Finance Committee

Dr. Ignacio Wistuba is Professor and Chair of the Department of Translational Molecular Pathology with joint appointment in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology (THNMO) and co-director of the Khalifa Institute of Personalized Cancer Institute at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA. He obtained his medical doctorate from Universidad Austral, Valdivia, Chile (1985), and completed surgical pathology training at Catholic University, Santiago, Chile (1989). Then, he trained for nearly five years as a post-doctoral research fellow in lung cancer molecular pathology at the Hamon Cancer Center at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, USA, under the mentorship of Drs. Adi Gazdar and John Minna (1994-1999). After spending five years in Chile as a professor of pathology at Catholic University Medical School, Dr. Wistuba joined MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2003 in the departments of Pathology and THNMO to lead a lung cancer molecular pathology program. His major research interest is the elucidation of the molecular abnormalities involved in the pathogenesis and progression of lung cancer and the development of predictive biomarkers for targeted and immune-oncology therapies.

He has co-authored over 750 papers in peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters. He is the principal investigator (PI) and co-PI on several molecular pathology and biomarker projects supported by multi-investigators and multi-institutional grants and research agreements in thoracic malignancies. Dr. Wistuba has been highly involved in IASLC activities for the last 17 years by serving as a member of various committees, including the Pathology Committee that he chaired from 2017-2020. Since moving to the United States in 2023, Dr. Wistuba has participated as a member of scientific organizing committees, speaker, and attendee to all WCLC and LALCA meetings and several regional IASLC meetings. He received IASLC's Mary J. Matthews Pathology/Translational Research Award in 2018. 

Dr. Kelly is the CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the only global network dedicated to the study and eradication of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. She is an internationally recognized lung cancer expert dedicated to providing enhanced cancer care through cutting-edge clinical trials. Her research spans the spectrum of this disease from prevention to treatment. Dr. Kelly is widely published, and she frequently lectures on lung cancer topics, nationally and internationally. Dr. Kelly is a long-standing active member of IASLC, ASCO, and SWOG. She served as the SWOG Lung Committee Chair from 2016 until 2022.

Dr. Kelly earned her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Kelly was appointed faculty at the University of Colorado where she spent many years building her academic career in thoracic oncology prior to accepting a faculty appointment at the University of California, Davis where she held the Jennifer Rene Harmon Tegley and Elizabeth Erica Harmon Endowed Chair in Clinical Cancer Research and was the Associate Director for Clinical Research for their NCI designated comprehensive cancer center.

Dr. Asirwa has been a Medical Oncologist & Hematologist for over 13 years, PD/PI of several access to personalized cancer care and research initiatives, including Blueprint Program (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Uganda), Shining Tower Program, Clinical Trials Program-all geared towards enhancing early detection, promoting primary HPV screening, providing SOC diagnostics & therapeutics cancer research. He has conceptualized and developed several training programs, including SSA Oncology Preceptorship training, a Digital Pathology Program, a Telemedicine Program, an Oncology training for Physician assistants (Clinical Officers), the development of an Oncology Nursing training program in Kenya, a Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, and Oncology Pharmacy program and assisted in the development of gynecologic oncology program. He has assisted in establishing 17 screening and early detection centers for breast and cervical cancers in Kenya, working closely with the county's MOH and other local partners named EMPOWER clinics. Dr. Asirwa is also the PI of over 20 Clinical Trials (Phase I, II, and III) in SSA. 

As Director (2011-2019) of AMPATH in Kenya, a consortium of a dozen Universities in the United States in partnership with Moi University, Kenya. In this role, he conceptualized and developed infrastructure for telemedicine at AMPATH, created a robust hematology & oncology outreach program in rural Kenya, and participated in the development of the Kenya National Cancer Control policies, strategic plans, and guidelines by the National MOH. As PI to various clinical and research programs, he established a Multiple Myeloma program, a Lymphoma Program, a functional tumor registry, an Integrated Breast & Cervical Cancer screening & treatment program, Hemophilia and Sickle cell diagnostics, treatment & research, EMR for Oncology care and screening, a multinational Lung Cancer Control Program, MLCCP (Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini). He also teaches at various Universities in SSA and participates in Scientific Review Committees (SRC) and Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) of various Oncology/Hematology Clinical Trials both in the U.S. and SSA. 

Hidehito Horinouchi, MD, PhD, is currently engaged in patient care, teaching, and research in thoracic medical oncology as an assistant chief at the Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. As director of the Center for Professional Education and Career Development, he supports young medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists and other medical staff in learning specialized cancer treatment. Many young oncologists started their research with his assistance and received honorable awards, including the ASCO Merit Awards and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) grants.

