Nominating Committee

Dr. Paul Van Schil joined the IASLC Board of Directors in 2017 and has served as Chair of its Staging and Prognostic Factors Committee since 2017. He is now the Past President of the IASLC. 

Dr. Van Schil is a professor of thoracic and vascular surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, a member of the Antwerp Surgical Training and Research Center (ASTARC), and a consultant at the Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the Antwerp University Hospital.
His research focuses on thoracic and vascular surgery with an emphasis on lung cancer staging and therapy, lung metastases, and mesothelioma. Dr. Van Schil has authored or co-authored nearly 250 articles and 44 book chapters. Dr. Van Schil graduated from medical school in 1982 at Antwerp University in Belgium. After completing his training in general surgery, he became a fellow in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.

Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, FACP, FASCO, is the Chief of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute and holds the M. Frank Rudy and Margaret D. Rudy Distinguished Chair in Translational Cancer Research at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Adjei has had leadership roles in the National Cancer Enterprise of the US, serving in multiple roles and on several National Cancer Institute (NCI) committees. He was the Chair of the NIH Study Section NCRR reviewing CTSAs, a member of the Clinical Oncology Study Section (CONC), and the NCI IRG Subcommittee A, which reviews Cancer Centers. He was the Lung Committee Chair and Group Vice Chair of the NCCTG. He co-chaired the Clinical Trials Design Task Force, and the Thoracic Malignancies Steering Committee for two terms and co-chaired the SCLC Progress Review Group. He has chaired an external review panel for the NCI intra-mural thoracic and GI malignancies branch and has served on the Committee on Diagnosing and Treating Adult Cancers of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He is a member of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors, a former member of the Board of Directors of the IASLC, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. He has served on numerous committees in AACR, ASCO and ESMO. His research focuses on experimental therapeutics and clinical drug development. He received the first ASCO Drug Development Research Professorship in recognition of his mentorship and work in cancer drug development. He also received the inaugural IASLC Adi F. Gazdar Merit Award for Distinguished Service in Lung Cancer in 2020 and the ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. He has authored over 300 publications, primarily dealing with preclinical pharmacology, phase I trials, and novel therapies for lung cancer. 

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. 

Professor Benjamin Solomon is a medical oncologist and head of the lung medical oncology service at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Following his training in medical oncology, he was a recipient of an IASLC fellowship in 2004 and proceeded to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado under the supervision of Professors Paul Bunn and Fred Hirsch. He returned to Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2006, where he heads the Lung Medical Oncology Service and is a Group Leader of the Molecular Therapeutics and Biomarkers Laboratory in the Research Division. His clinical trial work focuses on the identification of novel therapies for lung cancer, including novel targeted therapy and immunotherapy approaches. He has been involved in practice-changing clinical trials with novel inhibitors of ALK, ROS1, NTRK, BRAF, cMET, RET, and KRAS, including pivotal trials leading to registration of drugs including crizotinib, ceritinib, lorlatinib, repotrectinib, and selpercatinib.

He has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). He is a founding board member of the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia (TOGA) and is a Board Member of the Cancer Council of Victoria. He has served on several committees for the IASLC, including the fellowship committee, and was chair from 2016-2018. 

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. 

Clarissa Baldotto, MD, MSc, PhD, is a dedicated thoracic medical oncologist from Brazil, recognized for her commitment to clinical research, education, and leadership in oncology. Dr. Baldotto’s academic journey began at Universidade Federal Fluminense, where she earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD). She then pursued a specialization in Internal Medicine followed by a residency in Medical Oncology at the Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA), one of Brazil’s leading cancer institutions. Her passion for research and education led her to complete a Master’s in Oncology at INCA and a PhD in Medical Sciences at Instituto D’Or for Research and Education, focusing on lung cancer, both under the mentorship of Dr. Carlos Gil Ferreira. 

She currently serves as Medical Director of Oncology Integrated Care at Rede D’Or. She is also a permanent professor in the Doctorate Program at Instituto D’Or for Research and Education (ID’Or), where she coordinates the Oncology Residence program, mentors young oncologists, and fosters new research initiatives. Rede D’Or is the most extensive hospital network in Brazil. 

Beyond academia, Dr. Baldotto plays an active role in oncology leadership. She is President-Elect of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC) and former President of the Brazilian School of Oncology, having previously served as President of the Brazilian Group of Thoracic Oncology (GBOT) and reinforcing her influence in shaping policies that support oncology professionals. Internationally, she is an active member of IASLC’s Education Committee and chairs the Webinars Subcommittee, working to expand global access to lung cancer education. 

