International Speakers

Muneeb Ahmed
Mini-currículo: Dr. Muneeb Ahmed, MD FSIR, is Chief of the Division of Interventional Radiology and a Vice-Chair of Radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. His primary clinical and research interests are in Interventional Radiology treatments for cancer including image-guided tumor ablation and embolization, and advanced interventional treatment for complex portal hypertension. Dr. Ahmed directs the NIH-funded Minimally-Invasive Tumor Therapy Laboratory, where his team studies tumor ablation biology, targeted drug delivery, and systemic effects of locoregional cancer therapies. He is currently President-Elect of the Society of Interventional Oncology.

Ajay K. Wakhloo, MD, PhD, FAHA FSNIS is an internationally renowned Interventional Neuroradiologist. Dr. Wakhloo is Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. He received his medical degree from the University of Mainz, Germany, where he also received his Ph.D. He completed a fellowship in interventional Neuroradiology at the University of Freiburg, Germany and an Endovascular Neurosurgery fellowship in the department of Neurosurgery at SUNY-Buffalo.
Dr. Wakhloo has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Heart Association (AHA), private foundations and industry. He has over 500 publications, presentations and abstracts, including 2 books on stroke treatment, and more than 300 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He has been the recipient of numerous scientific awards and honors, among others Whitaker Bioengineering Research Foundation Award, German Society of Neuroradiology and Society of Vascular Interventional Neurology Innovation Award. He was named a Fellow of the American Heart Association and the Stroke Council in 2009 and Fellow of the Society for Neurointerventional Surgery in 2022. He holds several US patents for neurovascular devices.
Dr. Wakhloo pioneered the field of flow diversion, the newest technology for the minimally invasive treatment of brain aneurysms. He has been the central figure in the commercial development of this technology, which in 2018 received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a premarket approval (PMA). He was also the first to introduce and publish in 2008 the concept of using a retrievable stent to remove an embolus for the treatment of stroke which is currently the standard endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke. He has been a founder and has served as CEO and CMO of various medical device companies. Dr. Wakhloo has, throughout his career, been dedicated to teaching and mentoring faculty, fellows and residents from various disciplines as well as supervising doctoral students and serving as a research adviser to individuals throughout their research careers.

Neurocirujano - Neurointervencionista - Radioneurocirugia Gamma Knife Icon®️ en Fundación Clínica Shai.

Baljendra S. Kapoor, MD, FACR, FSIR
Clinical Professor, Radiology
Director, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Boris Pabon M.D. Received Medical school degree at CES University. Graduated as Neurosurgeon from Antioquia University and trained in INR at SILAN Scholarship in 2004. Since that date he has served as Chief of Multiples Interventional Neuroradiology (INR) within the Department of Radiology and Neurosurgery. The INR service provides full-time coverage of several hospitals in Medellín.
Currently, Medellin INR group has become one of the busiest and most well recognized centers in the country. Our section has pioneered the interventional treatment of ruptured and un- ruptured brain aneurysms by endovascular coiling techniques, acute ischemic stroke therapy by intra-arterial thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy , treatment of complex dural arteriovenous fistula's by endovascular occlusion with embolic agents, treatment of carotid atherosclerosis by carotid artery stenting, schlerotherapy for facial vascular malformations, and the diagnosis and treatment of complex spinal cord vascular abnormalities.
Dr. Pabón has worked with veterinarians and technologists at the Private Faculty to develop various animal models including rabbits, pigs, and dogs, to create simulations of pathologies such as arteriovenous fistula's and aneurysms.
Dr. Pabón has spent considerable time training physicians from all over LATAM on these new devices and techniques by overseeing both animal labs and bench-top training of new devices and techniques for neurointerventional therapies, over the last decade.

Dr. Bruno Odisio é Professor Associado e Co-Diretor de Pesquisa no Departamento de Radiologia Intervencionista da Universidade to Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Investiga o uso de terapias locais minimamente invasivas para câncer de fígado, incluindo terapias ablativas percutâneas. Ele também investiga métodos avançados de imagem para melhorar procedimentos minimamente invasivos e cirurgias hepato-biliares.

