Society for Translational Oncology Fellowship (STOF)
Building Translational Leaders to Eliminate Cervical Cancer
Society for Translational Oncology Fellowships (STOF) is a globally oriented training program that equips physicians and physician-scientists with the skills to translate proven tools into real-world impact. Over the course of one year, fellows complete an intensive, multi-phase training experience, moving from foundational curriculum in Beijing through field-based practice at community health sites in China, to hands-on deployment in Nigeria, and observation rotations at U.S. or U.K. partner centers. The result is a cadre of trained, networked professionals equipped not only to apply existing technologies, but to generate the evidence, partnerships, and policy translations needed to sustain progress at home.
Designed to support the China-Africa Hospitals Alliance (CAHA) Working Group for Gynecological Diseases, STOF prepares a new generation of leaders committed to strengthening care delivery in underserved settings through training, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.
Overview
Program Design
Candidate Information
Organizing Institutions
STOF creates lasting impact by preparing healthcare leaders to translate evidence into action, expanding access to cervical cancer prevention and care while building stronger, more resilient health systems.
Program at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Duration | Approximately one year |
| Fellowship model | Multi-phase, cross-continental training experience |
| Cohort size | 2-4 Nigerian and 2-4 Chinese fellows annually |
| Core focus areas | Clinical care, translational research, diagnostics, clinical trials, implementation science, and health systems strengthening |
| Support | Stipend or salary supplement, travel support, and accommodation support |
Program Objectives
- Develop a new generation of leaders equipped to advance cervical cancer prevention and control, establish sustainable programs, mentor future professionals, and strengthen health systems in underserved communities.
- Strengthen local research and implementation capacity to translate proven interventions into measurable health outcomes.
- Advance global collaboration and knowledge exchange across disciplines, institutions, and countries.
- Drive practical, scalable innovations that improve screening uptake, referral completion, diagnostic accuracy, care coordination, and patient outcomes.
- Enable fellows to evaluate, adapt, and implement proven technologies, including HPV point-of-care testing, self-sampling, and AI-assisted colposcopy, in resource-limited settings.
- Generate evidence, implementation tools, and training resources that accelerate the adoption of effective cervical cancer prevention and control strategies across low-resource settings.
Outcomes & Impact
STOF is designed to create lasting impact by strengthening the leadership, expertise, and partnerships needed to accelerate cervical cancer elimination in resource-limited settings. The program equips clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals to translate evidence into practice, improving prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up while building sustainable local capacity.
Through workforce development, technology adoption, implementation research, and global collaboration, fellows return to their institutions prepared to train others, improve clinical workflows, and lead meaningful systems change. The program’s impact extends beyond individual participants, generating knowledge, training resources, and scalable implementation models that can be adapted across diverse low-resource settings.
Impact is measured through long-term follow-up of fellows and institutional outcomes, as well as through the Application Demonstration Project in Nigeria, where fellows help deliver HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and healthcare worker training. Together, these efforts create sustainable pathways to expand access to high-quality cervical cancer care and advance global elimination goals.
STOF is organized into two main components: Fellowship Training and Application Demonstration. Together, they link workforce development with real world deployment to ensure that training is translated directly into measurable service delivery and patient care.
Core Curriculum – China
Fellows begin with an integrated training program in Beijing, combining onsite and online learning across the full continuum of cervical cancer prevention and care. This includes:
- Primary prevention through HPV vaccination strategies, delivery systems, community engagement, and safety monitoring
- Secondary prevention through HPV testing, cytology, self-sampling, AI-enabled colposcopy, pathology linkage, and end-to-end screening workflows
- Tertiary prevention covering lesion management, surgical treatment, cancer staging, multidisciplinary care, follow-up, and outcome evaluation
Training is reinforced through field practice where fellows participate in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening programs, including community outreach, service delivery, referral pathways, and follow-up systems. Clinical rotations and observation in maternal and child health and tertiary hospitals provide exposure to screening clinics, colposcopy, gynecologic oncology, surgical care, multidisciplinary tumor boards, and pathology review.
Fellows complete this phase with a synthesis and graduation report at Peking Union Medical College.
