Speakers
Dr. László Agócs
National Institute of Oncology, Department of General and Thoracic Surgery
Dr. László Agócs is a highly experienced thoracic surgeon based in Hungary. He graduated from Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, in 1981. He holds qualifications in General Surgery (1985) and General Thoracic Surgery (1989). In 2001, he became a Fellow of the European Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (EBCTS). His early career included roles as assistant doctor and assistant professor at Semmelweis Medical University. He worked at the Korányi National Institute for Pulmonology from 1987 to 2012, advancing to first assistant professor. Since 2012, he has been with the National Institute of Oncology, Department of General and Thoracic Surgery. He has also been affiliated with the Thoracic Surgery Clinic at Semmelweis University since 2014. Dr. Agócs served as National Head of Quality Control in Thoracic Surgery (2014–2016). He has international training experience in Japan, Austria, the USA, and the UK. He completed advanced courses in minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery. He is a member of several national and international surgical societies, including ESTS. Dr. Agócs is fluent in English. He performs approximately 100 thoracic surgeries per year, including complex procedures. He is a trainer for international VATS lobectomy courses and is skilled in robotic (Da Vinci) surgery.
Aniko Bohács MD, Ph.D.
Department of Pulmonology at the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Aniko Bohács MD., Ph.D. is an associate professzor of Department of Pulmonology an the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. She is a specialis in pulmonology and clinical immunology and allergology. She holds a Ph.D. in Doctoral College of Semmelweis Univesity at 2012, her topic was bronchial asthma and pregnancy. Member of the management of the bronchology, the allergology and interstitial lung disease (ILD) sections of the Hungarian Respiratory Society and the Hungarian Transplantation Society. She leads the care of lung transplanted pacient and she is specialist in invasive bronchological examinations of transplant patients. Her area of interest is the co-occurrence of lung cancer among the transplanted recipients and ILD patients. With her Ph.D. student, they are investigating the correlations and potential biomarkers between radiomorphology and respiratory function values of lymphangioleiomyomatosis patients. She is the author and co-author of several publications in impact journals. Her publication details can be viewed on the web: https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?type=authors&mode=browse&sel=10024104&view=pubTable.
Krisztina Bogos MD PhD
Director General
National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
Krisztina Bogos MD is the Director General of National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology. She has been working at the institute since 1992. Since 2012 as Head of Pulmonology Department, then Medical Director, and subsequently took over the management of the institute in July 2020 as acting Director General.
She obtained her medical degree in 1992 at the Medical University of Pécs, and then passed the specialist examination in pulmonary medicine, general internal medicine, clinical oncology and European adult pulmonary medicine within the framework of the HERMES program. She obtained a PhD degree in 2009, followed by an MSc degree in healthcare management in 2016 at Semmelweis University, and a Habilitation in 2023 at the University of Pécs. Between 2013 and 2021, she was regional supervisor specialist in pulmonology.
She is the president of the Pulmonology Section of the Professional College, a member of the management and board of the Hungarian Society of Pulmonology, a member of the board of the Oncopulmonology Section since 2000, then its president from 2014-2022. She is also a member of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the Hungarian Oncology Society and the IASLC.
In 2020, she was awarded a certificate of recognition from minister of the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources, in 2021 she was awarded the Széchenyi Society award, and in 2022 she was recognised by the award of the Hungarian Order of Merit by the Civilian Division of the Order of Merit.
She is an organiser and speaker of several national scientific conferences.
Csaba Böcskei MD. PhD.
Head physician in Calvinistic Pulmonology Center, Törökbálint, Hungary
He is a specialist in pulmonology, bronchology, clinical oncology and internal medicine. He has gained international experience in Manchester, Liverpool and Warsow. He previously was the head of the Department of Pulmonology and Oncopulmonology in the Szent Borbála Hospital, Tatabánya for 18 years. Asthma, gastrooesophageal reflux and the investigation and treatment options of lung cancers are his main research areas. Investigator in international clinical trials.
Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko
Department of Genetics and Clinical Immunology,
National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Poland
Professor Chorostowska-Wynimko, is the current President of the European Respiratory Society, Professor of Medicine, Head of the Department of Genetics and Clinical Immunology at National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NITLD) in Warsaw, Poland, and a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at NITLD. Professor Chorostowska-Wynimko received training as a post-doctoral researcher at Department of Physiology and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Ohio (2001–2002), and at the Medical University of Toledo (2009). She has received Board certification in Laboratory Immunodiagnostics (2011), Respiratory Medicine (2001), and Internal Medicine (1997).Professor Chorostowska-Wynimko is widely published with over 285 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and is a principal investigator and coordinator on many clinical studies and scientific programs. Professor Chorostowska-Wynimko’s clinical/scientific interest is mostly devoted to lung cancer as well as COPD and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. She is a scientific co-coordinator of the EU4Health project „Strenghtening the screening of Lung Cancer in Europe” (SOLACE), the lead for lung cancer domain in the EU JANE2 Shaping the EU Networks of Expertise on cancer (101183265 JANE-2 EU4H-2023-JA-3-IBA) consortium, site lead for the SPARC -Support of Personalized medicine Approaches in Cancer (101232874) and CraNE2- Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (101183407), as well as participates as an expert in the EU DIGItal Infrastructure for ONcology in Europe (101115081 DigiONE I3 I3-2021-INV1), and EUCanScreen - Implementation of cancer screening programmes (101162959). She is part of the Medical Steering Committee of the European Reference Network-LUNG, member of the Scientific Committee of the European AATD Research Collaboration (EARCO), coordinator of the National Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Registry, as well as the head of the Polish Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Diagnostic Centre.