Dr. Peña is Board-certified in Diagnostic Radiology with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Vascular and Interventional Radiology. He is a diplomate of the Board of Cardiovascular CT. He is a fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Society of Cardiovascular CT. He is an active member of the Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology and American Heart Association.
Interventional radiologist Constantino Peña, MD, joined the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute team in 2005. Previously, he was director of interventional radiology at Mercy Hospital in Miami. His experience also includes a staff position in abdominal imaging and intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital. During his years there, he also was a clinical fellow in radiology at Harvard Medical School, and later an instructor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Peña received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University, and his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. He then completed an internship in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a residency in diagnostic radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served as chief resident. He then completed his post-graduate training with a fellowship in vascular intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital.
He has authored and co-authored many scientific articles and chapters that have been published in medical journals, including the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Journal of Vascular Surgery, and American Journal of Radiology. He has also presented numerous lectures and education sessions for doctors on clinical research trials, atherosclerotic occlusive disease, aortic aneurysms, uterine artery embolization, peripheral angiography and vascular imaging.
He is a program director for the International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) and Symposium on Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO).

Biosketech
Prof. Daniel Behme currently serves as the head of the University Clinic for Neuroradiology in Magdeburg, Germany. He received his training in Neurology, Radiology, and Neuroradiology at the University Medical Center in Göttingen, Germany.
With a profound passion for advancing medical science, Prof. Behme has dedicated his career to conducting research in the field of neurological diseases, with a particular focus on acute stroke management and interventional neuroradiology. He has also been actively involved in various aspects of intracranial aneurysms, including clinical trials and peri-interventional imaging. Recently, he and his research group have initiated a large collaborative project, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which aims to investigate the limitations of flow diverter treatments thoroughly.
Apart from his interest in acute stroke management and neuro-imaging at the 7T units in Magdeburg, Prof. Behme exhibits a strong passion for medical education and the training of fellows. He strives to enhance medical education using modern techniques, such as video teaching of angiographic procedures, and innovative teaching concepts like micro-learning.
At the STIMULATE Research Campus in Magdeburg, Prof. Behme plays a crucial role in organizing several hands-on training courses for neurovascular interventions, further emphasizing his commitment to education and knowledge dissemination.
For more information about the STIMULATE Research Campus, please visit their website: https://archiv.forschungscampus-stimulate.de/en/start/index.html.

Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology, Iowa University
Edgar A. Samaniego, MD, MS, is the Director of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship. He is an experienced board-certified Vascular Neurologist, Neurocritical Care and Neurointerventional Surgeon. Dr. Samaniego is a clinical Associate Professor in Neurology with secondary appointments in Neurosurgery and Radiology. His research focuses is in high-resolution imaging and post-acquisition processing for the study of acute stroke. His laboratory has developed a pipeline for the study and characterization of brain aneurysms and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The ultimate goal of his laboratory is to determine biological features of the aneurysm wall that would lead to the identification of unstable aneurysms. His laboratory also studies intracranial atherosclerosis to better characterize plaque burden and response to medical interventions.

Ethel Rivas
Mini-currículo:
2022-02 - Current Medical Director of Radiology Analiza Images, San Salvador, El Salvador 2012-01 - Current Interventional Radiologist Salvadorean Institute of Social Security, San Salvador, El Salvador Teamed with other physicians, specialists and health care providers to provide well-rounded care for complex cases. Conducted radiological procedures requiring image-guided interventions.
Women´s Health: Embolization procedures for Uterine Fibroids and Obstetric emergencies. First time procedures in El Salvador Oncologic procedures: Biopsy, Ablation and tumoral Embolization. First time procedures in El Salvador Management of complex interventional procedures in biliary and pancreatic disease.

Especialista en Neurocirugía, H.I.G.A. San Martin 1998-2003, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Especialista en Diagnóstico por Imágenes, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2003 – 2007. Especialista en Hemodinamia, Angiología Diagnóstica y Terapéutica, Universidad de Buenos Aires – Colegio Argentino de Caridioangiología Intervencionista, Facultad de Medicina, 2008 – 2011. Medico de Staff, Servicio de Neuroradiología Intervencionista, Instituto Médico ENERI desde 2003. Medico de Staff, Servicio de Neuroradiología Diagnóstica e Intervencionista, Clínica La Sagrada Familia desde 2006.

