Changing Cancer Care In Tanzania Carter Smith ’13 wants everyone to know that cancer is not just a first-world disease. By Shelley White
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Carter Smith ’13 (far right) and Matthew Corolis ’13 (centre) are filming a documentary about the inequality of cancer care in sub-Saharan Africa.
hen people think of pressing health issues in places like sub-Saharan Africa, they likely think of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. But Smith explains that as people in low-income countries are starting to live longer and infectious diseases are better managed, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as cancer and cardiovascular disease – are becoming much bigger contributors to death and disability. “We come up against the myth that cancer is only an issue in wealthy countries, and that's just not the case at all,” says Smith. “What you see with cancer or heart attacks in countries like Tanzania or India or other countries in Africa or Southeast Asia – they're incredibly devastating because there are no resources or doctors in that space.” Smith is a global health research associate in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston. He works with Dr. Karen Yeates, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s who focuses on developing better ways to deliver healthcare in resource-limited settings. Smith manages Dr. Yeates’ Global Health Research Program, a collection of projects mostly based in Tanzania. Much of his time is spent writing manuscripts and grant applications to raise funding, as well as coordinating with people on the ground in Tanzania and elsewhere.
Crescent School Alumni Magazine 29
