Gabriela Villanueva, MD MS

Gabriela Villanueva is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Hospital Austral, Argentina and the Director of Academic Affairs at Resonance Health. She completed medical school at University of Buenos Aires, a pediatric residency at University of Illinois and a fellowship on pediatric hematology and oncology at University of Chicago, where she also received a Masters of Science in Public Health Sciences. Her current research focuses on retinoblastoma survivorship and second malignancies in Argentina and a global initiative on high-dose methotrexate supportive care, among other coordinated projects in Latin America. She is a member of SLAOP (Society of Latin American Pediatric Oncologists) and part of the Young SIOP Network steering group.

Louise Guolla, MD MSc

Louise Guolla is completing her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and graduate studies in clinical epidemiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada as part of the Clinician-Investigator Program. She joined the Young SIOP Network in 2019 following the congress in Lyon and has been a member of the Steering Group since 2021. She is currently Co-Chair of the Education Day Committee, and Chairs the Membership Engagement Committee in addition to representing the YSN on the  SIOP Membership Committee. Her current research and clinical interests are in AYA Oncology, Leukemia & Lymphoma, and cardiometabolic/body composition complications of cancer therapy. In her spare time, she plays competitive ultimate frisbee, enjoys cooking, and takes care of her rambunctious toddler.

Korede Akindele

I am a passionate childhood cancer advocate and policy driver and current Head of Programs at The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization working to improve access to care and survival outcomes for children with cancer in Nigeria. I am also an active member of SIOP, serving as a SIOP advocacy committee (SAC), Member of SIOP Africa Network and Nigeria Cancer Society, and member of various other working groups in SIOP. I joined Young SIOP Network in 2018 and since then I have been a committee member of young SIOP working with the social media and blog team. I am a passionate advocate and public health contributor with an uncommon blend of community understanding and strategic thinking that enables the implementation of impactful actions geared towards improving pediatric cancer outcomes in Africa and other regions. Over the years, I have continued to spearhead and lead teams to create, implement and replicate childhood cancer awareness, advocacy, training programs, research, and policy discussions around childhood cancer in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sarah Cohen-Gogo, MD PhD

Sarah Cohen-Gogo, MD, PhD, is a French pediatric oncologist now living and working in Toronto, Canada. She is part of the Haem/Onc New Agents and Innovative Therapies program at The Hospital for Sick Children and one of the Garron Family Cancer Centre Clinician Scientist Fellows. She holds a PhD in cancer genetics. Prior to this role, she was chef de clinique/junior faculty in pediatric oncology in Institut Curie in Paris.

Her main research interests are precision medicine, hard-to-treat solid tumours, supportive/palliative care and medical education.

Stephanie Pons, MPH

Stephanie Pons is a Project Manager within the Surgery Department at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). Prior to this role, she served as a Project Analyst within the Global HOPE Program at TCH, and she helped oversee their program in Malawi, which is focused on building capacity and treating children with cancer and blood disorders. Prior to working at TCH, Stephanie worked at Baylor College of Medicine, where she conducted research on Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Additionally, she held an academic internship at the Rhode Island Department of Health in the Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious Disease, and Emergency Medical Services, while she was completing her Masters in Public Health from Brown University. At Brown University, Stephanie specialized in global health, and she has volunteered and worked in Peru, Argentina, Spain, and South Africa.

Gemma Bryan, MSc PhD

Gemma Bryan, Research Fellow at the Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. She is an experienced mixed methods researcher, the majority of previous research has focused on communication with children with cancer and their parents about their disease and treatment, and interventions to help parents increase their understanding of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Author of four Cochrane Reviews on subjects related to oral health. Graduated with a PhD from The University of Manchester in 2010. Her thesis on interventions for the prevention of oral mucositis in adults receiving cancer therapy was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). She also holds an MSc in Human Nutrition (with a Clinical Specialisation) from the University of Glasgow and a BA (Hons) from the University of Durham. Her research interests are in communication, symptom reporting for children with cancer, the use of participatory methods in research with children, and in decision making for the management of pain and symptoms in children with chronic, life threatening and life-limiting conditions. She joined SIOP YI after the Dublin conference in 2016 and joined the Young SIOP Network Steering Group in 2017. During her time in YSN she has been involved in the blog, social media and Education day committees. She is currently the outgoing Chair of the Young SIOP Steering Group.