Milena Cavic, Ph.D.
Principal Research Fellow
Research Management Team, Lead
Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (IORS) Pasterova 14, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milena Cavic holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Belgrade, Serbia and is currently employed at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia as a Principal Research Fellow. Her current research focus involves investigating molecular mechanisms of response and resistance to anticancer therapies using liquid biopsy, as well as the advancement and implementation of cancer early detection and screening programs. Dr Cavic serves as the Interim Deputy Chair of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)’s Screening & Early Detection Committee and a member of the Basic and Translational Science Committee. Since 2021. Dr Cavic has served as the President of the EACR-affiliated Serbian Association for Cancer Research. She is a coordinator and principal investigator in Horizon Europe and other international projects. In 2024, Dr Cavic participated in the establishment of the first national Master of Science Bioinformatics program at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is passionately involved in the education of young scientists as a lecturer and mentor at the University of Belgrade, Serbia and University of Barcelona, Spain. Her efforts are also directed towards implementation of strategies for dealing with inequity in cancer research and healthcare.
Edit Csada, MD
After degree of Szent-Györgyi Albert University of Medicine she specialized in pulmonology, later clinical oncology. Current position: head physician at the University of Szeged, Department of Pulmonology. Her main area of interest is bronchology and treatment of lung cancer. She has decades of experience in graduate and postgraduate medical education, including both theoretical and hands-on clinical training. Dr. Csada participtated in numerous clinical trials as principal investigator and sub-investigator, too. She is involved long-standing in national and international professional organizations in the fields of pulmonology and pulmonological oncology.
Csikós, MD, PhD, med. habil
director, associate professor, palliative care physician
University of Pécs Medical School, Institute of Primary Health Care
Dr. Csikós graduated from Pecs University Medical School and specialized in Family Medicine and Palliative Care. Trained and worked internationally. Spent more time in the US, England and Spain. Presently lives and works in Hungary. Director of Institute of Primary Health Care at University of Pecs Medical School. Established the first Department of Palliative Care in the country. Associate professor at the University of Pecs Medical School, teaching medical, nursing and pharmacy students, residents, CME participants and Ph.D. students. Agnes initiated the establishment Pecs-Baranya Hospice Program in 2004 providing home hospice care regionally. She provides direct patient care in various clinical settings and gives palliative care consults to other specialists. Leads national and participates in international research programs. Teaches symptom management and pain control, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of care, and puts emphasis on education of the "multidisciplinary team" approach. She is committed to introduce palliative care education as an obligatory part of the medical and nursing training programs. Pioneers to introduce new forms of palliative care services in Hungary. Runs the first Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic at the Department of Oncology. Established inpatient consult service and inpatient active palliative beds with a multidisciplinary team at Pecs. President of the National Hospice-Palliative Advisory Board of the Ministry of Health, board member of the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Care Association and the Hungarian Pain Society. Initiated the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day and Fields of Hope Programs at Pecs. She is the member of the editorial board of the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Speaks at national and international conferences. Agnes is passionate about developing and improving palliative care locally and globally through clinical care, education and research.
Gabriella Galffy MD. Ph.D
She graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine of Semmelweis University of Medicine in 1994.
She obtained board certifications in the following specialties:Pulmonology – 1999,Allergology and Clinical Immunology ,2002, Clinical Oncology – 2004.In 2002, she earned a PhD degree.
Following graduation, she worked at the Department of Pulmonology at Semmelweis University, where she served as an Associate Professor and Chief until March 2018.
From April 2018, she was the Director of Education and Research of the Törökbálint Pulmonary Institute and the Head of the Oncology Department until 2020. From March 2020, she was the Director General of the Törökbálint Pulmonary Institute, and then, after the change of management, from March 1, 2024, she was the Director General of the Reformed Pulmonology Center.
Her clinical research focuses on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and survival of lung cancer. Over the past six years, she has co-authored numerous international publications that provide an accurate picture of the incidence, patient pathways, survival rates, age- and gender-specific, and regional outcomes of Hungarian lung cancer patients between 2011 and 2022, based on data from the National Health Insurance Fund (NEAK). He was the first to publish findings on early-stage lung cancer in Hungary.
Beyond lung cancer research, she is also involved in studies on asthma bronchiale, particularly severe asthma, and COPD. Since 2005, she has participated in international clinical trials and has served as a principal investigator since 2018.
She regularly publishes in domestic and international journals and is the author of several book chapters. She gives undergraduate lectures in English and Hungarian at several universities, and is a regular speaker at professional postgraduate and university training courses, congresses and other events. Education and the training of young professionals are of paramount importance to her. She is one of the supervisors of the PhD program at Semmelweis University.
Member of the board of the Hungarian Pulmonary Society and also the Hungarian Bronchologist Association, like the Allergology and Respiratory Pathology Section. President of the Oncopulmonology Section of the Hungarian Pulmonary Society. Member of several professional societies (Hungarian Oncology Society, Hungarian Clinical Oncology Society, Hungarian Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society). In addition, she is a member of several international societies, such as ERS, ESMO, IASLC.
