ASCO Forms the Association for Clinical Oncology

Recognized multiple times as a top oncologist in the Bay Area, Dr. Peter Brett now serves as an oncologist at the Commonwealth Health Care Corp (CHCC) Center in Saipan. His presence has greatly boosted the cancer-treating capability of the Western Pacific island. Dr. Peter Brett keeps abreast of the latest developments in oncology through membership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

ASCO is the world’s premier professional organization for health care practitioners looking after patients with cancer. In January 2020, the organization launched the Association for Clinical Oncology. While ASCO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Association for Clinical Oncology was purposely established as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit. This type of group has greater leeway in how it can advocate for issues on behalf of its members.

Other medical organizations have also used this designation. In the health care space, we are now experiencing a fast-paced world of scientific advances, cost increases, health care system shifts, and other pressing issues. Having a 501(c)(6) entity will give ASCO the adaptability to provide policymakers with a better understanding of the present challenges the cancer care delivery system is facing and the potential to provide better care.

The Active Oncology Projects of Health Volunteers Overseas

Fighting cancer
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

An oncology practitioner at the Commonwealth Health Care Corp (CHCC) Center on the Northern Mariana Island of Saipan, Dr. Peter Brett builds upon a medical career that spans more than three decades. To help underserved patients, Dr. Peter Brett has volunteered as an oncologist with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO).

Since 1984, HVO has been addressing global health workforce deficiencies through a range of professional training and development initiatives. Oncology is just one of roughly a dozen HVO medical specialties.

The current oncology projects of HVO include training and mentoring initiatives at the National Cancer Hospital in:

- Hanoi, Vietnam;

- the National Academy of Medical Sciences in Kathmandu, Nepal;

- the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, Uganda;

- the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital in Bhaktapur, Nepal;

- and multiple medical centers in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

HVO also operates in Thimphu, Bhutan, where volunteers participate in the daily activities of the oncology unit of the National Referral Hospital and deliver regular hospital staff lectures/presentations on a variety of cancer-related topics.