Chair: Louise Guolla, MD MSc

Louise Guolla is completing her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and graduate studies in clinical epidemiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada as part of the Clinician-Investigator Program. She joined the Young SIOP Network in 2019 following the congress in Lyon and has been a member of the Steering Group since 2021. She is currently Co-Chair of the Education Day Committee, and Chairs the Membership Engagement Committee in addition to representing the YSN on the  SIOP Membership Committee. Her current research and clinical interests are in AYA Oncology, Leukemia & Lymphoma, and cardiometabolic/body composition complications of cancer therapy. In her spare time, she plays competitive ultimate frisbee, enjoys cooking, and takes care of her rambunctious toddler.

Saniya Baiturova,  MD, PhD student

Saniya Baiturova, clinical oncologist at University medical center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She is an experienced in clinical oncology, the current research has focused on Ewing sarcoma. Her research interests are in new approaches in treatment in neuro oncology. She joined SIOP in the beginning of 2022 and joined the YI Membership Engagement Committee just in June 2022.

Anna Campello, MD

I am a Pediatric Oncologist at the Pediatric Onco-hematology Department, Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital, Turin (Italy) where I completed my Pediatric Residency in 2022. Prior to this, I did an internship at AYA Oncology Unit, in Aviano (Italy), understanding the complexities of AYA with cancer and, since then, dedicating my daily work to provide comprehensive medical services to them. My main fields of activities are sarcomas and rare tumors, and during my Pediatric Residency, I developed strong interest in phase I/II experimental clinical trials and precision medicine. Today, I’m broadening my academic knowledge in the area of identification and management of pediatric cancer predisposition syndromes.

Chair: Sarah Cohen-Gogo, MD PhD

Sarah Cohen-Gogo, MD, PhD, is a French pediatric oncologist now living and working in Toronto, Canada. She is part of the Haem/Onc New Agents and Innovative Therapies program at The Hospital for Sick Children and one of the Garron Family Cancer Centre Clinician Scientist Fellows. She holds a PhD in cancer genetics. Prior to this role, she was chef de clinique/junior faculty in pediatric oncology in Institut Curie in Paris.

Her main research interests are precision medicine, hard-to-treat solid tumours, supportive/palliative care and medical education.

Ajay Gupta, MD MS

Ajay Gupta is an American pediatric oncologist practicing at Roswell Park / Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program in Buffalo, New York. He also earned a Masters in Translational Pharmacology from the Ohio State University. He specializes in sarcomas in children, adolescents, and young adults (AYA), with a specific interest in translational and early phase studies in Ewing sarcoma, for which he has grant funding through Hyundai Hope on Wheels.

Dora Correia, MD, MSc.

Portuguese physician-scientist and a Swiss board-certified radiation oncologist at the Centre for Proton Therapy, Paul-Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, after a postdoctoral research fellowship in pediatric proton radiotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, under the sponsorship of the Swiss Cancer Research Foundation. Since 2020 part of the Young SIOP Social Media, after have been awarded the 2020 Young SIOP award. https://linktr.ee/doracorreia

Pia Delano, PT, MPH,

Physiotherapist from Chile, been working the last 8 years to promote and advocate for the importance of rehabilitation in pediatric oncology. Currently a member of SIOP YI, and the Rehabilitation task force of Supportive Care Group. Interested in rehabilitation, global health and inequities.

 Callum Mullen, PhD student

Callum Mullen is a childhood cancer survivor and PhD student in epidemiology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is part of McGill’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology where he studies diagnostic and treatment lag times.

Daniel Ortiz-Morales, MD, MSc

Pediatric oncologist at Hospital General de México 🇲🇽, in México City. Member of the social media Committee of Young SIOP. PhD Student at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Main interests: Retinoblastoma, Germ cell tumors, AYAs, childhood cancer survivors. Multidrug resistant genes.

