ABS International Projects

Overview

ABS is committed to fostering international collaboration for advancing standards in breast care and breast surgery globally.

Our international projects focus on strengthening local breast services through collaboration, education and professional development.

Projects are developed in partnership with local healthcare teams and organisations, with an emphasis on sustainability, shared ownership and long‑term impact.

Activities may include:

  • Support for multidisciplinary breast teams
  • Education and training for surgeons, nurses and allied health professionals
  • Short‑term fellowships and observerships
  • Teaching, mentoring and curriculum development
  • Support for service development and quality improvement

Projects are typically shaped by local needs and priorities, ensuring that interventions are culturally appropriate and aligned with existing health systems.

ABS members from across the breast multidisciplinary team are encouraged to get involved, whether through teaching, mentoring, hosting fellows, or supporting project development.

If you are interested in participating in current projects or exploring potential collaborations, please contact the ABS office for further information.

Current Projects

Details of active ABS international collaborative projects are listed below.

The Global Breast Cancer Training Package

The Global Breast Cancer Training Package is a collaborative initiative led by Global Health Partners (formerly THET) in partnership with the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) and Blended Learning UK (BLUK), with funding from Sanofi.

The project focuses on addressing the disparities in breast cancer care in Zambia and Uganda, where women often face late diagnoses and limited access to timely treatment. By decentralising breast cancer care, the project aims to empower healthcare workers at the primary and community levels with the skills and knowledge needed to improve early detection, diagnosis, and management of breast cancer. 

Find out more

The Matabeleland South project in partnership with UBH

The Matabeleland South Breast Cancer Project is a partnership between ABS, United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Established to address poor breast cancer outcomes in Zimbabwe, the project focuses on strengthening breast cancer services through education, service development, diagnostics, data systems and workforce development.

The Ambuja Foundation project

ABS has collaborated with the Ambuja Foundation in a rural Breast Cancer Awareness program since 2023. Stakeholders included the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Bathinda, the Association of Breast Surgeons of India (ABSI), Tata Cancer Care and the Punjab Medical Council.

The first awareness program was held in Chandrapur, Maharashtra in 2023, followed by Bathinda, Punjab in 2025. A third event is planned for Ambujanagar, Gujarat in February 2026.

The Kenya-UK Breast Cancer Alliance (KUBCA) Strengthening Health Workforce Capacity through Global Learning (SCALE) Project

This project is a collaborative initiative between Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, the National Breast Imaging Academy (NBIA), and Kenyan partners including the Surgical Society of Kenya, with ABS as a subsidiary partner.

It is aligned with the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative and aims to improve breast cancer outcomes in Kenya through bidirectional knowledge exchange while addressing cultural health inequities in the UK. 

Past Projects

Over the years, the ABS has been involved in a number of international projects. Find out more below.

A number of ABS members are undertaking teaching, training and other projects in low and middle income countries.  You can read a number of reports about their experiences here:

Development of Breast Cancer Services in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt)

Read a report by Jane Macaskill (Breast Surgeon in Dundee) about her work with the charity, Medical Aid for Palestine, here

Setting up a triple assessment clinic in Malawi

Read a report by Briony Ackroyd-Parkin about developing a quality breast service in Malawi here

Breast Health Education in Nigeria

Read a report by Georgette Oni (Plastic Surgeon in Nottingham) about running a breast health awareness day and flap transfer and microsurgery course in Nigeria here

UK AIIMS Cadaveric Breast Reconstruction Course, India

Read a report by Sankaran Narayanan (Breast Surgeon in Stoke) about the 2019 course in New Delhi here

The British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery & Training (BFIRST)

The British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery & Training (BFIRST) and their partner Professor Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, Department of Surgery ABU Zaria, Nigeria, have obtained a THET grant to enhance and develop the MDT in breast cancer services in Ghana and Nigeria.  The ABS is supporting them in the delivery of this project.

The project aims to increase and improve the communication within the Breast MDT in Nigeria and Ghana. They are therefore looking for MDT core-members: breast care nurses, pathologists, oncologists, radiologists, breast surgeons and plastic surgeons to give 2-3 20 minute talks on relevant topics online/taped and in person.

They have two courses which include a three day course in person, which is a mixture of online and in person talks, and a two day Training the Trainers course: one week in Nigeria in the last week of June and the same the week after (first week of July) in Ghana and aim to have an online resource for the development of local MDTs, which they would also like help with very much.

They have the travel and accommodation costs covered (taking an economy flight).  Further information is available here.