Following their international exchange, the 44 global participants will work in their home countries to combat breast cancer and raise awareness both in the medical field and to the public.

The participants also visited Minneapolis, MN and divide into smaller groups for programs in Corpus Christi, TX; Pensacola, FL; Louisville, KY; Huntsville, AL; and Greensboro, NC. The program ended in Seattle, WA.

Now in its 70th year, the IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program, connecting current and emerging foreign leaders with their American counterparts through short-term programs to build mutual understanding on foreign policy issues. Nearly 200,000 distinguished individuals have participated in the program, including more than 320 current and former chiefs of state and heads of government, and thousands of leaders from the public and private sectors.

Dr. Marc Hurlbert, executive director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, said, “The Congress is the starting point to bring about changes that will improve breast cancer screening and care for women globally.  Our goal is that participants leave with new information to benefit the women they serve and forge new relationships to improve breast health care for women in each country and region represented at the Congress.”

Topics addressed at the Congress included advances and future technologies in breast imaging, screening and early detection; global incidence, mortality and risk factors, including in low and middle income countries; advancing care in developing populations through participation in global clinical trials; as well as global cancer control and education programs. Speakers also presented an analysis of Avon Foundation-funded projects in different regions of the world.

“Working toward solutions through people-to-people relationships highlights the power of the global community to work together and ensure people worldwide have greater access to breast cancer awareness and treatment,” said Lee Satterfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  

The Washington, D.C., portion of the Congress, sponsored by Eisai Inc., began with an opening reception on October 12th at the State Department Museum with remarks by Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, followed by a program including formal presentations and discussions on October 13 at the State Department. On October 14, participants toured a local cancer center and a nutrition and food delivery program for breast cancer patients. Following the Washington, D.C. portion of the program, participants travelled to New York City where they had the opportunity to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer New York and attended a luncheon with Avon Foundation Honorary Chairman Reese Witherspoon and New York-area breast cancer research and service organizations supported by the Avon Foundation.

The global roster of speakers includes: Leslie Bernstein, PhD, Professor and Director, Cancer Etiology, Dean for Faculty Affairs City of Hope, Beckman Research Institute; Wendie A. Berg, MD, PhD, FACR, Professor, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Mona Mostafa Mohamed, PhD, Cairo University; Rita Dardes, MD, PhD, Federal University of Sao Paolo/Avon Institute; Nishita Bakshi, Give2Asia; Pedro Liedke, MD and Yanin Chavarri Guerra, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital; Felicia M. Knaul, PhD Director, Harvard Global Equity Initiative; Paul Goss, MD, PhD, Director, Avon-Massachusetts General Hospital International Breast Cancer Research Center; Alessandra Durstine, Director for Latin America, American Cancer Society; and  Lee Satterfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchange.

“Eisai recognizes that breast cancer knows no boundaries and is a serious health issue for millions of women around the globe,” said Dr. Takashi Owa, chief scientific officer, Eisai Product Creation Systems and president of the Oncology Product Creation Unit at Eisai Inc.  “We are proud to sponsor this important conference aimed at improving the lives of those with breast cancer around the world.”

The Congress builds upon the Avon Foundation’s first successful collaboration with the State Department, which took place in 2008, and its nearly 150 participants represent 57 countries including Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Venezuela.