Ajay Aggarwal
Professor of Cancer Services and Systems Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine/ Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust, London
Professor Ajay Aggarwal is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, and Professor of Cancer Services and Systems Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. His main research areas are cancer policy, performance assessment of cancer care and Global Health. He was appointed Clinical Director of the ten national cancer audits in England and Wales in 2023. He is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cancer Policy. In his role as the clinical lead for the UK National Prostate Cancer Audit, he led the development and delivery of the first ever national hospital outcome reporting programme for radiotherapy. The results of his research have contributed significantly to national and international policy discussions around the affordability of cancer care and the value of new technologies in cancer medicine. As Co-Chair of the Health Economics in Radiation Oncology (HERO) group within the European Society for Radiation Oncology (ESTRO), he is leading the value-based healthcare initiative. Professor Aggarwal is the Chief Investigator of the NIH funded ARCHERY study, the first prospective international multicentre trial across India, Jordan, Malaysia and South Africa evaluating the role of AI in radiotherapy.
Allan Hackshaw
Professor of Epidemiology & Medical Statistics at University College London, and Director of the Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Allan Hackshaw is Professor of Epidemiology & Medical Statistics at University College London, and Director of the Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre, one of the largest cancer trials units in the UK. He has >30 years’ experience in the design, conduct and interpretation of phase I-III clinical trials, observational studies, real world data studies and systematic reviews, in a variety of disease areas, including cancer treatments and diagnosis, cardiovascular disease, and tobacco and health. He has worked in several cancer types (notably lung, thyroid, and gynaecological) and all types of interventions (systemic therapies including targeted and immunotherapies, radiotherapy, surgery, and combinations of them). His special interest is in adult and prenatal screening (he is a member of the UK National Screening Committee Adult Reference Group, and co-editor of the Journal of Medical Screening). He has published more than 200 journal articles and book chapters, and is the sole or first author of four textbooks, including two on clinical trials. He delivers modules on evidence-based medicine and clinical trials for postgraduate courses at UCL and the London School of Economics.
Amit Khot
Consultant Haematologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
After graduating from the University of Pune, India, Dr Khot trained in Internal Medicine in India and the UK, where he qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians. He completed training in laboratory and clinical Haematology in London, UK, obtaining a Fellowship from the Royal College of Pathologists. This was followed by a clinical research fellowship involving early phase clinical trials in cell therapies and myeloma at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Dr Khot has published in international journals and presented in international conferences in his fields of interest of cell therapies, haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation, myeloma and early phase clinical trials. He currently works as a Consultant Haematologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Bendigo Health and is an investigator in all phases of clinical trials involving novel agents in myeloma and advanced haematologic malignancies.
Arnie Purushotham
Breast cancer surgeon and Director of King’s Health Partners Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Professor Arnie Purushotham has been a Consultant Academic Surgeon for 30 years having worked in Glasgow, Cambridge and London. He is Professor of Breast Cancer at King’s College London and Consultant Surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. He is also the Director of King’s Health Partners Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
As a scientific researcher, Professor Purushotham’s goal has been to drive high quality clinical and translational research that directly impacts patients with cancer. Key areas of research are cancer pathways; novel intra-operative optical imaging; MR Elastography to predict response or resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy; decision support tools in breast cancer management; prevention and early detection; cancer in low- and middle-income countries; cancer outcomes.
Balu Krishna Sasidharan
Professor, Radiation Oncology, CMC Vellore
Dr Balu Krishna Sasidharan is Professor of Radiation Oncology at CMC, Vellore. His research interests include upper GI, Head and Neck, Thorax, Prostate Cancer Research, Radiomics – Artificial Intelligence, Function Sparing Radiation, Mouse Tumour models, Immunotherapy and Radiation.
Caitlyn Duffy
Paediatric oncologist and Global Oncology Fellow, Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Caitlyn Duffy, MD is a pediatric oncologist and Global Oncology Fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine. She graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and completed her Pediatrics Residency at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She completed Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr Duffy’s is a clinician and research scientist with a focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia and using implementation science to improve delivery of pediatric cancer care on a global scale. She completed additional training at the National Cancer Institute: Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer and will graduate from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health and Global Health Certificate in May 2023. Dr. Duffy is a core member of the SJCRH-Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) Implementation and Dissemination Science Global Working Group, which is part of a broader SJCRH-WASH-U research collaborative. She is also a co-founder and co-lead of the SIOP Young Investigator LMIC working group and SIOP Global Health Steering Committee member.
Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo
Chair, Department of Global Pediatric Medicine Director, St. Jude Global
Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, serves as director of St. Jude Global and chair of the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine. He is also an executive vice president and director of the St. Jude WHO Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer. Rodriguez-Galindo is leading an effort by St. Jude to ensure childhood cancer patients have access to quality care no matter where they live. The St. Jude Global program has established partnerships with more than 200 hospitals in close to 70 countries, which form the St. Jude Global Alliance. In addition to his work in global health, Dr. Rodriguez-Galindo’s areas of clinical research and expertise include retinoblastoma, sarcomas, rare cancers, and histiocytic disorders. He has been the chair of the Rare Tumor’s committee of the Children’s Oncology Group and the President of the Histiocyte Society, and has been the principal investigator of several institutional, national, and international trials.
Chris Frampton
Professor of Biostatistics, University of Otago, New Zealand
Chris Frampton is Professor, Biostatistics, Department of Medicine/Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, and Director of a statistical consultancy company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. In addition, he is the statistical representative on New Zealand’s regulatory committees - the Standing Committee on Therapeutic Trials, Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee, and Medicines Assessment Advisory Committee - and on a number of national and international data safety monitoring committees for ongoing randomised controlled trials. Professor Frampton has a specific interest in the design, conduct and analysis of phase I, II and III randomised controlled trials. With over 25 years of experience in biostatistics consultancy as applied to a wide range of clinical disciplines, he has co-authored over 600 peer reviewed publications.
Christopher Booth
Medical Oncologist and Health Services Researcher at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
Christopher Booth is a Medical Oncologist and Health Services Researcher at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He is a Professor of Oncology and Public Health Sciences and holds the Canada Research Chair in Population Cancer Care. Dr. Booth is the Director of the Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology at Queen’s Cancer Research Institute. In his clinical practice he provides care to patients with GI cancer. Dr. Booth’s research program explores access, quality, and value of cancer care. He serves as policy advisor to the World Health Organization and across health systems of Canada and many other countries. In 2016 Dr. Booth spent a sabbatical at the Regional Cancer Centre in Trivandrum, India. Dr. Booth has published 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and served as research supervisor for dozens of trainees from around the world. In 2022 he received the Exceptional Healer Award at Kingston Health Sciences Centre for embodying compassion, respect, and clinical excellence. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2022. Dr. Booth is one of the founding leaders of the Common Sense Oncology initiative.
C S Pramesh
Director, Tata Memorial Hospital and Professor, Thoracic Surgery
Dr C S Pramesh is the Director of the Tata Memorial Hospital and the Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. He serves on the UICC Board of Directors. He is the convener for the National Cancer Grid, a large network of 350+ cancer centres in India (https://ncgindia.org). The mandate of the National Cancer Grid is to provide uniform standards of cancer care across the country. Pramesh is highly committed to efforts towards reducing inequities in cancer care and making cancer treatment accessible to all geographic regions and strata of society. He is also a visiting professor at the Division of Cancer Studies, King’s College London and the Institute of Cancer Policy, King’s Health Partners, London. He serves on the advisory boards of several national and international research organizations and granting agencies including WHO, ASCO, ESMO and the UICC. His research interests include health services research, value-based care, addressing barriers to access, and cancer policy. He is a recipient of the prestigious Rachel Pearline global cancer research humanitarian award from the National Cancer Institute, USA.
David Collingridge
Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology
David Collingridge is the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Oncology and Vice President of editorial strategy and innovation for The Lancet’s large portfolio of clinical journals. Prior to his appointments at The Lancet, he gained a PhD in tumour biology from the Gray Cancer Institute/University College London, UK, and held research positions in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University, CT, USA, and in the PET Oncology Group, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK. Dr Collingridge has won awards for projects focused on cancer control in low-to-middle income countries; has published numerous peer-review articles, editorials, opinion pieces, and news reports; has co-authored a textbook on radiobiology and has been a contributor to various other books; and lectures on the publishing industry, how to write a successful manuscript, health activism, and clinical trial design. Finally, he was previously a Clinical Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health, Lake Success, NY, USA, and is currently a Visiting Professor of Global Oncology at King’s College London, UK.
Diana Romero
Chief Editor, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology
Diana Romero trained as a molecular biologist and obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in 2005. She then worked as a postdoctoral researcher for almost 10 years, first in Maine Medical Center Research Institute (USA) and then at Imperial College London (UK). As a researcher, her main interest was cell signalling in preclinical cancer models. In 2015, she decided to take a more active role in science communication and joined Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology as an Associate Editor. She became Chief Editor of the journal in September 2017. She has handled articles on clinical trial design, regulatory issues, cancer epidemiology and cancer treatment, to name a few topics, and regularly delivers talks on science communication.
Duncan Gilbert
Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Associate Professor in Cancer and Clinical Trials at MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL.
