Dr Anna Minasyan is a thoracic surgeon with sub-specialty expertise in lung transplantation and minimally invasive surgery. She currently practices at Coruña University Hospital, Spain, where she also completed her surgical residency.

Dr Minasyan’s academic background includes a Master’s in Biomedical Research and ongoing studies in Data Science and Cloud Engineering, reflecting her interest in the intersection of surgery and emerging technologies. She is actively involved in integrating artificial intelligence into clinical practice and has participated in numerous AI and machine learning programmes, including training through AWS and Stanford University.

Anna has delivered invited talks and presented surgical innovations at major thoracic surgery conferences, including ESTS, SECT, EACTS, and international sublobar resection meetings. She is the first author and co-author of several peer-reviewed publications on uniportal VATS, segmentectomies, and controlled DCD lung transplantation.

Her current research focuses on normothermic thoracoabdominal perfusion and AI in thoracic surgery, and she regularly contributes to educational events on these topics. Multi-liingual and internationally trained, Anna brings a global perspective to clinical innovation and collaborative care.

Dr Bradley Max Segal is a clinician-engineer and Rhodes Scholar pursuing a DPhil in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oxford’s Computational Health Informatics Lab. His work bridges the gap between clinical medicine and artificial intelligence, focusing on developing and scaling novel AI solutions to address complex healthcare challenges. His research interests include generative models for medical imaging, predictive analytics for disease prevention, and the development of robust, large-scale clinical data systems.

Beyond his academic work, Brad is a proven entrepreneur and a co-founder of Engage Mx, a patient analytics platform that actively monitors over 1.5 million patients. His technical expertise is informed by his hands-on experience as a medical doctor in South Africa’s resource-constrained public health sector. He has consulted for the Gates Foundation on AI strategy for HIV in Africa, serves as a domain expert for a Lancet Commission, and was recently named to the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list.

Dr Daniel Langer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium), specialised in optimising respiratory physiotherapy and rehabilitation interventions. His research focuses on improving muscle function, symptoms, and daily activity performance in critically ill patients and those with chronic respiratory diseases. He is part of the KU Leuven GRID Research Group and is a dedicated respiratory physiotherapist.

Dr. Hussein Elkhayat is a prominent thoracic surgeon and a full professor at Assiut University’s Faculty of Medicine, Egypt, a position he has held since 2024. He completed his medical degree and residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Assiut University, earning a master’s degree in general surgery in 2009. His early focus on minimally invasive surgery led to an MD thesis on Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) in benign diseases. To further develop his expertise, he pursued specialised training in VATS through a fellowship in Turkey, before returning to Egypt to establish a pioneering VATS programme at his center.

After receiving his doctoral degree in cardiothoracic surgery in 2014, Dr. Elkhayat continued to advance minimally invasive thoracic surgery techniques. In 2021, he became a Fellow of the European Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery (FEBCTS). Recognised for his expertise, he has become an international trainer for advanced VATS programmes and founded the Assiut VATS Workshop, Egypt’s largest hands-on VATS training event.

Dr. Elkhayat has authored several publications in esteemed journals and contributes to the academic community as an editorial board member and reviewer for various international journals and conferences. He is also an instructor for the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Care for Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP) courses.

Within the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), he serves as an international board member of the thoracic domain and chair of the Chest Wall and Thoracic Trauma Task Force. Additionally, he is an active member of several prestigious surgical societies, including STS, ESTS, PATS, and ESCTS. His primary areas of interest include minimally invasive thoracic surgery, VATS decortication, lung cancer, and thymic surgery.

Dr Javier Gallego Poveda is a renowned specialist in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he is a pioneer in the area of minimally invasive and robotic cardiac and thoracic surgery, and one of the few surgeons in the world who excels in, practices, and provides training in both specialties.

He received his training in cardiothoracic surgery at the Santa Maria University Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was the top resident in his class nationally based on the final specialty public examination.

He is a European Fellow in Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.

In 2015, he presented his international doctoral thesis in the field of heart tumour surgery.

He is a contracted university professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Algarve and responsible for post-graduate training courses in minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery at NOVA Medical School in Lisbon.

Dr Gallego is a pioneer in uniportal video-assisted lung cancer surgery in Portugal and, recently, a global pioneer in the uniportal robotic technique, along with his colleague and friend, Dr Diego González Rivas.

