On January 17, 2025, Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration and the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care hosted the 5th Paediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program Celebration. This event marked two important moments – the graduation of the 2024 fellows and the beginning of the fellowship journey for the 2025 fellows who are starting the 1-year training programme.
Joining with more than 40 faculty, friends, and supporters from around the world, the event celebrated the success of four paediatricians from India, Pakistan, and Malaysia who completed their paediatric palliative care fellowship in 2024. These graduates have worked hard all through the year to champion paediatric palliative care. Each graduate is now leading new endeavors in palliative care, including training healthcare workers and developing clinical palliative care programmes for seriously ill children.
In the second half of the ceremony, five paediatricians from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Vietnam were welcomed into the fellowship programme. These doctors will spend the next year completing online and hands-on training at various centres, to develop specialised knowledge in palliative care for children.
About the Fellowship Programme
The Paediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship is offered through a partnership between Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration and the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care. The programme is endorsed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK). This programme aims increase the availability of palliative care for children with serious illnesses in South and Southeast Asia. By training doctors, the fellowship is helping to create healthcare systems that meet the needs of its most vulnerable children.
Since the programme launched in 2021, 14 paediatricians have completed the fellowship. The alumni are actively engaged in teaching and building local awareness of palliative care as well as creating new palliative care programmes in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Philippines.
Words of Inspiration
Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, President of Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration, emphasised the importance of working together, noting “this programme shows the power of partnerships to improve healthcare and build skills in countries that need it most. The real success of this programme is the impact graduates are making in their own countries.”
Dr. Gayatri Palat, Co-Director of the Fellowship programme and director of the Hyderabad Centre for Palliative Care, congratulating the graduates said, “We are excited to see the amazing work you will do to improve care for children who need it most.”
Dr. Megan Doherty, Co-Director of the Fellowship Programme and Director with Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration, congratulated the graduates on their hard work and leadership. She encouraged them to continue making a difference in their centres and countries. Dr. Doherty also welcomed the new fellows, expressing confidence that they will create lasting change in paediatric palliative care.
Looking Ahead
The Paediatric Palliative Medicine Fellowship goes beyond simply education, as the programme has also created a strong global community of clinicians engaged in paediatric palliative care. This collaboration will create lasting change for children with serious illnesses, recognising the power of teamwork, dedication, and hope in creating a better future for children and their families.
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