European Cancer Summit 2021

Dr. Andrei Baciu was appointed Secretary of State within Romania’s Ministry of Health on December 2019. As such, he was delegated to support the coordination of COVID response in Romania, being actively involved in decision making process during the pandemic response. Also, he coordinates the national vaccination campaign roll out, acting as Vice-President of the National Vaccination Committee.

Dr. Jennifer L. Baker is a Senior Researcher and leader of the group on lifecourse epidemiology at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital system, in Denmark. Her research programme investigates how body size and growth during childhood in combination with other exposures across the lifecourse relate to disease. She and her group have shown that a higher body mass index in childhood increases the risk during adult life of numerous non-communicable diseases including nine types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Baker has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has served on several international expert scientific committees. Dr. Baker is the co-chair for the European Association for the Study of Obesity Childhood Obesity Task Force.

Professor Karen Canfell is the inaugural Director of the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between the University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW. She is an epidemiologist, modeller, and a translationally-focused population health researcher. She has led evaluations of new cancer screening approaches for government agencies in several countries. She currently leads Compass, which is the first major international experience of cervical screening in an HPV-vaccinated population. Her team’s work underpins the 2017 transition of the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia from Pap smears to 5-yearly HPV-based screening. She currently has active collaborative modelling grants from the US NIH and WHO to model cervical cancer prevention in the USA and globally. Her work as one of the co-leads of the WHO Cervical Cancer Elimination Modelling Consortium was presented and discussed at the Executive Board of the World Health Assembly in 2020 and supported the formal resolution by WHO to support the cervical cancer elimination initiative, launched in late 2020. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, the 2021 recipient of Cancer Australia’s Jeanne Ferris Award for her contributions to gynecological cancer research, and 2020 recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for Leadership in Health Services Research.

Professor Mark Lawler is Board Member, European Cancer Organisation and Special Network on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Co-Chair, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health, and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Queen's University Belfast (QUB). Mark is an internationally renowned scientist who has published over 200 papers including key publications in the highest impact journals (New Engl J Medicine, Lancet, Nature Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Nature Comms, Gut). His work has been recognised by numerous national/international awards including the Vander Molen Prize for Leukaemia Research, Ely Lilly Prize, St Lukes Medal for Cancer Research, Graves Medal for Medical Research and the prestigious 2018 European Health Award. Mark is Associate Director of Health Data Research Wales-Northern Ireland, one of 6 Health Data Research UK (HDR-UK) Substantive Sites, which is driving innovative precision medicine and population health approaches through the use of Big Data. He is Scientific Director for DATA-CAN, the UK Health Data Research Hub for Cancer. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal, Mark led a pan European group in developing a roadmap to restore public trust in health data, published in Lancet Oncology. In the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Mark is employing a data-driven approach to understand and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on cancer patients and cancer systems Mark was co-chair of the Cancer Task Team of the Clinical Working Group of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, an international cooperative dedicated to effective and responsible sharing of genomic/clinical data. He authored a number of key papers, including a blueprint for cancer data sharing (Nature Medicine) and a call to action for a Global Cancer Data Knowledge Network (New Engl J Med). Mark is the Queen's Lead of the £5M Medical Research Council-Cancer Research UK funded Stratified Medicine in Colorectal Cancer Consortium (S:CORT), a UK-wide consortium investigating novel precision medicine approaches in colorectal cancer (CRC). His international reputation in CRC was instrumental in his leading a Critical Gaps in CRC Research Initiative, published in the high impact factor journal Gut; this landmark publication has attracted significant global attention (his podcast had the most “hits” of any article in the journal). Mark is a member of the Board of the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) and led the development of EAPM’s research strategy. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Cancer Patient Coalition and of the Strategic Advisory Board of Genomics England. Mark has a strong commitment to patient-centred research/care and to addressing cancer inequalities. He was architect of the European Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights (BoR), a catalyst for change and empowerment tool for cancer patients which he launched in the European Parliament on World Cancer Day 2014. The BoR has been translated into 17 European languages and adopted in 25 European countries. It was recently adopted by ECCO, the largest interdisciplinary cancer organisation in Europe. The BoR received The 2018 European Health Award, a prestigious award for partnerships that yield real health impact in Europe which Mark received with ECCO colleagues during the 2018 European Health Forum Gastein, the premier European health policy conference. Mark’s has a particular interested in addressing cancer challenges in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and has highlighted the need for data-enabled research, including economic evaluation to empower cancer control strategies in the region. He is also committed to optimal pathology and laboratory medicine provision for citizens in resource-limited settings and was senior author of a paper in The Lancet as part of The Lancet Series on Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in Low- and Middle- Income Countries. He is leading the Lancet Oncology Groundshot Commission to provide the evidence base and road map for cancer research in Europe, with a particular focus on CEE countries, whose results will feed into the EU cancer mission.

Dr Mirjam Crul is Board Member, European Cancer Organisation, Special Network on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Co-Chair and Workforce Network Co-Chair. Shereceived her master in pharmacy in 1999. Subsequently, she worked as a research fellow at the Netherlands Cancer Institute studying clinical pharmacology of novel anticancer agents. This work resulted in a PhD in 2002. She trained to become a Hospital Pharmacist from 2002-2006. Currently she is employed in the Amsterdam University Medical Center, where she is the Head of the Aseptic Compounding Unit and has pharmaceutical responsibility for the Oncology Department. She served as a Board Member for the Dutch Hospital Pharmacists Association (NVZA) from 2016 to 2019. At present, she holds a chair in the European Cancer Organisation Board and is Vice-President of the European Society of Oncology Pharmacy (ESOP).

Nathalie Moll joined the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) as Director General in April 2017.Prior to joining EFPIA, between 2010 and 2017 Nathalie was the Secretary General of EuropaBio ranked as the most effective European Trade Association in Brussels in 2013. She spent over 20 years working for the biotech industry at EU and national level in associations and corporate positions and held the position of Chair and Vice Chair of the International Council of Biotech Associations (ICBA). In 2013, Nathalie won the Technovisionaries Women Innovation Award organised by Women & Technologies® while in 2009, Nathalie and the Green Biotech Team of EuropaBio were presented with the Leadership and Excellence in Advancing Ag-Biotech and Food Issues Award. Nathalie was also named one of the 15 leading women in biotech in Europe in 2017.

