An interview with Raul Ribeiro, MD, St. Jude International Outreach Program

Q. How did you become personally involved in the field of childhood cancer?
A. I was attracted to pediatric oncology because of the immense need of these patients and the challenge of understanding the mechanism of these diseases.

Q. Why do you feel this particular cause is so important?
A. Pediatric cancer is highly curable. Research has already brought about knowledge that enables us to cure most children with cancer in high income countries. Now we need to replicate this picture in low income countries.

Q. What stops things working at present in lower income countries?
A. There are several barriers to improving pediatric cancer care in lower income countries, including lack of trained health care providers, inadequate hospital infrastructure and lack of medication. In addition, sociocultural characteristics impede more effective planning for pediatric oncology in many of these countries.