Alejandra Casanovas, MD 

Hello! My name is Alejandra Casanovas, I am a pediatric hemato-oncologist from Buenos Aires, Argentinian I trained at the Pedro de Elizalde Children’s Hospital, first as a pediatrician and then as a hemato-oncologist. I did a fellowship at the Garrahan hospital in solid tumors, and I currently work in the Oncology sector of Hospital Elizalde. One of my goals is form networks to be able to offer my patients the best quality of care. I like to actively participate in activities that allow constant exchange and updating. Also to be a member of SIOP, I also belong to SLAOP, I am a member of the board of SAHOP (Argentine Society of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology) and I am currently secretary of the Hemato-Oncology and Transfusion Medicine Committee of the Argentine Society of Pediatrics. I am part of the GALOP Renal Tumor Network, a group that aims to have a space for exchange and growth in the knowledge of these tumors among the community of pediatric oncologists in Latin America. I had already participated in this committee some years ago and I am very happy to be part of it. Again, and thus be able to exchange ideas, projects and everything that makes us grow as young researchers, which can be difficult but never impossible. I would like my participation to serve to encourage those in training to work in research without fear or prejudice, since all contributions serve for the best care of our patients!

Korede Akindele

I am a passionate childhood cancer advocate and policy driver and current Head of Programs at The Dorcas Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization working to improve access to care and survival outcomes for children with cancer in Nigeria. I am also an active member of SIOP, serving as a SIOP advocacy committee (SAC), Member of SIOP Africa Network and Nigeria Cancer Society, and member of various other working groups in SIOP. I joined Young SIOP Network in 2018 and since then I have been a committee member of young SIOP working with the social media and blog team. I am a passionate advocate and public health contributor with an uncommon blend of community understanding and strategic thinking that enables the implementation of impactful actions geared towards improving pediatric cancer outcomes in Africa and other regions. Over the years, I have continued to spearhead and lead teams to create, implement and replicate childhood cancer awareness, advocacy, training programs, research, and policy discussions around childhood cancer in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Chair: Stephanie Pons, MPH

Stephanie Pons is a Project Manager within the Surgery Department at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). Prior to this role, she served as a Project Analyst within the Global HOPE Program at TCH, and she helped oversee their program in Malawi, which is focused on building capacity and treating children with cancer and blood disorders. Prior to working at TCH, Stephanie worked at Baylor College of Medicine, where she conducted research on Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Additionally, she held an academic internship at the Rhode Island Department of Health in the Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious Disease, and Emergency Medical Services, while she was completing her Masters in Public Health from Brown University. At Brown University, Stephanie specialized in global health, and she has volunteered and worked in Peru, Argentina, Spain, and South Africa.

Co-Chair: Gabriela Villanueva, MD MS

Gabriela Villanueva is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Hospital Austral, Argentina and the Director of Academic Affairs at Resonance Health. She completed medical school at University of Buenos Aires, a pediatric residency at University of Illinois and a fellowship on pediatric hematology and oncology at University of Chicago, where she also received a Masters of Science in Public Health Sciences. Her current research focuses on retinoblastoma survivorship and second malignancies in Argentina and a global initiative on high-dose methotrexate supportive care, among other coordinated projects in Latin America. She is a member of SLAOP (Society of Latin American Pediatric Oncologists) and part of the Young SIOP Network steering group.

Co-Chair: Louise Guolla, MD MSc

Louise Guolla is completing her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and graduate studies in clinical epidemiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada as part of the Clinician-Investigator Program. She joined the Young SIOP Network in 2019 following the congress in Lyon and has been a member of the Steering Group since 2021. She is currently Co-Chair of the Education Day Committee, and Chairs the Membership Engagement Committee in addition to representing the YSN on the  SIOP Membership Committee. Her current research and clinical interests are in AYA Oncology, Leukemia & Lymphoma, and cardiometabolic/body composition complications of cancer therapy. In her spare time, she plays competitive ultimate frisbee, enjoys cooking, and takes care of her rambunctious toddler.

Gemma Bryan, MSc PhD

Gemma Bryan, Research Fellow at the Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. She is an experienced mixed methods researcher, the majority of previous research has focused on communication with children with cancer and their parents about their disease and treatment, and interventions to help parents increase their understanding of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Author of four Cochrane Reviews on subjects related to oral health. Graduated with a PhD from The University of Manchester in 2010. Her thesis on interventions for the prevention of oral mucositis in adults receiving cancer therapy was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC). She also holds an MSc in Human Nutrition (with a Clinical Specialisation) from the University of Glasgow and a BA (Hons) from the University of Durham. Her research interests are in communication, symptom reporting for children with cancer, the use of participatory methods in research with children, and in decision making for the management of pain and symptoms in children with chronic, life threatening and life-limiting conditions. She joined SIOP YI after the Dublin conference in 2016 and joined the Young SIOP Network Steering Group in 2017. During her time in YSN she has been involved in the blog, social media and Education day committees. She is currently the outgoing Chair of the Young SIOP Steering Group.

