{"id":215572,"date":"2024-06-18T14:01:09","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=215572"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:49:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:49:56","slug":"pedaling-to-support-the-next-generation-of-oncologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2024\/06\/pedaling-to-support-the-next-generation-of-oncologists\/","title":{"rendered":"Pedaling to Support the Next Generation of Oncologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Victoria Forbes, a Hematologist\/Oncologist at UConn Health<\/a> and an alumna of UConn School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, will be biking in The Prouty this July in New Hampshire. Her goal: to raise money to help educate the next generation of oncologists.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer has no boundaries. It touches everyone, including the most important people in our lives. All funds we raise will go towards the education of tomorrow’s oncologists here at home and across the globe,\u201d says Forbes<\/p>\n

\"Three
Dr. Forbes working in Rwanda with Dr. Hanna Aberra, GI Fellowship Program Director, Dr. Marie Solange Mukanumviye one of 5 of the first Rwandan trained Gastroenterologists, and Dr. Vincent Dusabejambo one of the founders of GI Rising. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A trip to Uganda during UConn\u2019s Tropical Medicine rotation with Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UConn Health, ignited Forbes’ passion for global health. After medical school and residencies at UConn, she sought a fellowship with Global Oncology training. At Dartmouth-Hitchcock, she connected with her mentor, Dr. Mary Chamberlin, and traveled to Rwanda to provide oncologic care, teach, and conduct research.<\/p>\n

Since completing her fellowship, Forbes has returned to the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at UConn Health<\/a>, where she serves as Associate Program Director of the Hematology\/Oncology Fellowship and Director of UConn\u2019s first Global Oncology Program<\/a>. This year, Forbes is celebrated as a \u2018Rising Star\u2019 on the 2024 \u2018Top Doctors\u2019 list, powered by Castle Connolly\u2019s annual peer doctor-survey, which includes more than 1,700 Connecticut doctors across 72 specialties.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Director of UConn\u2019s Global Oncology Program my mission is to ensure that cancer care is available to all, no matter where they live. The best way to achieve this mission is through oncologists. Therefore, I am committed to advancing and fostering Fellowship programs that address disparities and promote equitable healthcare practices on a global level,\u201d says Forbes.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Forbes gets a high-five from her nephew in his Rwanda t-shirt. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A dedicated runner, dancer, and doctor, Forbes purchased a bike and started pedaling to support her fellows over this two day event. Donations will support Global Oncology fellows at UConn, Dartmouth, and the University of Rwanda. Additionally, she aims to sponsor Rwanda\u2019s first oncology fellows to travel to the US for clinical care and\u00a0 facilitate the travel of UConn and Dartmouth educators and fellows to Rwanda. Her Global Oncology and Disparities of Care online program brings Fellows from all over the world together to participate in virtual core curriculum lectures. This bidirectional exchange of information is vital to advancing oncology globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough my work abroad, I witnessed how understanding cancer disparities globally makes better oncologists. I meet learners from all around the globe and have the opportunity to watch them grow. For example, I met Jovan through our program in Uganda\u2014today we call him Doctor Jovan, the first doctor in his family. Our ongoing collaboration with learners like Jovan reaffirms the importance of our global oncology efforts,\u201d says Forbes.<\/p>\n

\"Students
Dr. Forbes teaching the University of Rwanda Internal Medicine residents and Rwanda\u2019s first Gastroenterology Fellows as part of Endoscopy Week 2023. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forbes has been teaching with the charitable organization GI Rising in Rwanda<\/a> and will travel there in November to teach their first oncology fellows and attend the graduation of their country\u2019s first Gastrointestinal Fellows. She explains that Rwanda is an amazing country with a growing medical system, but a severe shortage of specialists and cancer centers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlobal Health ensures a healthy future for everyone, no matter where they live. We can address the rising burden of cancer together! I\u2019m excited to share this experience with the Fellows of UConn, Dartmouth, and the University of Rwanda,\u201d says Forbes.<\/p>\n

Forbes has secured three different donor matching programs that amplify the impact of every donation. Anyone interested in joining Forbes and her team can bike virtually from anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"Graphic
Graphic Design credit: Rhett Forbes (RhettForbes.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To support this cause, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Victoria Forbes, a Hematologist\/Oncologist at UConn Health and an alumna of UConn School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock, will be biking in The Prouty this July in New Hampshire to raise money to help educate the next generation of oncologists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":215577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2209],"class_list":["post-215572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-29 13:32:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215572"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235595,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215572\/revisions\/235595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/215577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215572"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=215572"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=215572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}