In 2024, the Hungarian Pulmonology Society awarded her the Frigyes Korányi Memorial Medal for her clinical, research and educational work in the profession.
Áron Kristóf Ghimessy, M.D., Ph.D., MBA
FEBTS, is the Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the National Institute of Oncology in Budapest, Hungary.
He earned his medical degree from Semmelweis University, Budapest, in 2014. In 2020, he received his Ph.D. in medical sciences from the same institution. He became a Hungarian board-certified thoracic surgeon in 2020. Dr. Ghimessy was awarded an MBA in Healthcare Management in 2023.
In the same year, he was elected Fellow of the European Board of Thoracic Surgeons. He also completed the Clinical Science Scholar Program at Harvard Medical University in 2024. His clinical focus includes thoracic oncology, minimally invasive (VATS and RATS) and open thoracic procedures, mediastinal surgery, and lung transplantation. Since 2023, he has been performing robotic thoracic surgeries and leads the Robotic Surgery Program at his department.
Dr. Ghimessy is actively engaged in surgical education and serves as an instructor and organizer of postgraduate RATS and VATS courses. He has authored and co-authored multiple publications in international and Hungarian journals on lung transplantation, thoracic surgical techniques, and oncological outcomes. He is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences.
His research interests include minimally invasive and robotic techniques, post-transplant outcomes, and the integration of innovation in thoracic surgical care. Dr. Ghimessy has received several national awards for his clinical and scientific presentations. These include the Ulmann Imre Prize (2014) and the Best Young Presenter Award from the Hungarian Transplantation Society (2017).
Gabor Grmela M.D.
Senior Pulmonologist at Fejér County St. George Teaching Hospital, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Chairman of the Hungarian Association for Bronchology
Gabor Grmela is a specialist in anaesthesiology and intensive therapy, pulmonology and clinical oncology.
He started his professional career at National Korányi Institute as anaesthesiologist , and worked for 11 years.
Currently he is a senior pulmonologist at Fejér County St. George Teaching Hospital since 2003.
His main areas of interest are: diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy, management of malignant and non-malignant central airway obstruction, interventional pulmonolgy, and chest procedures.
Maximilian J. Hochmair
Karl Landsteiner Institute of Lung Research and Pulmonary Oncology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Klinik Floridsdorf, Vienna, Austria
Dr. Hochmair is leading the Respiratory Oncology Unit in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Klinik Floridsdorf, Karl Landsteiner Institute of Lung Research and Pulmonary Oncology, Vienna, Austria. Together with his team, he is treating and consulting around 700-800 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients per year.
Dr. Hochmair is a specialist in respiratory medicine and an experienced investigator in various clinical trials in lung cancer. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 published articles, book chapters, and reviews in journals involving cancer prevention and therapeutics with chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted agents. (h-index 42, 20,843 citations, research items 362 7th of March 2025). Dr. Hochmair has contributed with numerous publications and abstracts to domestic and international congresses and is a speaker at multiple domestic and international oncology conferences.
M. Huber, M.D. Ph.D.
Division of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Oncology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich (LMU), Thoracic Oncology Centre Munich
IASLC committee of Early Detection and Screening of Lung Cancer
Rudolf M. Huber, Professor of Medicine at the Medical School of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich, is past-head of the Division of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Oncology at the LMU Hospitals in Munich, Campus Innenstadt, Germany. He is specialist in Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Allergology and Environmental Medicine. His clinical and scientific work is focused on Thoracic Oncology. He initiated and chaired the Thoracic Oncology Centre Munich, a cooperation between a large Chest hospital (Asklepios Fachkliniken München-Gauting) and the hospitals of the University of Munich and a certified lung cancer centre by the German Cancer Society. He is further-on cofounder and member of the comprehensive Pneumology Centre of Munich (CPC-M) and the German Centre for Lung Research (DZL) where he was co-chairing the area of Thoracic Oncology.
Since 2021 Prof. Rudolf Huber is chairing the Ethics Committee of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. He further chairs the Section of Thoracic Oncology of the Cancer Centre of Munich.
He has more than 450 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He presented continuously at relevant international conferences like ERS, ATS, Chest, ASCO, ESMO, WCLC. Prof. Huber is active in several national and international societies. He is active member/initiator of international task forces of ERS, ESTS and IASLC, was the first head of the Thoracic Oncology Assembly of ERS and chairs currently the IASLC committee on Early detection and screening of lung cancer.
Professor Marko Jakopović, MD, PhD
Professor Marko Jakopović, MD, PhD graduated at Zagreb Medical School in 2001 with honors. He finished residency in internal medicine, and then fellowships in respiratory medicine and medical oncology at University Hospital Centre Zagreb. He had done PhD at University of Zagreb, School of Medicine and defend the thesis at 2007. Professor Jakopović have done part of his training at National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA, University of Toronto, AKH Vienna.
Since 2007 is a member of faculty at Zagreb Medical School, and currently holding position of full professor of internal and respiratory medicine. Professor Jakopović is deputy director of PhD studies at Zagreb Medical School.
Since 2017 is a head of Unit for Thoracic Oncology at Department for Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Centre, as well as head of Referral center of Ministry of Health for diagnosis, treatment and follow – up of patients with thoracic malignancies.
He has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and many book chapters in the field of thoracic oncology and respiratory medicine with current number of citations of 4752 and H-index of 27 (2025). He has been invited as a speaker in many international and domestic congresses and conferences in the field od thoracic oncology.