Médico Radiologista de Intervenção:
- Hospital Curry Cabral, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central
- Hospital da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa
- Hospital CUF Infante Santo
- Doutorando do Programa Doutoral da Nova Medical School / Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
- Assistente Convidado do Mestrado Integrado em Medicina da Nova Medical School / Faculdade de Ciências Médicas

Licenciado em Medicina pela Universidade de Glasgow, Reino Unido, onde residiu, concluindo a licenciatura (MBChB) com 17.5 valores. Em 2007 venceu o Medical Student 1st Prize do Scottish Committee of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Realizou estágios formativos no Massachussets General Hospital, Boston, EUA, e no Narrabeen Sports Medicine Center, Sydney, Austrália. Certificado pela Educational Committee for Foreign Medical Graduates para o exercício da Medicina nos EUA.
Iniciou a actividade clínica em Portugal em 2008, tendo ingressado na especialidade de Radiologia em 2010, após um ano de Medicina Interna, no Centro Hospitalar do Algarve. Completou a diferenciação em Radiologia de Intervenção no Centro Hepato-Bilio-Pancreático e de Transplatação do Hospital Curry Cabral e no Hospital de São José e no Serviço de Radiologia de Intervenção do Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto.
Completou a pós-graduação em Investigação Clínica – Clinical Scholars Research Training – pelo programa Harvard Medical School Portugal 2014/15.
Assistente Convidado do Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina da Universidade do Algarve desde 2010.
Tem como intenção profissional desenvolver carreira clínica e académica, quer em investigação quer no ensino pré e pós-graduado, centradas na Radiologia de Intervenção Vascular e Oncológica.

Dr. Flavio REQUEJO - Endovascular Neurosurgeon
Degree in Medicine from Buenos Aires University (UBA).
Graduation date 11^th September 1989
Neurosurgery specialist
Fellow in Neuroradiology 1999-2000 in Freiburg University, Germany.
Head Professor, Dr. Martin Schumacher
Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology Section in JP Garrahan National pediatric Hospital from 2018.
Professional and Honorary Societies
Full Member of the Argentinian Association of Neurosurgery from 2000
Full Member of the Argentinian College of Neurosurgeons from 2000
Senior Member of the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology (WFITN), from 2004
Full Member of Argentinian College of Neurointervention (CANI) from 2016
Representative List of Scientific Publications as Fi

Chief of Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Ultrasound Medical Director
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Bio
Dr. Francisco Donato earned his medical degree from the University of Sao Paulo. He completed his radiology residency and a Body Imaging Fellowship at the University of Sao Paulo. He also completed a Body MRI fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and an Advanced Vascular and Interventional Radiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. His main focus of work and research is on medical education, chronic liver disease, thyroid cancer, and interventional oncology.

Gloria Salazar, M.D., FSIR is certified by the American Board of Radiology, with added qualification in Vascular and Interventional Radiology. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology and Vice Chair of Diversity and Health Equity of the Radiology Department at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A specialist in women’s and venous interventional procedures, her clinical interests include Women’s Health, superficial/deep venous disease, pelvic venous disorders, and vascular malformations. Gloria Salazar, MD, FSIR, is a Vascular and Interventional Radiologist at University of North Carolina.  She trained in radiology at Universidade Federal de São Paulo and completed her fellowship in Vascular & Interventional Radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She became a driving force for women's health as past chair of the Society of Interventional Radiology Women’s Health Council. She has continued to not only have a national impact, but also an international impact on the field of Interventional Radiology. She routinely speaks at worldwide conferences and continues to author numerous publications, allowing for the further development of the field of Interventional Radiology. She is currently the Vice Chair of Diversity and Health Equity of the Radiology Department at the University of North Carolina.

Dr Gustavo S Oderich is a vascular surgeon practicing in Houston, Texas. He is associated with a number of local hospitals, including Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital. He graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul School of Medicine and has been in practice for almost two decades.
Dr. Oderich worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he served as Chair of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Division. He is credited with his extensive work and research in endovascular repair of complex aortic pathologies. He serves as the national principal investigator for multiple clinical trials, including the Cook Thoracoabdominal Branch Stent Graft Trial and ZFEN Plus Stent Graft Trial, and has served on the Editorial boards of many esteemed medical journals in the field of vascular surgery, including as an Associate Editor of the Annals of Vascular Surgery. Dr. Oderich is also the Chair and Reporting Standards Fenestrated and Branched Endografts for the Society for Vascular Surgery.
Lucas Freire.

