Improving cancer outcomes through enhanced leadership and strategy training for cancer healthcare professionals - A course developed by the European School of Oncology (ESO), the European Cancer Organization (ECO) and Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC)

Leadership as a key building block of a health system plays a crucial role in achieving high performance and helps deliver change and shape the policy agenda and its implementation. Echoing the emerging need for effective leaders in Oncology, the "Improving Cancer Outcomes and Leadership Course" was developed jointly by the European School of Oncology (ESO), the European Cancer Organization (ECO) and Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC). The course was offered as a hybrid event online and in Warsaw in June 2022. It aimed to introduce early and mid-career cancer healthcare professionals of all disciplines and professions to the expertise required to develop strategic plans, support and collaborate in relevant applied health research, develop implementation approaches and acquire the skill sets required to support leadership and change management within their countries and regions. A total of 47 participants, mainly from Europe, participated and prepared 'case discussions' of organisational challenges or projects aiming to improve health care in their regions. These were deliberated and further developed in 3 break out groups. A qualitative evaluation of the course impact performed 2 years after the course showed that most participants remained in contact with each other, the majority had implemented learnings from the course to help improve cancer outcomes, 87 % had further developed their projects that were presented during the breakout sessions and of those 89 % felt that the discussions that were held during course had actively helped them to develop and potentially apply these projects. Finally, 77 % have thought of or initiated a different project than the one they discussed during the course, based on ideas coming from the discussions during or after the course. Here we describe the course, give three examples of topics discussed in Warsaw and present plans for the future.