Project ECHO ® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was developed in 2003 as a method to improve equitable access to healthcare and demonopolize knowledge to improve capacity. The platform uses technology for combined case-based and didactic, multi-directional learning (5,6). As at September 2020, there are 77 ECHO Hubs for cancer, in 14 countries, running 143 programs (7). Many of these ECHO hubs focus on cancer prevention, treatment, diagnosis, and survivorship.
The Africa Cancer Research and Control ECHO program is one of the first, and only programs that focus on the convening of academic scientists, planners, clinicians, and policy-makers from the region to share best approaches and challenges in cancer control, to advance sustainable NCCP development and implementation. This ECHO was launched in March 2018, with support from the National Cancer Institute/Centre for Global Health and in October 2019, the program transitioned to KENCO as the new convening regional HUB in Africa, upon completion of ECHO Institute-led Immersion Training in Johannesburg, South Africa in February 2019 and in Maputo, Mozambique in November 2019.
KENCO hosts the Africa ECHO sessions using the Zoom® video conferencing platform. There is also a regionally-based leadership structure that makes up the steering committee. Currently, 12 African countries are represented. Additional participants and partners were welcomed throughout the year through word-of-mouth, and through learning about the ECHO from colleagues and collaborators at conferences and scientific meetings. The target populations for this ECHO are professionals involved in cancer research and control at the country level and partners who support research and program implementation in the region. For more details: Contact: info@kenconetwork.org