Professor Marko Jakopović is a member of IASLC, ASCO, ESMO, CECOG, ERS, ATS, Croatian Thoracic Society, Croatian Society for Medical Oncology, Croatian Oncology Society. At the moment he is holding position of General secretary of Croatian Thoracic Society.
Main fields of interests are non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma and thymoma, both at clinical level, and especially and translational level.
Dr. Anna Kerpel-Fronius
Deputy Director General at the National Korányi Institute for Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
Dr. Anna Kerpel-Fronius holds a Ph.D. from Semmelweis University, Hungary, and is currently serving as Deputy Director General at the National Korányi Institute for Pulmonology and is Head of the Radiology Department. Her professional work focuses on radiological diagnostics, with particular expertise in thoracic imaging and low-dose CT lung cancer screening programs. She serves as the Scientific Coordinator of the SOLACE project.
Dr. Kerpel-Fronius has held leadership positions in numerous professional societies, including serving as the current President of the Hungarian Society of Radiology (MRT), and is founder and chair of the MRT Thoracic Radiology Section (2022). She is also an active member of European and international organizations, including the European Society of Radiology, European Society of Thoracic Imaging, European Respiratory Society, and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC Early Detection and Screening Committee, since 2019).
As co-chair and interpreter for the annual French-Hungarian Radiology Symposium she has been working in international radiology since her residency. She has also coordinated national initiatives such as the HUNCHEST low-dose CT lung cancer screening programs in Hungary. She contributes widely to the scientific community through publications, conference abstracts, and invited talks at national and international radiology and oncology meetings.
She is passionately committed to education and mentorship, teaching and supervising students and young professionals.
Eva Kovacova MD
Radiology Department, Hradec Králové University Hospital, Czech Republic
MUDr. Eva Kočová, Ph.D. was born in Bruntál on November 1, 1978. After graduating from high school, she was accepted to the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Hradec Králové. She successfully graduated in 2004. As part of her student study stay, she spent three months at the Gastroenterology Department of the Mayo Clinic Minnesota. After her studies, she joined the Radiology Department of Chrudim Hospital. She obtained her specialized qualification in radiology in 2011. In May 2012, she joined the Radiology Department of the Hradec Králové University Hospital, where she primarily focuses on pulmonary and emergency radiology. A year later, she began her doctoral studies in radiology, which she completed in 2016. Since 2019, she has held the certificate of the European Society of Thoracic Radiology - ESTI Diploma. Her main professional focus is interstitial lung processes. She participates in a number of radiological and pulmonary congresses, where she often lectures as an invited speaker. She is the author and co-author of several publications in impact journals. She is the first author of two editions of the book HRCT in Interstitial Lung Processes in Instructive Case Reports published by Maxdorf Publishing House and the book HRCT in Interstitial Lung Diseases, published in 2019 by Springer Publishing House in 2020.
Prof. Árpád Kovács, MD, PhD
Department of Oncoradiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Hungary
Dr. Árpád Kovács is a board-certified radiation oncologist and head of research and academic affairs at the University of Debrecen’s Department of Oncoradiology. His clinical and academic expertise spans intarcranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT), extracranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) image-guided brachytherapy, advanced VMAT techniques in Lung cancer therapy, AI based planning solutions and software developments, and theranostics in neuro-oncology and head and neck cancers. Dr. Kovács is actively engaged in national and European research collaborations, with a focus on artificial intelligence in radiotherapy planning, dosimetric optimization, and implementation of clinical protocols. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed publications and serves as evaluator in several EU-funded initiatives. His work is committed to integrating precision radiotherapy approaches into evidence-based clinical practice.
Dr. Zsolt Megyesfalvi (MD, Ph.D.)
National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Dr. Megyesfalvi (MD, Ph.D.) is a physician-scientist at the Semmelweis University (Hungary), a pathologist at the National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology (Hungary) and a medical researcher at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria). His research focuses on the translational aspects of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), including the identification of novel subtype-specific biomarkers. Among others, he was heavily involved in recent years in elucidating the expression pattern and clinical relevance of SCLC subtype-defining proteins at the tissue level, in mapping the proteomic fingerprints of molecular subtypes and, moreover, in demonstrating that certain drug combinations represent promising therapeutic approaches in SCLC with characteristic molecular features. Dr. Megyesfalvi currently serves as co-head of Europe’s most extensive rapid research autopsy program dedicated to SCLC, with the objective of elucidating inter-lesion heterogeneity and identifying novel therapeutic targets.
Dr. Megyesfalvi has been awarded multiple times for his excellence in research, including the prestigious International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Young Investigator Award (2023), and the Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is the co-founder and vice chair of the International Association of Small Cell Lung Cancer Young Investigators. Dr. Megyesfalvi is an official member of the IASLC Staging and Prognostic Factors Group (SPFG) for the 10th edition of the IASLC Staging Project. He is actively involved in the training of future clinical researchers and biomedical scientists, serving as the official PhD supervisor of nine doctoral students at Semmelweis University. In addition, he regularly delivers lectures within the Doctoral School of Semmelweis University in the fields of respiratory sciences and medical oncology. He has published over 68 peer-reviewed articles, with a cumulative impact factor of 908.12, in journals including CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Nature Cancer, Journal of Pathology, Cancer Cell, and many others.