Duncan Gilbert graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1997 and trained in Clinical Oncology in Sussex and at the Royal Marsden Hospitals. As part of his training he undertook a PhD in the molecular biology of testicular cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research and also spent 6 months working at the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Nepal. He is now a Consultant Clinical Oncologist treating patients with pelvic cancers at the Sussex Cancer Centre in Brighton, Sussex and an Associate Professor of Cancer and Clinical Trials at MRC Clinical Trials where he is the chief investigator for REFINE, testing extended intervals of immune checkpoint inhibitors in renal cancer and melanoma, and has senior roles within the STAMPEDE and Add Aspirin trial teams.
Durga Gadgil
Research Consultant, Tata Memorial Hospital
Durga Gadgil, an independent clinical research consultant, is currently working also as a consultant with the Tata Memorial Administrative and Research Council (TRAC), Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH). She is the chief coordinator for the two-year MSc in Clinical Research course conducted by the Tata Memorial Centre under the Homi Bhabha National Institute. She is also a GCP Trainer and conducts workshops and seminars for the same. Besides, she is instrumental in setting up the National Cancer Grid Contract Research Organization (NCG CRO) at TMH in 2017, which monitors Investigator Initiated Research which are NCG funded, multicentre studies carried out in India. She is a part of the Organizing committee for CReDO, the research methodology workshop conducted by TMH.
She has 31 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and retired in November 2015 as Area Head, Asia Pacific, Regional Medical Monitoring Organization, Pfizer. Durga is a certified NABH assessor for NABH Accreditation Standards for Clinical Trials (Ethics Committee, Investigator, and Clinical Trial Site). During her career span of 30+ years, she has worked in many pharmaceutical companies, all MNCs and one Indian company. She has experience in all fields related to a medical doctor’s role in the industry, like medico-marketing support, regulatory activities, pharmacovigilance and safety reporting, clinical operations, medical monitoring, auditing and training.
Dylan Graetz
Assistant Professor, Departments of Oncology and Global Pediatric Medicine St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Dylan Graetz, MD, MPH, is a faculty member in the departments of Oncology and Global Pediatric Medicine, and the Solid Tumor Division at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Her research interests include global pediatric oncology, pediatric cancer communication, patient-centered care and pediatric solid tumors.
Girish Chinnaswamy
Professor, Division of Pediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital
Dr Girish Chinnaswamy completed his post graduate training in Pediatrics at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research(JIPMER) Pondicherry, India. He further underwent subspeciality training in Pediatric and Adolescent oncology at the Royal London and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals in the United Kingdom. Hesubsequently pursued research in Pediatric cancer pharmacology at the Northern Institute of Cancer Research, Newcastle University, UK studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics of anticancer drugs in children.
He has previously worked as a faculty in Pediatric oncology at Christian Medical College hospital Vellore, India and is presently working as a faculty at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
His special interests are Pediatric neuro-oncology, solid tumors and bone tumors in children. His research interests include Pediatric cancer pharmacology including cancer drug disposition in malnourished children(with cancer), development of newer formulations(liquid formulation etc) and Drug repurposing for advanced and high risk pediatric malignancies
Ian Tannock
Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Medical Biophysics at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University of Toronto
Dr. Tannock is Emeritus Professor at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University of Toronto. He obtained his PhD from the Institute of Cancer Research, London University, England and his MD from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. His clinical research investigated methods related to cancer clinical trials, and he chaired trials for men with metastatic prostate cancer that led to licensing of previous (mitoxantrone) and current (docetaxel) standard chemotherapy. His laboratory research evaluated effects of the tumour microenvironment on outcome of cancer therapy.
Dr. Tannock was a member of the ASCO Board of Directors (2001-2004), and of the EORTC Board (2009-2016). He received the ESMO award (2012) and the ASCO Allen Lichter award for leadership and innovation (2019), holds 2 honorary degrees and is appointed to the Order of Canada.
Since retiring from active practice, Dr Tannock teaches and mentors young oncologists internationally, and authors papers relating to clinical trial methodology. He is a member of the WHO Essential Medicines Committee, and a founding member of Common-Sense Oncology. These initiatives seek to return cancer management and cancer trials to evidence-based benefit for patients, and thereby reduce cost and improve global access to effective cancer treatment.
Indranil Mallick
Senior Consultant, Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Medical Center, Kolkata
Dr Indranil Mallick completed his degree in radiation oncology at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India and subsequently trained at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India and the Princess Margaret Hospital (University of Toronto), Toronto, Canada. His key research interests include technical aspects of radiotherapy (image guidance, planning techniques, PET-CT guidance), hypofractionated radiotherapy in prostate and head and neck cancers and education research – developing and testing online educational courses.
