DiCE General Assembly & 9th Annual Masterclass 2024

Dr. Cathy Eng

Prof. Cathy Eng, Co-Director of GI Oncology and Co-Leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

As a medical oncologist and professor, Prof. Eng conducts clinical research at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in the Department of Medical Oncology. She has been involved and helped lead cooperative group trials, pharmaceutical trials.

Her primary research focus is on phase I-III clinical trial development using novel therapeutics inclusive of blood and tissue correlatives for biomarker discovery and enhanced drug utilization in the treatment of colorectal, anal, and appendiceal cancers.

Prof. Thomas Gruenberger

Prof. Thomas Gruenberger is currently Chair of the HPB center of the health network Vienna and heads the surgical Department of the Clinic Favoriten. He additionally holds the Chair of HPB-Surgery at the Sigmund Freud University, Vienna.

He specializes in abdominal surgery and is an expert in tumors of the liver, the pancreas, the biliary tract, and gallbladder. He is also an active member of the Austrian Society of Surgical Oncology (ASSO) and is active as a member of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO), as well as a member of numerous other specialist associations.

Additionally, he trains prospective medical practitioners and nursing students and is in demand as a consultant, both at home and overseas. Prof. Gruenberger conducts intensive research work in the field of oncology, which is published in numerous scientific publications.

Dr. Myriam Chalabi

Dr. Myriam Chalabi, Internist, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.

She is the lead investigator (PI) of several neoadjuvant immunotherapy trials in gastrointestinal cancers, including the globally renowned NICHE study, in which patients with colon cancers were found to have impressive responses after a short duration of neoadjuvant immunotherapy.

Her research focuses on early innovative combination immunotherapy trials with a strong focus on translational research to better understand the drivers of response in these tumors and find novel immunotherapy combinations.

Her main goal is to improve immunotherapy for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

Prof. Eric Van Cutsem

As co-founder of DiCE and renowned Professor of Clinical Digestive Oncology, Prof. Van Cutsem is the organisation’s guiding voice on all medically relevant matters.

Following his retirement in 2023, he is professor emeritus and with formal duties in the Department of Digestive Oncology at University of Leuven (KUL) and University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium. His research focuses on the development of new treatment strategies for GI cancers, including drug development, and identification of molecular markers and diagnostic tools.

He co-founded ESMO GI, and is Chair of the meeting in Munich, Germany this year. He serves/served on the board or key committee of numerous influential organisations and task forces.

Carolyn Ingram

Carolyn Ingram is a public health researcher and current PhD candidate at University College Dublin SPHPSS.

Her doctoral research explores access to healthcare amongst individuals experiencing homelessness in Dublin. In addition to her work at UCD, she has been part of the Authoring and Training Group in the HTA4Patients Project at EUPATI.

Finn McCartney

Finn McCartney is the HTA4Patients Project Coordinator at EUPATI, a non-profit that provides educational and trainings to patients, patient organisations and other stakeholders in the healthcare space.

The focus of his project has been the creation of a new e-Learning course and training sessions on the EU HTA regulation to prepare and build capacity in the patient community on this process.

Dr. Mitchell Silva

Mitchell obtained a master degree in Bio-Engineering and a PhD at the University of Leuven, Belgium.

He is also founder of Health2.0 Chapter Belgium, an organisation promoting innovation in the digital health sector. Mitchell is a patient advocate for rare diseases.

Ph.D. Rūdolf Cešeiko

Ph.D. Rūdolf Cešeiko (Riga, Latvia) is an exercise physiologist and leading specialist at the Exercise Oncology Clinic.

With a particular interest in exercise oncology, his main work is to elucidate research results in aerobic endurance training and neuromuscular force-generating capacity in clinical care. The essential purpose of his research and clinical practice is to identify effective exercise programs for cancer patients and survivors to develop effective tools for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Tom Degenhardt

Dr. Tom Degenhardt, OAC Medical Director and General Practitioner, Munich, Germany

Tom he loves being outdoors. As a passionate climber, skier, hiker, paraglider he knows about the positive impact on his well-being during and after active time outdoors. Fresh air, good company and physical activity is his secret recipe for inner motivation and resilience.

As a Gynecologist and General Practitioner with a special interest in research and treatment of cancer he is always trying to help patients improve their quality of life and outcome. Sport is the best evidence-based and highly effective supportive therapy without any negative side effects therefore his goal is to motivate all patients to be active. OAC is a great opportunity for patients to meet, exchange and improve their health status and fitness level in a friendly but professional environment.

The combination of profession, personal interest, and high efficacy of physical activity is the basis for his commitment to OAC.

Petra Thaller

Petra Thaller OAC Founder & President

“We need to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to rebel for their own health.” -Petra

What does "Rebel to be Well" mean? Petra has been a rebel all her life. Her motto: “Rules are meant to be broken - for my well-being and that of others.” She has always brushed aside expectations about what women should or shouldn't do. Whenever unease crept in, she rebelled. Rebellion is a good thing: for independence, responsibility, education, and empowerment. We are in a time of rebellion and should capitalize on it.

With her background in Communication Sciences, Psychology, and Business (M.Sc.), she understands the importance of health literacy, as it empowers us to make informed decisions and proactively promote our well-being.
"Rebel to be Well" is a call to action. It means questioning conventions and boldly advocating for our health.