Bridging the Gap Between Academic and Community Oncology Through Innovative Education With Waqas Haque, MD, MPH, and Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD

The Vision Behind PrecisCa

Dr. Jahanzeb shares the inspiration behind PrecisCa, a platform that combines video education, content creation, and second opinions on oncology patient cases. Reflecting on his experience with “Challenging Cases,” a series of meetings designed for market research, he envisioned a way to bring real-world case discussions to a broader audience.

“I wondered what could be achieved if these were real cases,” Dr. Jahanzeb explained. “When the pandemic hit, a friend encouraged me to turn this idea into reality. Four years later, we have over 1,800 videos and 400 cases, creating a robust repository of oncology education.”

This vision underscores the importance of leveraging technology to democratize access to expert opinions and educational resources, making them available to clinicians and patients worldwide.

Revolutionizing Medical Education

The shift from traditional classroom learning to digital platforms has revolutionized medical education. PrecisCa’s extensive video library allows oncologists and trainees to access peer-to-peer learning at their convenience.

“Asynchronous learning is our biggest asset,” Dr. Jahanzeb notes. “People can learn anytime, anywhere—whether it’s 2:00 AM or during their commute. The cases are real, anonymized, and discussed by experts from top institutions, offering a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional perspective.”

This approach not only enhances accessibility but also ensures that learners gain insights from diverse viewpoints, bridging the gap between academic and community oncology. Dr. Jahanzeb emphasizes, “This is a great equalizer, democratizing the process not just in the US but globally.”

Connecting Community and Academic Oncology

With 85% of oncology care delivered in community settings, PrecisCa addresses the challenges faced by clinicians in rural or resource-limited areas. The platform’s virtual tumor boards provide a space for complex case discussions, enabling community oncologists to access expert opinions without geographic constraints.

“Patients no longer need to travel to major institutions in Houston or Boston for a second opinion,” Dr. Jahanzeb explained. “They just need to join a virtual clinic on Zoom, where our experts provide comprehensive, case-specific advice.”

This model not only enhances patient care but also fosters collaboration between community and academic oncologists, ensuring that patients receive the best possible treatment recommendations.

Overcoming Challenges in Oncology Entrepreneurship

Building a technology-focused company in oncology comes with unique challenges, from securing funding to navigating legal and regulatory hurdles. Dr. Jahanzeb credited his success to a supportive investor and innovative solutions, such as anonymizing patient data and creating a patented “bucketing” system to streamline case discussions into predefined categories, allowing them to handle large volumes of cases efficiently while maintaining expert input.

Dr. Jahanzeb concludes, “Learning is an attitude. With curiosity and innovation, we can continue to advance the field of oncology for the benefit of patients and clinicians alike.”

Key Takeaways

1. Asynchronous learning: Digital platforms like PrecisCa enable oncologists to learn at their own pace, enhancing accessibility and flexibility
2. Multidisciplinary collaboration: Virtual tumor boards provide diverse perspectives, bridging the gap between community and academic oncology
3. Global reach: Democratizing access to expert opinions makes high-quality oncology care available worldwide
4. Innovative solutions: Anonymization and bucketing systems address legal and logistical challenges, ensuring scalability and efficiency

About the Speakers

Waqas Haque, MD, MPH, is a Hematology/Oncology Fellow at the University of Chicago. He recently completed his Internal Medicine Residency at New York University (NYU) in a Clinical Investigator Track. Dr. Haque has balanced his patient care work with a variety of research projects. During his fellowship training at the University of Chicago, he plans to further his work in innovative clinical trial design, value-based care delivery to cancer patients, and clinical investigation.

Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD, is a Medical Oncologist with 30 years of experience in breast and lung cancer practice and clinical research. He was previously a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he was also the Associate Director of Community Outreach. Currently, Dr. Jahanzeb is the Co-Founder of PrecisCa and the Co-Founder and President of OncAdvisor. He has given more than 1,000 lectures as an invited speaker at national and international conferences, and he has authored or coauthored more than 250 publications. Dr. Jahanzeb is passionate about raising the level of cancer care and improving the quality medical education around the world.