Speakers & Panelists

Nicolò Battisti

Co-Chair European Cancer Organisation Inequalities Network, President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology.

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. Dr Battisti’s main clinical and research interests are breast oncology and geriatric oncology. His main areas of investigation are comorbidities, comprehensive geriatric assessment, quality of life and prediction of anticancer treatment toxicity in older patients with cancer. He authored several publications and book chapters in the fields of geriatric, breast and thoracic oncology.

Dr Battisti is President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) and has served as Co-Chair and subsequently Chair of the Young Interest Group of SIOG. He also serves as Treasurer of the European Cancer Organisation and Co-Chair of its Inequalities Focused Topic Network. Dr Battisti also serves as Executive Committee Member of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA).

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 on 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.

Damien Bennett

Director, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.

Torsten Blum

Co-Chair of European Cancer Organisation Prevention, Screening and Early Detection Network.

Donal Brennan

Research Lead, National Cancer Control Programme, Ireland.

Paul Brennan

Branch Head Genomic Epidemiology, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.

Ciaran Briscoe

CEO Northeast Cancer Research and Education Trust.

David Byrne

Former European Union Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection.

Geraldine Byrne Nason

Ireland's Ambassador to the United States of America.

Stephen Chanock

Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute, USA.

Michael Clausen

Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy Dublin.

Mary Coffee

Trinity College Dublin & European Society for Radiography and Oncology.

• Developed the TCD degree in Radiation Therapy
• Established the first European Committee for radiation therapists (RTTs) (EORTC)
• Co-founded the RTT committee 1990
• Founded the ROSQC 2018 (ESTRO)
• Work with the ESTRO and the IAEA to improve the standard of education and the quality of radiotherapy delivered to patients
• Member of the Irish Government team who developed the national plan for radiation oncology
• Awards
• 2006 Gunilla Bental award (Indian Association of Radiation Therapists)
• 2007 First Fellowship in Radiation Therapy (IIRRT)
• 2009 ESTRO Emmanuel van der Schueren award
• 2013 ESTRO Honorary Physicist award
• 2016 ESTRO Lifetime Achievement award

David Collingridge

Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Oncology.

Alberto Costa

Board Member, European Cancer Organisation, CEO European School of Oncology.

Alberto Costa MD is CEO of the European School of Oncology (ESO), established in Milan in 1982 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to professional education in cancer medicine. He has also been the Editor, from 2015 to 2019, of the School’s magazine, CancerWorld.

Co-founder, with Fatima Cardoso, of ABC, Advanced Breast Cancer conference, he is the recipient of several awards (including the ESMO and the Israel Cancer Association awards).

Previously he has served as Secretary General of the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the Federation of European Cancer Societies (FECS). He was involved in setting up the first Europe Against Cancer programme and represented ECO (the European Cancer Organisation) on the European Commission’s Committee of Cancer Experts. He is board member of ECO and currently leads ECO’s Quality of Cancer Care Programme.

Co- founder of Europa Donna, the European Breast Cancer Coalition, he also founded Europa Uomo, the patient advocacy movement on prostate cancer and contributed to the establishment of ECPC (the European Cancer Patients Coalition) dedicating considerable time and effort to cancer patient empowerment.

Claire Cronin

United States Ambassador to Ireland.

Cathal Crowe

Member of Dáil Éireann; Member of European Cancer Organisation Parliamentarians against Cancer.

Aedin Culhane

Professor of Cancer Genomics, University of Limerick & Co-Lead eHealth Hub for Cancer Emerging Hub of Excellence.

Aedín C. Culhane is a Professor of Cancer Genomics at the University of Limerick School of Medicine and Director of the Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre.

The Culhane lab are leading efforts in genomic open source software development and methods for federated analysis of genomics and healthcare data. She is lead of the All Island eHealth Hub for Cancer Award, an all-island doctoral and post-doctoral training program in federated health. This program with Prof Mark Lawler, Queens University Belfast is funded by the HEA North South Research program. Her lab are deploying the Irish-node of the ELIXIR Genomics Data Infrastructure to share 1 million European genomes and have Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Essential Open Source Software for Science funding to develop training programs for the global Bioconductor community. She moved to Ireland in 2021, following 15 years at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, Boston, USA.

William Dahut

Chief Scientific Officer, American Cancer Society.