Robert Greene is Member, European Cancer Organisation's Patient Advisory Committee, he is a consultant, speaker and patient advocate, supporting the development of patient relations. His interest revolves around patient empowerment, diversity, personalised healthcare, cancer-related malnutrition and health and healthcare disparities in prostate cancer. He is Board Member of the European Cancer Patient Coalition and Founder & President of the HungerNdThirst Foundation

Shadow Rapporteur, EU4HEALTH; Vice Chair of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer and Co-Chair, ENVI Committee Health Working Group

Christine Chomienne is Vice Chair of the EU Cancer Mission & Professor of Cellular Biology at the Université de Paris, France. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Mission Board Cancer at the European Commission. She was Director of Research and Innovation at the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) and Director of the Cancer Institute of France Research Organisations (Inserm & AVIESAN). She is past president of the European Hematology Association. She qualified in medicine at the Université Paris Diderot and received certification for specialized training in Hematology in 1983. She obtained her PhD in 1989. Dr. Chomienne has served on many scientific and clinical committees in France and Europe in Leukemia, Immunology, Oncology and Stem Cell Research. She was head of the Cell Biology Department at the Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris and Director of the University Inserm Research Laboratory at the Institut Universitaire d’Hématologie for the last 25 years. She is committed to education nationally and coordinator of different Courses and Masters at the University Paris Diderot. She established the Institute of PhD Schools at the University Paris Diderot (23 PhD of all disciplines) and coordinated an ITN Marie Curie FP7 on Cancer Stem Cells. She has recently been involved in patient/parent participation in cancer research and in communication education on personalized medecine. Dr. Chomienne is author of more than 270 peer-reviewed publications and has received several scientific (Academia of Science) and French governmental awards (Legions of Honour).

Elisabete Weiderpass, MD, MSc, PhD, is a Brazilian cancer researcher who is a naturalized Swedish and Finnish citizen. She is an expert in cancer epidemiology and cancer prevention. In January 2019, Dr Weiderpass took office as elected Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Dr Weiderpass previously served as Head of the Department of Research at the Cancer Registry of Norway, and of the Genetic Epidemiology Group at the Folkhälsan Research Center in Finland. She was a Professor of Medical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and a Professor of Cancer Epidemiology at the Arctic University of Norway. She held Adjunct Professorship positions in Cancer Epidemiology in Brazil, China, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is a Visiting Professor in Kuwait. Dr Weiderpass has authored over 900 scientific publications in peer-reviewed international journals.

Jan Geissler is EU Cancer Mission Assembly Member and Member of the European Cancer Organisation's Patient Advisory Committee, he is the founder and CEO of Patvocates, a think tank, consultancy and social enterprise on patient advocacy, health policy and patient engagement in research. He was the Director of the European Patients Academy (EUPATI) from 2012-2017 and still leads the German EUPATI platform. Jan is a work package leader of the IMI2-funded EU project HARMONY on big data for better outcomes in hematology. A leukemia survivor since 2001, Jan co-founded the patient organisations LeukaNET/Leukaemie-Online.de in 2002, the European Cancer Patient Coalition in 2003, the CML Advocates Network in 2007, the Leukemia Patient Advocates Foundation in 2011, WECAN in 2015 and the Acute Leukemia Advocates Network in 2016. Jan represents patients on a number of advisory boards and committees, e.g. European Cancer Organisation, EHA, ISPOR, Berlin Institute of Health, EuroBloodNET, International CML Foundation, the EU Cancer Mission Assembly, the German National Decade Against Cancer and the Ethics Committee of the Bavarian Chamber of Physicians.

Kees Roks is the Head of the European Oncology Business at Novartis Pharma, Switzerland. Since November 2018 he is responsible for leading over 2000 dedicated associates in 51 countries on the journey to reimagine medicines. His Novartis career started in 1985 in the Netherlands. Since then he has held various roles of increasing responsibility in several international markets and cultures from Europe to Latin America and even as far away as Japan. Each move has given him a greater perspective on why access, affordability, and accessibility to care are now more critical than ever. Beyond his professional career, he is a member of the EFPIA Patient Access Committee. He is part of the Assembly for the EU Cancer Mission and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Open Research Europe initiative, both for the European Commission. Kees studied Medical Microbiology and holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, Youth and Sport. Under her leadership, the new Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the cultural strand of Creative Europe programmes (2021-2027) will be defined and implemented. Her main priorities are excellence in research, innovation and education (ERA, EEA, EIA); tackling the R&I divide in Europe; Europe as a leader in strategic innovation areas through the digital and green transition, with a particular attention for young people and regions. “No one left behind” and “Think out of the box” are her mottos. Between 2017 and 2019, Mariya Gabriel was European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. She was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009, 2014 and 2019. Mariya Gabriel is First Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP), and, since 2012, Vice-President of EPP Women. Commissioner Gabriel is a board member of the United Nations youth programme Generation Unlimited (GenU). She has been ranked among the 50 most influential women in Europe in the field of cybersecurity by the leading European cybersecurity magazine SC Media UK (2019). Mariya Gabriel is also known for her involvement in the fight for gender equality. Among others, she received the prestigious Italian prize “Golden Apple” for highest achievements for women.