In-Country Practice – Nigeria
The full cohort then deploys to Nigeria for a required application phase through the Application Demonstration Project. Fellows support HPV vaccination, HPV testing, AI-assisted colposcopy, and structured referral and follow-up systems, while training local health workers and strengthening integrated cervical cancer prevention and care pathways. This phase translates training into real-world service delivery in resource-limited settings and generates scalable implementation models.
U.S./U.K. Partner Rotation
Fellows complete a final rotation at partner centers in the United States or United Kingdom, focused on translational research, multidisciplinary cancer care, diagnostics, and implementation science. This experience broadens global perspective and strengthens fellows’ capacity to lead clinical, research, and implementation initiatives.
STOF is intended for fellows at a mid- to senior-career stage (e.g., advanced trainees, fellows, or early-career faculty), with flexibility in how career level is defined to reflect differences in training systems and professional titles across China and Nigeria, and should have a background in oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, epidemiology, public health, or a related field.
Other Eligibility Requirements
- Background in oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, epidemiology, public health, or a related field
- Experience in cervical cancer prevention and control or a closely related area
- Proficiency in written and spoken English communication
- Demonstrated basic research competence
- Valid clinical or professional qualification, where applicable
- Ability to commit to full-time participation for the duration of the program
- Written support from the fellow’s home institution
Selection Criteria
- Impact or potential in cervical cancer-related care or research
- Alignment of candidate goals with program objectives
- Demonstrated interest in cervical cancer translational research
- Evidence of ongoing or proposed research projects in cervical cancer
- Commitment to multi-institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing
- Strength of institutional support
- Commitment to health equity and system improvement
- Leadership trajectory and intent to drive sustainable change
Candidates are selected based on research and translational potential, institutional support, collaboration aptitude, and commitment to health equity and capacity building.
Candidate Support
Fellows receive:
- Competitive stipend or salary supplement
- Travel and accommodation for in-person training
- Networking and collaboration opportunities with regional and global cervical cancer consortia
Organizing Institutions
Organizing Institutions in China
Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CHCAMS)
- Leads overall program design and administration
- Coordinates project implementation
- Provides expertise from China’s national cervical and breast cancer (“Two-cancer”) screening and population-based prevention and control programs
School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC)
- Leads curriculum development
- Oversees training in epidemiology, public health, and implementation science
Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH)
- Leads clinical training in diagnosis and treatment, gynecologic oncology, and colposcopy
Organizing Institutions in Nigeria
Centre for Clinical Trials and Implementation Science, University of Lagos
- Leads overall program design and administration
- Coordinates project implementation
- Has community health experts who will assist in epidemiology and primary health care
Oncology and Pathological Studies Unit, Depart of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
Leads clinical training in diagnosis and treatment, gynecologic oncology, and colposcopy
Collaborating Implementation Bases
Collaborating Implementation Bases in China
Field practice and clinical rotations will be conducted at:
- Shenzhen Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital
- Xiangyuan County, Shanxi
- Ordos City, Inner Mongolia
- Xinmi, Henan
Collaborating Implementation Bases in Nigeria
Field practice and clinical rotations will be conducted at:
- Medserve/Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Cancer Centre
- Anatomic and Molecular Pathology Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH)
- Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR)
- St. Kizito Primary Health Centre
Program Leadership
The lead academic experts will also serve as the program’s principal mentors and preceptors.
Lead Academic Experts in China
- ZHAO Fang-hui, MD, PhD, CHCAMS
- QIAO Youlin, MD, PhD, PUMU
- ZHU Lan, PhD, PUMCH
Lead Academic Experts in Nigeria
- Rose Anorlu, MD, MPH, FMCOG, FWACS, FRCOG, University of Lagos
- B. B. Afolabi, MD, DM (Notts) FMCOG, FRCOG, FWACS
- K.S Okunade, MD, MSc (ITM Antwerp), Cert Clin Res (Harvard), FWACS, FMCOG
- A. A. Okunowo MD, MPH, FWACS, FMCOG
- E.O. Ohazurike, MD, MSc, FMCOG
Each trainee will be assigned a Chinese supervisor and a co-mentor from Nigeria or an international partner institution, where appropriate.
Supervisors will provide continuous guidance throughout the in-China training phase, the in-country implementation phase in Nigeria, and the post-graduation follow-up period.
This mentorship structure is designed to ensure sustained academic, clinical, and programmatic support across all stages of training and implementation.