William L. Dahut, MD, is chief scientific officer and serves as the scientific voice of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Dahut held leading roles at the National Cancer Institute before joining ACS. He has pioneered treatment regimens in prostate cancer and is a recognized expert in clinical trials and immunotherapy. He received his MD from Georgetown University and completed clinical training in internal medicine at the National Naval Medical Center, followed by training in hematology and medical oncology at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medicine Branch of the NCI. He is also professor of medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and continues to see patients in the prostate cancer clinic at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center.

Daithí de Róiste

Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Csaba Dégi

President European Cancer Organisation.

Dr. Csaba L. Dégi is a distinguished professor and researcher at Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania, where he specializes in social work, medical psychology, and psychosocial oncology. A pioneer in his field, Dr. Dégi serves as the president of the European Cancer Organization, advocating for comprehensive and inclusive psychosocial care for cancer patients across Europe. He also holds leadership roles with the International Psycho- Oncology Society and was appointed by Romania's Ministry of Health to a committee on cancer support.

Dr. Dégi has led the APSCO® psychosocial oncology research project since 2001 and developed a cancer distress screening app. With numerous original publications, he is an authority on improving cancer patients' quality of life through psychological and social work interventions.

Stewart Dickson

Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland. Oesophageal Cancer survivor and member of the Northern Ireland Parliament Assembly All Party Group on Cancer.

Orla Dolan

CEO Breakthrough Cancer Research.

Orla Dolan is CEO of Breakthrough Cancer Research having joined when approached to consult in 2006. Inspired by their research quality and focus she came on board full time and has since presided over the significant expansion, and impact, of the research portfolio and organisation. Originally a scientist, Orla also worked in business management and organisational development for 6 years in the US, now applying her expertise to Breakthrough's mission. She is a former board member of the National Cancer Registry of Ireland, founding member of the Irish Cancer Prevention Network and part of the NCCP's National Cancer Research Group.

Stephen Donnelly

Member of Dáil Éireann. Irish Minister for Health.

• Appointed Minister for Health in June 2020 in the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Green Party Government.
• Member of Dáil Éireann since 2011 when he was elected as an Independent.
• Member of Fianna Fáil party since 2017 and prior to his appointment to Cabinet was the party’s spokesperson on Health.
• Graduated University College Dublin with a degree in mechanical engineering and holds a master’s in public administration and international development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
• Former Management Consultant for McKinsey & Co., specialising in transformational change for large public and private sector organisations.
• He has worked across many sectors, including private equity, retail, public infrastructure, healthcare, education, international development, and the voluntary and social sectors.

Amanda Drury

Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University; Board Member European Oncology Nurses Society, Brussels, Belgium.

Neal Freedman

Chief of the Tobacco Control Research Branch, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, USA.

Dr. Neal Freedman is chief of the Tobacco Control Research Branch at the US National Cancer Institute. In 2004, he received a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of California San Francisco and in 2005 received an M.P.H. in quantitative methods from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Freedman’s research focuses on common, potentially modifiable, exposures of public health significance, including tobacco, alcohol, opioids, and cannabis. In addition to descriptive studies of trends, he is interested in the disease risks of emerging tobacco products and usage patterns, including non-daily and dual- and poly-use.

Ruth Freeman

Director of Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

Dr Abigail Ruth Freeman is the Director of Science for Society at SFI. She oversees Individual-led Research Programmes and Centres for Research Training, Challenge-based Research Programmes and the Education and Public Engagement brief at the Foundation. Ruth is a frequent voice on media and is currently a weekly contributor to The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk radio. Prior to her current appointment, Ruth has held a series of positions at SFI. She was appointed Director of Strategy and Communications in 2013, after previous roles as Director of Innovation, Communications and Education, and Director of Programmes, Enterprise and International Affairs. Ruth joined SFI as a Scientific Programme Manager in November 2006. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked as a researcher at Trinity College Dublin. Ruth holds a BA (Mod) and PhD in Genetics and a post-graduate diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin, where she was awarded a Trinity scholarship, the Eli Lilly Chemistry Prize and the Roberts Prize for Biology.

William Gallagher

Professor of Cancer Biology, University College Dublin, and Co-Lead All-Island Cancer Research Institute.

Satish Gopal

Director Centre for Global Health, US National Cancer Institute.

Julie Gralow

Chief Medical Officer American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Vincent Guérend

Ambassador of France to Ireland.