Immediate Past-President, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) Matti Aapro is member of the Board of Directors of the Genolier Cancer Center, Genolier, Switzerland and Immediate Past-President of the European Cancer Organisation. He received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland and was a fellow at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He was the founding chair of the Medical and Radiation Therapy Department at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. Dr. Aapro is presently Executive Board member of the European School of Oncology (ESO). He leads the Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) not-for-profit association. He serves the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) as Executive Board Member. He is past-President of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). He is President of Honour of the French-speaking Society for Supportive Care (AFSOS), as well as Advisor to the Japanese Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (JASCC). He has been member of the Board of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and of the Board of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Aapro chaired the scientific and organizing committees of UICC’s (International Union against Cancer) World Cancer Congress of 2008 in Geneva, and 2010 in Shenzhen (China). He is a member of the ESMO Faculty and chaired the ESMO 2018 Supportive/Palliative Care track. Dr. Aapro is Honorary Editor of Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, and editor of the Journal of Cancer Policy as well as Associate Editor for the geriatric section of the Oncologist. He is also founding editor of the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. He is past Associate Editor for Annals of Oncology, continuing on its editorial board, and member of several other editorial boards including CancerWorld. He has authored more than 350 publications and his major interests are new drug development, breast cancer, cancer in the elderly, and supportive care. Dr. Aapro is Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Tampere (2013) and Honorary Member of the Russian Society for Clinical Oncology (RUSSCO)(2016). He has received the 2010 Acta Oncologica Award, the 2012 ASCO B.J. Kennedy prize and the MASCC Distinguished Services Award (2016).

Walter Ricciardi is Chair of the EU Cancer Mission. Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome. Scientific Advisor to the Italian Minister of Health for the coronavirus pandemia. Scientific Director of Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri. President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA). President of Mission Board for Cancer of European Commission. Coordinator of the Scientific Advisory Board of Human Technopole Foundation. Principal Investigator of EC Grant “TO REACH” the first health services and health systems research programme funded by European Commission (since 2016). Italian Representative in the Executive Board of World Health Organisation (November 2017-May 2020). Head of Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (from January to December 2019). Former President of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health) (2015-2018) and its Commissioner from July 2014 to July 2015. Member of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (European Commission, DG – SANTE) for two three-year mandates (2013-2019). President elect of European Public Health Association (EUPHA) (2010-2014); since 2014 he is Past President of EUPHA. Member of the III Sezione del Consiglio Superiore di Sanità, Ministry of Health (December 2009 – July 2010) and its President (December 2010 – July 2014) He manages several undergraduate and postgraduate teaching activities. Editor of European Journal of Public Health, of Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice and Founding Editor of Italian Journal of Public Health and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health. “Laurea Honoris Causa” at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA (2019). Appointed “Commendatore” of the Italian Republic by Decree of the President of the Republic 02 June 2017.

Alex Filicevas is a passionate cancer patient advocate focused on driving meaningful change in cancer research, policy and care. Alex is the Executive Director of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition, President of All.Can International and a EUPATI fellow. He leads the efforts to foster an international community of strong bladder cancer patient advocates and organisations around the world, empowering patient voices across the research and care continuum. Passionate about high-quality, equitable cancer care for all, and the role of efficiency in achieving it, he champions evidence generation and sharing and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Prior to his current roles, he was leading EU affairs work at Europe’s largest cancer patient umbrella organisation, where he focused on advocacy activities, capacity building and policy initiatives with a particular focus on overarching issues faced by cancer patients and their carers in Europe. As a healthcare consultant, Alex has supported a number of private and non-governmental organisations in successful advocacy efforts at the EU level on a range of disease areas and issue-specific public health challenges.

John Gribben is Hamilton Fairley Professor of Medical Oncology at Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, UK. After doctoral studies at University College London, where he was the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Fellowship Award, he received a Fogarty International Fellowship to continue postdoctoral training at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, USA. In 1991, he was appointed to the faculty at Harvard Medical School, where he remained as Associate Professor of Medicine and an attending physician until returning to London in 2005. He is an internationally recognized translational cancer researcher, and the author of more than 490 manuscripts and 60 book chapters. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Royal College of Pathologists. He was elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science. Professor Gribben’s primary research interests include advances in the management of lymphoma and CLL, immunotherapy of cancer (including stem-cell transplantation), the identification of tumor antigens, and eradication of minimal residual disease. He was awarded the prestigious Binet-Rai Medal in 2017 for his outstanding contribution to research into CLL. His research work focuses on the impact of B cell malignancies on the host immune system, and delineating the molecular mechanisms for this. He is Board member of the international workshop for CLL. He is the Chair of the international workshop for NHL and co-Chair of the international workshop for CART. He serves on the Executive Board of the European Hematology Association (EHA) and as President of EHA from 2019-2021.

Lorenza Marotti is Eusoma Executive Director and Lead Auditor for “Breast Centres Certification” scheme. She has been Founding Member and Member of the Executive Committee of Senonetwork Italia Onlus. Co-author of several papers on breast cancer. Her main interest is quality control in breast cancer care.

Mārcis Leja is Professor of Medicine, Director of the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine, University of Latvia, Head of the Dept. of Research, Riga East University hospital, and a consulting gastroenterologist at the Digestive Diseases Centre. He is a member of the European Cancer Mission Board and the Research Committee of the United European Gastroenterology. His special interest lies in the prevention and early detection of gastrointestinal cancer, particularly - gastric cancer. He is the principal investigator of the population-based gastric cancer prevention study GISTAR (www.gistar.eu). The other area of interest is related to the use of volatile organic marker (VOC) diagnostic concept in gastrointestinal cancer detection as well as for other conditions.

Niko Andre is the Global Head of Immuno-Oncology and Haematology at AstraZeneca, based in Switzerland. Niko is a passionate advocate for improved cancer care. He pursued his medical degree and PhD at the University of Hamburg, Germany and continued his medical career in Germany and the US. As an experienced oncology researcher and treating physician, Niko is adept at translating science into tangible value for patients and effectively collaborating with research and development and with policy. Niko joined AstraZeneca in 2020. He is a proven leader who brings together profound experience in science, clinical medicine and commercial operations in the life science industry. Niko has contributed to building AstraZeneca’s position in oncology leading the Haematology business and now the expansion of the Immuno-Oncology portfolio. Before joining AstraZeneca, he led Roche’s Global Medical Affairs group across all therapeutic areas, following earlier assignments as Global Medical Head Oncology/Hematology and German Medical Director Oncology/Hematology. Niko is an active member of ASCO, AACR, ESMO and the German Cancer Society, maintaining a global network of cancer specialists, advocates and industry leaders. He is eager to collaborate at every possible level towards better outcomes for cancer patients.