Isabelle Soerjomataram
Deputy Head, Branch of Cancer Surveillance International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Isabelle Soerjomataram is deputy head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch and a medical epidemiologist with a special interest in causes, and prevention of cancer. She took a position at IARC in 2011 where she is currently assessing international variation of the cancer burden and survival using mainly population-based datasets and how policy can mitigate the rising burden of cancer and rising gap of cancer burden between sub-populations.
In addition to her research activities, she (co)coordinates several large projects funded by various institutions. She leads national, regional, and global estimation of attributable fraction for cancers related various risk factors. Other projects that she leads are cancer survival projects, in high-income and also low-and middle-income settings assessing the effectiveness of the local health system as well as influence of major risk factors such as tobacco smoking, obesity and alcohol. She also co-chairs the Lancet Commission on Women and Cancer. Finally she coordinate the IARC Initiative of Resilience in Cancer Control assessing the impact of crises on cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and outcome.
Jammbe Musoro
Senior statistician, EORTC Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium.
Jammbe obtained a PhD in Biostatistics from the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, in 2016. He joined the EORTC headquarters in October 2015, where he supports both the Quality of Life Department and the Statistics Department.
Currently, Jammbe is the designated statistician for the EORTC Cutaneous Lymphoma Tumor Group, providing statistical support in the design of cancer clinical trials. In his role with the EORTC Quality of Life Department, he offers statistical assistance in the design, analysis, and reporting of studies with quality of life endpoints. Jammbe is actively engaged in quality of life research and leads various projects, including the EORTC Minimally Important Difference (MID) project, which aims to establish interpretation guidelines for the EORTC QLQ-C30. He regularly contributes to EORTC educational courses and participates in international collaborative projects like SISAQOL- IMI, which aims to standardize the use, analysis, and interpretation of patient-reported outcome data in cancer clinical trials.
Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer
Vice President, Center for Research and Analytics (CENTRA)
Dr. Garrett-Mayer’s department (CENTRA) leads the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s research efforts, including the TAPUR Study (a pragmatic basket trial of FDA approved targeted agents in patients with advanced cancer), the CDK Study (a PCORI funded clinical trial comparing two dosing strategies for CDK4/6 inhibitors), and programs aimed at dose optimization, access to clinical trials, improving representation in clinical trials, and oncology workforce issues. Prior to joining ASCO, she served on the faculty in the Johns Hopkins in the Department of Oncology, and then joined the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where she established the Biostatistics Shared Resource at the Hollings Cancer Center (HCC).
She earned her PhD in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her publication record includes more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, primarily in early phase clinical trial design methods and clinical cancer research. She serves on the board of The Society for Clinical Trials, has been a member of numerous NIH grant review committees, NCI task forces and steering groups, Data Safety Monitoring Boards for NIH-supported clinical trials, and serves on the editorial board of three peer-reviewed journals. She has served as course director for both the ASCO-AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Workshop and the SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Network Workshop.
Mahesh (Max) Parmar
Statistician, Director of the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London
Mahesh (Max) Parmar is a Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology and Director of both the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology at University College London.
Max joined the MRC in 1987. He has more than 450 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Many of his clinical publications have had a direct impact on policy, clinical practice, and improving outcomes for patients; while a number of his methodological publications have had a direct impact on methodological practice including, for example, his work on platform trials, flexible parametric models and meta-analyses.
The MRC Clinical Trials Unit he has directed since 2010 is at the forefront of resolving internationally important questions, particularly in infectious diseases and cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and also aims to deliver swifter and more effective translation of scientific research into patient benefits. It does this by carrying out challenging and innovative studies and by developing and implementing methodological advances in study design, conduct, and analysis.
He was for over 10 years an Associate Director of the National Cancer Research Network since its inception in 2001, an organization which more than doubled the number of patients going into cancer studies in England and was the precursor for the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
Max was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019 and the Royal Statistical Society’s Bradford Medal in 2024.
Manju Sengar
Professor, Adult hematolymphoid disease management group, Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Manju Sengar is Professor, Adult hematolymphoid disease management group, Medical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Dr Sengar completed her training in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
She has done her post graduate diploma in clinical trials from London School of hygiene and tropical medicine (external programme). She is a recipient of American Society of Hematology visitor training program fellowship at Duke University, Durham. She is a core group member of National Cancer Grid, India. She is a founding member of the Hematology Cancer Consortium. Her main areas of clinical research are non-Hodgkin lymphomas, lymphomas in HIV/AIDS, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She has been involved in promoting value-based cancer care and resource-stratified treatment guidelines.
Marc Buyse
Statistician, Founder, International Drug Development Institute
Marc Buyse, ScD, holds degrees in engineering from Brussels University (Belgium), in management from Cranfield University (UK), and a ScD in biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, MA). He worked at the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) in Brussels and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. He is the founder of IDDI (International Drug Development Institute), CluePoints and One2Treat, three companies offering services and software for clinical research. He is Associate Professor of biostatistics at Hasselt University in Belgium. His recent research work focuses on developing statistical methods for patient-centric medicine.