Deirdre Heenan

Professor of Social Policy Ulster University.

Josephine Hegarty

Professor of Nursing, University College Cork.

Tony Holohan

Adjunct Full Professor of Public Health, UCD.

Debbie Keatley

Patient Advocate, Northern Ireland Cancer Research Consumer Forum and Independent Cancer Patients' Voice.

Caius Kim

Global Director of the Lung Ambition Alliance at AstraZeneca.

Caius Kim is the Global Director of the Lung Ambition Alliance at AstraZeneca; a non- commercial project to improve outcomes in lung cancer through partnership. Working with local AZ colleagues and collaborators, he leads the development and implementation of projects to drive sustainable change in lung cancer across 40+ countries. He will present an overview of ongoing country-based programs that endeavor to improve outcomes for people with lung cancer. He has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as in public health and has post graduate degrees in Immunology and Business Administration.

Robert Ladner

Queen’s University Belfast and CEO CV6 of Therapeutics.

Robert Ladner, PhD is CEO and Founder of CV6 Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. By targeting Uracil-DNA Biology, CV6 is developing first-in-class, scalable medications with novel mechanisms of action for oncology and inflammatory diseases. Dr. Ladner received his MSc and PhD degrees from Rutgers University, where he began his work in uracil-DNA metabolism and was appointed Assistant Professor. Subsequent relocation included the University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center until CV6 was moved to Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in 2015. Dr. Ladner is an Associate Professor of Molecular Oncology at the QUB Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research.

Mark Lawler

European Cancer Organisation, Queen’s University Belfast, and Co-Lead All-Island Cancer Research Institute.

Mark is Professor of Digital Health and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics at Queen’s University Belfast. He is Scientific Director of DATA-CAN, the UK’s Health Data Research Hub for Cancer and Health Lead for the Momentum One Zero Innovation Centre as part of the Belfast Region City and Growth Deal. Mark is Chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, which sets a benchmark for cancer outcomes globally. He is Chair of the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission, the most comprehensive analysis of cancer research in Europe ever undertaken. Mark has a strong commitment to patient-centred research and addressing cancer inequalities. He was architect of the European Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights, launched in the European Parliament (World Cancer Day). He received the 2018 European Health Award, a prestigious award for partnerships that yield real health impact in Europe. Mark co-led the work that led to the European Cancer Organisation’s European Code of Cancer Practice, which delineates what patients should expect from their health system. His pioneering work on Covid-19 and cancer received the Royal College of Physicians Excellence in Patient Care Award and the prestigious European Communique Award, which recognised the use of data to enhance cancer services and effect policy change. He leads the European Cancer Organisation’s European Cancer Pulse which captures data intelligence to inform mitigation of cancer inequalities. In 2021, Mark received the Irish Association for Cancer Research’s Outstanding Contribution to cancer research award, for his pioneering work on cancer research and care on the island of Ireland. In 2022, he and his team won the prestigious HDR-UK Impact of the Year Award for providing the crucial health economic intelligence to inform a change in policy for treating colorectal cancer. Mark was one of the leadership involved in developing and launching a radical new plan for cancer research and cancer care in the House of Commons. In November 2023, Prof Lawler received a Special Merit Award from the European Cancer Organisation, Europe’s largest multi-professional cancer organisation, in recognition of his ground-breaking work in Covid and Cancer and his work on cancer inequalities.

Daniel Longley

Director, Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen’s University Belfast.

Professor Daniel Longley is Director of The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast. Known for his work on response and resistance to chemotherapy, he is an expert on cancer cell death and has developed major research programmes into new therapeutic approaches for treating chemotherapy-resistant cancers. He has been a lead/co-lead on major grants from CRUK, MRC, BBSRC and via the US (NIH) – Ireland tripartite scheme, collectively worth over £60M. These programmes involve multi-disciplinary national, and international collaborations. He is also founder of Cancer Vaccine company AilseVax and has worked as entrepreneur-in residence at Almac Discovery.

Maeve Lowery

Professor of Translational Cancer Medicine, TCD, Academic Director, Trinity St James Cancer Institute, Consultant Medical Oncologist, St James Hospital.

Maeve Lowery is an academic clinician who provides care to patients with oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic and liver cancer at St James Hospital, Dublin. She is Professor of Translational Cancer Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, where she leads a translational and clinical cancer research program in gastrointestinal cancers. She is Academic Director of the OECI-accredited Trinity St James Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the Trinity Academic Cancer Trials Group.