Dr. Joao Guilherme Amaral is a Professor of Radiology at the University of Toronto and a Pediatric Interventional Radiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Amaral graduated from the Federal University of Parana - Brazil in 1996 and completed his Radiology residency at the same institution in 2000. He then completed fellowships in Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Interventional Radiology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is currently the Division Head of Pediatric IR at the Image Guided Therapy Centre, the Women’s Auxiliary Chair in Image Guided Care and the co-chair for the Image Guided Care Centre at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Amaral’s areas of special interest include the diagnosis and management of vascular malformations, renovascular disease, lymphatic interventions and MR guided procedures

Klaus Hausegger is CVIR’s editor-in-chief. Prof. Hausegger graduated from the Medical University of Graz in 1984 and became a full radiologist in 1992. Shortly after, he became an assistant professor at the Medical University of Graz. He held positions as the deputy head of the Department of radiology and the Department of vascular and interventional radiology at the University Hospital of Graz.
His research interests lie in the field of vascular interventions including hepatobiliary interventions, TIPS and neurointerventions. He is currently the department head of Diagnostic and interventional radiology at Klagenfurt State Hospital in Austria.

Dr. Marcelo Guimarães started his six years of medical training at the School of Medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. During his time in medical school he volunteered at the Hospital Santa Casa, the Hospital de Clinicas and the Hospital Santa Casa, all located in Porto Alegre. At these hospitals he spent time in intensive care, gastroenterology, internal medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery and radiology. He also taught human anatomy, clinical biochemistry, clinical pathology and clinical epidemiology. In 1994, during his third year of medical school, Dr. Guimarães traveled to Oxford Medical University (John Radcliffe Hospital) in England for two months where he had his first exposure to minimally invasive procedures performed under image guidance. Upon his return to Brazil after finishing medical school, he had post-graduate training that included a general surgery residency, a general and interventional radiology residency (Hospital de Clínicas in Porto Alegre and in Recife, Brazil, respectively) and a two year fellowship at the interventional radiology division at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.After 12 years of medical education in Brazil and in United States, Dr. Guimarães developed successful academic (Hospital de Clinicas) and private (Hospital Moinhos de Vento) practices in Porto Alegre, Brazil where more than 2,000 different interventional radiology procedures were performed from 2005 to 2007. The lack of time to work simultaneously in clinical practice and research made the invitation to return to work at MUSC very attractive.Dr. Guimarães began working as an assistant professor at the division of vascular and interventional radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina in January 2008. Since then, he has worked on research projects and has been invited to present lectures in several relevant national and international meetings in his field of work. He is deeply interested in peripheral vascular disease and in oncology procedures. Dr. Guimarães’ strongest interests are in the development of new interventional radiology techniques and devices that can increase procedure safety and in providing superior care to his patients.

Graduate of the Medical School Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. He completed his radiology residency and Neurorradiology fellowship at the Hospital Puerta de Hierro and Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid. ECFMG Certified. Since 2012, he is the Director of the Interventional Neuroradiology at Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, where has participaded in international publications and clinical research projects for neuroendovascular diseases.

Mini-currículo: Head of Radiology Service. Regional Hospital of Talca, Chile. Coordinator of the Interventional Vascular Radiology Unit at the Regional Hospital of Talca, Chile. Member of the Board of the Ibero-American Society of Interventionism (SIDI).

Nuno Vasco Veloso Pereira da Costa
Cédula Profissional: 52546

Mestrado Integrado em Medicina
Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior (2006-2011), com a média final de 17.483 valores.

Tese de Mestrado “TC e risco cognitivo: uma prospecção no idoso do Vale do Tejo”, sob orientação do Prof. Doutor Jaime Cruz Maurício, classificada com nota de 20 valores.

Formação específica em Radiologia no Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central (2013-2017) sob orientação do Prof. Doutor Tiago Bilhim.

Estágios de diferenciação:
Radiologia músculo-esquelética - Hospital da Luz (HLuz)
Radiologia cabeça e pescoço - IPOLFG
RM abdominal e gastro-intestinal - Hospital Garcia de Orta (HGO)
RM hepato-bilio-pancreática - Hospital Central de Viena (HCV)


Prémios, bolsas e distinções

1. Short-, medium-, and long-term outcome of prostate artery embolization for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: 1000 patients – abstract of the year award.
2. Bolsa de formação da European School of Radiology.
   ESOR Visiting Scholarship Programme 2017 – Radiologia de Intervenção – no Hospital Universitário de Careggi, Florença, Itália.
3. Bolsa para formação em imagem híbrida no contexto oncológico.
   ESHI (European Society for Hybrid Medical Imaging) para o curso Hybrid Imaging in Oncology, Viena 2017.
4. Segundo prémio na apresentação de um projecto de estudo no Portugal Clinical Scholars Research Training Program (PTCSRT), Lisboa 2019.

