Meet our Scientific and Organizing Committee
Scientific Committee
- Piotr Rutkowski, MD, PhD
Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland - Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA - Michael Nishimura, PhD
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA - Mikhail Berezin, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA - Brian Czerniecki, MD
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Andrew Hyland, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA - Iwona Ługowska, MD, PhD
Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland - Kathleen Kokolus, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA - Marcin Kortylewski, PhD
City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA - Leszek Kotula, PhD
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA - Sandro Matosevic, PhD
Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, USA
- Michael Nemeth, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA - Petar Ozretić, PhD
Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia - Waldemar Priebe, PhD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA - Marek Rudnicki, MD
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA - Kęstutis Sužiedėlis, PhD
Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania - Anda Vlad, MD
National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
Organizing Committee
Paweł Kaliński, MD, PhD
Professor Paweł Kaliński is a distinguished immunologist specializing in cancer therapy. He currently serves as the Director of the Vaccine and Dendritic Cell Therapy Program at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, USA. His research focuses on developing novel cancer immunotherapy strategies and therapeutic vaccines.
Piotr Rutkowski, MD, PhD
Professor Piotr Rutkowski is a renowned oncologist and surgical oncologist. He works at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, where he leads the Department of Soft Tissue, Bone Sarcoma, and Melanoma. His primary scientific interests include the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and soft tissue sarcomas.
Iwona Ługowska, MD, PhD
Professor Iwona Ługowska is an experienced clinical oncologist. She serves as the Head of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw. She specializes in conducting clinical trials and targeted therapies in cancer treatment.
Prof. Michał Mikula, PhD
Prof. Michał Mikula leads the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Genetics at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. His research encompasses molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression, with a focus on identifying biomarkers for early detection and therapeutic targets.
Claudio Lombardo
Claudio Lombardo serves as General Manager of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). He is actively involved in fostering international collaboration in oncology and supporting the development of comprehensive cancer centers across Europe. With a background in biomedical sciences and international diplomacy, he has held senior roles in cancer research, clinical coordination, and science policy. Claudio is also a visiting professor and author of numerous scientific publications.
Agnieszka Janowska
Agnieszka Janowska is the Head of the International Affairs Office at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (NIO-PIB). In her role, she leads the institute's international collaborations, engaging with European and global partners to advance oncology research and policy. Ms. Janowska contributes to various European cancer initiatives, including the ECHoS project and the Joint Action on Networks of Expertise (JANE), focusing on complex and poor-prognosis cancers.
Beata Biel
Beata Biel is the Head of the National Cancer Strategy Department at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. She is responsible for coordinating and implementing Poland’s National Cancer Strategy, aligning national cancer policy with European standards and international best practices. She also serves as the President of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OncoTransfer Ltd., a Special Purpose Vehicle of the National Institute of Oncology. OncoTransfer facilitates the commercialization of research outcomes and strengthens collaboration between the scientific, clinical, and business communities.
Kathleen Kokolus, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
Kathleen Kokolus, PhD is a cancer researcher at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY. She is actively involved in advancing our understanding of how environmental and physiological factors influence immune responses to cancer and treatment outcomes. With a background in tumor immunology and cancer biology, Dr. Kokolus leads translational research that bridges basic science with clinical relevance. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and contributes to collaborative efforts aimed at improving immunotherapy strategies.
Organizing Committee
Paweł Kaliński, MD, PhD
Professor Paweł Kaliński is a distinguished immunologist specializing in cancer therapy. He currently serves as the Director of the Vaccine and Dendritic Cell Therapy Program at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, USA. His research focuses on developing novel cancer immunotherapy strategies and therapeutic vaccines.
Piotr Rutkowski, MD, PhD
Professor Piotr Rutkowski is a renowned oncologist and surgical oncologist. He works at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, where he leads the Department of Soft Tissue, Bone Sarcoma, and Melanoma. His primary scientific interests include the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and soft tissue sarcomas.
Iwona Ługowska, MD, PhD
Professor Iwona Ługowska is an experienced clinical oncologist. She serves as the Head of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw. She specializes in conducting clinical trials and targeted therapies in cancer treatment.
