The UAB Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health hosted a seminar on Tuesday, Feb. 4, featuring guest speakers Lori Brand Bateman, Ph.D., RD, assistant professor at UAB in the Department of Medicine's Division of Preventive Medicine, and Karim Abd El Tawab, MBBCh, MRCP, an interventional radiology consultant at Ain Shams University Hospitals in Cairo, Egypt.

The research team also includes Assem Gebreal, MBBS, and Maryam Mansour, MBBCh, medical interns at Alexandria University, along with Islam Ahmed Abukandil and Aya Khaled, medical students at Alexandria University.

The presentation, titled "Developing Egyptian Investigators to Explore Colorectal Cancer Prevention Knowledge and Behavior," focused on building a foundation for a colorectal cancer screening program in Egypt.

Their study highlights the urgent need for a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program in Egypt, where many cases affect young adults and are diagnosed at advanced stages. Researchers interviewed Egyptian doctors and found key barriers to screening, including financial constraints, cultural resistance to preventive care, and limited resources. To address these challenges, they recommend increasing public awareness, improving physician training, and making screening tests more accessible and affordable. Implementing these measures could help detect CRC earlier and improve patient outcomes in Egypt.

A recording of the seminar is available below.