A co-chair at Quality Cancer Care Network, European Cancer Organisation. Features in 2 videos on Wondr Medical. Philip Poortmans generally speaks on Oncology, Medical Oncology, Cancer Patients, Health Policy, and Oncology: Webinar.

European Cancer Organisation Quality Cancer Care Network Co-Chair

Professor Albreht is a Senior Health Services and Health Systems Researcher at the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia. He specializes in social medicine and, having completed his doctorate at the University of Amsterdam, he dedicates his research to the exploration of health services – nationally and internationally. He is particularly interested in the performance of health systems, evidence-based health policy, health workforce planning and mobility, and development of more efficient health care, especially in the field of noncommunicable diseases. Professor Albreht is an associate professor of public health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, and a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Public Health Association. He acts as a reviewer for several international and national medical and public health journals. Since 2006, he has been actively involved in the development of cancer policies at the European level – during the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council and later as coordinator of Joint Actions on cancer policy at the European Union level, including the European Partnership for Action Against Cancer (EPAAC), Cancer Control (CanCon) and most recently, the Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer (iPAAC). Professor Albreht has worked in a number of projects for policy support in various countries of south-eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia) and also in Kazakhstan. These consultancies have included: support for the development of public health legislation, cancer control and public health interventions. All of these projects were in support of the policies of the respective ministries of health.

European Cancer Organisation Survivorship and Quality of Life Network Co-Chair

Dr. Csaba L. Dégi is Board Member, at the European Cancer Organisation and Survivorship and Quality of Life Network Co-Chair, an Associate Professor with habilitation and researcher at the Babeș - Bolyai University, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work in Cluj Napoca, Romania. He is Executive Secretary at the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and involved with the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), from the USA. He is a member of the Research Board of the National College of Social Workers from Romania and was a member of the Committee for Social Work and Support in Oncology at the Romanian Ministry of Health. Since 2001, he has been working with cancer patients, professionals, and oncology institutions. Based on this experience, he has developed the APSCO® research project – www.psychooncology.ro. APSCO - Assessment of Psycho-Social and Communication needs in Oncology – is the first multi-center study on psychosocial aspects of cancer in Romania. He is the founder and president of APSCO, the Romanian Association for Services and Communication in Oncology.

Luzia Travado, PhD, MSc, ClinPsych, is clinical health psychologist specialized in Psycho-oncology. She is clinician and researcher of Psycho-Oncology at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal (2011-). She has a career of more than 35 yrs initiated at Hospital S. José - Central Lisbon Hospital Centre, where she was Chief of Clinical Psychology and has pioneered health psychology by developing psychosocial programs for clinical populations with chronic conditions including cancer (1985-2012). She served as Adviser for the National Coordinator for Oncological Diseases in Portugal (2007-2011), contributed for the Nat’l Cancer Control Program, the Cancer Roundtable of the Portuguese EU Presidency (2007), and conducted a National Pilot Communication Skills Training Program for Oncologists; she represented Portugal at the European Partnership on Action Against Cancer (EPAAC, 2009-2014), and led the Psychosocial Oncology Action under this partnership. She has been actively participating since then in various European initiatives, conferences and projects regarding improvement of European cancer policies, profiling psycho-oncology and recommendations for the inclusion of psychosocial care in patients’ treatment to improve their outcomes (e.g., EPAAC, CANCON, European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC), European Guide for Quality National Cancer Control Programs, among others). Served as President of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS: 2014-2017), currently President-Emeritus and was Chair of the IPOS World Congress of Psycho-Oncology held in Lisbon 2014. Founder and former president of the Viva Mulher Viva Association on breast cancer. She was cover story at Cancer World in the Nov-Dec 2011 issue. Member of the ESO Core Faculty team, and ESMO-Preceptorship programmes, she teaches psycho-oncology and communication skills. As a researcher she has been PI and also participating in various European (H2020 and other) and Int’l funded projects, as well as national funded ones. She has many scientific papers published in Int’l peer-review journals and book-chapters, having served as Specialty-editor for The Breast and Editorial Board member and reviewer for various scientific journals.

Markus Kosch, MD, is the head of Oncology Europe at Daiichi Sankyo. In this role, he leads the medical affairs, market access and commercial organization of Daiichi Sankyo in the European countries. Dr Kosch has over 15 years` experience in the pharmaceutical industry, starting in Medical Affairs at Wyeth Pharmaceutical introducing the first mTOR inhibitor in oncology therapy and later at Pfizer leading the European teams preparing launches in hematology and in personalized therapy in lung cancer with molecular-targeted medicines as well as introducing the first CDK4,6 inhibitor in metastatic breast cancer. Before joining Daiichi Sankyo he led the global Immunooncology, kidney and lung cancer franchise at Pfizer. After studies as medical student that took him to Kings College London and the UCSF in San Francisco he obtained his medical degree at the University of Münster, Germany. He is a boarded expert in internal medicine and nephrology and practiced in internal medicine, intensive care, and oncology at the University Hospital Münster until 2005. He has published many peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters and still teaches as Professor of Internal Medicine at the Medical School Münster. He is also a founding member of the “Vision Zero” oncology prevention initiative and think tank.

Why do certain people manage to stay focused even in difficult times while others are overwhelmed? What do these people do differently and what can we learn from them? Martin Inderbitzin has been dealing with these questions for years, both as a neuroscientist and as a person affected by severe cancer. In 2016, he went on a trip around the world to find answers in his conversations with over 40 cancer survivors. He not only gained fascinating insights, but above all learned that the stories we tell ourselves are of central importance for our own understanding and dealing with a difficult situation. Based on his discovery, he started the storytelling project My Survival Story. The aim of the project, which has received international awards, is to inspire other people to better understand and rewrite their own story. In his mindset session, Martin explains how our brains produce stories and how we can actively change our perspective on these stories. In addition to practical examples from My Survival Story, Martin shows very practical methods that improve your own mindset over the long term. Martin studied neurobiology at the ETH Zurich and completed his dissertation at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona on the subject of stress and emotions. He also studied film production at Blake College in London and worked for several years as a producer and filmmaker for digital media. His TEDx Talk “What I learned from Having Cancer” was seen by over 400,000 people. Today, Martin gives keynotes and workshops around the world on the subject of mindset and resilience. Since 2019, he has been working as a professional mindset coach for people and teams facing personal and professional challeges.

