International Speakers

Professor Gordon Cook is a graduate of the University of Glasgow School of Medicine and received his higher professional training in haematology in the West of Scotland. After completing his PhD, he was appointed as a Consultant Haematologist in the West of Scotland before moving to take up the post of Director of Stem Cell Transplantation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals in 2002. In 2013, he was appointed as Professor of Haematology at the University of Leeds, where he leads the myeloma clinical and translational research program with a primary interest in tumour immunology and immunotherapy.

After obtaining an A.B. cum laude in chemistry at Harvard College, Dr. Davids completed his M.D. cum laude at Yale University School of Medicine. He served as an intern, resident, and assistant chief resident in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He then completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology in Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, and a Masters in Medical Science (M.M.S.c.) at Harvard Medical School. He is an attending physician in the Division of Lymphoma, where he serves as the Director of Clinical Research. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Leader of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Lymphoma Program.  Dr. Davids leads an active translational research program in CLL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, focusing on studying apoptosis (in particular Bcl-2 biology) in his laboratory, and leading clinical trials to evaluate novel therapeutic strategies in patients with CLL and other hematologic malignancies. Much of his work has focused on the clinical development of combinations of targeted inhibitors of Bcl-2, B cell receptor pathway kinases, checkpoint blockade, and other novel agents.

In 2005, Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Haferlach co-founded the MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, a nationally and internationally operating laboratory for the diagnostics of hematological malignancies, and has been the managing director there ever since. Her special focus is on chromosome banding analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization, whole genome sequencing, automation and artificial intelligence.Before founding MLL, she worked for seven years at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital in Munich-Großhadern, where she was head of cytogenetics and FISH in the laboratory for special leukemia diagnostics. Before moving to Munich, she worked as a research assistant at the Georg-August-University Göttingen, the Medical University of Lübeck, the University Hospital Essen and in Vienna between 1990 and 1998. She completed her studies in human medicine at the University of Hamburg from 1984 to 1990, followed by her PhD and later in Munich also her habilitation for the subject Clinical Cytogenetics. In 2014, she was appointed APL professor.

Dr Martin is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Director of the Hematologic Malignancies Research Site Committee, and Co-Lead for the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program in the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr Martin also is a member of the International Myeloma Working Group and Co-leads the Immunology Subcommittee of IMWG. Dr Martin has authored many artciles in hematologic malignancies and has been a thought leader and an invited speaker at national and international meetings. He been actively involved in clinical research and has been principal investigator (PI) for over 25 clinical trials. Dr Martin has supervised the multiple myeloma (MM) tissue bank at UCSF since it’s inception in 2009, and this biobank has been utilized for biomarker discovery.

Dr Martin’s main research interests are the development and evaluation of novel therapeutics for multiple myeloma. Most recently, he has been involved in the clinical development of the novel anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, isatuximab and co-lead the Phase III IKEMA (Isatuximab plus carfilzomib and dexamethasone) trial. Dr. Martin has an interest in CAR T-cell therapies for myeloma and recently was awarded a 4.6 million dollar grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop a novel BCMA targeted CART therapy. He has also been involved in many other immunotherapy trials including antibody-drug conjugate trials, dual targeted antibody trials and cell therapy trials in relapsed MM.

Dr Mohamad Mohty is a full Professor of Hematology and head of the Hematology and Cellular Therapy Department at the Saint-Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne University in Paris, France. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Montpellier, France, and PhD from the University of Marseille, France. He is also head of a translational research team (Inserm) at the Saint-Antoine Research Centre in Paris. 

Dr Mohty is the past president of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), and past chairman of the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the EBMT. He is also the founder and current chairman of the International Academy for Clinical Hematology (IACH) and executive board member of the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome (IFM). Dr Mohty is also a fellow of the French National Academy of Medicine. In 2021, Dr Mohty was knighted as “chevalier de la légion d’honneur” (The Legion of Honor). 

