New $5 million grant will expand access to breast cancer diagnosis and care in Kenya
The Pfizer Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to expand access to timely breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and care in Kenya.
Training for community health promoters at Burnt Forest Hospital.
The grant is part of The Pfizer Foundation's Action & Impact: A Cancer Care Initiative, an effort to reduce persistent disparities in breast cancer outcomes between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries.
The three-year grant will support the work of AMPATH partners including Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya, and the Center for Global Oncology at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the IU School of Medicine and the IU Center for Global Health in Indiana.
“This grant represents a transformative opportunity to address one of the most pressing cancer challenges facing women today,” said Dr. Patrick Loehrer, founding director of the Center for Global Oncology, the Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor of Oncology at the IU School of Medicine and one of the grant’s principal investigators. “Working with our Kenyan colleagues, we are strengthening the systems that improve survival, and this investment allows us to accelerate that progress. The lessons we learn in the process help us improve care for women in Indiana as well.”
The investment is part of The Pfizer Foundation’s Action & Impact: A Cancer Care Initiative, an effort to reduce persistent disparities in breast cancer outcomes between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries.
“Since the launch of the Action & Impact initiative, we’ve seen meaningful progress across Rwanda, Ghana and Tanzania, empowering communities to lead the charge and helping women gain access to care that once felt out of reach,” said Darren Back, president of The Pfizer Foundation. ”As our trusted partners collaborate closely with governments to strengthen health systems, engage communities, and decentralize diagnosis and care, we’re helping build a successful model to help ensure more women can receive the care they need when and where they need it.”
Representatives from The Pfizer Foundation and AMPATH with community health workers
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, and survival rates lag far behind those in higher-income countries due largely to delays in diagnosis and limited access to treatment. AMPATH’s decades-long partnership in Kenya provides a strong foundation for improving cancer outcomes through strengthening health systems, collaborating on research and building capacity. AMPATH will be working closely with the National Cancer Institute and the Ministry of Health to establish a Kenya Cancer Consortium and encourage strong health policy to advance cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment throughout the country.
A major focus of the partnership’s work is improving diagnostic precision and reducing delays between a positive screening result and definitive diagnosis. The project will deploy digital pathology technologies, strengthen tumor registry systems and support biobanking to advance future research. This work complements ongoing AMPATH initiatives that have expanded clinical breast exams, ultrasound access, patient navigation and community awareness across multiple counties.
AMPATH's decades-long partnership in Kenya provides a strong foundation for improving cancer outcomes through strengthening health systems, collaborating on research and building capacity.
The project will also prioritize community mobilization. Building on lessons from AMPATH’s large-scale screening and navigation programs, the initiative will train community health promoters, expand public education campaigns and partner with local advocacy groups to reduce stigma and encourage people to seek care early.
“Awareness and trust are essential,” said Dr. Jeremiah Laktabai, senior lecturer at Moi University and co-principal investigator. “When women understand that breast cancer can be treated, they come forward earlier and stay engaged in care. This partnership strengthens our ability to reach women in their communities, connect them to skilled providers and support them throughout their care journey.”
Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital will work closely with the National Cancer Institute and Ministry of Health to build a national consortium of oncology centers of excellence. This network will harmonize clinical guidelines, expand tumor board participation across counties and support a unified approach to improving the breast cancer care continuum.
“Kenya has the expertise and commitment to transform breast cancer outcomes, and this investment helps us align efforts across institutions and counties,” said Dr. Loice Sitienei, breast radiologist at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and co-principal investigator. “By coordinating screening, diagnostics and treatment, we can ensure that more women receive high-quality care as close to home as possible.”
“Kenya has made significant strides in expanding breast cancer services, but too many women are still diagnosed at advanced stages,” said Dr. Adrian Gardner, director of the AMPATH Consortium and a principal investigator for the grant. “This investment by The Pfizer Foundation can help reduce breast cancer mortality for generations to come.”