International Speakers

Prof David R. Gandara

David R. Gandara, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine is Associate Director of Clinical Research and Director of Thoracic Oncology at the University of California, Davis Cancer Center. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine specializing in Medical Oncology.  He is currently principal investigator for a number of research projects in lung cancer, pharmacology trials at various phases, and Southwest Oncology Group trials.  He is the principal investigator for a National Cancer Institute award to the California Cancer Consortium for Early Therapeutic Trials of New Anti-Cancer Agents. He is chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Lung Committee, and a member and prior co-chair of the NCI-directed Investigational Drug Steering Committee. He has written over 300 articles, book chapters, abstracts and editorials. He is editor-in-chief of Clinical Lung Cancer, serves on the editorial board of four oncology journals, and is a manuscript reviewer for eight additional journals. He serves as President and on the board of directors for the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and is a prior board member and secretary-treasurer of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He also is chair of the NCI-directed Lung Correlative Science Committee. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Dr. Gandara was an intern and resident at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma and a fellow at the Letterman Army Medical Center Presidio of San Francisco.

Dr Fred R. Hirsch

Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora/Denver.USA.

Dr. Hirsch started his interest in lung cancer research as a medical student at the University of Copenhagen under the mentorship of Dr. Heine H. Hansen. After graduation from the University in Copenhagen in 1977 he continued lung cancer research in Denmark and as a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda at the Medical Oncology Branch (chair Dr. John D. Minna), where he wrote part of his PhD thesis on “Small Cell Lung Cancer : Histopathology and Metastatic Pattern” defended at the University of Copenhagen in 1983. After returning to Denmark Dr. Hirsch continued clinical training in pathology and later on in medical oncology. After training and faculty positions in Copenhagen, Dr. Hirsch moved to the US in 1999 and became a Professor at the University of Colorado Cancer Center with research focused on translational research related to early detection and new therapeutic developments (i. e targeted therapies) in lung cancer.

Dr. Hirsch has been an active member of IASLC since 1977. He was in the local organizing committee for the 2nd  World Conference in Copenhagen in 1980 (chaired by Dr. Hansen) and since 1988 he has been in the international scientific organizing committees for all the World Conferences including the upcoming conference in Seoul. He has been an invited speaker on different topics at all the World Conferences. Dr. Hirsch has organized 8 International IASLC Workshops on Prevention/Early Detection and Molecular Targeted Therapies in Lung Cancer. Through these workshops he has facilitated collaborations with other organizations, i. e ASCO and ESMO. Dr. Hirsch has also participated in organizing regional IASLC Educational/Scientific conferences in South America and in Asia.

Dr. Hirsch initiated the Pathology Committee within IASLC in 1983 and the Prevention/Early Detection Committee in 1999. He is the Editor of the first IASLC Textbook on Prevention and Early Detection on Lung Cancer and is Associate Editor of Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Dr. Hirsch has served on several committees for ASCO and is currently the Lung Cancer Track Leader for the ASCO 2007 Annual Meeting. He serves in leadership roles in several lung cancer related organizations (i. e Scientific Leadership Council for US Cooperative Groups, The Lung Cancer Alliance, ESMO Lung Cancer Faculty) and is currently co-chair of Lung Cancer Translational Research Committee in SWOG. Dr. Hirsch has mentored many young investigators from Asia and Europe in his current position.

Dr. Hirsch has authored more than 200 scientific publications on lung cancer and is Editor of 10 international textbooks in oncology in general and on lung cancer in particular.

Fred Hirsch is sponsored by:

Dr Masahiro Tsuboi

Dr Masahiro Tsuboi is a chief in the division of Thoracic Surgery at Kanagawa Cancer Center Hospital, Yokohama, Japan and an associate professor in the Department of Thoracic Surgery & Oncology at Tokyo Medical University and Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Dr Tsuboi is currently a board director of International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), a board director of World Association of Bronchology (WAB) and a chair of the Lung Cancer Surgical Study Group (LCSSG) of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG).

 Michele O’Brien

Michele O’Brien, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC, AOCNS, BA, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with Minnesota Oncology in Edina, Minnesota and works primarily with patients with Lung and Esophageal cancer. Ms. O’Brien graduated from Minneapolis Community College 1991 with an Associate Degree in Nursing. In 1998 completed Bachelors Degree in Management and Communications from Concordia College, St Paul, MN. In 2005 completed Masters Degree in Nursing from University of Minnesota.  She is certified as an Advanced Practice Nurse in Adult Health and Oncology Nursing.

Ms. O’Brien’s experience includes infusion therapy, blood and marrow transplant, home care, general clinical research, umbilical cord research, as well as medical and surgical oncology. She has been involved with several program development projects. In 1997 she implemented a regional infusion program to expand local home infusion services to rural home cares throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. In 1999 assisted in the development of a home infusion program for a pediatric hospital based home care in Norfolk, Virginia. In 2004, developed the Thoracic Oncology Program for Fairview Southdale Hospital. Current position with Minnesota Oncology she is developing a Navigation and Survivorship program for a community based oncology practice.

Ms. O’Brien is actively involved with the Oncology Nursing Society at the local and national level and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She was the 2008 president of Metro Minnesota ONS chapter and is currently an author and facilitator of the ONS Site-Specific Lung Cancer Online Course.

Her volunteer experience over the past couple years includes: involvement with the University of Minnesota’s Academic Health Center, the High School Mentor Program for students interested in nursing, a facilitator for an ethical reasoning program involving undergraduate nursing and first year medical students, and contributor to the ONS Multinational Smoking Cessation research project.

Ms. O’Brien is on several speakers’ bureaus including Berlix Pharmaceuticals, Bayer/ Onyx and Genetech.

Sally Moore

Sally Moore is a Nursing Research Fellow at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, based in the London Borough of Sutton. Sally is undertaking full-time doctoral study aiming to examine the social construction of lung cancer, in particular how lung cancer is represented in the media in the UK. It is hoped this may add further insight into the issue of late diagnosis in lung cancer.

Sally has worked in various roles in oncology for over twenty years, most recently as a Lung Cancer Nurse Specialist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London.

Her interests include all aspects of supportive care for people with lung cancer and mesothelioma, including the support of family members.

 Sally Moore is sponsored by: