Dr Yolanda Eraso co-organised a global conference to explore the importance of interdisciplinarity in the study of cancer.
Date: 23 August 2017
Dr Yolanda Eraso, course leader for BSc Public Health and Health Promotion, co-organised a cancer studies conference within the 25th International Congress of History of Science and Technology, under the overarching theme ‘Science, Technology and Medicine between the Global and the Local.’
The six day conference was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 23-29 July.
The symposium, co-organised with Dr Luiz Antonio da Silva Teixeira from Fiocruz, Brazil and Prof Ana María Carrillo Farga, Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, aimed to discuss cancer research from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Yolanda’s paper presented some preliminary results on her current project on hormone therapy for women with breast cancer, a qualitative study that focuses on the intersections of different variables: biomedical knowledge, health system providers and gender notions and the way they impact health inequalities.
“Cancer is such a complex disease, and an interdisciplinary approach is paramount not only to tackle the disease, but also to produce knowledge that stems from collaboration with other disciplines,” said Dr Eraso.
“Our idea was to bring to the congress an interdisciplinary discussion, to create an opportunity to learn from different approaches and methodologies and to find possible ways of co-producing research on this area.”
In addition to the speakers, specialists in cancer from Brazil, France, and Argentina joined the discussion.
On another session of the congress specially dedicated to ‘Innovative and effective teaching,’ Yolanda presented a paper on her pedagogical approaches in the development of an interdisciplinary MSc programme in Cancer Studies at Oxford Brookes University. Presentations to this session can be viewed on the Inter-Divisional Teaching Commission website.
The congress had 182 dedicated sessions and more than 200 stand-alone papers, with academics from all parts of the world attending the event. The School of Social Professions supported Yolanda’s attendance to this congress.
Dr Yolanda Eraso is senior lecturer and a member of London Met's Centre for Primary Health and Social Care.