In addition to publishing more than 1000 peer-reviewed articles in the field of stem cell transplantation, leukemia, and myeloma, Dr Mohty also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journals Bone Marrow Transplantation and Clinical Hematology International. He also serves as an editor, board member, and/or reviewer across numerous other reputable journals.

Dr. Sattva S. Neelapu is a tenured Professor and Deputy Chair in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. He completed medical school at JIPMER, India, Internal Medicine residency in New York, and clinical fellowship in Medical Oncology and postdoctoral fellowship in tumor immunology and immunotherapy at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. As a physician-scientist at MD Anderson, his research is focused on clinical and translational development of novel immunotherapies for B-cell malignancies. His work on the pivotal clinical trial of axicabtagene ciloleucel CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in aggressive B-cell lymphomas led to its FDA approval as the first CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma. His laboratory is focused on developing CAR T-cell therapies against novel targets, understanding mechanisms of resistance to CAR T-cell therapy, and developing allogeneic cell therapy approaches. He is nationally and internationally recognized for his expertise in CAR T-cell therapy in B-cell malignancies and management of toxicities associated with CAR T-cell therapy. He has authored or co-authored over 300 publications and is a recipient of numerous awards for his clinical and translational research.

Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD is a professor of medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she serves as the Vice President & Head, Cell Therapy Institute for Discovery and Innovation, Sally Cooper Murray Chair in Cancer Research, and medical director of the GMP Facility. She leads a research lab with a focus on NK cell biology and developing novel NK cell engineering strategies for cancer, with the aim of translating these discoveries to the clinic. Dr. Rezvani completed her medical training at University College London, England and her PhD at Imperial College London. She completed her training in immunology and transplantation biology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. In addition, she has co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications and received multiple prizes and awards, including the American Society of Hematology E. Donnall Thomas award.

Dr Laurie Sehn is currently Clinical Professor with the BC Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She has been a medical oncologist and clinical investigator at BC Cancer since 1998, and is currently the Provincial Chair of the Lymphoma Tumour Group. Dr Sehn graduated from McGill Medical School, Montreal, Canada and received her training in Internal Medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, USA. She completed a fellowship in Haematology-Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Boston, and received a Masters of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University. Prior to returning to Canada, she spent a year as faculty at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with the Bone Marrow Transplantation service. Dr. Sehn’s research interests include population-based outcomes analyses, identification of prognostic factors and predictive biomarkers, and development of novel therapies in lymphoma. Dr Sehn is Chair of the medical advisory board for the International Lymphoma Coalition. She has also served as a member of the editorial board of Journal of Clinical Oncology and Leukemia Lymphoma, and as an Associate Editor for Blood and is currently a Podcast Editor for Blood. Dr. Sehn has also served as co-chair of the Lymphoma Site of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and co-chair of the Lunenburg Lymphoma Biomarker Consortium.

George Vassiliou is Professor of Haematological Medicine and co-lead of the Haematological Malignancies Virtual Institute at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is also Senior Faculty at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Consultant Haematologist at Cambridge University Hospitals. 

His team studies the pre-clinical evolution, molecular pathogenesis and treatment of myeloid malignancies.

Highlights of their work include the co-discovery of the phenomenon of clonal haematopoiesis, the description of its natural history, the mapping of its causes and consequences and the development of multiparameter predictive tools for quantifying individual risk of progression to myeloid neoplasia (MN-Predict). They contributed to our understanding of the pathogenesis of myeloid cancers, including through the development and study of bespoke murine models (including for NPM1, SF3B1, IDH1, DNMT3A and UTX mutations) and identified many novel vulnerabilities of acute myeloid leukaemia through the first genome-wide CRISPR screen in a human cancer, including several for which inhibitors have been developed or entered clinical studies (e.g. METTL3, SRPK1, KAT2A and KAT7). The team also developed the first genomic diagnostic tools for myeloid cancers based on DNA (Karyogene) and RNA (RNAmut) sequencing.