He is also a pioneer in minimally invasive endoscopic mitral valve surgery, following training in Stuttgart, Germany in 2014, as well as atrial fibrillation surgery through thoracoscopy, and an advocate for other minimally invasive techniques in cardiac surgery. In 2022, he performed the first robotic heart surgeries in Portugal, making him one of the few surgeons in the world to perform this technique. 

He developed an innovative surgical technique for the minimally invasive endoscopic treatment of hyperhidrosis, leading the largest unit in terms of the number of patients operated on in Europe. 

In 2015, he founded the Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit (UMICS), where he serves as the clinical director. This unit performs surgeries in both Spain and Portugal, and he is the head of the department at three hospitals in Portugal, with operations conducted in Madrid and La Coruña.

The UMICS Academy provides training for both national and international surgeons.

He is the author of numerous scientific articles and book chapters and is a member of 12 scientific societies. In 2010, he received the “Cruz Oficial de Caballero de la Orden de Isabel la Católica” from His Majesty King Juan Carlos I for the creation of the “Red de Sanitarios Españoles en Portugal” Association, of which he is the president.

Despite his busy surgical and educational activities, Dr Javier Gallego is a family-oriented man who considers spending quality time with his daughters and family to be one of his top priorities.

Dr. Nabil Khan received his medical degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He began his career as a physician and researcher at leading institutions such as the Aga Khan University Hospital, where he focused on cardiovascular research. In 2018, Dr. Khan moved to Germany to pursue specialist training in Thoracic Surgery. He is currently based at the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, where he is also a doctoral candidate. His clinical and academic interests include minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery, with a particular focus on thymic malignancies.

Dr. Khan is actively engaged in the global surgical community and is a member of several professional societies. He is also a founding member of the African Society for Thoracic Surgery (AFSTS), reflecting his dedication to strengthening thoracic surgery capacity across the continent.

Beyond his professional roles, he is a devoted husband and father, and remains deeply committed to humanitarian work. He has advised NGOs in Kenya, Spain, and Pakistan on initiatives to improve access to care in underserved communities.

Dr. Firas Abu Akar is a thoracic surgeon based in Jerusalem, currently serving as the Head of the Thoracic Surgery Unit at “University Hospital of Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Tel Aviv, Israel. He is a recognised leader in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, with a clinical focus on thoracic oncology, trauma surgery, paediatric thoracic procedures, and chest wall deformities.

Following his specialisation in thoracic surgery in Jerusalem, Dr. Abu Akar trained at the internationally acclaimed Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, one of the largest thoracic centers in the world. There, he refined his skills in Uniportal VATS under the mentorship of global pioneers including Diego Gonzalez Rivas, Yumming Zhu, and Jiang Lie.

Upon returning to his region, he introduced both intercostal and Subxiphoid Uniportal VATS techniques to hospitals across Palestine and Israel, significantly advancing thoracic surgical practice in the area. He also adapted Uniportal VATS techniques for paediatric cases, setting new standards in minimally invasive care for children.

Dr. Abu Akar is also known for his expertise in minimally invasive correction of chest wall deformities (Nuss and Abramson procedures), having been trained by Professor Mustafa Yuksel and now performing dozens of such procedures annually.

In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Abu Akar has previously served as the General Secretary and Treasurer of the Israeli Society of Thoracic Surgery, contributing to professional development and policy initiatives.

He is the author of dozens of peer-reviewed publications in minimally invasive thoracic surgery and continues to lead in surgical innovation and cross-border collaboration.

Dr Hashem is an Associate Professor, Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.

She earned her MBBCh. and M.Sc. in Chest Medicine from Assiut University and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. Her research focuses on respiratory diseases and COVID-19 in Upper Egypt. She is actively involved in regional scientific events, including the South Valley Association for Chest Diseases and Allergy, The Egyptian Scientific Society of Bronchology and is dedicated to medical education, mentoring, and continuing professional development.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, and King’s College London

David Jackson is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at King’s College London and Head of the regional Severe Asthma and Eosinophilic Lung Disease Service based at Guy’s Hospital in London. This unit is one of the largest of its kind in the world with over 1000 patients on biologic therapies for severe asthma and EGPA.

Professor Jackson has an MSc in Allergy and PhD in the pathophysiology of virus-induced asthma exacerbations from Imperial College London. He has published widely in the field of type 2 immunity, asthma and eosinophil associated diseases including in NEJM, Lancet and Nature Medicine. He co-edited the European Respiratory Society Monograph on Eosinophilic Lung Diseases and is the Associate Editor at the journals THORAX and ALLERGY.

