Professor Thomas Berg is Head of the Department of Gastroenterology and Rheumatology – Section Hepatology at the University Hospital Leipzig (Germany).

Marco J. Bruno (1963) is a full professor of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and chief of the department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.

He received his training at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam under the supervision of Prof. dr. Guido Tytgat and Prof. dr. Kees Huibregtse. His clinical and research activities focus on gastrointestinal oncology, hepato-pancreato-biliary diseases and interventional endoscopy, including endoscopic retrograde cholangio¬pancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). He (co)-author of numerous peer reviewed articles in high ranking journals including the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a recognized international authority on the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases and has served as invited faculty at many international conferences and live endoscopy workshops. He is chairman of the Dutch Pancreatitis Study Group, council member end treasurer of the European Association of Gastroenterology, Endoscopy & Nutrition (EAGEN), and past council member and chairman of the Education Committee of United European Gastroenterology (UEG).

The Erasmus Medical Center is a large tertiary care 1320 bed academic hospital located in the city of Rotterdam the Netherlands. The department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology employs 16 staff members covering all the relevant GI & H specialty areas including hepatology (hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplantation), advanced endoscopy, GI oncology (esophageal, stomach, pancreas and colon), and inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal ischemia. The department has 16 fellows in training to become gastroenterologists and 2 foreign fellows for advanced endoscopy training. The department has its own dedicated laboratory facilities for translational and basic research. In total, 40 PhD students are working in the department to complete their PhD thesis on clinical, translational and basic research topics covering the various focus areas of the department.

Medical Training
1987 – 1993 Regensburg, Munich and Lausanne

Internship/Residency
1994 – 2002 Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Senior physician
2002 – 2007 Hematology and Oncology, Technical University of Munich, Germany
2007 – 2009 National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University of Heidelberg, Germany

Director
2009 – 2012 Director of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Klinikum Braunschweig, Germany
Since 2012 Director of the University Cancer Center (UCCL), University of Leipzig, Germany

Qualifications/Degrees
1994 Degree „Doctor medicinae“ (M.D.)
2000 Degree in „Internal Medicine”2003Degree in “Hematology and Medical Oncology”
2003 European Certification in Medical Oncology
2006 Habilitation (Ph.D. equivalent)
2010 Appointment as Associate Professor, Hannover
2012 Appointment as Full Professor, Leipzig

Professional societies
1997 German Society of Internal Medicine (DGIM)
2001 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
2001 German Society of Hemato-Oncology (GSHO)
2002 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
2002 European Orgsanization of research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
2004 German Cancer Society (DKG)
2013 International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA)

Leadership positions
2004 – 2008 Chairman of the “Esophageal and Gastric Cancer Working Group” of the AIO/German Cancer Society
2007 – 2013 Board of Directors of the AIO
2008 – 2014 Chairman of the Gastric and Esophageal Cancer Task Force of the EORTC
Since 2012 Chairman of the “Palliative Care” working group of the German Cancer Society
Since 2014 Secretary elect of the EORTC GI Tract Cancer Working Group
Since 2014 Executive Board (representative for hematology/oncology) of the German Society of Internal Medicine
Since 2014 Secretary of the German Cancer Society

Scientific focus
Treatment of esophago-gastric cancer; Biomarker- and response-guided treatment; Palliative Care

Peter Malfertheiner is Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases at the Otto v. Guericke University of Magdeburg in Germany, an appointment he has held since 1995 and has been Professor for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at the University of Bonn from 1993 – 1994.

He received his MD from the University of Bologna, Italy in 1975, and gained subsequent medical experience at the Regional Hospital of Bozen, Italy, and the University Hospital of Ulm, Germany (1978-1992), a Research Fellow at the Mayo Clinic GI Unit in Rochester, MN, USA. Professor Malfertheiner has been Chairman of the UEGF (2004) and President of the UEGW 2006 and of the Education Committee of the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF). He is also the Editor of Digestive Diseases, Associate Editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, and a member of the Editorial Boards of several other journals; the European Journal of Gastroenterology, Helicobacter, Digestive Surgery, and the International Journal of Pancreatology. His main research interests are Helicobacter pylori infection and related diseases, chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis, gastric cancer, hepatocellular cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Frederik Nevens, MD, is chairman of the Department of Hepatology, the Head Lab of Hepatology at University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) and the medical director of the Liver Transplant program In Leuven, as well as senior clinical investigator of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders. He is also a professor of medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven.