Work in the Vassiliou lab is funded by Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, European Research Council, Leukaemia Lymphoma Society, Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research, Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, B lood Cancer UK, EMBO, Astrazeneca and the NIH-OxCam Scholars Program.

Dr. Busch’s major research interests include:  1) Detection, epidemiology, pathogenesis and laboratory evaluation of transfusion-transmitted infections (HIV, HBV, HCV, HTLVs), and blood safety implications of new and emerging potential transfusion-transmissible infectious diseases (e.g., West Nile Virus, Dengue and Zika Viruses, chikungunya virus, T. cruzi, babesia, SARS-CoV-2; 2) Mechanisms and prevention of immunological consequences of transfusions, including transfusion-induced immune modulation, viral reactivation, microchimerism, graft-vs-host disease, transfusion-related acute lung injury and alloimmunization;3) Mechanisms of HIV persistence following anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and development, validation and application of assays to quantify HIV reservoirs in ART-suppressed subjects in the context of cure research interventions; 4) Blood donor demographic, genetic and RBC- and platelet-component metabolic characteristics that impact blood cell integrity and function following processing and storage, and the efficacy of RBC and platelet transfusions in different recipient populations; and 5) Use of blood donors in surveillance of infectious and non-infectious diseases relevant to public health (e.g., serosurveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses).  

Dr. Busch has published >750 peer-reviewed original scientific articles and >150 review articles, editorials and book chapters.  He has led >90 NIH, CDC, FDA and industry funded major research programs supported by >$160M in extramural funding.

Clare is a Transfusion Nurse Clinician who holds a Graduate Certificate in Transfusion Practice from the University of Melbourne. She has extensive experience across the entire transfusion continuum, from blood donation to blood administration, as well as managing transfusion reactions. Clare works at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals, where she focuses on improving communication and understanding between the clinical environment and the transfusion laboratory. Her responsibilities include coordinating transfusion reactions and adverse events investigation and reporting, maintaining the Transfusion Manual, developing and delivering staff education, and conducting audits. Clare is a member of the: 

• BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office’ s Nursing Resource Group, 
• Canadian Society of Transfusion Medicine’s; Transfusion Safety Network | Obstetrical and Pediatric Transfusion Medicine Subcommittee | Standards Committee, and
 • International Society of Transfusion Medicine; Transfusion Practitioner Forum | Pediatric and Neonatal Sub-group

Dr. Philip C. Spinella is a professor in the Departments of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, Co-Director of the Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center and Associate Medical Director of the Center for Military Medicine Research at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Spinella served 15 years in the US Army and separated as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2007. He is a veteran of the Iraq War, where he received a Bronze Star and the Combat Medic Badge for providing care under fire.

Dr. Spinella is a well-established clinical trialist, who has been funded by the US Department of Defense, BARDA, DARPA and the National Institutes of Health. He has completed or is currently conducting definitive trials on transfusion topics to include RBC storage age, tranexamic acid in trauma, cold stored platelets, and whole blood. His research interests include optimizing the manufacturing process of blood products and the indications for their use to improve outcomes for all critically ill patients who require transfusion. Dr. Spinella also has a strong interest in incorporating adaptive clinical trial design and Bayesian analyses when appropriate to maximize efficiency and translation of data generated.

Dr. Spinella has also participated in, organized research symposia for, or provided external review of research programs for the FDA, NIH, DoD, Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services. He has also participated on a committee for the National Academy of Sciences to develop recommendations for a national trauma system in the US.  

Dr. Jill Storry is an Adjunct Professor at the Division of Haematology & Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Sweden, and responsible for the Immunohematology laboratories within the Department of Transfusion Medicine, Lund.

Her interests are the study of human blood group systems, both from a clinical perspective in the provision of providing blood to alloimmunised patients and also their role in health and disease. Her research focuses on the investigation and characterisation of erythrocyte membrane glycoproteins carrying blood group polymorphisms.

