Dear SIOP Members,

Please take a few minutes to review this month’s activities, along with a few updates and opportunities. Our sincere thanks go to the SIOP leaders and volunteers across Networks, Working Groups, Committees, and Branches who continue to give their time so generously.

Highlights

• SIOP and the Young SIOP Network announced the recipients of the 2026 Young SIOP Rising Star Award: Dr Abel Hailu (Ethiopia) as winner, recognised for his leadership in paediatric haematology-oncology in Ethiopia and across Africa, with Dr Gashaw Arega Mekonnen (Ethiopia) named runner-up. Both will be celebrated at the SIOP 2026 Congress in San Antonio.
• Congratulations to Dr Brooke Russell (University of Ottawa, Canada), winner of the 2026 Dr Tori Willard Early Career Award, honouring the legacy of Dr Victoria Willard and her contributions to psychosocial paediatric oncology.
• SIOP warmly congratulates Rachel Hollis OBE FRCN and Pam Kearns OBE, honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours List for services to nursing and medicine.
• SIOP Board Member Gevorg Tamamyan received the SLACOM 2026 Award for Global Oncology Leadership, presented by the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology.
• The WHO report Measuring survival, driving change was shared, offering new global insights — including comparable survival estimates across 194 countries — and practical pathways to improve outcomes through the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.
• Abstract notifications for SIOP 2026 have officially been sent out. Please check your inbox, and your spam or junk folders if you have not yet received yours.

Updates from Across the Society

• An educational lecture on Radiotherapy in Nephroblastoma was announced, covering current treatments and techniques for localised and metastatic disease, including advanced modalities such as proton therapy.
• As part of Survivors’ Week, the “Empowered for Life” webinar was announced for 27 June 2026 (16:00 CEST), bringing together survivors, professionals and advocates to explore education, work, wellbeing and independence after childhood cancer.
• Applications for the SIOP Nursing Quality Improvement (QI) Scholars Program (English and Spanish cohorts) closed in June 2026.
• A PPO & GHN webinar on coping with grief and hospital avoidance in a child during rhabdomyosarcoma treatment was announced for 30 June 2026.

Updates from SIOP Continental Branches

SIOP Asia

• The SIOP Asia 2026 Congress took place in Mongolia (25–28 June 2026) under the theme “Together for Change: Science, Compassion, and Hope for Every Child”; Global Health Network members marked an upcoming opportunity at SIOP Asia 2026 with a group gathering following the Health Policies & Systems Science Session.

SIOP North America and SLAOP

• The Organizing Committee of the forthcoming SIOP North America – SLAOP Conference 2026 in San Antonio announced the Wilms Cancer Foundation as an official conference sponsor, strengthening international collaboration in support of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and the Global Wilms Tumor Initiative.

SIOP Oceania

• Under the SIOP Oceania umbrella, a multidisciplinary team published its Papua New Guinea in-country trip report (May 2026), documenting a visit to Port Moresby spanning paediatric oncology, pathology, pharmacy, nursing, ophthalmology and research, focused on strengthening childhood cancer care, workforce development and data systems.

Open SIOP Leadership Opportunities

Multiple leadership opportunities are available across SIOP. Thank you for helping to promote them within your networks.

Warm regards,

SIOP Secretariat