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Research Snapshot Theater: Pediatric VIII

Enhancing Pediatric Onco-Critical Care: A Transnational Workshop in a Limited-Resource Setting

Monday, March 23, 2026
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 07
  • VV

    Valerie Vernot, MD (she/her/hers)

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

  • LT

    Leidy Tovar-Padua, MD

    Doctor
    University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • SB

    Santiago Bolivar, n/a

    Medical Student
    Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AM

    Angelica Martinez-Soria, MD

    Doctor
    Hospital General de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • MP

    Magdalena Perez-Velasquez, MD

    Doctor
    Hospital General de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • VG

    Victoria García-Noriega, MD

    Doctor
    Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, Hospital General de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • GA

    Gabriela Aguiar, MD

    Doctor
    Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • MR

    Maribel Ramirez, MD

    Doctor
    Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • RR

    Rebeca Rivera-Gomez, MD

    Doctor
    Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, Hospital General de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • WR

    William Roberts, MD

    Doctor
    University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • JL

    Jeremy Landeo, MD

    Doctor
    University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • PA

    Paula Aristizabal, MD

    Doctor
    University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: Childhood cancer remains a leading cause of mortality globally,with 80% of cases in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs),where survival rates are significantly lower than in high-income countries.In LMICs, critically ill children with cancer are often cared for by non-intensivist physicians in hospitals without pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), primarily due to insufficient training in pediatric onco-critical care.To bridge this gap,we implemented a transnational educational workshop between Hospital General-Tijuana,Mexico and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, USA,aimed at enhancing knowledge and competence among pediatric providers managing critically ill children with cancer.


Methods: A two-day (12-hour) hybrid (in-person/virtual) evidence-based workshop was designed to enhance critical care competencies.This workshop addressed essential topics in critical care and was conducted by ten PICU experts from Mexico (n = 4), Guatemala (n = 1),and the United States (n = 5). Pre-and post-workshop assessments measured knowledge and self-reported competency.Statistical significance was determined using paired t-tests and chi-square tests (α=0.05).


Results: Twenty (83%) participants (out of 24 invited) attended; 17 in-person, 3 virtually.Knowledge assessments were completed by 90% (n = 18), and self-confidence assessments by 85% (n = 17).Overall knowledge increased by 13.0% (68.8% vs. 81.8%; P < 0.05). Pre-workshop, no participants felt extremely competent in any topic.Post-workshop confidence was reported high or extremely high in all topics: intracranial hypertension (17.6% vs. 88.2%; P < 0.05), superior vena cava syndrome (11.8% vs. 64.7%; P < 0.05), medullary-compression syndrome (23.6% vs. 70.6%; P < 0.05),febrile neutropenia (35.3% vs. 88.2%; P < 0.05), septic shock (41.1% vs. 94.1%; P < 0.05), and adrenal insufficiency (5.9% vs. 64.7%; P < 0.05).Satisfaction with the workshop was high at 88.2%.


Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and significant impact of a low-cost, transnational workshop aimed at strengthening pediatric onco-critical care competencies and knowledge in LMICs.The hybrid model supports the concept of international collaboration to reduce global health disparities and improve the care for critically ill children within pediatric cancer centers in LMICs.