Axel Grothey

Medical Oncologist and Director | USA

Axel Grothey, MD, is a medical oncologist and Director of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at West Cancer Center and Research Institute, in Germantown, Tennessee.Dr Grothey received his medical degree at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, and completed residencies at West German Tumor Center and the Institute of Pathology at the University of Essen and a residency and fellowship at the University of Bochum. He also completed a research fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. He joined Mayo Clinic as a consultant in 2005 and was appointed as Professor of Oncology in 2007. He left Mayo Clinic in summer of 2018 to join West Cancer Center.

Claude Chidiac

Nurse Consultant and Clinical Lead for Palliative & End-of-Life Care | United Kingdom

Claude is a Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care and Clinical Lead for Palliative and End-of-Life Care at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Claude has assumed a variety of academic and clinical roles in acute, hospice, and community settings in the UK and internationally. Claude’s current work focuses on improving palliative care access and provision for marginalised populations. Claude has been involved in a number of national and international consultations on palliative care programme development, and promoting equity in palliative care for certain minoritised groups. He is an Executive Board Member at the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health and a founding Director of the Dementia Advisory Group Community Interest Company, UK.

David Planchard

Head of Thoracic Group, Department of Medical Oncology | France

Dr David Planchard is a thoracic oncologist and head of the thoracic pathology committee at Gustave Roussy, where he is responsible for coordinating the management of patients with lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma or thymic tumours. He is also president of the International Center for Thoracic Cancers (CICT) , a health cooperation group combining Gustave Roussy, the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital and the Paris Saint-Joseph Hospital. Expert in biomarkers and targeted treatment of bronchial cancers as well as in immunotherapy, he has been involved in more than 100 phase I, II and III trials and has published more than 130 articles in several renowned international journals.

Elizabeth Smyth

GI Oncology Lead | United Kingdom

Dr. Smyth works as a consultant medical oncologist in upper GI oncology at Oxford University NHS Foundation trust with a research focus in oesophagogastric cancer. Her interests are clinical trials and translational research, and she has worked on trial design and management of national and international investigator initiated trials. Dr. Smyth has published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts in her field. She is a member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Upper GI Faculty, and is the Chair of the Guidelines Committee and member of the ESMO Council. She has previously served as the Chair of the ESMO OncologyPRO Working Group, Chair of the ESMO National Societies Committee and was Subject Editor for the most recent ESMO Gastric Cancer and Oesophageal Cancer Guidelines. Dr. Smyth is the current Chair of the EORTC GI Trials Group (2024-2027). In 2022, Dr. Smyth was a founding member of the UK & Ireland Oesophagogastric Cancer Group (UKIOG) and is a trustee of the UKIOG Charity. She is committed to furthering national and international collaboration in GI trials research and improving outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Filippo Pietrantonio

Head of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Unit | Italy

Filippo Pietrantonio is Head of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy. He leads a research team involved in developing new therapies for gastrointestinal cancers (mainly colorectal and gastric cancer), and in translational research to identify resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies, immunotherapy and novel agents. He is Principal Investigator for more than 100 active profit and non-profit trials and is an active member of Steering Committees of several national and international clinical trials. He is an author of more than 350 publications in peer-reviewed journals, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Italian Medical Oncology Association (AIOM) and he is the scientific secretary of the Gruppo Oncologico Noord Ovest (GONO) Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to the design and conduct of non-profit trials.

Francois-Clement Bidard

Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology | France

François-Clément Bidard, MD PhD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology at Institut Curie & UVSQ/Université Paris-Saclay. He is also the co-coordinator of breast cancer research at Institut Curie, the #1 center for breast cancer in France, and, since 2023, the vice-Chair of the French Breast Cancer research group UCBG (Unicancer). His clinical work primarily focuses on breast cancers. His research aims at characterizing the cellular mechanisms involved in the metastatic process, with a focus on blood biomarkers (circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA etc.). He teaches medical students at the Simone Veil Faculty of Science (UVSQ/Université Paris-Saclay), as well as residents and students in the Department of Medical Oncology (Institut Curie); he is coordinating the “”Breast Diseases”” postgraduate training at UVSQ/Université Paris-Saclay.

Gina Brown

Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Imaging | United Kingdom

Gina Brown is a Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Imaging. Her research in colorectal cancer staging has set the national and global benchmarks for imaging assessment of colon and rectal cancer patients before and during treatment . These improved staging methods have reduced local and distant failure in high risk patients whilst avoiding overtreatment of low risk patients and has resulted MRI based strategies being incorporated into several guidelines such as peer review measures, UK NICE and guidelines. She graduated from King’s College Hospital School of Medicine, London in 1988, and her research career began at the University of Wales, Cardiff in 1997 with investigating and establishing optimal MRI techniques for staging and assessment of primary rectal cancer.