Matthew Loscalzo, L.C.S.W., APOS Fellow is an Executive Director, People & Enterprise Transformation Emeritus Professor Supportive Care Medicine, Professor Population Sciences at the City of Hope-National Medical Center. Until August 2021, Matthew J. Loscalzo was the Liliane Elkins Professor in Supportive Care Programs in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine and Professor in Department of Population Sciences. He is also the founding Executive Director of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine and the Administrative Director of the Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center at the City of Hope-National Medical Center. Professor Loscalzo was the President of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the Association of Oncology Social Workers. Along with James Zabora, ScD, they created the first prospective universal clinical biopsychosocial screening program in the United States. Professor Loscalzo has held leadership positions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Rebecca and John Moores Cancer Center at the UCSD and is now in his 14th year at City of Hope-National Medical Center. He has been a consultant to multiple major cancer organizations on how to build supportive care programs, implement new processes, enhance staff engagement and has developed a unique staff leadership model. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Education and Training Award Recipient from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society; 2014, the lifetime achievement award in clinical care with the Noemi Fisman Award for Lifetime Clinical Excellence from the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS); 2015, the Jimmie Holland Life Time Leadership Award from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS); 2016 Harold Benjamin Innovation Award, Cancer Support Community and 2017 the recipient of the Arthur M. Sutherland Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Psycho-Oncology (IPOS). He has been the PI and faculty on multiple funded training grants teaching health care professionals to build supportive care programs, comprehensive automated biopsychosocial screening programs and advanced cognitive behavioral skills. He is also on the editorial boards or a reviewer for a number of professional journals and has over 100 publications and 5 books. His clinical interests are gender-based medicine, strengths-based approaches to psychotherapies, pain management, problem-based distress screening and the creation of supportive care programs.

EUPATI fellow with significant experience in patient advocacy, patient education and service provision in the field of cancer. Before joining Lymphoma Coalition in 2017, she had successfully held Patient and Public affairs roles in cancer charities in Spain since 2011, was appointed Board Member of ECPC from 2016 to 2017 and is currently member of the EHA´s European Affairs Committee, the ESMO Patient Advocacy Working Group and the EBMT Patient Advocacy Committee. She is also member of the GoCART Coalition and contributes to other projects at European level, as Harmony Alliance and Resilience. Natacha has worked at a national and European level with multi-stakeholder partnerships, educational groups, and she is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for patients. She has contributed with HTA processes and is frequently invited to provide the patient perspective in different scenarios. In addition to the role at EU level, she is currently member of the Institutional Working Group on the Plan to Access Advanced Therapies in the National Health System in Spain. Natacha holds a degree in Cancer Rehabilitation Through Exercise Referral.

Dr. Stein Kaasa's main research interests are: Clinical research in cancer care – including oncology, palliative care and symptom management. Translational research with emphasis on bridging the gap between the clinic and basic science including molecular biology, public health, organization, computer science and decision support systems. Several years of experience in planning, conducting and analysis of prospective controlled randomised and non-randomised single- and multicentre studies. Has published extensively as well as planned, organised and taught at university-based courses in clinical trial methodology, clinical decision-making, clinical oncology, translational research, patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMS), palliative care, public health and leadership. Recently, the European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC) was refunded by the Norwegian Cancer Society. Stein Kaasa is the chair of this research initiative aiming at improving palliative patient care, including end of life care, through research of highest quality in an international setting. Professor Kaasa has published more than 500 articles and book chapters. He has authored the Nordic Textbook of Palliative Care and is co-author of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine. Professor Kaasa advises many international journals – either as an advisory board member or as a reviewer.

Medical Oncologist & Scientist, Division Of Cancer Care And Epidemiology, Assistant Professor Of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute

Dr Claudia Allemani is Professor of Global Public Health at LSHTM. Her main interests are in international comparisons of cancer survival (EUROCARE, HAEMACARE, CONCORD), “high-resolution” studies on patterns of care and short-, medium- and long-term survival, as well as the estimation of avoidable premature deaths, with a focus on their impact on cancer policy. She has 20 years’ experience in this domain. She is co-Principal Investigator of the CONCORD programme for the global surveillance of cancer survival and Principal Investigator of a prestigious European Research Council Consolidator grant to carry out a world-wide study on inequalities in survival from cancers of the breast, cervix and ovary (VENUSCANCER). She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and 10 book chapters, manuals and reports. Her research has been cited over 13,000 times (h-index 51, i-10 index 76; Google Scholar). She collaborates with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and with several other international agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), as well as the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC).

Deepak Khanna is President Europe & Canada for MSD, responsible for MSD’s Human Health business across this region. In this role he also represents MSD in the Patient Access Committee and the European Markets Committee at EFPIA, the European innovative pharmaceutical industry association. Prior to his current role Mr. Khanna was SVP and Regional President EMEAC Oncology at MSD 2013-2020 leading commercial operations for MSD’s oncology business across Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Canada, and SVP and Managing Director of MSD in the UK and Ireland 2009-2013, a role which included the integration of MSD with Schering-Plough. Alongside his role as Managing Director, he played an active role in pharmaceutical industry affairs in the UK. He held the position of President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) between April 2012 and April 2014 and oversaw the pricing and reimbursement negotiations with the UK government during his tenure. Deepak Khanna began his career at MSD in 1988 in field sales and progressed to positions of increasing responsibility within the U.S. and Worldwide Human Health Division, leading to versatile leadership roles in multiple therapeutic areas. After MSD’s announcement on plans to merge with Schering-Plough, he also led the U.S. integration planning efforts. Mr. Khanna has over 30 years of industry experience with broad functional expertise including strategic and operational roles across various geographies and divisions and is highly respected within the industry. He earned bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and economics from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA in marketing from Santa Clara University.

