Dr. Javier Cortes received a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in 1996, specialist in Medical Oncology by the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, and awarded the title of Doctor in Medical Oncology from the University of Navarra in 2002. From June 2003 to July 2015, he has worked in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, where he has been Coordinator of the Teaching and Training Programme for Residents in Oncology. In addition he was the Head of the Breast Cancer Program from July 2006 to August 2015. From September 2015 to October 2018, he has been Head of the Breast Cancer and Gynecological tumors at Ramon y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid. Dr. Cortes was the Head of the Breast Cancer Program at IOB Institute of Oncology, Quironsalud group, in both Madrid and Barcelona, from 2011 to September 2020. He has been Senior Clinical Investigator of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology from 2011 to February 2022. Dr. Cortés is the Head of the International Breast Cancer Centre (IBCC) in Barcelona, founding partner of Medica Scientia innovation Research (MedSIR), a company involved in the clinical development of clinical trials. In addition to his medical specialties, he has two master degrees in “Medical Direction and Clinical Management” by the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) and “Research methodology in Health Sciences” by the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona and a degree in “Statistics in Health Sciences” by the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. He has contributed to over 430 peer-reviewed publications, especially about breast tumours and new drugs and more than 800 communications at different conferences. He actively participates in the development of numerous international clinical trials, and he is an ad hoc reviewer of various oncology journals, including, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Lancet Oncology, Annals of Oncology or Journal of Clinical Oncology, among many others Dr Cortés is an active member of the Spanish, European, and American Societies of Medical Oncology (SEOM, ESMO, ASCO). In addition, he is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), of the Scientific Committee of the European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), has been chair for breast cancer at the ESMO 2020 congress, and co-chair of the same section in the congress of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2020, as well as the immunotherapy area of the AACR 2021 congress. He is a member of the expert panel that develops the treatment guidelines for metastatic breast cancer of the European Society for Medical Oncology, member of the ABC Conference, member of the ASCO International Affairs Committee, member of the executive panel in charge of SABCS Strategic Planning, and co-organizer of the Annual Congress of Controversies in Breast Cancer (CoBrCa). In addition, according to the American Expertscape 2023 ranking, he is considered the world’s leading expert on HER2+ and fourth world oncologist with the greatest expertise in breast cancer and in 2022 and 2023 was identified as Clarivate™ world’s most influential researchers.

Professor Schmid is internationally recognized for his research and education leadership in breast cancer. Professor Schmid is the clinical director of the Breast Cancer Centre and an honorary consultant medical oncologist at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. He was appointed in 2013 as Chair in Cancer Medicine at Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), Queen Mary University London. Professor Schmid is the Lead of the Centre of Experimental Cancer Medicine at BCI, overseeing the conduct of early-phase trials at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital and BCI. He leads the academic breast cancer programme at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital and BCI. Professor Schmid’s primary research interest is in clinical research in breast cancer with the goal of improving the treatment of women with breast cancer by defining more effective and less toxic approaches. Specific research areas include cancer immune therapy, triple-negative breast cancer, endocrine resistance, and innovative biomarker-driven trial concepts. Professor Schmid runs an international collaborative clinical and translational research programme.

Vibeke has been a communications professional for over 40 years and has taught with Hillside Communications for 23 years. Through her work, she has traveled all across the United States and Europe, as well as to India, Colombia, Dubai, Istanbul, and Malaysia. She and her husband have lived in France for six years.

Chris Hill is president and co-founder at Hillside Communications, based in Durango, Colorado. Chris and his team have supported over thirty thousand of the most accomplished scientific experts in the US and worldwide for over twenty years. With over seventeen years of science-teaching experience in the UK, Bermuda, and the US and a doctorate in educational psychology, Chris is well-qualified to recognize influential speakers and educators and share their best practices.

Kate Hill is an educator with over a decade of expertise in developing effective learning environments. She is the Director of Studies at Threshold Training Associates in Prague, overseeing curriculum development, teacher training, and educational methodology. With a master’s degree in educational psychology and human development, she utilizes her knowledge to assist individuals in delivering precise, engaging, and impactful presentations.