Mark Krailo
Senior Statistician Emeritus, Children’s Oncology Group and Staff Statistician, Kenneth Norris Jr Cancer Center (KNJCC), University of Southern California
In his role at KNJCC, Mark Krailo is responsible for the design and analysis of investigator-initiated clinical trials including early stage trials of novel therapies for adults with cancer. He is also involved with studies in the Department of Urology focused on refining methods for biopsy in prostate cancer. He serves on the Scientific Review Committee for the cancer center.
In his role at the Children’s Oncology Group, Mark is responsible for reporting of secondary analyses from clinical trials in pediatric oncology. He also serves on the executive committee for the Malignant Germ Cell International Consortium (MaGIC).
His areas of interest include
- Clinical trial analysis in the case of informative censoring
- Phase I designs
- Randomized phase II designs with time to event endpoints
- Phase III designs employing multimodal therapy
- Risk prediction models and validation
Martin Stockler
Medical oncologist and researcher, University of Sydney
Martin Stockler is Professor of Oncology and Clinical Epidemiology at The University of Sydney, a consultant medical oncologist at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital, and Oncology Director at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre. After internal medicine and medical oncology training in Sydney, Australia he spent 3 years in Toronto, Canada doing a clinical research fellowship at the Princess Margaret Hospital and a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto with Professors Ian Tannock, Pamela Goodwin, and Paul Corey. His research focuses on using clinical trials to improve quality of life, survival, prognostication, and doctor-patient communication for those affected by cancer, particularly from genitourinary, thoracic, and gynaecologic primaries. His clinical focus is genitourinary cancer. “The first protocol I wrote was for a randomised trial incorporating quality of life assessment in routine clinical practice, but this never went ahead. My first successful protocol was for a small (tiny), placebo-controlled, crossover trial of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in advanced cancer with troublesome pain despite a strong opioid regimen (J Clin Oncol 2004: 22; 3389).”
Matt Sydes
Statistician, Head of Data-Driven Clinical Trials, National Health Services England
Professor Matthew Sydes is Head of Data-Driven Clinical Trials in the Data for R&D programme, part of the Transformation Directorate at NHS England in London, UK. For nearly 30 years, Matt has designed, conducted, analysed, reported and communicated clinical trials, usually late-phase, often international and often defining a new standard-of-care for patients. With a broad operations and statistical background, he has increasingly focused on methodological research to improve the delivery of clinical trials, including: implementation into practice of novel designs, particularly multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) platform / master protocols; running academic-led trials with a view to regulatory use and submission; proportionate and efficient monitoring of clinical trial; better clinical trial data sharing; communication of trial findings; and, critically, the potential to transform clinical trial planning and delivery through the use of routinely-collected healthcare systems data. Matt has presented widely, taught on national and international courses, and sat on funding panels and ethics committee. He joined NHS England from University College London (UCL) where he was a Professor of Clinical Trials and Methodology, research director for the Transforming Data for Trials programme at Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and Associate Director for Data-Enabled Trials at the BHF Data Science Centre. He is an inaugural HDR UK Fellow.
Meenakshi Devidas
Professor and Director, Analytics Core in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Senior Statistician with the Children’s Oncology Group.
Dr Devidas earned a PhD in Applied Statistics from the University of Memphis and spent the ensuing 32 years as a faculty member at UCLA, University of Mississippi Medical Center and University of Florida. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the field of pediatric oncology. She is Director of Analytics in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She and her team provide biostatistical and analytic support for the various global initiatives/research projects in the department. She is a member of the graduate faculty and a faculty in the St Jude Global Academy. She is the study statistician for clinical trials run by the North American Consortium for Histiocytosis (NACHO), a consortium dedicated to the development and implementation of clinical and translational studies and biological research for histiocytic diseases. She is also the study statistician for a trial studying gene therapy for Hemophilia B in low-middle income countries, conducted by St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr Devidas is the Lead Statistician for the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) biology/therapeutic clinical trials in the NCI sponsored (National Clinical Trials Network) international cooperative group, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). She is PI, Co-PI and co-investigator on several current and past NIH grants supporting clinical research. Her methodological research has focused on statistical issues related to the design and conduct of clinical studies.
Meritxell Mallafré-Larrosa
MD MPH
Dr. Meritxell Mallafré-Larrosa is a Medical Doctor (MD) from the University of Barcelona and a Master of Global Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University. With over seven years of professional experience, she is forging a career at the crossroads of Cancer Control and Global Health Governance, currently serving as the Research Lead at City Cancer Challenge (C/Can).
