(01/20/2017 - Cape Town, South Africa) - I had the privilege to participate in the AORTIC AFRICA & AACR Cancer Research Workshop held in Cape Town, South Africa this week. This workshop brought together promising investigators in Africa to develop their research capacity. I gave a talk on Research Data Management to help them develop strategies for collecting, securing, and analyzing research data and sharing research findings. I also participated in the at the annual research meeting of Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP). This research network aims to collaborate on epidemiologic studies to address the high burden of prostate cancer among this population. The network is led by Dr. Timothy Rebbeck. Formed in 2007, the consortium includes investigators from the United States, United Kingdom, Africa and the Caribbean, who have cohort or case-control studies on prostate cancer among men of African ancestry. The investigators share common interests in studying health disparities, underserved populations, and the role that genetic and non-genetic factors play in the disparities.

I have led the development of a new MADCaP website that will help this network share education, collaborate across participating centers, and reach out to new global collaborators. If you have an interest in collaborations with MADCaP, please see this page. You can also follow the work of MADCaP on their new twitter handle @MADCaP. I have been a research investigator in MADCaP since last year, and I can tell you that this is truly a great collaborative group that is very open and welcoming. I have made many new friends and collaborators. We are all one humanity. Working together across boundaries and institutions will make our world a better place. I look forward to the road ahead!