Itabuna, Brazil

IIPAN Center & Collaborators

Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Itabuna is a public center for treatment of childhood cancer in the state of Bahia, located in the Northeast region of Brazil. The Northeast is an impoverished region of Brazil, with over 40% of the population living in poverty. Historically, hunger and access to medical care have been a public health challenge with about 50% of the population living in food insecurity. IIPAN’s partnership is lending educational and clinical support as well as mentoring individuals in gold standard approaches to nutrition research. Approximately 70 new cases of childhood cases are diagnosed every year.

Chief pediatric oncologist Dr. Teresa Cristina Cardoso Fonseca is the IIPAN medical collaborator, working with dietitian Renata Cavalcante on advancing clinical care for children with cancer and is expanding our understanding of the impact of nutrition in pediatric oncology by collaborating in multicenter research studies.

Site Challenges

• Extensive education is pressing for most families on nutrition basics.
• Patients presenting advanced disease at diagnosis.
• Little training in nutrition methodology and research.
• Lack of mentorship for nutritionists.

Site Needs

• Approaches to address food security.
• Clinical program development and advancing nutrition research.
• Educational initiatives for health care providers, patients, and families.

(Image Source: https://scmi.com.br)