Jill was inaugurated to the National Blood Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2015 for the characterisation of the Vel blood group system. Other awards include the Margaret Kenwright and Race & Sanger Awards (British Blood Transfusion Society), as well as the AABB Sally Frank Award. She has authored over 100 original papers, reviews and textbooks related to serological and molecular aspects of blood groups, and given numerous talks at international and national conferences and courses.

Jill is a member of the Editorial Boards of Blood, Transfusion and Immunohematology, Section Editor for Vox Sanguinis and a peer reviewer for these and other scientific journals. She is senior Vice-President of the ISBT, and a member of the ISBT Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Red Cell Nomenclature. 

Jean M. Connors, MD is a hematology attending at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received a medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, completed her residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - East Campus in Boston, as well as fellowships in transfusion medicine and hematology & oncology from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Connors is a physician-investigator with a clinical research focus on thrombotic conditions and antithrombotic strategies, with experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials for patients with venous thrombosis and cancer, left ventricular assist devices, and anticoagulation questions in general. She is a member of or holds a leadership role in many professional societies, including ASH, ISTH, AC Forum, and Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders.

Frank Leebeek obtained his medical degree and PhD degree at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam The Netherlands in 1990. He subsequently worked as a post-doctoral fellow for 2 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. He was trained as a haematologist at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, where he became a staff member and was appointed full professor in 2009. He is chair of the Department of Haematology since 2017. He is coordinating a research team on haemostasis and thrombosis with several research topics, mainly inherited bleeding disorders, including von Willebrand disease and haemophilia. He is steering committee member of several studies on new treatments for patients with bleedings disorders, including gene therapy. He is also the principal investigator of the Willebrand in the Netherlands (WiN) study and the WiN-Pro study.He has been secretary of the Dutch Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, chairman of the Dutch Hemophilia Doctor’s Organisation, and board member of the Dutch Society of Haematology. He is currently board member of the European Hematology Association. He has been co-chair of the Scientific and Standardization Committee on von Willebrand Factor of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Dr Leebeek has (co-)authored over 460 scientific publications listed on PubMed, 20 book chapters and contributed to national and international treatment guidelines on haemophilia, von Willebrand’s disease and venous thrombosis.

Dr. Karen Vanhoorelbeke is a Full Professor at KU Leuven, Belgium, where she leads the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research. In 2010, she served as a visiting professor in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Tim Springer at Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Her research centers on the molecular mechanisms by which the hemostatic protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) and its cleaving enzyme ADAMTS13 contribute to both physiological and pathological processes. Her team conducts fundamental research to elucidate the roles of VWF and ADAMTS13 in hemostasis, bleeding, and thrombosis, with the aim of uncovering their mechanisms of action. These insights form the foundation for translational research, including the development of preclinical animal models to investigate disease pathology and explore novel therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Vanhoorelbeke’s work is integrated into numerous national and international research initiatives. She coordinated the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie training network ‘PROFILE’ and currently leads the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie training network ‘TOLERATE’. In recognition of her scientific contributions, she received the Esteemed Career Award from the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) in 2022.

She has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has supervised 30 PhD students throughout her career.

Mary Steinbach is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Loyola University Chicago and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Utah. She is a PhD Candidate in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah.

Mary’s clinical interests focus on providing care for patients with multiple myeloma. Most importantly, evidence-based, whole-person care that considers her patients' physical, emotional, and psychological needs. She actively stays current on the latest research and best practices, ensuring that the most up-to-date knowledge informs each patient's care plan. By addressing medical and psychosocial needs, Mary aims to create a comprehensive care experience that empowers patients and improves their quality of life throughout their cancer journey.

She is an active member of the International Myeloma Foundation’s Nurse Leadership Board (NLB), contributing to improving nursing care and self-care for patients with myeloma.

Mary's research interests include exploring and addressing cancer care access barriers for rural patients. Through her work, Mary seeks to build a bridge between clinical care and research, striving to enhance outcomes and the everyday experiences of patients living with cancer.