ISOLS is proud to announce the recipients of our inaugural Travelling Research Fellowships:
Dr Alexandra K. Callan
from the United States
and
Dr Muhammad Phetrus Johan
from Indonesia
Each brings a remarkable blend of clinical skill, academic drive and a deep commitment to improving the lives of people living with sarcoma around the world.
The individuals selected are committed to engagement, contributing meaningfully to our LMIC support goals. Their involvement is not only about advancing the long-term growth of the organisation but also fostering their own professional development. While we invest in their growth, they bring fresh perspectives and expertise that strengthen our collective global impact.
For Dr Alexandra Callan, orthopaedic oncology has always been a calling that extends beyond borders. Now Associate Professor, Residency Program Director, and Chief of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Division at UT Southwestern, she has dedicated her career to building strong multidisciplinary care, leading trainees, and driving research that improves outcomes. A memorable encounter in Athens in 2019, when a former patient returned home to Greece after complex surgery in the US, affirmed for her that cancer care is a truly global endeavour. The Travelling Fellowship will allow Dr Callan to learn from world-leading specialists, deepen international research partnerships, and bring new techniques and shared knowledge back to her patients and trainees in Texas.
From the eastern regions of Indonesia, Dr Muhammad Phetrus Johan has dedicated his career to advancing access to specialist limb salvage care across a large and diverse nation. A consultant surgeon-scientist with more than six years’ experience, he has already helped shape regional services through complex surgical care, multidisciplinary leadership, and more than 20 peer-reviewed publications. As Vice Chairman of the Indonesia Musculoskeletal Tumor Society and faculty leader at Hasanuddin University, he is committed to improving the standard of care and education nationwide. Through the fellowship, he hopes to gain valuable insights from high-volume international centres and translate them into practical solutions for patients in low- and middle-income settings, resulting in earlier diagnosis and more effficient and affordable reconstruction options.
The ISOLS Travelling Fellowship was designed to strengthen exactly this kind of global exchange: knowledge moving across borders, skills shared between peers, and future leaders empowered to raise standards in every community. We look forward to supporting Dr Callan and Dr Johan on their journeys, and to seeing the impact ripple far beyond the operating room.