Judit Moldvay MD, DSc
Head of the Ist Department of Pulmonology in the National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology in Budapest
Head of the Department of Pulmonology at the University of Szeged.
Judit Moldvay, MD, DSc is the head of the Ist Department of Pulmonology in the National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology in Budapest, and the head of the Department of Pulmonology at the University of Szeged. She is a specialist in pathology, pulmonology, and clinical oncology, and obtained a European Diploma in Pulmonary Medicine, and a Diploma in Healthcare Professional Management. She previously worked at the Semmelweis University for 14 years, where she is currently a private professor. In 2021, she obtained a DSc degree after defending her theses on „Examination of differential-diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tissue biomarkers in lung cancer”. Her main research areas are: clinicopathological characteristics of lung cancer with brain metastasis, predictive factors of molecular targeted treatment and immunotherapy of lung cancer. In 2023, she received the Academic Award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for her achievements in translational lung cancer research. Her first and last author publications were published, among others, in the Blood, Clinical Cancer Research, Lung Cancer, and Journal of Thoracic Oncology, and she is co-author of scientific papers published in internationally recognized journals such as Science Translational Medicine, Nature Cancer, and Nature Neuroscience.
Professor Veronika Müller, MD, PhD, DSc
Senior pulmonologist, medical oncologist and infectious disease specialist
Vice-Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Director, Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University Department of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
Leading the biggest academic lung department in Budapest Hungary high quality patient care, teaching and research are the main pillars of our vision. With a primary focus on special respiratory diseases including interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, infections of the lungs, special airway and vascular diseases and post-transplant care I am deeply committed to advance patient care by exploring innovative treatment approaches and contribute to patient centered medical research. With 247 published research works and 3,521 citations, my academic contributions reflect decades of dedication to advancing respiratory medicine in Hungary.
As head of the department, I am leading the biggest ILD center in Hungary, we are involved and partner EMPIRE registry and are a full member of ERN-lung. I am the chair of the ILD section of the Hungarian Respiratory Society and actively engage into higher education accreditation. Our team was very actively engaged in various COVID-related activities, providing expert consultations to healthcare professionals and contributing to public health initiatives. 2021 I received the Pro Universitate award for outstanding achievements in the fight against the pandemic. I serve as principal investigator for several clinical trials in lung cancer, interstitial and other special lung diseases.
My expertise in complex pulmonary infections and oncology-related respiratory complications provides critical insights for multidisciplinary cancer care. As Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, I am committed to mentoring the next generation and fostering excellence in respiratory research and clinical practice.
Gyula Ostoros med. habil. PhD
National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
He is the head of the Multidisciplinary Oncoteam in National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology in Budapest, Hungary. From the year of 1982 he became a specialist for pulmonology, from 1992 for clinical oncology. He got PhD degree in Medical University of Budapest, in 2007, and in 2014 he got
Habilitation in University of Debrecen. He was the president of the 6-th and the 12-th Central European Lung Cancer Conference. Member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (former Regent of the Central European Region). Member of Scientific Committee of World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna (Invited speaker). Vice President of CELCA. He has got several international publications. He’s special interest in oncopulmonology the complex anticancer treatment of lung cancer.
Dr. Luis Paz-Ares
Chair of the Medical Oncology Department at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Associate Professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Head of the Lung Cancer Unit at the CNIO (Spanish National Cancer Research Center).
Dr. Paz-Ares (MD, Ph.D.) is currently Chair of the Medical Oncology Department at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Associate
Professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Head of the Lung Cancer Unit at National Oncology Research Center, all in Madrid. Since 2025 he is a member of Real Academia de Farmacia de Galicia
He graduated with a degree in Medicine from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, in 1986, and was trained as a resident in Medical Oncology at Hospital 12 de Octubre (1988-1993). In 1993, he completed a Ph.D. in Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He was a postdoctoral ESMO Research Fellow in Medical Oncology at the Beatson Oncology Centre, University of Glasgow, (1993– 1995), and completed a Master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow in 1995.
Before the current position he was Chair of the Medical Oncology Department at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville (2007-2014), Head of the Pharmacology Unit (1995–1999) and responsible for Early Clinical Studies of Thoracic and Genitourinary Tumours at the University Hospital "12 de Octubre" in Madrid ( 2000–2007), and Visiting Research Fellow in the Prostate Cancer Programme at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, USA (1999–2000).
Luis Paz-Ares’s research focuses on lung cancer and new therapeutic strategies development, both at the lab and clinical sides, and has published more than 340 articles in peer review journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology and many others. He has served as a member of several committees, includingASCO and ESMO meeting Scientific Committees, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Protocol Review Committee and Audit Committee, the SpanishAgency of Medicines and Medical Devices and the European Medicines Agency. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the AECC where he also seats at the Board.
Zsolt Pápai-Székely, MD
Szent György University Teaching Hospital of Fejér County, Department of Pulmonology, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Dr. Pápai-Székely is Head of the Department of Pulmonology at Szent György University Teaching Hospital of Fejér County at Székesfehérvár, Hungary. He is specialist in pulmonology, and clinical oncology. His main area of interest is Interventional Pulmonology, diagnosis and treatment of thoracic malignancies. Former Chair of Hungarian Association for Bronchology, and the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology. Currently serve as Chair of Hungrian Respiratory Society. Teaching at graduate and postgraduate level in the field of Interventional Pulmonology in Hungary, and many other countries.
