Meet the experts

Valentina Guarneri, MD, PhD, is Full Professor of Oncology at the University of Padua, Head of the Division of Oncology 2 at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto, and head of the Specialization School in medical Oncology at the University of Padova. She completed her fellowship in Oncology in 2003, and she obtained her PhD Degree in Clinical and Experimental Oncology in 2007. In 2005 she was appointed Assistant Professor of Oncology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where she also chaired the Breast Unit. In 2005, she also completed a 6-month-research experience at the Department of Breast Medical Oncology, UT. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, where in 2009 she was Visiting Assistant Professor. In 2014 she was appointed Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Padua.  Prof Guarneri’s research interest is mainly focused on clinical and translational research for breast cancer patients. She has published more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Aditya Bardia, a board-certified medical oncologist, is an Attending Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston. As the Director of Breast Cancer Research Program at MGH, Dr. Bardia is interested in advancing research to improve the outcomes with breast cancer. Dr. Bardia has led the clinical development of antibody drug conjugate (ADC), sacituzumab govitecan, the first ADC approved for patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Dr. Bardia has received several research awards including outstanding award for research excellence at Mayo Clinic, Young Investigator Award from ASCO, and Douglas Family Foundation prize for excellence in oncology research at MGH. Dr. Bardia is the editor of precision medicine clinic section of The Oncologist, co-leader of the Molecular and Precision (MAP) tumor board at MGH, and editorial board member of ASCO molecular oncology tumor board.

Having had stage IV inflammatory breast cancer for over 11 years from May 2011 to present time, I have a wealth of experience with the breast care medical profession and can contribute my experiences and opinions from a patient’s perspective.

Santiago Escrivá de Romaní is a Medical Oncologist who belongs to the Breast Cancer Unit in Vall d’Hebron Institut of Oncology (VHIO) and Hospital Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. He is an attending physician and clinical investigator with a main focus and interest in HER2-positive breast cancer and in the development of new treatments and therapeutic strategies.

Shaheenah Dawood is a Consultant medical oncologist and professor in clinical oncology in the United Arab Emirates. She trained in medical oncology at McGill University Hospitals in Canada and subspecialized in breast cancer management at MD Anderson Cancer Center. During her training she was awarded multiple scholar in training awards and ASCO merit awards. She has served as an editorial fellow at the New England Journal of medicine and has an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. She has over 100 papers to her credit including 50 peer review original articles, 30 review articles and 12 book chapters. She serves as a reviewer for multiple journals. She currently leads the oncology clinical trials program at Mediclinic City Hospital Dubai. She also serves as president of the Excellence in oncology summit that is held annually in Dubai and is co president of the Asia pacific breast cancer summit (ABCS) and Asia pacific gastrointestinal cancer summit (APGCS). She has also recently launched the international BRCA forum and young womens forum.

Rena D. Callahan, MD, is Associate Clinical Professor of Health Sciences in the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Los Angeles, California (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Yale University, and her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, before completing an internship and residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at UCLA. Dr. Callahan is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hematology. Dr. Callahan is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the American College of Physicians. She has served as principal or sub-investigator for numerous clinical research trials exploring topics related to breast cancer. Dr. Callahan is a frequent lecturer on a variety of breast cancer topics and is focused on providing patient centered clinical care in the context of a large clinical practice.

Frédérique PENAULT-LLORCA, MD, PhD, graduated as a medical specialist in pathology in 1993 and in oncology in 1995. Also, in 1995, she received a PhD from the Université d’Aix-Marseille II in cellular biology and microbiology, on the topic of HER2. Frédérique PENAULT-LLORCA is currently professor of pathology at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, CEO of the Comprehensive Regional Cancer Institute Centre Jean PERRIN, Clermont-Ferrand, France, deputy director of the research team INSERM 1240 IMoST, and head of the Molecular Biology Plateform at Centre Jean Perrin. She serves as vice-president of the UNICANCER group and chairs of the Immuno-Oncology group at UNICANCER R&D. She is a member of several pathology and oncology societies, with her main areas of expertise being female cancers. She co-chairs the French breast cancer guidelines of Nice-St Paul. Frédérique PENAULT-LLORCA has conducted various biomarkers-based research studies in breast, lung, digestive tract, prostate and thyroid cancer in relation to response to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Frédérique PENAULT-LLORCA has participated to more than 469 peer-reviewed publications and several books on female cancers and pathologic testing methods and issues.

Francois-Clement Bidard, MD PhD, is a Professor of Medical Oncology in Paris and Saint-Cloud, France. His clinical work is dedicated to breast cancer care, whereas his translational and clinical research focuses on all forms of liquid biopsy and new therapies to move ahead of cancer resistance.