The Advances in Screening and Prevention in Reproductive Cancers (ASPIRE) project was established in 2006 through collaboration between the University of British Columbia and Makerere University in Uganda. This women's health initiative has saved tens of thousands of lives by implementing a scalable and affordable integrated cervical cancer screening program that uses a novel technology developed specifically for resource-limited countries. The project examines ways that women can self-collect the samples needed for diagnosis of the human papillomavirus (HPV). With new DNA technology, testing, diagnosis and treatment can be done by existing health care professionals such as nurses, midwives and lab technicians at a lower cost than traditional screening. The program has since expanded to include primary prevention of HPV through vaccination in BC and South Africa, focusing on identfiying opportunities for improving sexual, reproductive, and maternal health for adolescents. 

To learn more about the Global HPV Control project and how it is helping some of the over four million women worldwide who are expected to die from cervical cancer in the next twenty years visit the program website.