Prof. MUDr. Luboš Petruželka, CSc.
Department of Oncology
First Faculty of Medicine Charles University in Prague and General University and Military Hospital in Prague
Prof. Luboš Petruželka specialized in Clinical Oncology currently focused on immunotherapy of solid cancer esp. lung and colorectal cancer. He is currently the Head of Department of Oncology of the First Faculty of Medicine Charles University at Military University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. During his rich career, he worked in many renovned institutions abroad (M.D. Anderson, Institute Jules Bordet, Brussels; Memorial Sloan Kettering Center). Professor Petruzelka is a member of many scientific councils and boards, he was a national representative for ESMO. He is one of the founders and organizers of the Central European Lung Cancer Conferences CELCC and also a president of the this congress in Prague several times. He is 1st Vice-President of Central European Lung Cancer Association (CELCA) and member of scientific and educational board Central European Cooperative Oncology Group CECOG. He is also a member of ASCO, ESMO, IASLC and AACR.
Robert Pirker, MD
President of the Central European Lung Cancer Association
Private Practice Internal Medicine (Hemato-Oncology), 1080 Vienna, Austria
Robert Pirker has been working as lung cancer expert at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna for many decades. Since his retirement from the General Hospital of Vienna in October 2018, he has been working in private practice in Vienna. He has published more than 220 articles with 29897 citations and an h-index of 68 (Google Scholar, 12 June 2025). He has served as a member of the IASLC Board of Directors, Conference President of the IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer and Honorary Chair of the IASLC 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer. He was Congress President of several Central European Lung Cancer Conferences and is the current President of the Central European Lung Cancer Association.
Lőrinc S. Pongor, Ph.D.
MTA–HCEMM Lendület "Momentum" Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Research Group
Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM)
6728 Szeged, Budapesti út 9
Lőrinc Pongor obtained a PhD in Theoretical Medicine from Semmelweis University (2018), where his research focused on identifying transcriptional signatures associated with prognosis in breast cancer and non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). He continued his training as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), turning his attention to the genomic drivers of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). He currently leads the Cancer Genomics and Epigenetics Research Group at HCEMM, where his team investigates epigenetic regulators that drive the aggressiveness of lung neuroendocrine neoplasms, particularly SCLC. The group employs cutting-edge bioinformatics and experimental approaches to uncover mechanisms of tumor progression. A key objective of the research program is the clinical translation of these findings, with a strong emphasis on profiling biomarkers detectable in liquid biopsy samples. To advance these aims, Dr. Pongor collaborates closely with multidisciplinary clinical and research teams, integrating genomics, epigenetics, and translational oncology to support improved early detection and therapeutic strategies in lung cancer.
Helmut Prosch, MD
Associate Professor of Radiology and the section chief of thoracic imaging at the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria
He obtained his medical degree in 2000 from the University of Vienna and trained in Radiology at the Otto Wagner Hospital in Vienna. Previously, he worked as a research fellow at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna.
Dr. Prosch’s research primarily focuses on the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, as well as the application of deep learning in diagnosing diffuse parenchymal lung diseases. He has authored more than 250 articles, reviews, and book chapters, and serves as the deputy editor of European Radiology. Additionally, he is the current president of the European Society of Thoracic Imaging (ESTI) and board member of the IASLC
Prof. Dr. Ferenc Rényi-Vámos
Karin Schelch
Karin Schelch is an experienced cancer biologist with a strong background in translational lung cancer and mesothelioma research. She studied molecular biology and toxicology and holds a PhD in molecular oncology from the Medical University of Vienna (MUV). In 2015, she joined the team of Prof. Nico van Zandwijk and Dr. Glen Reid at the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, as a postdoctoral research fellow. In 2018, K. Schelch was awarded a prestigious Hertha-Firnberg fellowship for postdocs from the Austrian Science Fund and moved back to Vienna. In May 2021, she became the lab head of the Translational Thoracic Oncology Lab at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the MUV, focusing on small cell lung cancer. Dr. Schelch has been awarded several prizes for her excellent research including an IASLC Early Career Education Award 2021 at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer.
Prof. Nevena Secen, MD PhD,
Full Professor Internal Medicine,University of Novi Sad, School of medicine, Serbia.
Pneumologist – oncologist, in Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica, Novi Sad, Serbia, 1983 - 2023.
Head of Department for diagnostics and treatment of lung cancer, 2000 - 2023.
Vice Director for Education and Research from 2001- 2016.
The President of the Ethycal Committee, 2015 – 2022.
Vice Dean for Foreign Communications and Foreign Students,University of Novi Sad, School of Medicine
2001 -2009.
Curently Nevena Sečen is Medical Director of General Hospital AcibademBelmedic in Belgrade, 2024 -
The Minister of education, Goverment of Republic France, 2010, nominated Nevena Secen as Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes academiques for international University collaboration in the field of medicine among France and Serbia.
She was educated in Novi Sad and advanced education had done in London (UCH and Brompton hospital – Prof.Stephan Spiro), Essen-West Deutsch Tumor Zentrum – DAAD fellowship, University hospital of Strasbourg, Prof Dr Elisabet Quoix – Egide Scholarship.
Nevena Secen is a member of Royal Medical Board HRH CP Katherine Karadjordjevic, member of medical association - SLD, DLV, ERS, ESMO, IASLC, ASCO. She took part in many national and international Conferences and Congresses as lecturer, chairperson, active participant….
