Mary Chamberlin, MD
President | Director of Oncology
Mary Chamberlin, reflects on the experiences that inspired her to help build a global oncology education and support network.
Where Our Story Begins
ONCares was born from a shared vision: to advance equitable, accessible, and sustainable cancer care and education worldwide. While many have contributed along the way, our journey began with a spark of inspiration that grew into a global mission.
A Journey to Rwanda
I was first inspired to go to Rwanda in 2015 by Dr. Lisa Adams, Dr. Steve Bensen, and other Dartmouth faculty who had joined the Human Resources for Health initiative in 2011. Teaching in Rwanda was a career-changing experience for me for many reasons. I was awed by the work of Partners In Health, an international NGO founded by the late Paul Farmer with the mission of improving access to healthcare for the rural poor, in creating a cancer hospital in rural northern Rwanda. Once there, I was equally inspired by the eagerness of the sharp-minded students to learn, and by the challenge of adapting my training to teach doctors in a setting with far fewer resources.
It quickly became an endless puzzle: determining the highest priorities and the most effective tools to benefit as many patients as possible with limited resources. After two months immersed in Rwandan healthcare and culture, my husband, Jonathan Jesup, and I returned home and began translating those lessons into action.
From Fellowship to Global Exchange
Shortly after returning, I was appointed Program Director of the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program at Dartmouth. With secured funding for an educational pilot, I created the first global oncology education exchange program for U.S. hematology-oncology fellows at the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence.
Twice a year for the following two years, we sent teams of faculty and one fellow for 4 weeks at a time to learn from and collaborate with doctors, nurses, and patients in Butaro. Global Oncology Fellows like Dartmouth graduate Victoria Forbes — and faculty alike —became inspired by their own journey, and were eager to expand the program.
Dr. Victoria Forbes collaborates with doctors, nurses, and patients in Butaro.
Adapting to a Changing World
As we prepared for the next trip in 2020, institutional reorganization and the COVID-19 shutdown interrupted our on-site programs. Together with Dr. Victoria Forbes, we pivoted to an online monthly class in Global Oncology. To meet this growing demand, we enlisted colleagues such as Dr. Ilir Hoxha, public health specialist and health services researcher from Kosovo, to assist with curriculum development and Rhett Forbes to support visual communication. Together, we built what is now known as the Global Oncology and Disparities of Care (GODOC) program — a dynamic monthly virtual lecture series exploring key topics in global oncology and research.
Today, GODOC has connected over 500 participants from 21 countries and continues to grow under the direction of Dr. Victoria Forbes, who now serves as the director of Global Oncology at the University of Connecticut.
Building a Movement
Our on-site work resumed in 2022 when we partnered with Dr. Bensen’s team (GI Rising, LLC) to expand Rwanda’s annual Endoscopy Training Week to include lectures on gastrointestinal cancers and clinical research protocol development.
We continued teaching and mentoring medical students and residents at the three main campuses in Rwanda when on-site and throughout the year in tumor boards and consults both on-site and virtually. That same year, philanthropist Jane McLaughlin’s support made it possible to create the first Global Oncology Visiting Scholar Program at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Dr. Fidel Rubagumya, a rising clinical Oncologist in Rwanda, was the first recipient — receiving protected time to develop his research lab, advance HPV-related oncology research while allowing him to continue clinical practice in his home country and become Program Director of the first Medical Oncology Fellowship program in Rwanda. Together we created a curriculum adapted to the needs and resources of Rwanda taught by an international panel of faculty, and are soon to graduate the first class of oncologists trained exclusively to benefit the people of Rwanda.
Dr. Victoria Forbes, Jane McLaughlin, and Dr. Mary Chamberlin support Dartmouth Without Borders at the 2025 Prouty.
Founding ONCares
In 2025, with growing uncertainty in institutional funding and increasing barriers to mentorship and patient support programs worldwide, we recognized the need to formally launch Oncology CARES International.
Building on decades of experience and passion in global oncology education and mentorship, Victoria Forbes, Rhett Forbes, Ilir Hoxha, Fidel Rubagumya, Jonathan Jesup, and I created ONCares to ensure continued support for rising scholars in oncology both at home and abroad.
The Story Continues
Today, ONCares advances oncology through Collaboration, Advocacy, Research, Education, and Support. We are committed to bridging gaps in resources and empowering oncology providers worldwide — fostering equitable partnerships and translating lessons from the frontlines into sustainable programs that improve care for patients everywhere.
Meet the people turning vision into action to shape the future of oncology worldwide.