Prof. Michał Mikula, PhD
Prof. Michał Mikula leads the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Genetics at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. His research encompasses molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression, with a focus on identifying biomarkers for early detection and therapeutic targets.
Paweł Kaliński, MD, PhD
Professor Paweł Kaliński is a distinguished immunologist specializing in cancer therapy. He currently serves as the Director of the Vaccine and Dendritic Cell Therapy Program at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, USA. His research focuses on developing novel cancer immunotherapy strategies and therapeutic vaccines.
Piotr Rutkowski, MD, PhD
Professor Piotr Rutkowski is a renowned oncologist and surgical oncologist. He works at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, where he leads the Department of Soft Tissue, Bone Sarcoma, and Melanoma. His primary scientific interests include the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and soft tissue sarcomas.
Iwona Ługowska, MD, PhD
Professor Iwona Ługowska is an experienced clinical oncologist. She serves as the Head of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw. She specializes in conducting clinical trials and targeted therapies in cancer treatment.
Speakers
Dr. Alana L. Welm, PhD
Dr. Alana Welm is a Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah and serves as the Senior Director of Basic Science at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She holds the Ralph E. and Willia T. Main Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. Dr. Welm's research focuses on breast cancer metastasis, investigating mechanisms that enable cancer cells to transition from latent disease to metastatic outgrowth, and exploring how the immune system regulates this process. She has developed patient-derived tumor models to understand breast tumor evolution during metastasis and to identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities in metastatic tumors. Dr. Welm completed her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine and conducted postdoctoral training in Dr. J. Michael Bishop’s laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, where her work focused on developing new models of breast cancer metastasis.
Prof. Wojciech Fendler, MD, PhD
Professor Wojciech Fendler is the Head of the Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine at the Medical University of Łódź, Poland. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Łódź in 2007 and received his PhD in 2011 for studies on proinsulin gene mutations in monogenic diabetes. Prof. Fendler's research focuses on the statistical analysis of data in diabetology and oncology, with a particular interest in biomarkers of radiation toxicity—a major limitation of cancer radiotherapy. He has authored several hundred scientific papers and leads numerous research projects funded by national and EU funds. In addition to his role at the Medical University of Łódź, Prof. Fendler is a visiting professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Thierry Philip
Dr. Thierry Philip is the President of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), an organization dedicated to fostering collaboration among European cancer centers to improve the quality of cancer care and research. He has a distinguished career in oncology and has been actively involved in various initiatives aimed at enhancing cancer treatment and research across Europe. Dr. Philip has also served as the President of the Institut Curie, one of France's leading cancer research centers.
Dr. Magdalena Rosińska, PhD
Dr. Magdalena Rosińska is a Professor at the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw, Poland. Her research focuses on epidemiology, with particular expertise in infectious diseases and public health surveillance. Dr. Rosińska has been involved in various projects assessing the effectiveness of vaccines and has contributed to the development of strategies for infectious disease control.
Prof. Michał Mikula, PhD
Prof. Michał Mikula leads the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Genetics at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. His research encompasses molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression, with a focus on identifying biomarkers for early detection and therapeutic targets.
Dr. Marcin Duleba, PhD
Dr. Marcin Duleba is associated with Ryvu Therapeutics, a Polish clinical-stage drug discovery and development company. His work involves developing novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology.
Dr. Dawid Walerych, PhD
Dr. Dawid Walerych is a researcher at the Mossakowski Medical Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.His research interests include molecular oncology, particularly the study of tumor suppressor genes and their role in cancer development.
Dr. Keld Møller Pedersen, PhD
Dr. Keld Møller Pedersen is a Danish expert in health economics and policy. He has contributed to developing and evaluating public health policies, with a focus on cancer prevention and control strategies.
Maja Čamžar, PhD
Dr. Maja Čamžar is a Slovenian researcher specializing in oncology and public health. She has been involved in various projects aimed at improving cancer care and outcomes in Central and Eastern Europe.
Dr. Paweł Koczkodaj
Dr. Paweł Koczkodaj is an Associate Professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Primary Cancer Prevention at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a Doctorate in Public Health and has a robust research portfolio that includes over 69 publications, with a focus on cancer prevention, public health, and epidemiology.