He has been the Chief Investigator on multiple phase 3 and 4 clinical trials in asthma and is chair of the Specialist Advisory Group on asthma for the British Thoracic Society.

Professor Janet Davies leads the multi-disciplinary Allergy Research Group at Queensland University of Technology, encompassing molecular allergology and environmental health.

Janet assembled aerobiologist nationally for the NHMRC AusPollen Partnership (2016-2020), to establish Australia’s standardised pollen monitoring network, including design of quality control processes applied in world’s first thunderstorm asthma forecast system, recognised as an Impact Case Study by NHRMC in 2023.

Professor Davies is the foremost author in Asia Pacific in the discipline of pollen allergy and climate change and her research has been supported by 10 national competitive grants from MRFF, NHMRC and ARC grants, as well as government and global industry contracts. As Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health at QUT (2021-2023), and Assistant Director of Research in Metro North Health, Australia’s largest hospital network in (2015-2023), she has contributed to research strategy, policy, education, systems, and knowledge transfer. She now leads the Discovery and Biorepository Pillar and is co-chair of the Respiratory Research Stream for the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (2022-2026).

Dr Mitchell Grayson is the Grant Morrow, III, MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research, Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Nationwide Children’s and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Grayson attended the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, from which he received his medical degree.  After completing an internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, he undertook his allergy/immunology fellowship at Johns
Hopkins University. Dr. Grayson has been a faculty member at the Washington University in St. Louis, as well as the Medical College of Wisconsin before joining the faculty at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University.

Dr. Grayson oversees a basic/translational research laboratory studying the interaction between viral infections and allergic disease, including asthma.  He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and trained over 20 post-doctoral or clinical research fellows.  He serves or has served on the Board of Directors of both the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, as well as numerous NIH grant review study sections, and the editorial boards of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the Journal of Immunology.

Dr. Grayson is the current Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and an elected member of the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum, the allergy research honorary society, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (physician-scientist honorary society).

Olivier Sitbon is pulmonologist, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Université Paris-Saclay and consultant at the French Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Referral Center in Hôpital Bicêtre, France. He is the current chair of the Assembly on pulmonary vascular diseases of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). He has conducted extensive research in PAH and is the scientific leader of the French PH Registry.

His investigational activities include clinical studies on the identification of prognostic factors, risk stratification and treatment goals in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and the development of new drugs and strategies for the treatment of PAH.

He was involved in every World PH Symposia over the past two decades and has chaired the PAH Treatment Algorithm Working Group of the 7th World Symposium on PH in 2024. He was a task force member and section editor of the 2022 ESC-ERS Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PH. He has authored more than 460 peer-reviewed articles on PH and related topics in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and European Respiratory Journal, amongst other scientific journals.

Professor Ronald van Ree is Professor of Molecular and Translational Allergology at the Department of Experimental Immunology of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC, in The Netherlands.

His research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of allergic sensitization and the role of allergen structure and exogenous environmental, microbial and dietary factors in this process. Epidemiology of food allergy, in and outside Europe, has been at the center of his attention for the last two decades. Other areas of attention are molecular allergy diagnosis, allergen standardization of diagnostic and therapeutic allergen products, allergenicity risk assessment of novel proteins, and the development of innovative AIT approaches for the treatment of respiratory and food allergies, using recombinants and nano-technologies and novel adjuvants. Ronald van Ree currently has 417 peer-reviewed publications and an H-factor of 87.

Ronald van Ree has served on several editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals in the allergy field. He has served on the Board of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology as Vice-President for Congresses. He was the academic co-chair of the HESI committee on Protein Allergenicity, Toxicity and Bioinformatics (PATB), and chaired the peer-review panel of the COMPARE allergen database.

Professor Yasser Ahmed Elsayed is an expert medical professional with over 30 years of experience in thoracic surgery and hospital

management, leading medical teams, and enhancing healthcare delivery.  His key achievements include his appointment as the President of the Military Medical Academy, where he fulfilled vital duties from 2019 – 2022, and currently heading the Cardiothoracic Department and serving as Executive Director at Galala University Educational Hospital.

Dr Elsayed is passionate about advancing thoracic surgery, bringing extensive leadership experience in both the military and academic fields. As a senior executive and specialist, his commitment to excellence in surgical practices and education aligns with the goal of enhancing healthcare outcomes.