His activities are not limited to his institution but reach out to the Asia-Pacific region and globally by utilizing educational committees in the Japan Lung Cancer Society (JLCS), the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO), and IASLC. He has served as Deputy Chair of the Education Committee for all these societies, and his contributions have strengthened inter-society collaboration. As a member of the JLCS Board of Directors, he has been particularly focused on aligning with the IASLC and has led the signing of the MOU for the IASLC-JLCS society partnership.

He also serves as the general secretary of JCOG (Japan Clinical Oncology Group), contributing to initiating many clinical trials covering broad fields in thoracic oncology, with multiple modalities, including immunotherapy, cytotoxic agents, radiotherapy, and surgery. Based on his wealth of knowledge and experience, he has conducted essential trials, including the trial evaluating nivolumab for patients with thymic epithelial tumor and currently engaging multimodality therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, registration trial of minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis for lung cancer in Japan.

He has provided many presentations at key academic conferences, including the IASLC, ASCO, and ESMO. He published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, mainly in thoracic oncology.

Professor Isabelle Opitz is Director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chair of the Lung Cancer Center, and Board member of the Robotic and Transplant Center at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. She is Professor/Ordinaria for Thoracic Surgery at the University of Zurich. Her clinical areas of expertise are the surgical treatment of lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and lung transplantation. 

She has received several national and international awards for her research and has acquired more than 13 million Euro grants for her own research. She received the Robert J. Ginsberg Lectureship Award for Surgery from IASLC in 2022 and the Tudor Edwards Lecture Award from SCTS in 2023. She is the author of more than 240 articles, including 161 original articles, multiple reviews, and book chapters. She is Past President and Past Treasurer of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons. For this society, she still serves as a member of the Robotic Working Group, organizing the newly founded ESTS Robotic Academy, and is chair of the Clinical Trial Working Group, the Thoracic European Surgical Trials (TEST) Clinical Trials Platform. She is the International Director of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and serves in their Thoracic Education Committee and the Thoracic Clinical Practice Standards Committee. She will be one of the co-chairs of the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer 2025. 

Helmut Prosch, MD, is an Associate Professor of Radiology and the section chief of thoracic imaging at the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. He obtained his medical degree in 2000 from the University of Vienna and trained in Radiology at the Otto Wagner Hospital in Vienna. Previously, he worked as a research fellow at the Children’s Cancer Research Institute in Vienna. 

Dr. Prosch’s research primarily focuses on the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, as well as the application of deep learning in predicting treatment response on lung cancer and in diagnosing diffuse parenchymal lung diseases. He has authored more than 250 articles, reviews, and book chapters, and serves as the deputy editor of European Radiology. Additionally, he is the current president elect of the European Society of Thoracic Imaging (ESTI). 

Dr. Prosch is part of the coordination team for the EU-funded project “Strengthening the Screening of Lung Cancer in Europe” (SOLACE), which seeks to advance the implementation of lung cancer screening programs across Europe. As part of this initiative, he leads Work Package 7, dedicated to sustainability and training. 

Dr. Prosch served as a member of the organizing committee of the World Conference on Lung Cancer in 2016 and in 2022 as a co-chair. Since 2026 he has been a member of the Member of the Staging and Prognostic Factors Group for the 9th and 10th Edition of the IASLC Staging Project. 

Dr. Sen is a recognized leader in lung cancer research, specializing in therapy-resistant cancers like small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and oncogene-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Her pioneering work on DNA damage response (DDR) pathways and immune activation through the STING pathway has led to the development of novel therapeutic strategies and clinical trials aimed at improving treatment for aggressive lung cancers. Additionally, she has identified key molecular drivers of NSCLC-to-SCLC transformation, advanced the understanding of therapy resistance, and driven innovative treatment approaches. 

With over 60 peer-reviewed publications in top journals such as Cancer Discovery and Nature Communications, Dr. Sen has made significant contributions to the scientific community. Her research has been recognized with multiple prestigious awards, including the AAAS Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Award and the 40 Under 40 in Cancer: Emerging Leaders Award. As an independent investigator, she has secured three NIH R01 grants and garnered funding from major pharmaceutical companies. 

Dr. Sen’s impact extends beyond research. She has played a pivotal role in the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), contributing to key scientific and leadership initiatives. Through her involvement in organizing conferences, reviewing abstracts, and serving on committees, she has advanced the global lung cancer research agenda. Her commitment to mentorship is equally strong, having mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and junior faculty, fostering the next generation of cancer researchers. She has served as the President of the Association for Women in Science Gulf Coast Houston Chapter. Her commitment to leadership reflects her dedication to enhancing diversity, inclusion, and professional development within the field. 

Dr. Sen’s ongoing contributions to lung cancer research, clinical trials, continued leadership, and commitment to mentorship continue to shape the future of the field, improving outcomes for patients and inspiring the next generation of scientists.