Professor Diana Sarfati (MBChB, MPH, PhD, FNZCPHM) is National Director of Cancer Control and Chief Executive of Te Aho o Te Kahu, the Cancer Control Agency in New Zealand. Her role is to provide national leadership for, and oversight of cancer control, to provide policy advice to the Government, and to be accountable for ensuring progress towards the goals and outcomes in the New Zealand Cancer Action Plan. Previously Diana was Head of the Department of Public Health and Director of the Cancer and Chronic Conditions (C3) research group at University of Otago, Wellington. She has led a large body of research relating to disparities in cancer outcomes, and has close to 200 peer-reviewed publications. This work has resulted in the identification of key patient and health system factors that influence cancer survival. It has been used extensively by health policy makers, clinicians and other researchers to develop policies and practices that aim to reduce inequities in cancer outcomes Diana has held a number of national and international roles. She is currently a commissioner for the Lancet Commission on Health Systems and Cancer, a current member of the International Advisory Committee to Lancet Oncology, the Board of the International Cancer Benchmarking Programme (ICBP), and the Advisory Committee to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Pacific cancer hub. She led a 2019 Lancet Oncology series on cancer in small island developing states and is a former member of IARC’s international expert group on social inequalities in cancer, the International Academic Advisory Committee on the International Cancer Benchmarking Project, the NZ National Cancer Programme Leadership Board, the National Screening Advisory Group, the National Ethics Advisory Committee, the Bowel Cancer Taskforce and the National Bowel Cancer Screening Advisory Committee.

Guillaume Dedet is a policy analyst at the OECD health division. He focuses his work on the analysis and comparisons of health systems in Europe. Guillaume is a public health physician (MD from the Greater Paris Academic Hospital) and holds additional post-graduate degrees in statistics (MSc from University Paris-Sud), health economics (MSc from LSE) and diplomacy (MA from SOAS). Prior to joining the OECD, Guillaume Dedet served as a technical officer in the Division of Health Systems and Public Health at the WHO Regional Office for Europe and as senior advisor, in the Health Financing Division of the French Ministry of Health.

Hendrik Van Poppel, MD, PhD, graduated in General Surgery in 1980, in Urology in 1983 and joined the Academic Unit at KU Leuven in 1985 after his postgraduate training in London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Mainz and Rotterdam. He became full Professor of Urology in 1993, and chair of the department of urology in Leuven in 2002. He was visiting Professor in Aachen (DE), Munster (DE), ‘s Hertogenbosch (NL), Linz (AU), Barcelona (SP), Jönköping (SE), Marburg (DE), Cardiff (UK), London (UK), Heidelberg (DE), Mainz (DE), Timisoara (RO), Surabaya (ID) and Vienna (AU) were he demonstrated live uro-oncologic surgery. Other live demonstrations took place in Nijmegen (NL), Zaragoza (SP), L’Aquila (IT), Leuven (BE), Brussels (BE), Milan (IT), Torino 2x (IT), Tbilisi (GE), Djakovié (RKS), La Vallette (MT) and Alexandria (EGIPT). His clinic was about exclusively focused on Onco-urological surgery. He performed more than 2500 radical prostatectomies and countless major open oncological surgeries for kidney, bladder, prostate, testis and penile cancer. He was Treasurer of the EORTC Genito-Urinary Group between 1997 and 2011, Board Member of the EORTC between 2004 and 2008, President of the Belgian Association of Urology 2009 – 2010. During 8 years he was Director of the European School of Urology (ESU) and became EAU Adjunct Secretary General, responsible for Education, in 2012-2021. He was co-founder and is now Chairman of the Scientific Committee of Europa Uomo, Faculty Member of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and was Board Member of ECCO. He is honorary member of the Asociatia Romana de Urologie (ARU), the Dutch Urological Association (DUA), the Georgian Urological Association (GUA), the Hungarian Association of Urology (HSU), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Urologie (DGU), the Chinese Urological Association (CUA), the Polish Urological Association (PTU), the Georgian Association of Oncological Urology (GUA), Taiwan Urological Association (TUA) and Japanese Urological Association (JUA). In recent years, during his mandate as Adjunct Secretary General of the EAU he built the EAU Offices for Patient affairs and for European policy in Brussels.

A co-ordinator, special committee on beating cancer (beca). Features in 3 videos on Wondr Medical. Nicolae Stefanuta MEP generally speaks on Cancer Patients, Health Policy, Oncology, and Oncology: Webinar.

Dr Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti is a Consultant Medical Oncologist in the Breast Unit of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, where he is also Clinical Lead of the Senior Adult Oncology Programme. He completed his specialist training at the University of Milan and National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy in 2015. He obtained a research degree (MD[Res]) within the Breast Cancer Research Division of the Institute of Cancer Research of London, UK in 2022. Dr Battisti completed the European Society for Medical Oncology Leaders Generation Programme in 2022. He spent the last year of his specialist training working with Dr Martine Extermann at the Senior Adult Oncology Program of the Moffitt Cancer Center of Tampa, Florida, USA. In 2016, Dr Battisti joined the Breast Unit of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Battisti’s main clinical and research interests are breast oncology and geriatric oncology. He authored several publications and book chapters in the fields of geriatric and breast oncology. Dr Battisti is President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG). He also serves as Co-Chair of the European Cancer Organisation Inequalities Focused Topic Network. He is a member of the Elderly Task Force of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and member of the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG) Advocacy Committee and Clinical Implementation Core. He is a member of the Clinical Steering Group of the National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients (NABCOP) in the UK. Dr Battisti was presented the Arti Hurria Award at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium for his research on the use of chemotherapy in older patients with early breast cancer enrolled within the Bridging The Age Gap study and in 2021 he was presented the Dario Cova Award from the Italian Group of Geriatric Oncology for his contribution to the field of geriatric oncology.