Giuseppe Spriano

Full Professor and Chair Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery | Italy

Dr Giuseppe Spriano is the Otolaryngology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. He is specialized in head and neck Oncology, in particular on nose-sinus tumors, salivary glands, thyroid, larynx and pharynx, oral cavity, skin, face and orbit. In general of all tumors that originate above the clavicles with the exception of those from the brain.

Giuseppe Curigliano

Professor of Medical Oncology | Italy

Giuseppe Curigliano, MD PhD, is Full Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Milano and Chief of the Clinical Division of Early Drug Development at European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy. Dr. Curigliano is an expert in the field of advanced drug development in solid tumors, with specific interest on breast cancer. He contributed to the development of many anticancer treatments actually available as standard of care in the treatment of multiple solid tumors. Since 2001 he is tenure-track and full-time cancer specialist at European Institute of Oncology – one of the world’s leading cancer-research institutes and the premier Cancer Center in Italy, third in Europe and 12th globally. He serves as member of the Italian Higher Health Council. Dr. Curigliano served ESMO as Chair of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee from 2019 to 2023. He is the Editor in Chief of ESMO Open. He was awarded with the first ESO Umberto Veronesi Award in Vienna in 2017 and with the Fellowship of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences in Paris in 2017. Dr Curigliano in 2022 and 2023 was identified as Clarivate™ world’s most influential researchers. Dr Curigliano has contributed to over 670 peer-reviewed publications.

Isabel Galiano

Breast Cancer Coach | Singapore

Isabel Galiano is a Cancer Coach with over a decade of experience coaching breast cancer patients through their cancer journey. Her integrative and complementary approach to cancer care combines her personal experience as a two-time breast cancer survivor with her professional expertise in Health Coaching, Nutrition, Functional Medicine, and Yoga Therapy. She provides personalized coaching to clients worldwide, conducts workshops and corporate talks, passionately advocating for cancer awareness and education. Isabel is an active member of the UK & International Health Coaches Association, the Society of Behavioural Health Singapore, and the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (UK).

Javier Cortes

Head of the International Breast Cancer Centre (IBCC) | Spain

Dr. Cortés is the Head of the International Breast Cancer Centre (IBCC) in Barcelona, founding partner of Medica Scientia innovation Research (MedSIR), a company involved in the clinical development of clinical trials. He has contributed to over 430 peer-reviewed publications, especially about breast tumours and new drugs and more than 800 communications at different conferences. He actively participates in the development of numerous international clinical trials, and he is an ad hoc reviewer of various oncology journals, including, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Annals of Oncology or Journal of Clinical Oncology, among many others. In addition, according to the American Expertscape 2023 ranking, he is considered the world’s leading expert on HER2+ and fourth world oncologist with the greatest expertise in breast cancer and in 2022 and 2023 was identified as Clarivate™ world’s most influential researchers.

Lee Soo Chin

Senior Consultant in the Department of Haematology-Oncology and Associate Director of Research | Singapore

Dr Lee obtained her medical degrees from the National University of Singapore and the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom, and completed a fellowship in cancer genetics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA. She is Senior Consultant in the Department of Haematology-Oncology, Associate Director of Research at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), and Professor and Senior Principal Investigator at the Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore. She is ex-Chairperson of the Chapter of Medical Oncologists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore, and was a member of the Singapore Ministry of Health Specialist Accreditation Board for Medical Oncology. She specializes in breast cancer and directs the Cancer Genetics program at NCIS. Her research focus is on breast cancer, pharmacogenetics and cancer genetics. She directs the Haematology-Oncology Research Group (HORG), a cancer clinical trials unit that supports ~200 phase I-III therapeutics clinical trials in solid tumors and haematological malignancies at NCIS. She is a National Medical Research Council Singapore (NMRC) Senior Clinician Scientist Award recipient, and has more than 240 peer-reviewed publications, including publications in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, British Journal of Cancer, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics and Nature Medicine.

Lizza Hendriks

Pulmonologist, Department of Pulmonary Diseases | Netherlands

Dr Hendriks is a pulmonologist specialising in thoracic oncology at the Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands, where she leads the clinical lung cancer research department. She is the representative for thoracic oncology in the Maastricht UMC Comprehensive Cancer Cancer, and chairs the Innovative Cancer Diagnostics Therapy group at the School for Oncology and Developmental Biology (GROW) at Maastricht University, where she is also appointed as associate professor. She is heavily involved in clinical and translational research, and is (local) principal investigator in several phase II and III clinical trials, focusing on (locally) advanced NSCLC and SCLC, targeted treatments and immunotherapies.

Mastura MD Yusof

Consultant Oncologist | Malaysia

Dr. Mastura Md. Yusof is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Head of the Cancer Centre at PICASO Hospital and Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, She leads the research unit at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, overseeing numerous clinical trials in breast and lung cancer including fundamental trials that resulted in the approval of pembrolizumab in metastatic triple negative breast cancer. She is actively participating in international clinical trials in varied innovative therapies such as targeted therapies, PARP inhibitors, immunotherapies and antibody-drug conjugates and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals.

