After a long summer break, OMI is back in Mexico City for another episode of our expanding Latin American program. With representatives from Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, Uruguay, and more, OMI MEX has already brought together fellows from over 15 countries in Central and South America during its first five seminars of 2026. While building a community of medical experts across the region is an important part of the program, it is equally important to address critical areas of medicine where the need for specialized professionals is pressing. Oncology is one of them.
According to the article Addressing the Oncologist Shortage in Latin America: Insights From a Survey of Medical Oncology Fellowship Programs, published in JCO Global Oncology, the journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in 2025, only one in 50 medical graduates in Latin America pursues a career in oncology. In all of the countries investigated in the article’s survey, several of which have been represented at OMI MEX, fewer than 1.5% of medical graduates become medical oncologists. While the United States and the United Kingdom have 161 and 131 oncologists per million inhabitants, respectively, countries such as Brazil and Mexico have 17 and 18. Putting these numbers further into perspective, only one oncologist graduates each year for every 1.4 million people in the region.
Another figure presented in the article shows that 44% of the 16 Latin American countries surveyed depend on foreign education for their medical oncologists. While many strategies are needed to address this issue, programs such as OMI MEX, which focus on specialized medical education, can contribute to expanding opportunities for physicians in the region. That is why, from September 21-23, 2026, we hosted a second edition of the Oncology: Hematologic Malignancies seminar in Mexico City in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
As course director, we welcomed Dr. Craig S. Sauter, attending physician and regional medical director for the division of hematologic malignancies, serving on the adult BMT and cellular therapy services in the department of medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). As co-course director, we were honored to have Dr. Paul A. Hamlin, recently appointed director of the lymphoma program at Weill Cornell Medical College. As course lecturer, Dr. Mark B. Geyer joined us in Mexico as an assistant attending physician on the leukemia service and cell therapy service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
On the course, Dr. Sauter explained:
“The course covered didactic lectures on hematologic malignancies apart from plasma cell disorders. In addition, the international fellows from Central and South America were able to present cases in an interactive format. The meeting concluded with a roundtable where fellows could ask faculty anything regarding hematologic malignancies and career guidance.”
On his personal experience, Dr. Sauter shared:
“I personally had the pleasure and honor of directing the seminar. The interaction during the questions and answers following the didactic lectures was interactive and rich in sophisticated questions and comments. I particularly enjoyed the lunch opportunities for the course faculty to network with the fellows and for the fellows to network with each other. I look forward to connecting with the fellows going forward.”
The need for more oncology professionals in Latin America goes beyond the numbers. Behind every statistic are patients who require timely diagnosis, access to appropriate treatment, and physicians who are familiar with the rapidly changing field of oncology. Hematologic malignancies are a good example of this. New diagnostic tools and treatment approaches are changing how diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma are managed, creating a continuous need for physicians to update their knowledge and understand how these developments can be applied to their patients.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), in particular, illustrates some of these challenges. As populations across Latin America age, physicians are caring for increasing numbers of older patients with complex hematologic diseases. At the same time, treatment options are expanding beyond traditional chemotherapy, with targeted and other non-chemotherapy approaches offering new possibilities for some patients.
Dr. Romina Urrutia, a fellow from Uruguay, highlighted this reality from her own country’s perspective:
“My country has a very old population, and we have many patients with AML, so it is interesting to see how the new non-chemotherapy therapies are achieving very positive responses.”
For physicians working in countries where specialized oncology professionals are limited, staying informed about these developments is particularly important. Access to education and opportunities to exchange experiences with colleagues from other countries can help physicians bring new knowledge back to their institutions and consider how evolving approaches may apply within their own healthcare systems.
As OMI MEX continues to expand its program across Latin America, the goal remains not only to bring medical experts and fellows together in Mexico City, but also to strengthen a community of physicians who can take knowledge, experience, and new perspectives back to their patients and institutions. In a region where the need for oncology professionals remains pressing, investing in medical education is also an investment in the future of cancer care.
João Dias, MD
OMI MEX fellow from Brazil
Interacting closely with the faculty from MSKCC was truly inspiring. They are at the forefront of hematologic oncology and showed genuine interest in exchanging ideas with us in a direct and humble way. The opportunity to connect with fellow hematologists from across Latin America was equally valuable. Sharing our different realities, challenges, clinical experiences, and perspectives reinforced how much we can learn from one another.
Belgica Tejada, MD
OMI MEX fellow from Panama
Byron Figueroa, MD
OMI MEX fellow from Uruguay