Teodora Kolarova serves as Executive Director of the International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance. Teodora has been a member of INCA’s Board of Directors and Chairperson of INCA’s Communications Committee 2012 – 2015. She has served as INCA President 2014 – 2015. A key priority for Teodora in her advocacy work is the development and enforcement of a sustainable collaborative model to approach cancer care with patients in the focus. Fostering meaningful relationships that last, Teodora has helped INCA get recognized as a key partner in many international initiatives. Teodora became the first patient representative to hold a seat on the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society Advisory Board.

Dr André Ilbawi is a medical doctor, specialized and double-board certified in surgical oncology. Dr Ilbawi joined the World Health Organization in 2015 and now serves as the focal point for the cancer programme at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In his current position, Dr Ilbawi is responsible for implementation of the 2017 World Health Assembly resolution on cancer prevention and control. He was executive editor of the 2020 WHO Report on Cancer and has supported additional WHO publications on broad topics ranging from guidance on cancer prevention to access to cancer health products. Dr Ilbawi also led the development of the WHO/IARC priority setting tool for cancer control, workforce optimization strategies and other tool to support capacity building. He led the launch of supports WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (2018) and now being implemented in 30+ countries as well as supported the launch of WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative (2021) and implementation of WHO Cervical Cancer Initiative (2019).

30 years as an oncologist, current Director of Oncology at Apollo Hospitals, Ex-director at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India, researcher, administrator and crusader in the field of cancer control and now President of UICC for the 2020-2022 term. Anil has held leadership positions both nationally and internationally on Board of Directors/ governing council/ executive committee of numerous hospitals, governmental organisations, cancer care organisations, advocacy group & professional bodies. Anil has served on the UICC Board of Directors (2 terms) including its membership, governance and finance committees. Some of his other UICC related appointments include Programme Committee co-chair for the 2016 World Cancer Congress in Paris and member of the World Cancer Congress Organising Committee for the Melbourne conference in 2014. Anil also served as Editor of Manual of Clinical Oncology (MCO), a UICC publication. He is an active researcher with pivotal contributions and over 200 peer reviewed publications. Delivered over 300 lectures, 50 named orations, plenary lectures and keynote presentations around the globe. His main areas of interest apart from his clinical responsibilities are in tobacco advocacy, cost effective treatment and health economics.

Anita Kienesberger is the Chair of CCI Europe Committee. Through her past role as Board Member of Childhood Cancer International (2003 – 2014), she put international collaboration high on the national as well as on the European agenda. Mrs. Kienesberger was also a CEO of the Austrian Childhood Cancer Organisation for 20 years. By training, Mrs Kienesberger is a paediatric nurse with specialisation in oncological diseases. She was Head of the Intensive Care Unit at the St. Anna Children´s Hospital in Vienna, Austria for over 10 years. Through her past experiences, she developed a multi-disciplinary approach to childhood cancer care. Anita holds a master’s degree in international Gender Studies and Feministic Politics.

Cindy Perettie joined Molecular Diagnostics as the new Head of Molecular Lab Solutions based in Pleasanton, California on April 6, 2021. Prior to that she was at Foundation Medicine starting in February 2019 as its Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Perettie is passionate about improving the care of cancer patients and brings more than two decades of scientific and commercial experience with global biopharmaceutical organizations. Prior to joining Foundation Medicine, Ms. Perettie served as senior vice president in global oncology product strategy for Roche’s Oncology unit, where she led one of the largest global oncology portfolios in the industry. Ms. Perettie began her tenure at Genentech as a program team leader for bevacizumab, and she led several successful therapy launches in the U.S. and abroad for Roche and Genentech across the oncology portfolio, including in lung cancer, breast cancer and hematology. Since joining in 2004, she held roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech, including vice president of global regulatory operations and regional head of Europe, Middle East and Africa operations and global development. In 2012, Ms. Perettie took a hiatus from Genentech to join Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) as President, Global Development Innovations where she gained invaluable insights into the day-to-day care of people living with cancer. During her tenure, she was responsible for leading and growing SCRI’s contract research organization globally, driving critical oncology clinical trials to further expand options for cancer patients and access precision medicine. Before joining Genentech, Ms. Perettie lead portfolio management at IVAX Pharmaceuticals and was the director of global program management at Élan Corporation. Her pharmaceutical experience began as a research scientist associate director role at Chiron Corporation. She started her career as a senior research associate at Johns Hopkins University following her continuing education program there. Ms. Perettie holds an MBA in marketing and finance from St. Mary’s College of California and received her bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry from State University of New York College at Potsdam.

Dr. Vokes is an internationally renowned expert in the treatment of head and neck and lung cancer. Dr. Vokes was educated in West Germany, receiving his medical degree from the University of Bonn Medical School. He served his residency in internal medicine at Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center in Chicago and at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He arrived at The University of Chicago as a hematology/oncology fellow in 1983 and was promoted to professor in 1995. For eleven years he served as Chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology, before his appointment as Chair of the Department of Medicine in March 2009. In October 2009, Dr. Vokes was named Interim Dean of the Division of Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine and Interim Vice President for Medical Affairs at The University of Chicago where he served in these roles for one year.

Chair, World Oncology Forum and President, Foundation for the Institute of Oncology Research

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge is the WHO Regional Director for Europe. His term began on 1 February 2020, following his nomination by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe and appointment by the WHO Executive Board. Throughout his career, beginning as a family doctor in Belgium, along a journey to Somalia, Liberia, the prisons in Siberia, former Soviet Union countries, Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and most recently leading the Division of Health Systems and Public Health at WHO/Europe for a decade, Dr Kluge has always been committed to achieving better health for all with a focus on the vulnerable. As Regional Director, Dr Kluge’s vision for the WHO European Region is “United action for better health”, working in partnership to achieve universal health coverage, address health emergencies and promote healthier populations. Dr Kluge is from Belgium. He is married and has two daughters.

