Dr Zipporah Ali 
Zipporah Ali is a Palliative Care Physician and a Public Health Specialist and is the currently an independent consultant.  She serves on the boards of Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) and the African Palliative Care Association (APCA). She is the recent past chair of the NCD Alliance Kenya (NCDAK) and the past Vice President of Africa Organization for Research & Training in Cancer (AORTIC) East Africa.

Dr Ali was the Executive Director of Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA), a position she held for 14 years before she retired in 2021. She also worked in the first hospice in Kenya-Nairobi Hospice as the Senior Medical Officer for over 14 years before she left to set up KEHPCA. In her retirement, she continues to be involved in advocacy and creating awareness on NCDS including cancer. She has received a number of awards for her work in palliative care nationally, regionally and globally. These include:

• European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Palliative Care Leadership Award 2023
• Doctor of Law Honoris Causa-University of Dundee (2018) in recognition for her work in palliative care regionally and globally
• International Humanitarian Award-Women4Africa (2018)
• Social Impact Award for the Sub-Saharan Africa region-British Council (2018)
• Honorary Doctor of the University by Oxford Brookes University (2012)
• Individual Advocacy Award by the African Palliative Care Association and Open Society Foundations (2013

Dr Joyfrida Chepchumba
Joyfrida Chepchumba is a pharmacist working with the Ministry of Health, Kenya for over 10 years in the public health system. She holds a Master’s degree in Health Economics and Policy and a Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy both from the University of Nairobi. She is currently the Program Officer in charge of Treatment, Palliative Care, and Survivorship Pillar at the National Cancer Control Program. She coordinates all activities pertaining to cancer treatment, including partnering with health experts in both public and private sector to develop policies and guidelines to inform best practice in cancer treatment. She has coordinated development of several health policies related to cancer management including the first Kenyan Palliative Care Policy, the National Radiotherapy protocols and Rehabilitation guidelines for children with cancer. She also oversees the M-saratani mobile platform, an e-learning platform which hosts content on early diagnosis of cancer targeting primary healthcare workers in the country.

She has submitted abstracts to different local and international conferences including the World Cancer Congress (2022), Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (2022), Oncology Nurses Chapter (2022) PSK (2015).

She is passionate about collaborations in developing robust heath systems to improve the quality of life for patients in the oncology space.

Dr Deborah Omeddo
Deborah Omeddo is a Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist working in Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital.

She holds a Master’s in Paediatrics and Child Health from the University of Nairobi. She did her fellowship training at Makerere University.

Dr Omeddo strives to provide quality health services to children living with cancer and blood diseases. Her vision is that all children in Kenya will have access to quality healthcare services regardless of location and socio-economic status.

Dr Pavanraj Chana
Pavanraj Singh Chana is a Kenyan board-certified Medical Officer. His aspirations for pursuing medicine started as a childhood/paediatric cancer survivor treated for advanced head and neck embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Despite collateral damage and several drawbacks, he completed his schooling in Nairobi, obtained his medical degree in 2021 at Moi University in Eldoret and completed his medical internship in PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital. He has been keen to advance in clinical care, education and research since he was a medical student by working with the International Cancer Institute, and with the Aga Khan University Hospital Clinical Research Unit as a Medical Officer. Within and beyond these capacities, he has been involved in a number of activities including compiling education material, conducting education sessions, developing audio-visual publications, leading support groups, engaging in screening and clinical work, contributing to multi-disciplinary research work and been part of several clinical trial programs. He has also been supporting the Secretariat and Chairperson/President in administrative/coordinating tasks and the development of the East Central & Southern Africa College of Oncologists (ECSACO).

Dr. Chana distinguished himself early as a Medical Student and Doctor. He has presented Research work at several Conferences and is active in several Community Outreach activities. As an international and local executive member of the Beyond Sciences Initiative (BSI), he has helped initiate and implement a mentorship program for vulnearable populations including street youth and refugees, developed drug adherence programs, delivered health education and motivational talks in various forums. He has also been focused on developing evidence-based innovative solutions to medical challenges. He is ambitious to use these qualities in his aspirations to pursue residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology to eventually serve populations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ms Benda Kithaka (Moderator)
Benda Kithaka is a Health Advocacy & Behaviour Change Communications Specialist, with over 20 years’ experience in communications, research, and health advocacy.

She is the founder of KILELE Health Association, a Kenyan non-profit organization located in Nairobi, with a mandate to operate in the country’s 47 Counties.

KILELE Health specializes in empowering people living with chronic conditions (cancer and other NCDs) and their caregivers to use their lived experiences as advocacy tools for disease prevention, stigma reduction and improvement of quality of life beyond the diagnosis.  The organization is committed to engaging members and other stakeholders in improving the understanding of quality of life issues. Current programmes focus on advocacy, behaviour change communications, capacity building, and exchange of best practice, research, and resourcing. This is achieved through promotion of physical activity, mental wellness, financial wellness and pursuit of optimal health; as tools for the attainment of wellbeing.

Benda sits on various global, regional and local Technical Working Groups in an advocacy and advisory role. She co-chairs the AORTIC Advocacy Special Interest Group regionally in Africa, and in Kenya is Co-Chair of the STOP Cervical Cancer technical working group. She is also a Trainer, Facilitator and Public Speaker in advocacy for Women’s Health. Previously she served on the Board of Women4Cancer for nine years, a Kenyan NGO she co-founded in 2012, whose Vision is a Cervical Cancer Free Kenya.

She has received various awards including the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Distinguished Advocacy Award 2019, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) award to participate as the civil society voice in the Regional Consultation on the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in the African Region (May 2019). She is also the Cancer Ambassador of the Year 2016 in Kenya.

An alumni of the AORTIC Master Cancer Advocacy Trainer Programme in 2013, her advocacy work includes writing the WHO Regional Office for Africa Advocacy for Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control in Africa Facilitator Manual in 2015 – 2017, and Master Training of Expert Trainers of Trainers from 10 WHO AFRO Countries in use of the toolkit in Africa (2017).

To complement her advocacy with systems strengthening, she undertook an Executive Diploma in Leading High Performing Healthcare Organisations Program (LeHHO) at the Strathmore Business School: Institute of Healthcare Management in Kenya (2016). In 2020, she was also trained as a MOTH Story Teller, a skill she is using to inspire others to tell their stories in advocacy, acting as a catalyst for change.

Under the KILELE Challenge, Benda summited Mt. Kenya Climb with Cancer Survivors in September 2020, to highlight cancer survivorship challenges and advocate for post treatment empowerment of women cancer survivors across Sub-Sahara Africa.

Webinar Recording