CMB extends its congratulations to Dr. Fanghui Zhao of the Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, who has been awarded the 2020 Health Women Health Economy Research Prize from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This award recognizes Dr. Zhao’s research on tailoring approaches to cervical cancer prevention in lower-middle income economies in ways that will make it more accessible and affordable.

Dr. Zhao’s work in this area was supported by a CMB Open Competition grant, which provided funding for her evaluation of a new “screen-and-treat” model at the point of care in low-resource settings in China. Her research project also reflects broader goals of CMB’s capacity-building efforts in China, as it develops best practices that can be shared with the international community and promotes greater access to quality care.

Early detection and management are key to successful cervical cancer treatment, yet “APEC economies face challenges in availability, accessibility and affordability [of] cervical cancer screening, disproportionately affecting low-income women at high risk,” Dr. Zhao said upon receiving the award. “Cervical cancer remains one of the gravest avoidable medical threats to women’s lives, [and] developing and validating affordable and easy-to-access technologies and strategies are the key solution.”

Dr. Zhao serves as director of the Department of Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Center and Cancer Hospital with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. She holds a PhD and MPH from Peking Union Medical College, where she serves as a distinguished professor and mentor for PhD candidates.

For further information on APEC’s Health Women Health Economy Research Prize, click here.