Meet the Speakers

Associate Professor, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, China

Xu-Feng Guo

Xu-feng Guo, M.D. is an Associate Professor at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Section of Esophageal Surgery at Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Consultant Surgeon, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark

Pieter de Heer

Pieter de Heer is an UEMS accredited consultant surgeon specialized in the endoscopic and minimal invasive treatment of malignant diseases of the upper GI tract at the university hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark. His current focus of research includes pre- and postoperative optimization of patients undergoing gastrectomy, esophagectomy or pancreatectomy. The PRESET (PeRioperativE Study of Exercise Training) study is a randomized controlled trial currently including patients. The study will evaluate the effects of preoperative training on completion of therapy in patients undergoing curative resection of cancer of the stomach or GEJ.

Researcher, Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Netherlands

Thijs Janssen

Thijs Janssen has graduated as a medical doctor in August 2019 at Maastricht University. After some clinical practice he is now a researcher at the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven and PhD candidate at the University of Utrecht. His main area of research interest is decreasing (postoperative) morbidity in esophageal cancer patients undergoing an esophagectomy. His research is centered around the marginal gains theory; small incremental improvements that when all added together, may lead to more significant improvements.

Co-Director, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery, Virginia Mason Medical Center, USA

MadhanKumar Kuppusamy

Dr. MadhanKumar Kuppusamy is the Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Center. He graduated medical school in Chennai, India and trained in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery in the United Kingdom. He obtained his Specialist Certification in Cardiothoracic Surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, United Kingdom, and has already conducted a successful and progressive career in the field of thoracic surgery before moving back to VM (more than 12 years of thoracic surgical specialist experience in the UK and USA with proven quality in surgical outcomes).

As a recognized researcher and expert in the care of patients with esophageal cancers and benign chest conditions, Dr. Kuppusamy has published more than 20 scientifically peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He developed and maintains a world’s first-of-its-kind standardized international thoracic/esophageal surgical complications database with an online interface (esodata.org). This unique and innovative clinical tool not only facilitates real time clinical data collection but also sets the stage for international research collaborations across the globe.

Dr. Kuppusamy’s interests in the field of General Thoracic Surgery include minimally invasive thoracic and robotic surgery, airway management, academic & research contributions, risk stratification and outcome analysis of thoracic surgical procedures.

Associate Professor, Tokai University School of Medicine, Japan

Kazuo Koyanagi

Dr. Kazuo Koyanagi is Associate Professor of Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan.
Dr. Koyanagi graduated from Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, in 1992. He has engaged in the profession of esophageal surgical oncology and thoracoscopic minimally invasive esophagectomy. He received the degree of PhD at Keio University in 2001. He has studied abroad as a research fellow at Cornel University and John Wayne Cancer Institute from 2002 to 2005.
He is a Board-Certified fellow of Japan Surgical Society and Japan Esophageal Society.

Director, Esophageal Center of Excellence, Digestive Disease Institute, USA

Donald Low

Donald Low, MD is the Director of the Esophageal Center of Excellence at the Digestive Disease Institute, President of the Ryan Hill Research Foundation, and Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Dr. Low’s clinical interests include all aspects of general Thoracic Surgery but are focused on the treatment of Esophageal Cancer, Barrett’s esophagus, benign tumors of the esophagus, primary and revisional antireflux surgery, paraesophageal hernia and achalasia.

Dr. Low is a Board Certified General Thoracic Surgeon, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He has received Honorary Fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His research interests have focused on the improvement in pathways of care associated with esophagectomy and standardizing outcome reporting and definitions associated with the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer. He is responsible for the formation of the Esophageal Complications Consensus Group (ECCG) and the International Online Esodata database and is President of the International Esodata Study Group (IESG).

Research Fellow, University Hospital of Lille, France

Frederiek Nuytens

Dr. Frederiek Nuytens graduated as MD from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 2012. He completed a 6-year residency in general and abdominal surgery at the Europe Hospitals in Brussels, AZ Groeninge Hospital in Kortrijk, Zuyderland Hospital in Sittard (the Netherlands) and the University Hospital in Leuven. In 2019 he completed a fellowship in bariatric surgery at the University Hospital of Leuven. He is currently completing his surgical training as a clinical and research fellow in upper GI surgery at the University Hospital of Lille, France.

PhD Candidate, Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing, Amsterdam

Daan M Voeten

Daan M Voeten is a PhD candidate at the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing and the Amsterdam University Medical Center under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Van Berge Henegouwen and Prof. Dr. Van Hillegersberg. The main focus of his work is assessment of quality of Dutch surgical upper gastrointestinal care at the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA).

Director of the National Central Cancer Registry, Peking Union Medical College, China

Wenqiang Wei

Prof. Wenqiang Wei is currently the Director of the National Central Cancer Registry, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China. He has been engaged in cancer epidemiology and comprehensive prevention and control in high-risk areas over 20 years. As PI, he hosted 17 national / international projects focus on study etiology, primary intervention, and early detection of an Upper GI cancers through multidisciplinary and global collaborations. He has published more than 100 academic papers in professional journals such as Nature Genetics, JCO, Gut, Gastroenterology and so on.