#ActForHumanity: Advocating for Aid Workers on World Humanitarian Day With Alankrita Taneja, MD, and Matthew Hadfield, DO

August 19 is World Humanitarian Day, a day to raise awareness about the plight of civilians around the world who are caught up in conflicts and to honor and advocate for the humanitarian workers who continue to provide life-saving support and protection to people in need. In this interview, Oncology Data Advisor Editorial Board members Dr. Alankrita Taneja and Dr. Matthew Hadfield discuss:

• The story behind World Humanitarian Day, which was established in 2008 by the United Nations (UN) to commemorate the 2003 bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, an event in which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieiro de Mello, and 21 other humanitarian aid workers lost their lives
• The theme of World Humanitarian Day 2024, #ActForHumanity, which focuses on addressing the alarming rise of attacks against humanitarian workers and civilians, advocating for the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to end impunity for these violations
• The problem of violence against healthcare workers both in the United States and internationally and how this limits care for millions of people around the world
• The importance of establishing safety measures and policies to protect physicians, nurses, medical assistants, and other healthcare and humanitarian workers as they care for patients

“Currently, over 130 million people throughout the world are caught up in crisis, including war and natural disasters, and are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. The purpose of World Humanitarian Day is to raise awareness of the plight of civilians around the world who have become caught up in conflicts, and also honor and raise support for humanitarian workers who are at risk and sometimes lose their lives.” – Matthew Hadfield, DO

About Dr. Taneja and Dr. Hadfield

Alankrita Taneja, MD, recently completed Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is interested in multiple myeloma and cellular therapies and is passionate about humanism and equitable care.

Matthew Hadfield, DO, is a Medical Oncologist at Brown University/Legorreta Cancer Center, with a pending faculty appointment at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University. He recently completed his Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Brown University. Dr. Hadfield’s clinical and research interests are in phase 1 clinical trials and developmental therapeutics, as well as cutaneous malignancies and immunotherapy-related adverse events.