Immediate Past-President, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) Matti Aapro is member of the Board of Directors of the Genolier Cancer Center, Genolier, Switzerland and Immediate Past-President of the European Cancer Organisation. He received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland and was a fellow at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He was the founding chair of the Medical and Radiation Therapy Department at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. Dr. Aapro is presently Executive Board member of the European School of Oncology (ESO). He leads the Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) not-for-profit association. He serves the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) as Executive Board Member. He is past-President of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). He is President of Honour of the French-speaking Society for Supportive Care (AFSOS), as well as Advisor to the Japanese Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (JASCC). He has been member of the Board of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and of the Board of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Aapro chaired the scientific and organizing committees of UICC’s (International Union against Cancer) World Cancer Congress of 2008 in Geneva, and 2010 in Shenzhen (China). He is a member of the ESMO Faculty and chaired the ESMO 2018 Supportive/Palliative Care track. Dr. Aapro is Honorary Editor of Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, and editor of the Journal of Cancer Policy as well as Associate Editor for the geriatric section of the Oncologist. He is also founding editor of the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. He is past Associate Editor for Annals of Oncology, continuing on its editorial board, and member of several other editorial boards including CancerWorld. He has authored more than 350 publications and his major interests are new drug development, breast cancer, cancer in the elderly, and supportive care. Dr. Aapro is Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Tampere (2013) and Honorary Member of the Russian Society for Clinical Oncology (RUSSCO)(2016). He has received the 2010 Acta Oncologica Award, the 2012 ASCO B.J. Kennedy prize and the MASCC Distinguished Services Award (2016).

ECO President

Kathy Oliver is Chair and founding Co-Director of theInternational Brain Tumour Alliance(IBTA), a global network founded in 2005 as a dynamic worldwide community for brain tumour patient organisations and others involved in the field of neuro-oncology. Through the IBTA, Kathy is involved in advocating for equitable access to new brain tumour therapies; encouraging the establishment of brain tumour patient and carer support groups in countries where they don’t yet exist; and raising awareness of the challenges associated with this devastating disease. Kathy also participates in a range of high-level projects and committees addressing brain tumour and rare cancer issues in Europe. She is a frequent plenary and session speaker at international neuro-oncology and cancer conferences. She serves as one of two patient advocates representing Rare Diseases Europe (EURORDIS) on the recently-established European Commission Expert Group on Cancer Control. Kathy was the Patient Issues Editor on the Editorial Board for the online magazine of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO), and is on the organising committee of Rare Cancers Europe (RCE). She is Vice-Chair of the European CanCer Organisation Patient Advisory Committee (ECCO PAC) and is also a member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Patient Advocacy Working Group (PAWG). Kathy participated in the British Neuro Oncology Society’s National Guidelines Group for Rare Brain and CNS Tumours and on the Rare Disease UK Working Group on Patient Care and Information. She is a founder member/former board member of Cancer52, the UK umbrella group for 80 rare cancer organisations and serves on the NCRI (UK) Brain Tumour Clinical Studies Group sub group on Palliative Care and Quality of Life. Kathy is also a consumer representative for the Cochrane Neuro-Oncology Group (UK) and is a member of the Council of the British Neuro-Oncology Society (BNOS). Additionally, she is the Co-Chair of the Project Advisory Board for the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI). Kathy is an ex-freelance journalist and edits the IBTA’s annual magazine,Brain Tumour, of which approximately 14,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to recipients in 111 countries and at neuro-oncology and cancer conferences.

Immediate Past-President, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) Matti Aapro is member of the Board of Directors of the Genolier Cancer Center, Genolier, Switzerland and Immediate Past-President of the European Cancer Organisation. He received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland and was a fellow at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He was the founding chair of the Medical and Radiation Therapy Department at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. Dr. Aapro is presently Executive Board member of the European School of Oncology (ESO). He leads the Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) not-for-profit association. He serves the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) as Executive Board Member. He is past-President of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). He is President of Honour of the French-speaking Society for Supportive Care (AFSOS), as well as Advisor to the Japanese Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (JASCC). He has been member of the Board of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and of the Board of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Aapro chaired the scientific and organizing committees of UICC’s (International Union against Cancer) World Cancer Congress of 2008 in Geneva, and 2010 in Shenzhen (China). He is a member of the ESMO Faculty and chaired the ESMO 2018 Supportive/Palliative Care track. Dr. Aapro is Honorary Editor of Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, and editor of the Journal of Cancer Policy as well as Associate Editor for the geriatric section of the Oncologist. He is also founding editor of the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. He is past Associate Editor for Annals of Oncology, continuing on its editorial board, and member of several other editorial boards including CancerWorld. He has authored more than 350 publications and his major interests are new drug development, breast cancer, cancer in the elderly, and supportive care. Dr. Aapro is Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Tampere (2013) and Honorary Member of the Russian Society for Clinical Oncology (RUSSCO)(2016). He has received the 2010 Acta Oncologica Award, the 2012 ASCO B.J. Kennedy prize and the MASCC Distinguished Services Award (2016).

A co-chair at European Cancer Summit 2021 And Board Member, European Cancer Organisation. Features in 3 videos on Wondr Medical. Theresa Wiseman generally speaks on Oncology, Cancer Patients, Oncology: Webinar, and Health Policy.

Thierry Breton is the Director General of the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) since August 2014. He is a graduate from the Institut regional d’administration (IRA) and from the Ecole Nationale d’administration (ENA). He has been a member of the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) since his graduation from ENA. His interest in public policies in the field of social affairs and health has shaped most of his professional career: he was social advisor in the office of Ms. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, who was Minister of Women's Rights and Government spokesperson. Before this position, he was policy officer in charge of “Work, employment and professional training” at the General Secretariat of social ministries. As an inspector at IGAS, he is the co-author of numerous public policies evaluation reports, such as the Review report of objectives and management agreement for the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM), the Report on the financing of the professional training, parental leave, control of the labor inspectorate, the Pact for the return to financial equilibrium of hospitals and the first version’s conception of the multi-year contract of objectives and resources for regional health agencies (ARS).