Her expertise spans translational research and implementation science, with a strong focus on international cancer control. At C/Can, she spearheads a comprehensive research initiative aimed at closing the implementation science gaps across a network of 15 cities globally, driving evidence-informed practice and policymaking in cancer care. She also plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization's gender strategy, aligning it with the recommendations of the Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer, to which she contributed as a mentee.
Before joining C/Can, during her tenure at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Meritxell participated in a multi-state Health System Assessment in India. Previously, she served as a Research Associate at the European Cancer Leagues, where she provided expert guidance on European health research and policy. She also represented the organization as a Youth Ambassador, advocating for cancer prevention at the national level.
Michael Brada
Radiation Oncologist, University of Liverpool
Michael Brada is a Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Liverpool and an Honorary Consultant at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre; and previously served as Professor of Clinical Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. He is a leading expert in neuro-oncology and thoracic oncology with an expertise in the development, evaluation and implementation of new technologies.
He has served as the President of the European Association of Neuro-oncology (EANO), Chairman of the NCRI Brain Tumour Clinical Studies Group and as the President of The European Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ESTRO).
Dr Brada has published benchmark studies of technical aspects and clinical outcome of stereotactic radiotherapy and key studies of late toxicity of cranial irradiation. He has evaluated chemotherapy and radiotherapy in glial tumours including initial studies of Temozolomide. In the last decade, his research focus was on lung cancer, developing and testing novel technologies including motion management techniques, high precision irradiation and population studies on lung cancer radiotherapy. He has a long-standing interest in improving methods of care with studies resulting in changes to clinical practice.
Neil Ranasinghe
Patient advocate
Neil Ranasinghe (BA) is the parent of a survivor of childhood cancer. For nearly 20 years he has been involved with global and UK-based cancer organisations, contributing his expertise as a Technical Author and his leadership capabilities. Outside his voluntary activities, Neil is a Lead Technical Author at the London Stock Exchange Group.
Neil is a co-founder of the Paediatric Oncology Reference Team (PORT). PORT is a group of parents that review paediatric oncology clinical trial documentation for parents and patients. PORT has reviewed documentation for over 30 clinical trials and advised on research and trials. This is a long standing and effective collaboration between parents and clinicians to improve the design of trials, make patient documentation more accessible, and ultimately increase participation in clinical trials. Neil is also lay representative for a number of clinical trials that are being planned, and some that have been launched.
Neil is active in the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) advocating for children with cancer in low or middle-income countries (LMIC), and is a member of the SIOP Global Mapping programme steering committee.
Paola Friedrich
MD MPH
Paola Friedrich, MD MPH, is a pediatric oncologist and scholar at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She serves as Medical Director for the Latin America Regional Programs and team lead for the Metrics and Performance Unit in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine (also known as “St. Jude Global”). She works clinically in pediatric solid tumors and scholarly in global childhood cancer disparities and health services research, focusing on improvement and implementation science. She has significantly contributed to global pediatric oncology through research, education, and program-building activities.
Dr. Friedrich obtained her MD in 2005 from the University of Puerto Rico Medical School. In 2008, she completed pediatrics training at Boston Children's Hospital and in 2012, fellowship training in pediatric hematology and oncology at Dana-Farber / Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center; teaching affiliates from Harvard Medical School. From 2011 through 2013, she was a research fellow in the Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training from the Institute for Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital, a National Cancer Institute-funded training program that involves faculty from across the entire Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and affiliated institutions. In 2013, she completed a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with concentration in clinical effectiveness. In 2016, she joined the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to lead the afore mentioned programs.
Patrick Loehrer
Professor in Oncology, Indiana University
Patrick J. Loehrer, SR., M.D. is the Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor in Oncology and Distinguished Professor of Indiana University. He is also the Director of the IUSCCC Center for Global Oncology and Health Equities. He has been an active clinical researcher and specialist in the treatment of a variety of cancers including testis, bladder, colon, pancreas and, most notably, thymic malignancies. His research on the drug, ifosfamide, led to its approval by the FDA. Dr. Loehrer is also the founding director of the Academic Model for Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH)-Oncology Program, which now sees over 8,000 cancer patients a year and screens over 1,500 women for cervical and breast cancers a month in western Kenya. He is co-PI on a U54 grant studying the long-term impact of HPV in HIV infected and uninfected women in Kenya and Uganda. Dr. Loehrer was the founding chair of the Hoosier Oncology Group (now Hoosier Cancer Research Network) for two decades, which has enrolled over 5,000 patients and conducted trials in 20 countries around the world. Dr. Loehrer has served on numerous boards and committees such as the FDA Oncology Drug Advisory Committee and chair of the NCI Clinical Trials Advisory Committee. Dr. Loehrer is director emeritus of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Cancer Center and led the efforts to achieve comprehensive status in 2019. Dr. Loehrer has received numerous awards including the inaugural Allen S. Lichter Visionary Leader Award, and the 2023 Humanitarian Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Priya Ranganathan
Professor of Anesthesiology, Tata Memorial Centre
Priya Ranganathan works as Professor of Anesthesiology at the Tata Memorial Centre, which is a tertiary-level cancer centre in Mumbai, India. She deals mainly with anesthesia for thoracic surgical procedures especially esophageal and lung resections.