A respected researcher and speaker at oncology meetings across Latin America and beyond, Dr. Baldotto is committed to bridging clinical research, education, and oncology advocacy to drive meaningful advancements in the field. 

Dr. Chang is a thoracic radiation oncologist with more than 30 years of experience with clinical care and research focusing on lung cancer. He holds a tenured Texas 4000 Distinguished Professorship and is Director of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Radiation Oncology and has been recognized with the Best Doctors of America award. He is a voting committee member of NCCN thoracic guidelines and co-chair of the international particle therapy PTCOG scientific program committee. As one of the pioneers in the field of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR, or SBRT: stereotactic body radiation therapy), proton therapy, and immunotherapy for lung cancer, he published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals, including LANCET, Nature, JAMA, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, RED J, Green J, and various others. His prospective studies including randomized studies comparing surgery vs. SABR in operable stage I lung cancer, stereotactic proton vs. photon radiotherapy in challenging early-stage lung cancer, immunotherapy plus SABR (I-SABR) vs. SABR alone in early-stage lung cancer were the first reported studies in the world. He led the first concurrent proton therapy and chemotherapy in stage III lung cancer, and his team implemented the first intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in lung cancer. His research has helped to establish the role of SABR, proton therapy, and I-SABR in lung cancer. Additionally, on behalf of national and international societies, including the IASLC ART committee, he has led several important consensus statements that have significantly impacted the radiation oncology community about SABR, proton therapy in lung cancer, IMPT in moving thoracic cancers, management of small cell lung cancer, oligometastasis, and re-irradiation of thoracic cancer. 

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.

Dr. Mary Pasquinelli is a doctorate-prepared nurse practitioner specializing in lung cancer, with expertise spanning the entire continuum from screening and pulmonary nodule management to diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Her clinical research focuses on lung cancer, screening, and health disparities, with a strong commitment to improving access to early detection and care for underserved populations. 

Dr. Pasquinelli developed and directed the Lung Cancer Screening Program at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) in Chicago, serving predominantly minority populations from low-resource communities. Under her leadership, UI Health’s lung screening program has gained national recognition and has been designated a GO2 for Lung Cancer and an American College of Radiology Lung Cancer Screening Center of Excellence. 

As a certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, she has integrated comprehensive smoking cessation services into the Lung Screening Program and medical oncology clinic, ensuring a holistic approach to lung health. She has worked to implement patient-centered initiatives that improve lung cancer prevention efforts and enhance engagement in smoking cessation treatment. 

She serves as principal investigator or co-investigator on multiple grants and research protocols focusing on thoracic oncology and health disparities. Her research, published in JAMA Oncology, has demonstrated higher rates of positive lung screens and diagnosed lung cancer among UI Health’s screening population compared to the NLST. She has also conducted studies assessing the PLCOm2012 risk prediction model impact on race/sex disparities, published in JTO and Chest, and plays a key role in AI-driven lung cancer risk prediction through the Sybil Consortium. 

Dr. Pasquinelli is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. In 2021, she received the Prevent Cancer Foundation James L. Mulshine National Leadership Award. Last year, she was honored with UI Health’s Nurse Practitioner of the Year award, the highest recognition for nurse practitioners at UI Health. 

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. 

Professor Jie Wang has more than 30 years of experience in thoracic cancers. She is the chair of the medical oncology division at the National Cancer Center, Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, which has led the nation’s cancer medicine and research in China. 

Professor Jie Wang established herself as a medical oncologist dedicated to research mainly focused on lung cancer, notably in biomarkers, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Her pioneering work on non-invasive molecular subtyping of NSCLC based on circulating tumor DNA established the foundation for liquid biopsy as a diagnostic standard. She also dedicates her work by engaging in clinical research on new drugs. She had led and co-led multiple national and international phase III clinical trials, including Choice-01, Capstone-1, Rationale 307, etc., to address various aspects of the management of advanced lung cancer. These works have been published in over 150 articles as corresponding authors in international peer-reviewed journals, including The Lancet Oncology, Cancer Cell, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and Journal of Clinical Oncology, and also adopted by multiple guidelines, including NCCN, ASCO, ESMO, and CSCO. She was awarded the IASLC Heine H. Hansen Lectureship Award in 2023. 

She is serving multiple leadership roles in China’s leading oncology organizations, including Vice President of CSCO, Chair of the CSCO Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Committee, and Chair of the Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, driving multidisciplinary collaboration, standardized care, and capacity-building. She has had a long-standing involvement with WCLC since 2011, and she is now serving on the Membership Committee and DEI Task Force. Also, she co-chaired the 2024 Asia Conference of Lung Cancer in Hong Kong.