 Anthony P.Y. Liu, MBBS, MMedSc

Dr Anthony Liu is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of The University of Hong Kong with practice in Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. Dr Liu received his medical degree with honors from The University of Hong Kong in 2009 and went on to complete his specialty training in Pediatrics, with focus on Hematology/Oncology, at Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong under the supervision of Prof Godfrey Chan. Dedicated to tackling the high mortality and morbidity in pediatric CNS tumors, Dr Liu joined St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a Clinical and Research Fellow from 2017-2020 under the mentorship of Dr Amar Gajjar and Dr Paul Northcott. His ongoing translational research work focuses on the genomic profiling of CNS embryonal tumors and rare CNS tumors, as well as studying the utility of liquid biopsy in children with medulloblastoma, for which he has been granted Young Investigator Awards from SIOP, ASCO and the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians. Dr Liu is also passionate about enhancing the delivery of quality pediatric neuro-oncology services in China and has played key roles in the setting up of regional collaborative efforts.

Annabelle Wagner, MD

Annabelle Wagner has completed her medical education in Germany and Portugal. She is a pediatric resident physician in Homburg, Germany where she is currently in the pediatric intensive care unit with plans to continue training in pediatric hematology and oncology. Her interests include pediatric palliative oncology and international collaboration.

Stephanie Si Lim, MD

Dr. Stephanie Si Lim is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Oncology at Kapi’olani Medical Center and University of Hawai’i Cancer Center. She graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine, and completed both her residency and fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her clinical and research passion is in cancer immunotherapy, specifically chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Here in Hawaii, one of Dr. Si Lim’s most important initiative is to bring CAR T therapy to the community, so that patients from Hawaii and neighboring Pacific Islands can have access to this life-saving product without having to travel thousands of miles away from their family and friends. From a translational research perspective, her current goal is to explore whether there are differences in the immuno-oncologic landscape between patients of different races and ethnicities. Knowledge gained from her collective research may lead to tailoring of effective, ethnically based immune therapies instead of the current “one size fits all” approach.

Katrina O’Halloran

I am a Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist currently pursuing an advanced fellowship in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. I completed a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with focus on molecular cancer genomics and personalized medicine. I will be completing my advanced fellowship training with a focus on brain and spine tumors in children from July 2021 thru June 2022. My research focuses on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) liquid biopsy in central nervous system (CNS) tumors. We have developed a platform able to detect tumor DNA signals from a variety of pediatric CNS tumor patients and are working now to expand this technology. My clinical focus is on precision oncology therapies which may be better informed by our work in liquid biopsy. I grew up in Vancouver, Canada and have Canadian and European Union (Irish) citizenship. I received my degree in Medicine from University College Dublin, National University of Ireland. I completed my Residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and my Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I also have a Masters Degree in Clinical, Biomedical, and Translational Investigations from the University of Southern California. I am board certified in the USA by the American Board of Pediatrics and also by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. I bring true international experience and expertise.

Shushan Hovsepyan

I am a pediatric oncology-hematology fellow at the Hematology Center after Prof. Yeolyan. Currently, I am pursuing my clinical fellowship at the National Cancer Institute of Milan. Recently, I completed Harvard Medical School’s the Effective Writing for Healthcare program. My main research interests are pediatric soft tissue sarcomas, rare tumors, and precision medicine.

Kelley Hutchins, DO, MPH

Kelley Hutchins is a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, HI, USA, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at John A. Burns School of Medicine, and is the physician provider for the multidisciplinary Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Survivorship Clinic at Kapi’olani. She attended Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she also received her Master’s in Public Health. She received her Internal Medicine and Pediatrics combined residency training at Louisiana State University and then completed her Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.

Helen Pearson, BN(hons), MSc, PG Dip

Helen is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner for children and young people with solid tumours at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and a PhD student at the University of Southampton. She is currently funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship. Her research is looking at parent treatment decision-making in relapse/refractory neuroblastoma and developing an intervention to support parent decision-making in clinical practice. Helen has worked in paediatric oncology for fourteen years having worked in the NHS and private sector. Helen co-chairs the Royal College of Nursing/Children’s Cancer Leukaemia Group Children and Young People’s Nursing Group and is the founder and Chair of the National Neuroblastoma Nursing Group.