Her research focuses on understanding the genetic and molecular causes of cancer, establishing patient derived cancer models and applying this knowledge to oncology drug development. Her work is funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board & Enterprise Ireland.

Michael Martin

Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Defence.

Jonathan McCrea

Whipsmart Media.

Jonathan McCrea is a TV and radio broadcaster and founder of Whipsmart Media, a science communication consultancy based in Dublin. He is the founder of science communications conference SCI:COM and a highly regarded keynote speaker on future technologies and communication strategies.

With 15 years of experience in broadcasting and journalism, Jonathan is also the creator of “Futureproof”, Newstalk’s flagship science programme that has won 11 national and international radio awards in the 9 years it has been on air. He has presented 10 seasons (and counting), of “Ten Things To Know About”, the critically acclaimed 6-part TV series for RTE that showcases Irish research and previously TV3’s big-budget travel science programme The Great Guide to the Future.

Erin McGreehan

Senator. Member of Oireachtas Cross Party Group on Cancer.

Mairead McGuinness

European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

Francoise Meunier

Founder of the European Initiative on Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors, Brussels, Belgium.

Françoise Meunier has dedicated her professional life to improving the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. Prof. Meunier served as Director-General of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) from 1991 to 2015 and remained active until 2018 as Director of Special Projects. She was the driving force behind cancer survivorship activities. Prof. Meunier is a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine and was conferred the title of Baroness by His Majesty, The King Albert II of Belgium.Since 2014, she has been leading the European Initiative on the Right to be Forgotten for cancer survivors, advocating for the creation of a harmonised European legal framework to tackle discrimination against cancer survivors.”

Mike Morrissey

CEO European Cancer Organisation.

Mike Morrissey joined the European Cancer Organisation as Chief Executive in 2019, having previously worked at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as their Chief Operating Officer. He is also President of the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE), having been elected to the position in June 2021, and became Executive Director of the European Cancer Community Foundation in March 2023.Mike has a respected track record in leading and re-energising international not-for-profit organisations in the health and other sectors. He has served in various leadership roles and brings with him over 20 years of experience in association management. Mike is recognised for developing and managing global collaborations, as well as for supporting strategic leadership and operational implementation.

Prior to joining the ESC in 2016, Mike was Executive Vice President & Chief Global Officer at the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) and Managing Director of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA). Mike’s early career was as one of the leading tennis officials in the world when he worked for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and umpired many finals at Grand Slam and Davis Cup events. Mike is a British and Irish citizen and in 2019, set up his own management company ‘Morrissey Global Management’ based in Cannes, to provide his services as CEO of the European Cancer Organisation, as well as to advise and support other international organisations.

Eibhlín Mulroe

Member of AICRI, Chair of the NCI-Ireland-NI Cancer Consortium group.

Eibhlín Mulroe is an experienced Chief Executive Officer, she has a degree in politics from QUB, an MBA from UCD and Diploma in Chartered Direction from the IoD. She has a demonstrated history of working in the not for profit health sector, patient advocacy, clinical trials and with the pharmaceuticals industry. Eibhlín has been CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland for almost a decade working on our trials with leading Irish and international radiation & medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation therapists and nursing community. She manages a team of 60 clinical scientists and data specialists staff at central office to sponsor clinical trials in Irish, UK and EU hospitals. She is a member of AICRI steering group and chairs the NCI-Ireland-NI Cancer Consortium group on clinical trials and research. Previously, she was the 1st CEO of IPPOSI and founding member of EUPATI consortium from 2007-2015. Patient Advocacy is her passion. She started her career in politics as an activist and staffer.

Deirdre Murray

Director, National Cancer Registry of Ireland.

Professor Deirdre Murray is the Director of the National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) and Professor of Cancer Epidemiology in University College Cork (UCC). She is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the NCRI, which collects, analyses, and disseminates accurate and comprehensive cancer data to support cancer research, prevention and treatment efforts, ultimately striving to reduce the burden of cancer on individuals and society. She chairs the UK and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries, is a Steering Group member of the European Network of Cancer Registries and is involved in a number of international research collaborations. She previously worked in the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), leading the NCCP’s Cancer Intelligence function. Professor Deirdre Murray is a medical graduate of UCC, undertook her clinical training in Ireland and the UK and higher specialist training in Public Health Medicine in Ireland.

