Meet the Speakers

PhD student, Department of Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Netherlands

Ben Eyck

Ben Eyck is MD, PhD student at Dept. of Surgery of the Erasmus MC - University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His PhD thesis focuses on neoadjuvant treatment, active surveillance after neoadjuvant treatment, and surgical treatment for esophageal cancer.

University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, UK

Fereshteh Izadi

Fereshteh Izadi completed a PhD in comparing gene regulatory networks by microarray and RNA-seq in July 2017. Shortly after she started her first postdoctoral job in University College London as a bioinformatician on single cell RNA-seq data analysis. Afterwards she started her second job at University of Southampton working on multi omics data analysis in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, General Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, UK

Sivesh Kamarajah

Sivesh Kamarajah is currently an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in General Surgery at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust. He is currently steering committee member for the Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) National Collaborative, the International, multicentre prospective cohort study, Oesophagogastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA), and the CovidSurg Collaborative.

PhD Student, General Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden

Klara Nilsson

Klara Nilsson is a PhD student at Karolinska Institute and 5th year resident in general surgery at Karolinska University Hospital. Her academic work is mainly focused on the timing of surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Clinical Surgery, St. Jame's Hospital & Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

John V. Reynolds

Professor Reynolds is Professor of Clinical Surgery at the St. James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin. He is the National Lead for oesophageal and gastric cancer. He is Cancer Lead at St. James’s Hospital and the Trinity School of Medicine, and a Principal Investigator in the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute. He has formerly held Fellowship positions with the University of Pennsylvania and Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. He was a Senior Lecturer at St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds (1994-6). Professor Reynolds has obtained numerous research awards and has published widely in cancer research, with over 250 publications and approximately €5m research grant income. His clinical interest is in diseases of the oesophagus and stomach. His research interest is in four areas: (1) pathogenesis of Barrett’s oesophagus and progression; (2) prediction of response and resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Director & Chief Surgical Oncologist, Indo-American Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad

Subramanyeshwar Rao Thammineedi

M.S (Gen. Surgery ), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology

Professional positions:

Formerly: Professor of Surgical Oncology, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad
Presently: Director & Chief Surgical Oncologist, Indo-American Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad

Organisational positions:
Past Secretary – Indian Association of Surgical Oncology
Past President - ASI Telangana
Vice President - Hyderabad Surgeons Society
Chief Patron - Hockey Warangal

Author of 84 Publications.
Reviewer: Journals in Surgical Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology and Thoracic Oncology

Surgery in Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, USA

Berend van der Wilk

Berend van der Wilk is a PhD candidate at the department of Surgery in Erasmus MC - University Medical Center. He is one of the coordinators of the randomized SANO-trial (Surgery As Needed for Oesophageal cancer). His promotor is prof. dr. JJB van Lanschot.

General Surgical Trainee, Australia

Ravi Vissapragada

Ravi Vissapragada is a general surgical trainee from Adelaide, Australia. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Flinders University. His research interests are in detection of Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal cancer in Volatile Organic Compounds in exhaled breath and improving cost-effectiveness of endoscopic surveillance of Barrett's Esophagus.

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).

Esophago-gastric Surgical Trainee, University of Southampton, UK

Rob Walker

Rob Walker is a Cancer Research UK Clinical Research Fellow and esophago-gastric surgical trainee at the University of Southampton, UK. Working under the mentorship of Professor Tim Underwood, he is completing a PhD on the tumor micro-environment in esophageal adenocarcinoma. His research focusses on single cell RNA sequencing to detect rare cell types and interpreting the cell-cell interactions. He has published on both the molecular biology and clinical management of esophageal cancer and was awarded the British Journal of Surgery prize paper at the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery (AUGIS) congress in 2019 for his research.

Research Group, St. James Hospital, Dublin

Lisa O’ Byrne

Dr. Lisa O' Byrne is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin in 2017. Since she has developed a keen interest in research and has been involved in the Barrett's Esophagus research group at St. James Hospital, Dublin. She is currently in her second year of Core Surgical Training in Dublin, Ireland.

Resident, General Surgery, University of Padua, Italy

Andrea Costantini

Andrea Costantini was born in 1991. He graduated (cum laude) in Medicine and Surgery in 2018 at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy, discussing a thesis on "Poem vs Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy in the Treatment of Esophageal Achalasia: A case-control study from two high volume Centers using the propensity score”. This study was presented at DDW 2019 in San Diego, being awarded as one of the three “Best presentations” at the 34th SSAT Annual Residents and Fellows Research Conference, and published on J Gastrointestinal Surg 2020 Mar;24(3):505-515.
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At present, he is 1st-year Resident in General Surgery at the University of Padua, Italy.

Research Fellow, Michael Goggins’ Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Laboratory, USA

Mohamad Dbouk

Mohamad Dbouk earned his MD degree from the American University of Beirut medical school in 2018. He moved to the US to gain more experience in academic research before continuing his medical training. Mohamad is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Michael Goggins’ Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection laboratory. He also works with Dr. Mimi Canto on other gastrointestinal cancers such as esophageal cancer, focusing on new methods and techniques that can help eradicate Barrett’s Esophagus.

Specialist Registrar, General Surgery, Ireland

Jessie Elliott

Jessie Elliott is a Specialist Registrar in General Surgery in Ireland, with a specific interest in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin and completed a PhD at University College Dublin and the National Esophagogastric Centre at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, studying changes in eating behavior and gut function among patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery. In 2015, was awarded a Health Research Board fellowship to support her work. The primary focus of her research is to develop interventions to improve nutrition and quality-of-life among patients with gastrointestinal disease. To this end, gut hormone physiology and the gut microbiome are current areas of interest.

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, General Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, UK

Sivesh Kamarajah

Sivesh Kamarajah is currently an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in General Surgery at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust. He is currently steering committee member for the Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) National Collaborative, the International, multicentre prospective cohort study, Oesophagogastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA), and the CovidSurg Collaborative.

Internship, Flinders Medical Centre, Australia

Victoria Rudolph-Stringer

Dr. Victoria Rudolph-Stringer is from Adelaide, Australia. She first began her research in fundoplication procedures as a medical student under the supervision of Professor David Watson and Dr. Tim Bright. Victoria is now completing her internship at Flinders Medical Centre and has a strong interest in general surgery.

Professor, Gastroenterology Research, Mayo Clinic Rochester, USA

Kenneth Wang

Kenneth Wang is the Kathy and Russ Van Cleve Professor of Gastroenterology Research at the Mayo Clinic Rochester. He is the Director of the Barrett’s Esophagus Unit which specializes in translational research for diagnosis and therapy of esophageal neoplasia. He has been funded by the NIH for the past 26 consecutive years as a principal investigator on multiple grants.  He is a past president of the ISDE and of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has received the Schindler Award from the ASGE, as well as the MASGE. He is a Fellow of the Japanese Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Society, AGA, ACG, and ACP. He has been an editor of  Diseases of the Esophagus, associate editor for the American Journal of Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He has published over 300 manuscripts and 25 book chapters

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.