Global Hematology Oncology Pediatric Excellence (HOPE)

Global Hematology Oncology Pediatric Excellence (HOPE) is focused on building long-term capacity to treat and dramatically improve the prognosis for children with cancer and blood disorders in sub-Saharan Africa.

Our vision is to ensure that children with cancer and blood disorders in Africa receive the most effective, state-of-the-art therapies available, and experience treatment outcomes comparable to those in resource-rich settings in the United States and Western Europe.

Global HOPE was founded by Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center, one of the largest pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the United States.

Our Approach

We support low/middle-income countries to train pediatricians through formal two-year fellowship programs at medical schools in their geographical region to become certified pediatric hematologists and oncologists.
When the certified pediatric hematologists and oncologists return to their home countries and institutions, typically national and regional referral hospitals, we support them by (1) training multi-disciplinary teams particularly nurses, pharmacists, pathologists, and administrators, (2) supplementing supplies of medicines and diagnostics, (3) retrofit facilities with essential clinical equipment, so that they provide improved curative and palliative care for children with cancer and blood diseases.
We engage Ministries of Health, corporate businesses, civil society, and community-based associations in the countries to sustain and expand access to care of children with cancer and blood diseases.
We collect and disseminate systematic clinical outcomes and operational data to inform local policy and planning, adapt evidence-based care to the local context, and replicate improved outcomes across Africa and other low/middle-income countries.

Our Partners

In partnership with the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) and Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center is creating a comprehensive program to improve pediatric hematology/oncology care in sub-Saharan Africa.

To achieve this goal, Global HOPE is partnering with the Ministries of Health of each country to focus on building local capacity for the care of patients with cancer and blood disorders. Global HOPE will leverage the existing infrastructure established by BIPAI for HIV/AIDS care, which are currently operating in six sub-Saharan countries: Botswana, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho, and Eswatini. The pediatric hematology/oncology centers of excellence will serve as foundational, flagship institutions of excellence in clinical care, education, research and healthcare management.

Our History

Texas Children’s launched the Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) Program in 2017 to fulfill its mission – a healthier future for children and women across our global community through our leadership in patient care, education and research.

Recognizing the unconscionable survival disparities between high-income and low/middle-income countries for children with cancer and blood diseases, Dr. David G. Poplack initiated Global HOPE and was founding director. His vision was to dramatically improve the survival of children with cancer and blood diseases in Africa, to approximate the survival in the United States.

The Global HOPE Program leveraged the experience and infrastructure of Texas Childrens' sister institutions in Africa – the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundations. With a gift from Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Global HOPE launched capacity building programs for pediatric cancer and blood diseases in Botswana, Malawi, and Uganda.

In 2024, Dr. Joseph Lubega became the medical director of Global HOPE. Dr. Lubega is a pediatric hematologist with qualifications in public health, implementation science, health cost analysis, and medical leadership. He established the first training program for sickle cell disease specialists in Eastern Africa, which has trained 30 pioneers whom he continues to mentor.

Give to Global HOPE

Thank you for supporting the Global Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence (HOPE) program at Texas Children's Hospital. Your gift helps us provide the treatments needed to improve the prognosis for children with cancer and blood disorders in sub-Saharan Africa.