Speakers

(in alphabetical order)

Susana Aguilar, PhD.

Coordinator of Molecular Prescreening Program at Vall Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). Graduated in Biology in 1999, she obtained a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2004 at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. With experience in preclinical research (basic and translational), and with extensive knowledge in oncology, hematopoiesis and stem cells acquired during her postdoctoral studies at Cancer Research UK and University College London (London), and later at the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB) and at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Barcelona.

In 2016 she joined Vall Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) to coordinate the Molecular Prescreening Program.  With her expertise in Precision Medicine approaches and diagnostic development at VHIO, Dr. Aguilar coordinates the implementation of cancer patient selection strategies through the application of genomic and proteomic diagnostic tests to optimize the matching of targeted therapies. She also participates in the training of clinical investigators on new discoveries in cancer biomarkers.

Additionally, she organizes monthly Molecular Tumor Boards in which she discusses the results of somatic NGS and other biomarkers within the clinicopathological context of patients and provides updates on the latest results reported in the literature on the interpretation of alterations and their actionability for targeted therapies. Over the past few years she also assists clinicians with her expertise in molecular diagnostics in liquid biopsy and its applicability in cancer treatment and disease progression.

Dr. Aguilar is involved in national and international initiatives focused on the analysis, management and homogeneous exchange of oncological genomic data for Personalized Medicine (e.g. AACR-GENIE project, Cancer Core Europe). Since 2021 Dr. Aguilar is also the head of the VHIOTECA unit focused on supporting researchers in obtaining, recording and preserving liquid biopsies for use in research projects. Dr. Aguilar is co-author of approximately 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals in the field of cancer, stem cells and precision medicine

Andrew M. Bellizzi, MD.

Andrew M Bellizzi, M.D. is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Bellizzi completed undergraduate work in Anthropology and Science Preprofessional Studies at the University of Notre Dame (‘00) and received his medical degree from Northwestern University (‘04).  Following combined training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Virginia (‘08), he completed a fellowship in Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology at The Ohio State University (‘09). After 2 years as a junior faculty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he moved to Iowa in the Fall of 2011. Dr. Bellizzi is Director of Immunohistochemistry and GI Pathology and Co-Director of the GI Pathology Fellowship at the University of Iowa. He is an active member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the College of American Pathologists, and the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society, including serving as immediate past Chair of the USCAP Stowell-Orbison Award and the CAP Immunohistochemistry Committees. He is Secretary-Treasurer of the International Society for Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Morphology and is an Associate (Reviews), Section (Immunohistochemistry), and Assistant Editor (GI pathology) of Applied Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Morphology, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and the American Journal of Clinical Pathology, respectively. He is on the Neuroendocrine Tumor Expert Panel for the 9^th Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. Dr. Bellizzi’s research interests include the diagnosis, classification, and etiopathogenesis of human disease, with an emphasis on gastrointestinal, pancreatic, neuroendocrine, and hereditary tumors. His research program focuses on applications of diagnostic immunohistochemistry. Outside of the office, Andrew enjoys “getting into trouble” with his 16 and 18-year-old boys, Aidan and Darby. In addition to “very special stains,” he also loves hiking, cooking, craft beer, Notre Dame football, the Boston Red Sox, and the Oxford comma.

Ben Davidson, (Norway)

Professor at Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo and Head of Gynecologic Pathology service, Department of Pathology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. He is currently Chair of the Gynecologic Pathology Working Group at the European Society of Pathology (ESP) and is member of the expert group for gynecological cancer at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). His main research interests are cytopathology and gynecological pathology. His research is focused on genetic characteristics and biomarkers related to cancer diagnosis, metastasis, cell survival, prognosis and chemoresistance in cancers involving the serosal cavities, particularly tubo-ovarian carcinoma and mesothelioma. He is an author of 385 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 15 book chapters, as well as the editor of a book on serous effusions. He is also a reviewer and a member of editorial boards for leading international peer-reviewed journals, as well as invited speaker on international and national meetings and conferences.

Beata Grygalewicz, MD., PhD.

Beata Grygalewicz, habilitated PhD, since 2020 she is the head of the Cytogenetic Laboratory at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. Her main research interests is defining cytogenetic markers of aggressive lymphomas. She is a member of the Polish Society of Human Genetics and the vice-president of Hematooncology Section of the Polish Society of Human Genetics, member of the European Board of  Medical Genetics and a specialist in medical laboratory genetics. She is an author or co-author of more than 50scientific papers in the field of cytogenetics of leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors.

Konstanty Korski, MD., PhD.

Konstanty Korski is a Senior Expert Pathologist and Sub-chapter Lead in Imaging Domain in Roche Information Solutions (RIS) at Roche Diagnostics in Basel, Switzerland. He graduated from the Poznan University of Medical Sciences (2001) and is board certified in general pathology (2008). Since his graduation, he served as a staff pathologist in the Pathology Department at the Greater Poland Cancer Center in Poznan, Poland, where his main focus was breast and gynecologic pathology, cytopathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology. At that time, in one of his roles he coordinated the tumor sample collection process in the collaborative international effort – The Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA). Konstanty joined Roche in 2014 at the Roche Innovation Centre Munich where he focused on the application of digital pathology to tumor tissue analysis and immune microenvironment characterization in the context of early phase clinical trials. In 2020, Konstanty joined the Personalized Healthcare group in Basel where he led the R&D digital pathology team. The team concentrated on the
extraction of information from the digital images of the H&E slides and on translating it to predictive/prognostic algorithms using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. Since March 2025, Konstanty holds the role of a Sub-chapter Lead in the Imaging Domain at Roche Diagnostics where he continues the efforts to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to build imaging algorithms with the intention to innovate diagnostic workflows, support clinical decision making processes and improve patients’ lives. Konstanty co-authored more than 30 peer reviewed publications and several
patent applications.

Anais Malpica, MD.

Dr. Anais Malpica is a Professor of Pathology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She received her M.D. degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, which was followed by Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residencies at Boston University and Baylor College of Medicine, and a fellowship at M.D. Anderson. At the same institution, she was the Director of the Gynecologic Pathology Section and Fellowship Program for over a decade. She has published over 280 scientific articles, numerous book chapters and a book on biopsy interpretation of the uterine cervix and corpus (two editions). In addition, she has been involved with several professional societies’ activities, editorial boards, and national and international educational endeavors. She was a member of the editorial board of the 2020 WHO classification of the female genital tract tumors and is currently a member of the board of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists.

Andrzej Mróz, MD., PhD.

Prof. Andrzej Mróz is a pathologist with the special interest in gastrointestinal pathology. For more than 10 years now he is responsible for coordination of morphological part of Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in Poland and pathologists’ training within continuous quality improvement . He is President Elect of Polish Society of Pathologist and member of  GI Working Group of European Society of Pathology and European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization. He also coordinates postgraduate education for all pathology residents in Poland.

Anna Porwit, MD., PhD.

Professor of Pathology at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Division Oncology and Pathology, Lund University, Sweden since 2016 (professor emerita since 2022). Currently Consultant in Hematopathology, Department of Clinical Pathology, Lund University Hospital.

Monika Prochorec-Sobieszek, MD., PhD.

Specialist in the fields of pathomorphology and hematopathology. Head of the Department of Hematological Diagnostics and the Department of Pathomorphology at the Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology in Warsaw. Her primary research interest focuses on haematolymphoid tumours – their histoclinical aspects, molecular pathogenesis, and the identification of biomarkers. Author or co-author of approximately 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Chair of the Hematopathology Section of the Polish Lymphoma Research Group.