A specialist in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and hepatology, he earned his medical degree from the Catholic University of Leuven as well as a PhD in the pathophysiology of esophageal varices. Current research interests include complications of cirrhosis, liver transplantation, and chronic hepatitis B and C viruses and polycystic liver disease. The author of more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, Dr. Nevens is a board member of the Flemish Society of Gastroenterology and the Belgian Transplant Society, and is a member of the European and International Associations for the Study of the Liver and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He cofounded the Belgian Association of the Study of the Liver, and has served as an EASL board member and president of the Belgian Liver and Intestinal Transplantation Committee.

P. Ronan O’Connell is Head of Surgical Specialties at UCD School of Medicine and Chairman of Surgery at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

He is President Elect of ESCP, Secretary of the BJS Society, Editor in chief of the European Surgical Association and Associate Editor of DCR. His research interests include IBD, management of rectal cancer and pelvic floor physiology.

Jaroslaw Regula graduated from University Medical School, Warsaw, Poland in 1981.
Gastroenterology training completed 1992.
Research fellow at University College London, UK, 1992-93.
Board member of European Association of Gastroenterology, Endoscopy and Nutrtion.

Presently Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, Medical Center for Postgraduate Education and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw. Research interests: digestive endoscopy, colorectal cancer screening, Barrett’s oesophagus.

Selected refs.:
1) Regula J et al: Colonoscopy in colorectal-cancer screening for detection of advanced neoplasia. NEJM 2006;355:1863-72
2) Kaminski MF, Regula J et al: Quality indicators for colonoscopy and the risk of interval cancer. NEJM 2010;362:1795-803

Bjorn Rembacken was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist & Honorary Lecturer at Leeds University and Training Lead for Endoscopy in Leeds in 2005.

He was born in Sweden and qualified from Leicester University in 1987. He undertook his postgraduate education in Leicester and in Leeds. His MD was dedicated to inflammatory bowel disease. Dr Rembacken was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist, Honorary Lecturer at Leeds University and Training Lead for Endoscopy in Leeds in 2005. Although his MD was entitled “The role of Escherichia coli in inflammatory bowel disease”, his heart was always in endoscopy! Dr Rembacken has a particular interest in therapeutic endoscopy including EMR and ESD techniques. Positions BSG Endoscopy committee BSG Research committee BSG Information committee European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy board World Association of Digestive Endoscopy (OMED) – MST working group lead UEG eLearning editor

Education
1980 – 1986 Medical School at the Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria
1986 Medical license
1993 Habilitation (Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria)

Academic Positions:
1986 – 1991 Internship, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria
1991 – 1993 Research Fellowship, Tufts University, Boston, USA (Charles A. Dinarello)
1993 – 1997 Tenured position, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Innsbruck
1993 – 2001 Vice-Chairman, Department of Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck
1996 Primo loco as full professor (§98) for Gastroenterology at Innsbruck Medical University – declined
1997 Clinical Fellowship, Department of Gastroenterology, Gasthuisberg, University Leuven, Belgium
2002 – 2012 Head, Department of Medicine, Academic Teaching Hospital Hall in Tirol, Austria
2011 Primo loco as full professor (W3) for Gastroenterology at University of Tübingen, Germany – declined
2012 Appointment as §98 Univ.-Prof. and Director of the Division of Endocrinology, Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University

National and International activities:
1998 – 2001 Member, Scientific Committee EASL (European Association Study of Liver Diseases)
2005 Organizer of International Falk-Meeting in Innsbruck
2005 – 2011 Member, Scientific Committee ECCO (European Crohn´s Colitis Organization)
2007 Organizer of International ECCO-Meeting in Innsbruck
2012 Organizer of International Falk-Meeting in Munich

Five most relevant fellowships, prices and awards:
1992 Friedrich Wewalka Award1994Anton-von-Eiselsberg Award (van Swieten Society)
1995 Sandoz Award for Medicine
2006 Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
2009 City of Innsbruck Award

Research interests:
Mechanisms of chronic inflammation; cytokine and adipocytokine research; intestinal immunity; metabolic inflammation.

Publications (peer-reviewed):
>150 Originals, >50 Invited Reviews, Total IF: >1350