The African Research Group for Oncology (ARGO) is a National Cancer Institute–recognized research consortium that brings together 31 medical institutions across Nigeria and four partner institutions in the United States and Canada, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Northwestern University.
Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and a member of the Center for Global Oncology at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, along with her team represented the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health at the 2024 ARGO oncology conference at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. In addition to participating in on-site training and engaging with collaborators, the team presented the trial protocol of their project titled, Evaluating the Impact of Financial Navigation on Financial Catastrophe and Distress for Cancer Care: A Randomized Control Trial-COST-FIN. COST-FIN supports the first randomized controlled trial of financial navigation for cancer care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); research that was supported by the Havey Institute for Global Health Global Health Catalyzer Award.
Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH, and her team represented the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health at the 2024 ARGO oncology conference at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.
Lumati and her team presented on several topics related to cancer care in LMICs, including cancer financing in Nigeria, analysis of the risk of financial catastrophe associated with breast and colorectal cancer treatment, pilot studies of stakeholders in Nigeria assessing the feasibility of a financial navigation program and barriers to the adoption of a financial navigation program in Nigeria.
Also on the team is Northwestern surgery resident physician Norah Zaza, MD, who presented the project at the American College of Surgeons Conference. Additional presentations have included the Society of Black Academic Surgeon Conference by team member Frankie Uwechue, MD, a surgery resident physician at the University of Buffalo (who was awarded the Claude Organ Award for the presentation), the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) by Emmanuel Uduigwome, MBBS, a physician from Nigeria, and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Conference by Amir Sohail, MD, surgical oncology fellow at University of New Mexico. The project was also presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, where Lumati was named a mentor in the inaugural ASCO-Aortic International Clinical Scholars Program. Lumati’s mentorship was again recognized when she was named the Northwestern University Department of Surgery 2025 Research Mentor of the Year.
“We are excited to see the potential impact this may have on reducing cost barriers to cancer care and leaving no patients behind when it comes to cancer care in resource limited settings,” Lumati said.
Lumati leads reseach on financial navigation for cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.
Lumati said she and her team's goals align with the aims of ARGO.
Founded by T. Peter Kingham, MD, FACS, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and Nigerian surgical oncologist Olusegun Isaac Alatise, MBChB, MSc, FWACS, FMCS FACS, from Obafemi Awolowo University, ARGO’s mission is to advance cancer research and improve care delivery across Nigeria through collaborative, multidisciplinary research. By providing access to cutting-edge technologies, modern research methodologies, and global expertise, ARGO empowers local investigators to generate high-quality evidence to inform clinical guidelines, expand prevention and early detection strategies, and improve access to cancer care—particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Since its inception in 2013, ARGO has:
Employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates oncology, epidemiology, genomics, surgery and public health, ARGO is a leading force in transforming cancer care and outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa.
Financial toxicity causes depression, anxiety, and family strain—particularly when patients are forced to choose between care and basic needs like food or housing.”
- Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology
Lumati’s leadership in this work builds on more than a decade of foundational experience in health financing and cancer policy in sub-Saharan Africa, including extensive work in Ghana and Nigeria. Her early efforts focused on understanding the economic burden of cancer on households and the structural barriers to access treatment.
As a health services researcher working at the intersection of global oncology and health systems strengthening, Lumati said she hopes that the team’s research will make an impactful change in global health
“My work aims to not only generate evidence, but also to influence policy, scale interventions, and ensure that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t push families into poverty or despair,” Lumati said.
Lumati noted that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of premature cancer deaths in the world, and Nigeria’s cancer case fatality rate is 63%. The team’s prior research showed that up to 30% of Nigerian cancer patients do not complete treatment, largely due to cost.
“These delays and treatment gaps are directly linked to poorer survival and avoidable deaths,” Lumati said. “The emotional toll is also immense. Financial toxicity causes depression, anxiety, and family strain—particularly when patients are forced to choose between care and basic needs like food or housing. My dream is to create and develop solutions to address these needs.”
Hear more from Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH on her episode of Explore Global Health with Rob Murphy, MD.
The ARGO 2025 Symposium, From Screening to Survivorship: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of Breast, Cervical, Colorectal, and Hepatobiliary Cancers in Nigeria, takes place September 24-25 in Nigeria.
Juliet Lumati, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and member of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health and Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM).
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