The SIOP PARC Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Severyn Ferneza has been awarded the 2026 PARC Early Career Award, made possible through the generous support from the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research and the NaiKong and Irene Cheung Family.
The Ukrainian Childhood Cancer Registry project will establish a hospital-based childhood cancer registry, addressing a major gap in pediatric oncology research in Ukraine: the absence of high-quality, standardized clinical data needed to evaluate treatment outcomes, identify gaps in care, and support evidence-based decision-making.
Data will be collected for patients aged 0–18 years with confirmed malignancies, capturing demographics, diagnosis and staging, treatment modalities, treatment response, adverse events, and survival. Dedicated technical infrastructure and trained personnel will support prospective data entry, validation, and quality control. Over the 24-month project, the registry is expected to generate a high-quality dataset of approximately 400 patients. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics and survival analysis to evaluate treatment outcomes and identify patterns in care delivery.
Beyond generating clinically meaningful evidence, the project will strengthen the research capacity of the Ukrainian Professional Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (UkrPSPOH) by establishing standardized data-collection procedures, quality-assurance processes, and a scalable registry model that other pediatric oncology centers across Ukraine can adopt. The registry will provide a foundation for future multicenter studies, strengthen the cooperative group’s capacity to generate nationally relevant evidence, and support participation in international collaborative research aligned with global standards.
Ultimately, the project will support the transition of pediatric oncology research in Ukraine toward coordinated, data-driven clinical research, with the potential to improve care for children with cancer.
Bio
Dr. Severyn Ferneza is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and Head of the Pediatric Oncology Department at the Clinical Center of Pediatric Medicine in Lviv, Ukraine. He combines clinical practice with research and brings extensive experience in pediatric oncology, clinical trials, and international collaborative projects. His research focuses on improving childhood cancer care through evidence-based practice, high-quality clinical data, and sustainable research infrastructure. Dr. Ferneza has completed international observerships and specialized training in pediatric oncology and clinical research at leading European centers, including Prinses Máxima Center, University Hospital Essen, and San Matteo Hospital, as well as the SIOP Europe Course in Paediatric Oncology and the Clinical Research in Pediatric Oncology Workshop. He has contributed to several collaborative initiatives with St. Jude Global and co-authored publications on pediatric oncology, clinical research, and cancer care during humanitarian crises. As a member of the Ukrainian Professional Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (UkrPSPOH), he is committed to strengthening pediatric oncology research capacity in Ukraine. Through the PARC Early Career Award, Dr. Ferneza will lead development of the Ukrainian Childhood Cancer Registry, laying the foundation for standardized clinical data collection and future multicenter pediatric oncology research across Ukraine.
