Keynote Speakers
Louis S. Constine, MD, FACR, is the Philip Rubin Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester, US. In addition, he is the director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute Judy DiMarzo Cancer Survivorship Program. He is also vice chair of the department of radiation oncology.
He has board certifications in Pediatrics, Pediatric Oncology and Radiation Oncology. His clinical and scientific interests are in lymphomas, sarcomas, all pediatric malignancies, and the broad area of Survivorship that includes the acute and chronic effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy on normal tissues.
PD Dr. Miriam Götte works at the West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen. She is head of the “exercise oncology” working group at the WTZ. She and her team are researching the benefits of physical activity in pediatric, adolescent, and adult cancer patients and survivors. With her research, she aims to integrate physical activity and exercise interventions into standard care for cancer patients and survivors. She focuses on the physiological, psychosocial and biological effects of exercise, with an emphasis on its effects on children, adolescents and young adults.
She is project lead of the nationwide Network ActiveOncoKids (NAOK). The initiative NAOK seeks to incorporate qualified exercise programs into the standard care in pediatric oncology and facilitates access for all children and adolescents with cancer.
Hans Knoop, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, full professor at the Department of Medical Psychology at the Amsterdam UMC and principal investigator at the Cancer Center Amsterdam. The focus of his research is on evidence-based behavioral interventions for persistent somatic symptoms. He has studied cancer related fatigue in both adult and childhood cancer survivors and conducted several randomized controlled trials testing the efficacy of behavioral interventions for fatigue.
Thomas E. Merchant, DO PhD is Baddia J. Rashid Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He has practiced as a pediatric radiation oncologist for 30 years. He is immediate past Chair of the Radiation Oncology Committee for the Children's Oncology Group. His research is focused on advancing radiotherapy for children with brain tumors. He led the development of the world's first proton therapy center dedicated solely to the treatment of children.
Adekemi Oyewusi is a childhood cancer survivor. At the age of 8, she was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, treated and managed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Ile Ife, Nigeria. Due to her experience, she has become a childhood cancer advocate and helps to create awareness, support and drive childhood cancer programs through an NGO in Nigeria “The Dorcas Cancer Foundation”, where she currently serves as an Advisory Board Member.
Her mid to long term goal is to have a network of Patient-Survivor group in Nigeria and by extension Africa. She is currently working on a maiden edition of the Survivor network group in Nigeria and hopes to launch this in 2024.
Harun Šabić is a CCI Europe Committee Member. Being a childhood cancer survivor himself, motivated him to volunteer as a patient representative. Now, he helps children and young adults to receive high quality care during and after their cancer treatment.