Cai Long (IMP Class of 2021) returned to his engineering roots to work as a technical consultant for a new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance book.
Published earlier this year, WHO technical guidance and specifications of medical devices for screening and treatment of precancerous lesions in the prevention of cervical cancer aims to increase access to medical devices used to screen, diagnose, and treat cervical cancer. It does this by serving as a selection/procurement guide and by providing the technical guidance required for the proper use of those devices.
We spoke with Cai about how he contributed to the book, his interest in bridging medicine and technology, and how he balanced this project and his medical schooling at the IMP.
How did you get involved with this project?
I saw a post that WHO was looking for an engineer to work on cervical cancer screening and treatment. I applied and was very fortunately offered the job.
Why did you choose to work on this particular project?
Coming from an engineering background, I have a strong interest in bridging medicine and technology. The availability of high-quality, affordable medical devices in low-resource settings is crucial for better health outcomes. I also believe cervical cancer is an important global health issue that can be eliminated with collaborative work.
Second, I am very interested in global health. In my future practice, I would love to involve some sort of global health component, either through humanitarian outreach, teaching, or research.
Overall, this project provided me an opportunity to learn more about global health and to practice critical thinking. I learned to appreciate our health-care system more after realizing how privileged we are in Canada to have universal health-care coverage.
How did you contribute to the project?
The goal of the project was to develop technical specifications for cervical cancer–prevention and –treatment technologies. My work included conducting a literature review, reconciling international standards and regulations, performing an industry horizontal scan, coordinating workshops and expert review meetings, and preparing technical manuscripts. The finished book is a great example of what we can achieve through international collaboration. We had engineers, clinicians from a variety of NGOs, and individuals from several UN agencies (i.e., WHO, UNICEF, and UNFPA) on the team.
Which chapters did you work on?
I developed “Chapter 4: Technical guidance and specifications for colposcope”, “Chapter 6: Technical guidance and specifications for cryosurgical unit”, and “Chapter 7: Technical guidance and specifications for ESUs used in LLETZ (or LEEP).”
When and where did you do this work? And how did you balance this project and medical school?
I spent some time in India working with the WHO and the Clinton Health Access Initiative during the Christmas break in 2018. After that, I worked on the chapters when I was back in Victoria, BC, until March 2019.
I sometimes found it challenging to balance the workload of this project and medical school, especially before exams. There were a lot of meetings and emails, but I was able to manage them after class thanks to the time zone difference.
I also appreciate that the UBC medicine curriculum is very flexible as it enabled me to pursue this project. I really enjoyed the work, and it was exciting to join such an amazing global team working on this very important issue.
Finally, can you tell us a little bit about your engineering background?
I studied pharmaceutical engineering with an economics minor during my undergrad in China, and I obtained a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at UBC. Before medicine, I worked as an engineer for five years in Vancouver, Geneva, and Yellowknife. This training and work experience helped me learn to think logically and critically. I hope to use my engineering knowledge to better the health-care system for our community.
You can access the book WHO technical guidance and specifications of medical devices for screening and treatment of precancerous lesions in the prevention of cervical cancer here.