The Global Oncology Enrichment Program (GOEP) is an online education program designed to address inequities in access to cancer education for clinicians worldwide. Researchers from The Institute for Education Research (TIER) at UHN evaluated the program’s impact, examining how different delivery formats can influence learning about global oncology topics and levels of engagement among clinicians. 

GOEP is hosted on UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Campus, which serves as a hub for cancer education for clinicians and trainees. Launched in 2020, the program combined live and recorded webinars with interactive Q&A sessions. Course topics included global oncology challenges and opportunities, cancer prevention and screening, advocacy, research, and policy. In 2022, the program transitioned to a fully self-directed format, offering recorded webinars to improve accessibility and reduce the administrative demands associated with delivering live sessions. 

To better understand GOEP’s impact across the two delivery formats, TIER researchers analyzed responses from 256 program participants who completed pre- and post-course surveys assessing motivations and barriers to accessing global oncology education, as well as confidence in key topic areas. The analysis showed that participants’ confidence in their knowledge of global oncology topics increased in both the combined live and recorded format and the self-directed format. However, levels of engagement differed between the two formats. 

Participants in the combined format were more likely to complete the program compared to those in the self-directed format and identified opportunities for networking, mentorship, and career exploration as key motivators for participation. However, participants in the combined format also reported limited faculty interest in and support for global oncology at their respective institutions. These findings highlight a gap between having access to global oncology education and the institutional support available for career development. 

After the program transitioned to the self-directed format, overall participation and completion rates declined. Participants who remained engaged were more likely to be radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, or individuals already involved in global oncology initiatives.  

The results of this study underscore the importance of providing accessible education alongside institutional support and opportunities for connection to promote equity, sustained engagement, and real-world impact in global cancer care.  

Dr. Revadhi Chelvarajah, co-first author of the study, was a previous clinical fellow in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. 

Tina Papadakos, co-first author of the study, is an Education Investigator 1 at The Institute for Education Research at UHN and the Director of Knowledge Translation with Cancer Education at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.  

Dr. Meredith Giuliani, senior author of the study, is an Education Investigator 2 at The Institute for Education Research at UHN. At the University of Toronto, Dr. Giuliani is the Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education.  

This work was supported by The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. 

Dr. Giuliani has a leadership role at the Internationals Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. See the article for the full list of author disclosures.  

Chelvarajah R, Papadakos T, Anakwenze C, Bourque JM, Chaudhary S, Choi S, Kizub D, Liu ZA, Papadakos J, Storer S, Walker E, Ye XY, Rodin D, Giuliani M. Creating Sustainable Education Programming to Build Capacity for Collaborative Global Cancer Control. JCO Glob Oncol. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1200/GO-25-00372.