She has a keen interest in clinical research methods and biostatistics and has been faculty on several short courses on these topics. She coordinates a Masters degree in Clinical Research at the Tata Memorial Centre. She is a member of the Institutional Review Board at Tata Memorial Hospital and is editor of the biostatistics section for the journal ‘Perspectives in Clinical Research’.
Priya completed her medical training at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and a fellowship in Clinical Anesthesia at the Singapore General Hospital.
Ramakrishnan A S
Surgical oncologist and researcher
Ram is a distinguished surgical oncologist with over 22 years of experience in the field of oncology, specializing in gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreatico-biliary cancers. He was, until recently, Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Cancer Institute, Adayar. He has been involved in groundbreaking studies on rectal and gastric cancer management, as well as the role of the microbiome in colorectal cancers. He has collaborated on several international and national clinical trials and obtained research grants from leading organizations, such as the DBT-Wellcome Trust and Academy of Medical Sciences UK.
Richard Stephens
Patient Advocate
Richard has so far survived two cancers and a heart emergency plus sundry late effects and co-morbidities. He has participated in four interventional studies and twelve others. He is a Visiting Lecturer in public and patient involvement at King’s College London, a Eupati Fellow, and the founding co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Research Involvement and Engagement. His professional life included careers in education, journalism, and local government, and he now works with industry, academics and patients around the world.
Richard was the patient co-author of England’s 2015-20 Cancer Strategy and is a CONCORD-Lancet Global Commissioner on Cancer. He Chairs the UK’s Cancer Research Advocates Forum and use MY data. He is a member of the European Society of Cardiology Patient Forum and the European Taskforce on eConsent, the former Chair of the Stakeholder Forum at BBMRI-ERIC (European biobanking infrastructure) and is Vice-Chair of the European CanSERV (cancer research infrastructure) project.
Richard has been a patient partner with funders including EORTC, CRUK, Rising Tide and NIHR. Since 1995 he has helped design and deliver over 70 individual research studies and programmes (including CRUK-NCI Cancer Grand Challenges) and has co-authored over thirty published papers. He would like to spend more time on beaches reading history books.
Richard Sullivan
Professor of Cancer & Global Health at King’s College London and Guy’s Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Richard Sullivan is a Professor of Cancer & Global Health at King’s College London and Guy’s Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Centre. At King’s, he is the Director of the Institute of Cancer Policy and the Centre for Conflict & Health Research. Richard is the NCD advisor to the World Health Organisation, and World Bank Group, a Fellow of the Centre for Global Development, and a UK representative to the WHO IARC Scientific Governing Council. His global cancer research programs cover cancer systems strengthening, political economy (value & affordability), and pharmaceutical policy, with a special interest in cancer care in conflict. He directs several major research programs in conflict and health with a special focus on the Middle East and Sub-Saharan African regions, specifically in health security intelligence and health systems strengthening in conflict. Professor Sullivan trained in surgical oncology with a PhD in Biochemistry from University College London. He has published over 500 articles, including seventeen Lancet & Lancet Oncology Commissions, and has written extensively on geopolitics and national security, global health security, and biological security. Richard was the Clinical Director of Cancer Research UK and previously served with the British Army. He is the past Director of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs and is currently a senior director of NATO biosecurity. His research expertise mainly focuses on health (macro and micro) economics, political economy, and policy research, as well as implementation sciences.
Ruth Langley
Medical Oncologist, Professor of Oncology and Clinical Trials, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London
Professor Ruth Langley is a medical oncologist specializing in the design and management of oncology clinical trials based at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London where she leads the Cancer Group. She has worked in a number of tumour areas including colorectal, lung, prostate and gastro-oesophageal cancer coordinating a series of trials and associated translational studies.
She has a particular interest in re-purposing established medicines as cancer therapeutics, as well as cancer prevention, and is clinical Chair of the UK Therapeutic Cancer Prevention Network. A focus of her recent work has been on the therapeutic potential of aspirin as an anti-cancer agent. She is the Chief Investigator of the Add-Aspirin trial and is a co-lead of the AsCaP consortium - a translational program investigating the anti-cancer effects of aspirin.
