Global Scholars Projects: Rosdali Diaz Coronado, MD, MSc

About the Global Scholars Project

While central nervous system (CNS) tumors rank as the second-most prevalent type of cancer in children and adolescents, there’s a surprising lack of information about their impact on mortality in low-resource settings. 

This project aimed to identify the reasons for delays in diagnosing and referring children ages 0–18 years with CNS tumors at the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases (INEN) in Lima, Peru. It also sought to understand the perspective of parents and health care professionals. A prospective study was conducted, employing a convergent mixed-methods strategy, at INEN and the two national pediatric institutes that handle most CNS tumor referrals. 

The findings make it clear that delays in diagnosis are mainly due to barriers within the health system, as well as structural issues, rather than to patient delays. The project then turned insights into practical improvements at the system level. One standout achievement was the introduction of a patient navigation system that tackled delays in referrals and the complexities of navigating the health care system.

Publications

Project Assets

Fishbone

Logic Model

About the Scholar

Rosdali Diaz Coronado earned her medical degree in 2007 from Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo in Lambayeque, Peru. She continued her postgraduate training at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, completing Pediatrics in 2012 and Pediatric Oncology in 2014. 

Her clinical and academic interests focus on quality improvement initiatives and tumors of the central nervous system. Under her management, the pediatric oncology department at the National Cancer Institute underwent a historic restructuring, marked by the establishment of the country’s first pediatric oncology emergency department and its first specialized pediatric oncology intensive care unit. These initiatives led to a landmark reduction in inpatient mortality, from 35% to 10%.  

Diaz Coronado has successfully integrated global programs such as the pediatric early warning system EVAT (PEWS), Golden Hour and the Comfort Promise while formalizing a comprehensive approach to pediatric oncology palliative care.