ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Conquer Cancer^®, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 International Development and Education Award (IDEA).  

The award provides funding for early-career oncology professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In addition, recipients also receive mentorship and networking support to build relationships within the international oncology community. In addition to the IDEA, Conquer Cancer also distributes the IDEA in Palliative Care (IDEA-PC) to support specialists in palliative care. 

These 29 oncology professionals are recognized with the IDEA or IDEA-PC:  

IDEA 

Veronica Afework Abera, MD, General, Endocrine and Breast Surgeon, Addis Ababa University, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia 

Ibrahim Oluwaseun Ahmed, MD, FMCPath, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-ife, Nigeria 

Ruth Aytehgeza, MD, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ethiopia 

Raouia Ben Amor, MD, Abderrahmen Mami Hospital, Tunisia 

Mariia Didyk, MD, Lviv State Regional Oncology Treatment and Diagnostic Center, Ukraine 

Imdat Eroglu, MD, Gazi University School of Medicine, Türkiye 

Mariana Gouveia, MD, Americas Oncologia – Hospital 9 De Julho, Brazil 

Cassio Murilo Hidalgo Filho, MD, Sírio Libanês Hospital, Brazil 

Ganda Ilmana, MD, Universitas Indonesia-Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Indonesia 

Irina Jacinto, MD, MBA, Maternity Irene NETO, Angola 

Ravi Kanodia, MD, AIIMS, India 

Bahadır Köylü, MD, Koç University Medical School, Türkiye 

Ivan Macharashvili, MD, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina 

Kleida Mati, MD, American Hospital, Albania 

Abhilash Menon, MD, MRCP (UK), DM, MRCP SCE-Medical Oncology, Malabar Cancer Centre, India 

Nana Jacqueline Nakiddu, MBChB, MMed, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania 

Saad Nasir, MBBS, Aga Khan University, Pakistan 

Maria Tereza Nieto Coronel, MD, MSc, ONCOPALIA-MYAMEDIC, Bolivia 

Gloria Omondi, MBChB, MMed (Int med), MSc Oncology, Fellow, Medical Oncology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya 

Luis Gabriel Parra Lara, MD, Fundación Clínica Valle del Lili, Universidad Icesi, Colombia 

Snigdha Rai, MD, Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, Nepal 

Norhidayu Salimin, MD, MMed, National Cancer Institute, Malaysia 

Gustavo Sandival, MD, Hospital Regional Guillermo Diaz de la Vega, Peru 

Emir Sokolović, MD, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Paola I Valdez-Sandoval, MD, Instituto Nacional De Ciencias Médicas Y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico 

IDEA-PC 

Yared Mekonnen, MD, Wachamo University, Ethiopia 

Himaprathyusha Parupalli, MBBS, MD General Medicine, MNJ Institute of Oncology, India 

Avinash Kumar Tiwari, AIIMS Raipur, India 

Enes Yeşilbaş, MD, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Türkiye 

Conquer Cancer donors help support these awards along with many other resources and programs for oncology professionals, patients, and the cancer community. ASCO and Conquer Cancer would like to gratefully acknowledge all our donors for their generous support.  Learn more.   

This listing is current as of February 2, 2026.