Rina Medina, MD

Hi I’m Rina Medina from Honduras currently I’m In training Hem-Onc in Mexico, I’m Young SIOP.

Cielle Wachnian, MD, FRCPC 

Cielle is working as a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at CancerCare Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada and holds an academic position as assistant professor at the University of Manitoba. She completed her Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant fellowship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2021. She plans to focus her career specializing in developmental therapeutics, precision medicine, and solid tumors as they relate to adolescents and young adults. Her current research is a three-phase research initiative that focuses on creating a fast, low-cost, and accurate point of care method to detect genomic rearrangements with RNA long read sequencing for use in low income countries to potentially allow for comprehensive diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment. She is driven to incorporate clinical research in my career as it relates to genomics, as well as global health initiatives. She joined SIOP YI in 2021 and is involved in the Education Day planning Committee!

Manushak Avagyan, MD, MPH 

Manushak Avagyan, MD, MPH, is an Armenian paediatric haematologist oncologist based in Lyon, France. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the ChildGICR program at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. She is also a visiting scientist at Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia. Her current research focuses on the challenges of childhood cancer registration and classification worldwide, with a specific emphasis on non-malignant CNS tumour registration practices and their influence on total childhood cancer incidence. She is interested in data sharing regulations for health research. CNS tumours, haematological malignancies, childhood cancer registries, cancer epidemiology, and cancer risk factors are among her main research interests.

Mariam Minasyan, MD

Mariam Minasyan, Fellow of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia. Also this year I started to get involved in vascular malformations and tumors.I am very interested in working with rare tumors.This year I sent to the congress SIOP 2022 abstract: Epidimiological profile of childhood cancer in Armenia. And I am a member of the group cancer predisposition. I am also a member of interdisciplinary groups: leukemia and lymphoma and solid tumors

Mariana Nana. MD

Pediatric Oncohematologist. Buenos Aires, Argentina Adolescents and Young Adults treatment group. Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martin

COG Liaison: Adam Esbenshade, MD, MSCI

Dr. Esbenshade is a Pediatric Neuro-oncologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics. His research focuses on Cancer Control, Supportive Care, Central Nervous System Malignancy, and Cancer Survivorship. Areas of active investigation include risk prediction modeling and establishing evidence-based data for the treatment of infectious disease complications during pediatric cancer for which he has a current multi-institution prospective validation study. He is also working on studies to improve the treatment of obesity and the metabolic syndrome in cancer survivors, validating a comprehensive risk score that summarizes a cancer survivors’ co-morbidities, as well as, clinical trials that focus on targeted therapy for CNS tumors. Dr. Esbenshade is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and is the Vice Chair of the COG Young Investigators Committee and Vice Chair of the COG Cancer Control and Supportive Care Committee. He also serves on the CNS committee and is on the national study committees of several COG trials. He is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology (ASPHO) Conference Planning Committee. He is a member of the YSN Education Committee and has helped to establish international mentorship programs in both SIOP and SIOP-Europe. As of 2020, will be a member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology Editorial Board.

Chair: Erin Peckham-Gregory, PhD

I am a molecular epidemiologist and my primary research focus is to elucidate inherited genetic factors underlying susceptibility to pediatric hematologic malignancies, with particular emphasis on Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) and lymphoma. I am interested in how inherited genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to the development of pediatric malignancies, and am dedicated to a research career focused on the molecular epidemiology of these cancers. A secondary focus is to evaluate racial/ethnic disparities and the impact of genomic ancestry on susceptibility to pediatric cancer and subsequent adverse events. As a faculty member in the Center for Epidemiology and Population Health and the Histiocytosis Program at the Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers (TXCH) and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), I have developed local, national and global collaborations with experts in these fields to assess epidemiologic and genetic risk predictors of LCH and lymphoma. I continue to broaden my research skill set by participating in statistical and bioinformatics workshops and scientific conferences, and through developing leadership roles in societies including the Children’s Oncology Group and the International Society of Pediatric Oncology.

