Recently, the KnowTheGlow team, including Co-Founder Megan Webber, Director of Global Outreach Helene Dameris, had the privilege of meeting with Dr. David Ancona, an ocular oncologist dedicated to advancing retinoblastoma care and awareness throughout Mexico.
The introduction between Dr. Ancona and the KnowTheGlow team, was facilitated through Dr. Maura Di Nicola. Dr. Di Nicola created an opportunity for the team to gain awareness and knowledge about doctor Ancona’s impressive and remarkable efforts to help strengthen the infrastructure in northern Mexico for retinoblastoma, also keeping a priority to expand educational initiatives that help the improvement of early diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
Throughout the years, Dr. Ancona has held focus on building and maintaining value quality infrastructure for children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in Northern Mexico where Dr. Ancona also works as part of Eye Cancer Institute. His determination has centered on improving the access to life-saving treatments, particularly intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC), an advanced treatment option that delivers chemotherapy directly to the eye.
A significant milestone recently achieved was the opening of a brand new treatment center and operating room, named in honor of Dr. Carol Shields, who was able to attend the ceremony. Dr. Shields is a global pioneer in ocular oncology. This new space represents a valuable step forward in the efforts to expand access for specialized care to children families throughout the region.
Dr. Ancona acknowledged that significant challenges remain, including limited resources, recurrent disease, and delays in referral. Yet the commitment to improving outcomes for children with retinoblastoma in Mexico remains steadfast, driven by continued efforts to strengthen awareness and early recognition among frontline healthcare providers.
To understand these barriers furthermore, Dr. Ancona has contributed to research examining the challenges surrounding retinoblastoma diagnosis and treatment in Mexico and can be found in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32850140/.
At the beginning of his year, Dr. Ancona will also assume a new role as an ophthalmology professor at Univesity of Monterrey (UDEM), further expanding his ability to train the next generation of eye care providers.
A successful moment for Dr.Ancona this year was his recent initiatives for a comprehensive Spanish-language webinar dedicated to retinoblastoma. Education plays a vital role in recognizing early detection,and these innovative Spanish-language educational programs are designed to reach medical students, physicians, and healthcare professionals across Latin America. Hosted through OftalmoUniversity educational platform, the virtual program features an interdisciplinary faculty including specialists such as Dr. Maura Di Nicola from Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Daniel Ortiz, pediatric oncologists, ophthalmologists, and leaders in pediatric eye care. Proceeds from the webinar were moved toward a partnership with a Mexican eyeglasses company, allowing free eyeglasses to be provided to children affected by retinoblastoma. Dr. Ancona and his colleagues are already planning a second webinar next year, with all proceeds designated to support children with retinoblastoma in Colombia.
You can find the webinar Retinoblastoma UNO for free in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH6sWiWTXU8&t=966s
Dr.Ancona takes into account that understanding all that medical information can be overwhelming for children and families, with that, Dr. Ancona and his team have embraced creativity as part of their educational strategy.
An example of the strive towards creative learning is their beloved initiative is “Retinosito,” a life-sized teddy bear mascot designed to help children better understand their treatment journey, particularly intra-arterial chemotherapy procedures.
Adding to Retinosito, Dr. Ancona and collaborators have developed a free Spanish-language mini-guide focused on the early diagnosis and treatment of retinoblastoma. The guide incorporates illustrations, educational cartoons, and simplified explanations to make complex information more accessible to both healthcare providers and families.
The collaborative resource was developed with Dr. Camila Pana of Colombia and Dr. Fernanda Montes of Mexico and includes a multidisciplinary treatment algorithm originally created in partnership with Dr. Carol Shields and Dr. Lauren Dalvin in 2020.
Central to the guide is an emphasis on rapid referral, recommending that suspected retinoblastoma cases be evaluated by specialized teams within three days to minimize delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Looking ahead, the conversation centered on opportunities to deepen the partnership between KnowTheGlow and Dr. Ancona’s team. KnowTheGlow will share its Spanish-language educational resources developed specifically for the current campaign in Mexico, including awareness images, handouts, videos, and flyers, while exploring future co-branded educational initiatives and webinar collaborations to further expand awareness and professional education.
The group also discussed the exciting possibility of establishing a KnowTheGlow student chapter at the university where Dr. Ancona will soon be teaching. By engaging and mentoring future physicians, the chapter would empower medical students to become advocates for early detection and champions of pediatric eye health within their communities.
As Mexico continues to strengthen its retinoblastoma program through improved infrastructure, innovative educational initiatives, collaborative research, and a deep commitment to children and their families, Dr. Ancona and his colleagues are helping build a future where more children receive timely diagnoses, sight- and life-saving treatment, and the opportunity to thrive.
