The path to security
“I miss visiting my parents at the family home, and sharing special moments with my children in the place where I grew up."
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Life before Cara
Breast cancer is a significant public health issue in Sudan, where a severely under-resourced health system has created very limited access to preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic services.
“By the time we see a woman, the disease is usually so advanced that treatment is almost always palliative.”
As Associate Professor and Deputy Dean at one of the biggest cancer centres in Sudan, Hassan was instrumental in introducing advanced diagnostic and prognostic tools for breast cancer, improving health outcomes for women across the region.
The work of his team triggered major upgrades at the Institute, but only a few years later, the facility was destroyed, and life-saving equipment was looted during the armed conflict.
Leaving home
Following the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, Hassan, his wife and two young children were trapped in Khartoum for over a month, without any safe route of escape. They endured constant airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire, as well as severe food, water and power shortages.
“Eventually we decided we had to leave, even if it was dangerous. Along the way we witnessed horrifying scenes of death, destruction and violence. My children saw things a child should never see.”
A new future
Despite the chaos of war, lost documents and internet blackouts – and even a bomb dropping during his interview for the Fellowship – Hassan has now been in Manchester for nearly a year.
“Arriving in Manchester brought mixed emotions. On one hand, I felt a deep sense of relief and peace – my family and I were safe. I could return to my academic work, and my children could go back to school. On the other hand, I felt sadness and guilt for leaving my parents who were displaced to another country.”
Here, he’s been able to continue his important research into biological markers for the efficacy of breast cancer drug, Tamoxifen.
“Manchester is where Tamoxifen was first developed in 1970, so there really is no better place to study it. Building on this legacy, my goal is a world where fewer women face breast cancer, because prevention is smarter, more personalised and accessible to all.”
Next steps
Hassan is determined to return to Sudan and help re-build cancer services in the country. But he knows this won’t be any time soon.
“It dawned on me that it may be a long time before anything resembling normal life returns to Sudan. The hospitals have been looted, so there’s really no treatment for cancer patients. Prevention is non-existent.”
In the meantime, Hassan plans to continue to work on projects that can be applied in developing countries, and hopes to collaborate with universities in other African countries.