (SLP,Class of 2022) She currently serves as the co-country representative of the COSECSA program.

Dr Mbaabu is passionate about providing quality, compassionate and affordable surgery. Her main interests are oncoplastic breast surgery and surgical education.

Dr Manel Haj Mansour

Manel Haj is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Section Head of Medical Oncology at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. She is also the current Fellowship Program Director in The Department of Hematology Oncology.

She graduated from the University Tunis and undertook her Core Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology training the most prestigious University Hospitals in Tunisia where she received her certificate of completion in 2017. She has also received part of training at the Gustave Roussy Institute of Cancer Treatment in Paris, France.

She has previously worked as a consultant medical oncologist and lecturer at Abdurrahman Mami University Hospital, Tunisia and at a leading health care facility in Nairobi.

Dr Haj is passionate about increasing cancer awareness and promoting screening and early detection. She has also a special interest in precision oncology and clinical research and is currently an investigator in several clinical trials in the Cancer Research Unit at Aga Khan University Hospital.

She is a member of American (ASCO), European (ESMO), Tunisian, and Kenyan Societies of medical oncology ((STOM and KESHO).

Dr Amina Kidee Habib

Amina K. Habib is a Medical Oncologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi.

She holds a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Medical Oncology from the University of Nairobi.

Dr Habib was previously the Head of the Oncology Department, Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa where she championed a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer management at the facility aimed at improving patient outcomes and organized several awareness campaign activities.

Dr. Habib has keen interest in breast cancer, GI malignancy, and translational research.

She also has a keen interest in mentorship program aimed at bridging gaps in clinical practise among young medical/clinical practitioners.

Dr Priscilla Waithira Njenga

Priscilla Njenga is a dedicated scholar and educator with a profound commitment to advancing the field of Oncopathology and promoting best practice in Anatomic Pathology. With a primary focus on breast cancer, she has recently been awarded an NIH grant to pursue a fellowship in translational research in informatics and digital pathology, at Columbia University, New York; ultimately with the aim of building capacity at the Aga Khan University lab, and consequently optimizing diagnostic accuracy, streamlining laboratory workflows, and enhancing overall patient care.

She currently serves as a Senior Instructor in Anatomic Pathology, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, where she has been pivotal in the education and mentorship of postgraduate students.

Beyond her teaching and research duties, Dr. Njenga is an active member of the Kenya Association of Clinical Pathologists where she serves in the Organizing Scientific Committee.

Her areas of interest include, Anatomic Pathology, Breast Pathology, and Computational and Digital Pathology.

Dr Miriam Mutebi (Moderator)

Miriam Mutebi is a Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also a clinical epidemiologist and health systems researcher with a research focus on understanding barriers to access for women with cancers in Sub-Saharan Africa and in designing interventions to mitigate those barriers.

She is the President Elect of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), and on the board of directors of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). She is also the co-founder of the Pan African Women’s Association of Surgeons (PAWAS-www.africanwomensurgeons.org) which was developed to mentor and provide transformative leadership for women in surgery in order to improve surgical care and pathology on the continent and is part of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons. She is the former Chairperson for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO).

She is the Co-chair of the National Cancer Taskforce in Kenya, Chair of the Commonwealth Taskforce for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer and a commissioner with three Lancet commissions of Women and cancer, Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa and Breast Cancer. She is currently pursuing a pilot’s license in order to extend breast care services to marginalised areas.

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