CELCC 2018. was organized in Novi Sad by CELCC organizing Committee and Nevena Sečen as local organizer.
Marioara Simon
MD, PhD, FCCP, pulmonologist, bronchologist and allergologist
Head of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology Department, University Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Romania
My area of interest includes all fields of Bronchology, but the main focus is the Interventional Pulmonology. I have a strong interest in the diagnosis and endoscopic treatment of lung cancer. I have been performing EBUS, cryobiopsy, electrosurgery, stenting, APC.
President of the Romanian Bronchology Section of the Romanian Pulmonology Society for 6 years (2009 - 2016).
WABIP master Instructor in Bronchology , member in Education Committee
Participant of EABIP, ERS and WABIP congresses with oral presentations and posters.
Organizer of three National Bronchology Conferences and WABIP Train the trainer program in Bronchoscopy Education Project and Workshops in bronchology : introduction in bronchology and advanced techniques in interventional bronchoscopy between 2008-2024 every year.
Author and co-author of pulmonology books and more than 150 scientific articles and oral presentations, the majority in the diagnostic bronchoscopy and IP field.
Zoltan Szallasi
Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Zoltan Szallasi, MD received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Medicine in Debrecen, Hungary. He is currently a senior scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. His group is interested in the computational analysis of cancer genomics with a special emphasis on synthetic lethality strategy driven therapeutic targeting of DNA repair deficiencies in solid tumors, such as ovarian and breast cancer. His group published the first component of an FDA approved diagnostic genomic scar signature of homologous recombination deficiency, which is widely used for the prioritization of ovarian cancer patients for PARP inhibitor therapy. His group has also developed diagnostic signatures for nucleotide excision repair deficiency, which is currently evaluated in the context of predicting platinum sensitivity in bladder cancer. Recently, Dr. Szallasi has started to apply artificial intelligence/deep learning-based approaches to analyze genomic data of high grade serous ovarian cancer cases in order to identify novel synthetic lethality-based therapies on cases that progress on PARP inhibitor therapy. He has been extending his AI/Deep learning work to develop methods to predict the clinical course of disease of lung cancer combining diverse data sources such as whole slide images, transcriptomics and other data types.
Zalán Szántó
associate professor
Department of Surgery at the University of Pécs, Hungary
Zalán Szántó is an associate professor at the Department of Surgery at the University of Pécs, Hungary. He specializes in general and thoracic surgery, with a focus on minimally invasive and robotic lung cancer- and general thoracic surgical interventions.
He earned his PhD Under the mentorship of Tamás F. Molnár in 2004 with the thesis titled "Long-Segmental Tracheal Replacement." Since 2012, he has been the head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Pécs, and he has held the title of associate professor since 2017. He has been a member of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database Committee since 2014, serving as the Director of Database and a Board member of the society from 2021 to 2025. Zalán Szántó is the National Supervisor for thoracic surgery in Hungary and is currently serving as the President of the Hungarian Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Barna Szima M.D.
Dr Szima is specialized in pulmonology and clinical oncology. He was trained in the National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology in Budapest and in the Pulmonary Institute Törökbálint. He is currently the Head of the Department of Pulmonology in the Markusovszky University Teaching Hospital in Szombathely Hungary. The Institute is a regional center for bronchology, oncotherapy, radiotherapy and chest surgery. His special field of interest is diagnostic and interventional pulmonology, he served as a co-Chair of the International Bronchoesophagological Society (IBES) and was a Regent of WABIP, and Chair of the National Association for Bronchology. He has a half-year experience working in Germany in Freital.
Dr. Szima was principal investigator in various international clinical trials in lung cancer.
His main current research areas are the environmental toxins - especially the glyphosate and its role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases and other pathological conditions. The alarming increase in most of the health issues can be traced back to a combination of gut dysbiosis, impaired sulfate transport, and suppression of the activity of the various members of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes. It is reasonable to suspect that glyphosate’s impact on gut bacteria may be contributing to these diseases and conditions.
Professor Miklós Szócska
Professor Miklós Szócska graduated at the Semmelweis University (SU) of Medicine in 1989. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1998), and a Ph.D. from the SU in the field of change management (2008).
After his graduation at the SU he and his colleagues initiated the creation of the Health Services Management Training Centre where he was serving in various leadership positions, at present as its director. Between 2019-2025 he was Dean of the Faculty of Health and Public Administration at Semmelweis University.
Between 2010-2014 Dr. Szócska served as the Minister of State for Health of the Hungarian Government.
In 2016 he was nominated by the Hungarian Government for the Director General position of the WHO.
Since 2021 he has been serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Foundation for Health Care and Medical Education at Semmelweis University.
Since 2022 he has also been Head of Data-Driven Health Division of National Laboratory for Health Security.
Since 2024 he is appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Prof. Dr. Lilla Tamási MD, Ph.D., DSc.
Deputy head, Semmelweis University Department of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary
Lilla Tamási MD, Ph.D., DSc. graduated as a medical doctor in 1997 at Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, and she has been working at Semmelweis University, Department of Pulmonology since then, both in inpatient and outpatient wards, currently as deputy head of the institution. She is a respiratory specialist, a specialist of clinical immunology and allergology, and a specialist of clinical oncology. She is the head of the Respiratory Oncology Unit and the Multidisciplinary Oncoteam Board, leads the Severe Asthma outpatient unit, and the Spirometry Laboratory. Together with all the co-workers of the institution, more than 500 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients are treated per year.