Pongwut Danchaivijitr

Medical Oncologist | Thailand

Dr. Pongwut Danchaivijitr is a medical oncologist having 14+ years of experience in this field. He is adept in diagnosing and treating cancer in adults using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy. His area of interest is medical oncology.

Prasad Kothari

Consultant ENT Head and Neck Surgeon | Ireland

Dr Prasad Kothari has been a registered ENT (ear, nose, and throat) surgeon since 2007, following the completion of his higher training at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London. He is a consultant ENT Head and Neck Surgeon at Mediclinic Parkview and treats all adult and paediatric ENT conditions, with a special interest in head and neck oncology including cancer of the thyroid. Dr Kothari has recently moved to Dubai having worked in the UK NHS for 25 years. His prior posts have included consultant ENT at Lister Hospital and clinical director of ENT at Luton & Dunstable NHS Foundation Trust where he achieved the Clinical Excellence award for his work. In addition, for 8 years, Dr Kothari has led head and neck cancer surgery for the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire cancer network.

Robert Coleman

Gynecologic Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer | USA

Robert L. Coleman, MD, FACOG, FACS, is a gynecologic oncologist practicing at Texas Oncology in Houston, and was appointed in May 2023 as the inaugural chief medical officer for Vaniam Group, an independent healthcare communications agency based in Chicago, Illinois. He will also serve as a key part of the Executive Committee in his new position at Vaniam. One of the country’s leading gynecologic oncologists for the past three decades, before joining Vaniam Group Dr. Coleman served as chief scientific officer for US Oncology Research (USRO) and chief medical officer for Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a joint oncology research organization. Prior to joining The US Oncology Network, Dr. Coleman was executive director of MD Anderson’s Cancer Network Research Program. He was also a professor and served as the Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology at The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. Currently, Dr. Coleman is the co-director of the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Partners Foundation, Inc., a leader in national clinical trials in gynecologic cancers, and serves on the Board of Directors for GOG-Foundation, Inc. He served as president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (2015-2016) and is the immediate past-president of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS, 2020-2022). Dr. Coleman is board certified in Gynecologic Oncology and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Stephen Johnston

Professor of Breast Cancer Medicine and Consultant Medical Oncologist | United Kingdom

Stephen Johnston is a Professor of Breast Cancer Medicine and Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London. He is currently a Clinical Director of the Breast, Lung and AOS Clinical Business Unit at The Royal Marsden. He has published over 250 breast cancer related articles in peer-reviewed journals, and is a regular invited lecturer at national and international meetings.

Tahani Dweikat

Director of Clinical Research [Interim] Clinical Trials Operations, Research Infusion Unit (CRU), Hematology & Cellular Therapies Research | USA

Tahani Dweikat is an oncology nursing and clinical research leader with over 20 years of healthcare experience. She holds dual master’s degrees: an Executive Master’s in Healthcare Administration (EMHCA) from Zayed University affiliated with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Adult-Gerontology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AG-OCNS) from California State University Dominguez Hills. Tahani is nationally certified as an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN), Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), Evidence-Based Practice Certified (EBP-C). She currently serves as the Director of Clinical Research [Interim] at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center (California, USA), where she oversees high-complexity clinical trials, including early-phase, hematology research, and cellular therapy protocols. In addition, she served as the Clinical Research Nurse Manager for the Clinical Research Unit, leading interdisciplinary teams to optimize trial performance and promote research-integrated patient care.

Tobias Arkenau

CMO and Global Head of Drug Development | United Kingdom

Professor Tobias Arkenau is a highly-respected Consultant Medical Oncologist who works at several HCA Healthcare locations, including Sarah Cannon Research Institute, The Harley Street Clinic, The Princess Grace and The Wellington Hospital. He also has an NHS post at University College London Hospital where he is a Professorial Research Associate. He was awarded his medical degree from Hanover Medical School in Germany in 2000. After this, he completed specialist training in oncology across several centres of excellence including the Royal Marsden Hospital. He was given a Fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians, and is highly regarded for his research contributions to his field of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Drug Development and Immunotherapy. Professor Arkenau is one of the founding Medical Directors of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK and is currently serving as Executive Medical Director for SCRI UK. He also has the role of Clinical Lead for the HCA Healthcare UK Cancer Service Line. This highly skilled physician has a wide range of experience in many different types of cancers, primarily gastrointestinal and skin cancers. He has published countless peer-reviewed articles and book chapters over the course of his career, and regularly presents at international conferences such as ASCO, ESMO and AACR. He currently leads the Sarah Cannon Institute UK as Chief Investigator for a number of clinical trials involving new anti-cancer treatments like immunotherapy and cellular therapy.