Jarushka Naidoo

Professor of Medical Oncology and Consultant Medical Oncologist, Beaumont Hospital and RCSI University of Health Sciences.

Prof. Jarushka Naidoo is a Full Professor of Medical Oncology and a Consultant Medical Oncologist at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre in Dublin, Ireland and an Adjunct Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University.. She completed an awarded advanced medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York), and joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University from 2015-2020. At Johns Hopkins, she led a portfolio of clinical trials and translational studies focused on immunotherapy for lung cancer and immune-related toxicity. Dr. Naidoo led several investigator-initiated trials for patients with lung cancer, with a focus on stage III non-small lung cancer and CNS metastases. She is a globally recognised leader in the field of immune-related toxicity, with >100 publications in this field, and her development of the multidisciplinary Johns Hopkins Immune-related Toxicity Team. She is the recipient of several grants and awards including a US NIH KL2 Clinical Scholar Award, Lung Cancer Foundation of America/IASLC Young Investigator Award. Since her return to Ireland, she serves as the Chair of the Lung Cancer Disease- specific subgroup (DSSG) of Cancer Trials Ireland, is the Founder and Chair of the Irish national lung cancer research group, the ‘Irish Lung Cancer Alliance,’ and a national immmunotherapy toxicity network through the RCPI. Prof Naidoo was named the Irish Cancer Society’s Clinician Research Leader Award 2021.

Richard Neal

US Congressman.

Simon Oberst

Director of Quality & Accreditation, Organisation of European Cancer Institutes.

Lorraine O'Driscoll

Professor of Pharmacology & Biomedicine Trinity College Dublin; Co-Lead All-Ireland Cancer Liquid Biopsies Consortium Emerging Hub of Excellence.

Lorraine O’Driscoll is Full Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin; Research Director, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute; Lead Investigator of the €4Mi north-south research programme the All- Ireland Cancer Liquid Biopsies Consortium. Post-PhD, Lorraine performed research for US and European industry and gained post-doctoral experience at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and University of Miami. She has supervised 35xPhDs and 5xMDs. Her team’s research has translated to clinical trials, intellectual property, and publication in prestigious journals including Nature Methods, Cancer Research, New Engl J Medicine. Lorraine is Vice-President of the Royal Irish Academy.

Mairead O'Driscoll

CEO Health Research Board of Ireland.

Risteárd Ó Laoide

Director HSE National Cancer Control Programme.

Professor Risteárd Ó Laoide is Director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). He is a Consultant Radiologist at St. Vincent’s University Hospital and Clinical Professor of Radiology at University College Dublin. Formerly, Risteárd was Medical Director of St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group and Clinical Director of Ireland East Hospital Group. He is a medical graduate of Trinity College Dublin, completed his radiology residency at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin and subsequently undertook a Fellowship in Abdominal Imaging and Intervention at the University of California, San Diego. He is a Fellow and Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Radiologists, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and a Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists (UK).

Kathy Oliver

Patient Advocate; Co-Chair, European Cancer Organisation Patient Advisory Committee, Chair, International Brain Tumour Alliance.

Kathy Oliver is Chair and Founding Co-Director of the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA), a global network established in 2005 as a dynamic worldwide community for brain tumour patient organisations. She frequently speaks at international conferences; participates in high-level policy projects/committees; authors/co-authors journal papers, book chapters and magazine articles including on patients’ rights; Co-Chairs the European Cancer Organisation’s Patient Advisory Committee and is a faculty member at the College of the European School of Oncology. Kathy cites her son Colin’s “incredible courage, determination and fortitude” as the driving force and inspiration behind her involvement in the international cancer community.

Averil Power

CEO Irish Cancer Society.

Richard Price

Head of Policy at the European Cancer Organisation.

Richard Price is Head of Policy at the European Cancer Organisation, an umbrella federation of 42 European and international organisations active in the cancer care field. He supports the policy project activities of the Organisation’s 10 Focused Topic Networks and helps to lead the organisation’s representations to the EU institutions, WHO and national governments. Previously was the policy and advocacy officer of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists and a policy advisor to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

Tracy Robson

Head of School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI); President, Irish Association for Cancer Research.

Henry Rodriguez

Director, Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research, NCI, USA.