She got her Ph.D. degree in 2006; her main topic was asthma, similarly to her medical university habilitation in 2014. She was named professor in 2017 and Doctor of Sciences in 2018. The number of her all publications is 185, among others in journals involving cancer epidemiology and treatment as well (number of independent citations 2645).
She coordinated the development of the national guideline for the diagnosis, medical treatment and financing procedure of asthma in adults in 2014, 2018 and 2022. She participated in the development of national guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of COPD (2023), as well as for the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC (currently submitted).
Hanna Tihanyi MD
Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Institute of Oncology-Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Hanna Tihanyi graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary in 2018 and subsequently specialized in thoracic surgery. She is currently a thoracic surgeon at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of National Institute fo Oncology-Semmelweis University, where she serves as Head of Education and leads the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program. Her clinical focus lies in minimally invasive thoracic surgery and the management of thoracic trauma. Her research interests include the molecular heterogeneity of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and the use of preoperative three-dimensional planning in lung resection surgeries.
Jan von der Thüsen
Jan von der Thüsen is a histopathologist with subspecialist interest in thoracic and cardiovascular pathology. He received his medical training at the Universities of Cambridge (UK, Trinity College) and London (UK, Imperial College), and his specialist training at Leiden University Medical Centre (The Netherlands). He developed his subspecialist interest in pulmonary and mediastinal pathology during appointments as consultant histopathologist and university lecturer at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (London, UK).
He currently works as lead thoracic pathologist, associate professor, deputy head of department, and molecular diagnostics liaison at the department of Pathology and Clinical Bioinformatics of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). His research interests include the pathology of neoplastic and non-neoplastic thoracic diseases, including mediastinal tumours and mesothelioma, with a focus on personalising treatments through integrated and computational pathology. He has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers and is pathology sub-editor of Lung Cancer. He is the current pathology chair of the EORTC lung cancer group, lung subgroup chair of the EORTC Pathobiology Group, medical expert for the ESP lung EQA scheme, chair of the ESP thymic and mediastinal working group (TMWG), pathology committee member of the IASLC, and computational pathology lead for the European Thoracic Oncology Platform (ETOP), the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG), and IASLC. He is chairman of the Dutch Thoracic Pathology Working group (NWTP), president of the British Division of the International Academy of Pathology (BDIAP), co-organiser of the Dutch international thymoma panel, member of the Dutch mesothelioma panel, and board member of the Dutch Lung Cancer Audit (DLCA).
Attila Vaskó, MD, PhD
Attila Vaskó, MD, PhD was born on October 22, 1976, in Debrecen, Hungary. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Debrecen in 2001, after he started to work at the Department of Pulmonology of the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen. He obtained his specialization in pulmonology in 2007, followed by a specialization in anesthesiology and intensive care in 2011. He earned his PhD degree in 2021. In addition to patient care, he is involved in both graduate and postgraduate education, as well as in research activities. Within pulmonology, his main fields of interest are bronchoscopy and intensive care. He publishes in both Hungarian and English.
Prof. Bojan Zaric
Professor Bojan Zarić is a specialist in internal medicine and subspecialist in medical oncology. Dr Zarić holds master’s degree (MSc) in pulmonology and PhD degree in thoracic oncology. His interventional pulmonology training was obtained within European Respiratory Society Fellowship at the Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg and since then he serves as an ERS Fellow. Dr Zarić is the head of Department for diagnostics and treatment of lung cancer at the Clinic for Pulmonary Oncology of the Institute for Pulmonary diseases of Vojvodina and head of the Clinical Trials Unit. He is associate professor of internal medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad. In his career Dr Zarić authored and co-authored more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals, with over 1500 citations and H-index 25, he is invited speaker at major lung cancer congresses worldwide. He served as a principal investigator and co-investigator in numerous academic and sponsored clinical trials. Dr Zarić is member of scientific and organizing committees for national and international conferences and congresses in domains of thoracic oncology and interventional pulmonology. He is an active member of ESMO, ASCO, ERS, EABIP, WABIP and national pulmonary and oncology associations.
Milada Zemanova, PhD
Department of Oncology, 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic
Milada Zemanova graduated in Faculty of General Medicine, Charles University, Prague, at 1983 as medical doctor. She is married, she has two adult childern. She has postgraduate speciality in Internal Medicine (1986), Radiation Oncology (1995) and Clinical Oncology (1997).
Since 1983 till today she works in Department of Oncology, 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague.
Beginning 90´she started to co-operate on research projects in combined modality treatment (radiotherapy and systemic therapy), especially in the field of lung and esophageal cancers.
She is teaching students of the 1st Faculty of Medicine (clinical oncology) and has postgradual educational courses in medical oncology and pneumo-oncology.
She got PhD title on 2011 and Associat. Professor in Oncology on 2014.
She is (or was) investigator of several research grants, and principle investigator or co-investigator of many international multicentric clinical studies in th field of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, renal cell carcinoma and others.
She is member of Czech Society of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics and Czech Society of Medical Oncology of the Czech Medical Association J.E.Purkyně (CMA JEP), Czech Lung Cancer Cooperative group, ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology) and IASLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer).
She is author and co-author of more than 50 publications and oral presentations in various congresses and symposia