Sally Hunsberger
Statistician, Deputy Director for the Office of Biostatistics at the National Allergy and Infectious Disease Institute (NIAID)
Dr. Hunsberger is the Deputy Director for the Office of Biostatistics at the National Allergy and Infectious Disease Institute (NIAID) which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She has worked at the NIH for 33 years and has focused on clinical trials. She began her career at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and then moved to the National Cancer Institute after 10 years. She worked at the National Cancer Institute for 12 years, specializing in breast and pediatric cancer clinical trial research. She designs phase I, II and III studies, analyses data for natural history studies and phase I, II and II studies. She is the executive secretary for the Treatment and prevention DSMB at NIAID and serves on the pediatric heart network DSMB for the NHLBI. She was executive secretary for the operation warp speed COVID-19 Vaccine DSMB.
Dr. Hunsberger is the PI on an international study including countries in Africa, Asia and Central America examining the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines. She is the statistician on a measles study in Mali and Guinea.
Shital Raval-Patel
Project Head, PatientsEngage
She completed her undergraduate studies (BSc in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University) and went on to do her Master’s in Microbiology and Molecular Genetic with research at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in the US. Yearning for clinical experience, she attended medical school in the UK for her MD.
Interested in public health, she moved to India to work in the not-for-profit sector. She worked with Cancer Patients Aid Association and Americares India. Her worked with various local and international NGOs entailed lifestyle disease awareness and education, infection prevention and control, healthcare worker safety programmes for government hospitals. An anti-tobacco activist, she has devoted her time to counsel cancer patients, conduct awareness programmes for children in schools and advocate against tobacco companies.
Since 2013, she has been associated with PatientsEngage, a patient and caregiver centred enterprise that works towards educating, engaging, and empowering patients with chronic illnesses and their family caregivers. As a Medical advisor and Project Head at PatientsEngage, she works with various stakeholders to better the lives of patients and advocate for patient engagement and empowerment.
Shivakumar Thiagarajan
Professor, Division of Head & Neck, Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.
Shivakumar Thiagarajan graduated from KIMS Bangalore, after which he did his postgraduation in Otolaryngology from the Indian Air Force Hospital, Bangalore. He underwent subspecialty training in Head & Neck Surgery & Oncology from Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore and Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. He was actively involved in both clinical and translational research during his training. He has worked as a faculty in both otolaryngology and Head & Neck surgical oncology, during which he has been part of various research projects. He is presently working as a faculty in the Division of Head & Neck, Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai and is actively involved in various clinical trials. His primary clinical interest is in the management of Thyroid, oral and skull base malignancies.
Victor M. Santana
Pediatric oncologist, Department of Oncology and the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Victor M. Santana, MD is a full member in the Department of Oncology and the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) and holds the Charles B. Pratt Endowed Chair in Solid Tumor Research. His professional career as a pediatric oncologist and clinical investigator has been devoted to developing new experimental treatment approaches for children with high-risk cancers and applying knowledge and expertise in clinical trial design and regulatory aspects of pediatric clinical research. His research aims to identify promising new therapies for children with cancer and understanding how they can be best implemented globally. To this workshop he brings expertise in understanding conceptual development, implementation strategies and solutions to challenges inherent in clinical research in international settings.
Vishal Deo
Scientist (Statistics) at the National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science, Indian Council of Medical Research
Vishal Deo is a Scientist (Statistics) at the National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR-NIRDH&DS), New Delhi, India. He has earned a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Delhi. He has previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Delhi for around 12 years. As a Statistician, he has worked extensively in the areas of survival analysis, statistical methods in health economics, disease modelling, Bayesian predictive modelling, growth curve analysis, and functional data analysis. In addition, he has great interest in applications of artificial intelligence / machine learning techniques in health and medical research.
In the health and biomedical realm, Dr. Deo’s research interests encompass the areas of Social Determinants of Health, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, and burden of disease. He is currently exploring ideas for implementing AI/ML based digital health technologies towards strengthening the public health system in India for achieving universal health coverage.
Vivek Tomar
Patient Advocate
Vivek Tomar is a patient advocate for cancer research, clinical trials, lung cancer, and timely access to the latest treatment in India, in a volunteer and social service work capacity. He is an advisor as patient advocate for initiatives of government(s), non-profit, research centres and pharma companies on cancer research and care. He has co-founded ‘ALK Positive India’, India’s first oncogene-focused patient support group, and ‘Rise to Survive Cancer’ a patient advocacy initiative. He is a guest faculty in volunteer work for educational institutions, non-profit, and government(s) on patient advocacy, clinical research, clinical trials and caregiving. He has been instrumental in introducing new cancer medications to India, reducing drug costs, and influencing policy changes. He is a member of the National Cancer Grid India and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). He is a recipient of the IASLC International Patient Advocacy Award 2018 and the VCare Award 2020.