Dr. Rodriguez serves as the Founding Director of the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research and is a member of the Senior Leadership team at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Recently, he served as Assistant Director for Strategic Health and Cancer Science in the Executive Office of the President at the White House. A cell and molecular biologist with a background in business, Dr. Rodriguez has dedicated his career to conducting biomedical research on mechanisms of cancer in basic and clinical science to inform novel diagnostics and therapeutics, and to the development of standards, and technology.

Philippe Roux

Mr. Roux started his career in the French Social sector in 1985 while studying social sciences, European law and Public Health. He joined the European Commission in 1990 (to support the development of the EU initiatives related to drug prevention) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in 1998. Coordinator the Diet, Physical Activity and Health European Platform (2005) Head of the Units ‘Country Knowledge and Scientific Committees’ (2016), ‘Health Information and Integration in all policies’ (2020) ‘Cancer, Health in all Policies’ (2022) with the aim of achieving the objectives of the Europe’s beating cancer plan. Acting Director ‘Public Health, Cancer and Health Security’ since 1/09/2023.

Piotr Rutkowski

Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center Warsaw, Poland.

Mirsolav Samarzija

Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.

Professor Miroslav Samaržija, graduated at the University of Zagreb, Medical Faculty. In his third consecutive term, he heads the leading pulmonology clinic in University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia. He has made a notable and original scientific and professional contribution to the research of lung cancer, pulmonary circulation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung transplantation. He is a member of the Central Ethics Committee of the Ministry of Health, the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb, National Coordinator for Specialization in Pulmonology, Chairman of the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Health for the treatment of patients recovering from the COVID-19 disease and National Coordinator of the Croatian National Lung Cancer Screening Program.

Lynn Schuchter

President of American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Kieran Sheahan

Vice-President, International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting; Clinical Professor, St Vincent’s University Hospital and University College Dublin.

Professor Kieran Sheahan is Consultant Histopathologist at St. Vincent's University Hospital, & Clinical Professor at UCD School of Medicine. He is Adjuvant Professor of Pathology at Boston University Medical School. He is currently Vice-President of the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR). He was a lead in developing the National Histopathology Quality Improvement Programme in Ireland in 2009 & is the Pathology representative on the Irish Bowel Cancer Screening programme. He is author of over 200 original publications in biomedical journals, & numerous reviews & book chapters. https://people.ucd.ie/kieran.sheahan. His research interests are prognostic & predictive markers in colorectal cancer, familial colorectal cancer, pathology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease & molecular genetic techniques & AI in colorectal diseases.

Isabelle Soerjomataram

Deputy Head, Cancer Surveillance Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Isabelle Soerjomataram is a medical epidemiologist with special interests in causes, and prevention of cancer. She has been working at IARC since 2011 where she assesses international variation of the cancer burden and survival, and how health systems and policies contribute to mitigate the rising burden of and inequality in cancer occurrence and outcome using mainly population-based databases. In addition to her research activities, she (co)coordinates several large projects funded by various institutions. Today she is leading an international benchmarking project to assess the determinants of cancer survival, and national and global projects to assess the contribution of various risk factors on the burden of cancer. She also co-leads the global consortium to impact of crises and health system resilience to mitigate impact on cancer services and cancer outcome across countries, and co-chairs the Lancet Commission on Women, Power and Cancer.

Richard Spratt

CEO Cancer Focus Northern Ireland.

Gilly Spurrier-Bernard

Patient Advocate; Co-Chair European Cancer Organisation Patient Advisory Committee.

Gilly founded MelanomeFrance when her husband became a stage 4 melanoma patient. As president of MelanomeFrance, and VP of MPNE she has written contributions to the HTA for Drug Evaluations, runs several >1300-member Patient Forums, organises European patient and stakeholder Conferences, with a special interest in Community education, Impact and FAIR data.

She has contributed to ASCO, ESMO, and ECO publications, reviews trial protocols for funding and is a partner/advisor in several Horizon2020/EUROPE Projects. She was WECAN chair 2020/21 and is currently a coordination Team member. She is currently Co- chair of the European Cancer Organisation Patient Advocate Committee.

Richard Sullivan

Director, Institute for Cancer Policy, Kings College London, UK.

Robin Swann

Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland and Minister for Health Northern Ireland.

Catharine Young

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington DC.