Juan Pablo Muñoz Pérez (LOC)

I finished a fellowship in Pediatric Hemato-Oncology at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (Barcelona, Spain) two years ago. For 7 years I have had the privilege and responsibility to contribute through my work to the treatment of cancer in children and adolescents. I have sought to combine my career with various international experiences (Sidney Children’s Hospital, Australia), to help me develop knowledge and skills for the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer and the care of their families. Currently, I work in the pediatric solid tumor unit at the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.

Anthony P.Y. Liu, MBBS, MMedSc

Dr Anthony Liu is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of The University of Hong Kong with practice in Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. Dr Liu received his medical degree with honors from The University of Hong Kong in 2009 and went on to complete his specialty training in Pediatrics, with focus on Hematology/Oncology, at Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong under the supervision of Prof Godfrey Chan. Dedicated to tackling the high mortality and morbidity in pediatric CNS tumors, Dr Liu joined St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a Clinical and Research Fellow from 2017-2020 under the mentorship of Dr Amar Gajjar and Dr Paul Northcott. His ongoing translational research work focuses on the genomic profiling of CNS embryonal tumors and rare CNS tumors, as well as studying the utility of liquid biopsy in children with medulloblastoma, for which he has been granted Young Investigator Awards from SIOP, ASCO and the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians. Dr Liu is also passionate about enhancing the delivery of quality pediatric neuro-oncology services in China and has played key roles in the setting up of regional collaborative efforts.

COG Liaison: Adam Esbenshade, MD, MSCI

Dr. Esbenshade is a Pediatric Neuro-oncologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics. His research focuses on Cancer Control, Supportive Care, Central Nervous System Malignancy, and Cancer Survivorship. Areas of active investigation include risk prediction modeling and establishing evidence-based data for the treatment of infectious disease complications during pediatric cancer for which he has a current multi-institution prospective validation study. He is also working on studies to improve the treatment of obesity and the metabolic syndrome in cancer survivors, validating a comprehensive risk score that summarizes a cancer survivors’ co-morbidities, as well as, clinical trials that focus on targeted therapy for CNS tumors. Dr. Esbenshade is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and is the Vice Chair of the COG Young Investigators Committee and Vice Chair of the COG Cancer Control and Supportive Care Committee. He also serves on the CNS committee and is on the national study committees of several COG trials. He is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology (ASPHO) Conference Planning Committee. He is a member of the YSN Education Committee and has helped to establish international mentorship programs in both SIOP and SIOP-Europe. As of 2020, will be a member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology Editorial Board.

Young LMIC Liaison: Caitlyn Duffy, MD

Caitlyn completed her Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and is currently conducting clinical research as a Global Oncology Fellow in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee. Her work is focused on using implementation science to improve translation of standard of care and novel therapies for pediatric cancers into low and middle income countries. In 2022, she received the ASCO Conquer Cancer Bristol Myers Squibb Global Oncology Young Investigator Award for her work, “Evaluating Blinatumomab Implementation in Low and Middle Income Countries.” She is one of the founding co-chairs of the SIOP Young LMIC Working Group.

Khaled Ghanem, MD

Dr. Ghanem is a Pediatric Oncologist and Medical Director of the BASMA Pediatrics Oncology Unit in Damascus, Syria. After finishing his fellowship in 2018, Dr. Ghanem returned to his home country of Syria to lead the restoration and development of a large pediatric oncology centre, which had been markedly affected by the civil war. Under his leadership in the last four years, there have been major increases in capacity to treat pediatric patients and standardization of care, resulting in improved outcomes.

In addition to his leadership at the institutional level, Dr. Ghanem has been involved in leadership roles in regional pediatric oncology consortia, most notably serving as a Board Member of the Pediatric Oncology East & Mediterranean (POEM) collaborative group, which elected him as a member of the POEM Executive Committee in 2020 and who recently appointed him as the Chair for the Scientific Committee of its upcoming Educational Conference. Internationally, Dr. Ghanem’s contributions and leadership is recognized as he was invited as a key stakeholder to the WHO initial meeting on planning the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC), and he was also invited to be a temporary advisor to the WHO for evaluating projects submitted from the East Mediterranean region, as part of the GICC initiative, over the past year.

Dr. Ghanem has already published more than 10 peer-reviewed articles, and has presented his research work in multiple international meetings, notably winning the best poster award at the ASH 2017 annual meeting, and presenting his work on capacity building in Syria during recent SIOP congresses.

We are thrilled to celebrate Dr. Ghanem’s remarkable achievements and recognize them with this inaugural award.