Outras atividades relevantes
Delegado português do European Trainee Forum (ETF), subcomité da Sociedade Europeia de Intervenção Radiológica e Cardiovascular (CIRSE)
Representante dos internos da especialidade de Radiologia do HSJ
2nd Prize Portugal Clinical Scholars Research Training Program (PTCSRT)

Membro das Sociedades Científicas
Ordem dos Médicos
Sociedade Portuguesa de Radiologia e Medicina Nuclear, European Society of Radiology e Radiological Society of North America
Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe, Society of Interventional Radiology
Society of Interventional Radiology - Society of Interventional Radiology
European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology.
Associação Portuguesa de Radiologia de Intervenção (APRI)

Atividade Científica
Artigos publicados em revistas científicas - 36
Participações em reuniões científicas - 50
Comunicações em reuniões científicas - 73
Apresentações em reuniões de Serviço - 33
Coautor do capítulo sobre embolização prostática: The Big Prostate (ISBN 978-3-319-64704-3)

Prof. Philippe Lucien Pereira studied medicine in Lille, France and began his early medical training as resident in internal medicine at the University of Lille. He started a position as medical assistant in France, a position he followed in parallel to his post-doc formation in macromolecular biochemistry. Prof. Pereira started his university career in 1995 in the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the Eberhardt-Karls-University of Tübingen, Germany and completed his research program at the Faculty of Tübingen on “MR-guided interventions”, he was subsequently appointed as Professor of Radiology in 2001, and became Deputy Chairman of the Department in 2004. Since 2008, he is Head of the Center of Radiology, Minimally Invasive Therapies and Nuclear Medicine at SLK-Clinics, Academic hospitals of the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, and is as Professor of Radiology affiliated to the University of Tübingen as well as to the Danube Private University in Austria.
Professor Pereira’s research interests focus on interventional oncology. He was the first german interventional radiologist to perform a percutaneous ablation of lung cancer in 1996.
Prof. Philippe L. Pereira acts in the Executive Committee of the German Society of Interventional Radiology (DeGIR) for oncological guidelines and Certifications’processes within the German Cancer Society. Internationally, he serves on the Executive Committee of CIRSE since 2011 and now acts as Vice-President of CIRSE.
After being President of IROS (Interventionell-Radiologisches Olbert Symposium) in 2018, Prof. Pereira was Chairman of the European Congress of Interventional Oncology (ECIO 2022 and 2023).
His research and clinical expertise have been published with more than 340 scientific publications and more than 40 book chapters as co-editor or co-author. He also takes a strong interest in biotechnology and medical engineering, being consultant and actively participating in several Advisory Boards for further developments of innovative technologies and study concepts in interventional oncology.

Le Dr Raphaël Blanc est radiologue diagnostique et interventionnel et adjoint au chef de service de neuroradiologie interventionnelle à l'Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild depuis 2010.
Ses expertises, travaux et intérêts de recherche incluent le traitement par voies endovasculaires des malformations vasculaires cérébrales, des accidents ischémiques cérébraux (thrombectomie mécanique) et des tumeurs oculaires de l’enfant par injection intra-artérielle ainsi que la neuroradiologie diagnostique.
Il exerce également en tant que radiologue interventionnel pour l'embolisation périphérique et le traitement d'accès par dialyse.
Il est impliqué dans le développement, la recherche préclinique et clinique de nouveaux moyens de traitement par voie endovasculaire et a été co-investigateur principal pour de nombreuses études sur ces dispositifs médicaux. Il est l’auteur ou le co-auteur de plus de 160 publications.
Il est co-fondateur et président depuis 2016 de Basecamp Vascular, une start-up Medtech développant un guide robotisé endovasculaire.

Northwestern University
Vice Chair for Image Guided Therapy, Department of Radiology
Chief of Vascular and Interventional Radiology in the Department of Radiology
Professor of Radiology (Vascular and Interventional Radiology), Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and Surgery (Organ Transplantation)

Education
- MD: McGill University, Canada (1993)
- MBA: George Washington University (1998)

Postgraduate Training
- Resident: Georgetown University Hospital, (1997)
- Fellow: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, (1998)

Certification
- Board Certification: Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology, American Board of Radiology

Mini-currículo: Rony Avritscher, MD is a Professor of Interventional Radiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Avritscher earned his medical degree from the University of Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He completed his radiology residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Interventional Radiology Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Interventional Radiology. His main research focus is in image-guided interventions for liver cancers, including translational research in animal models of liver disease and catheter-based therapies. He established an independent laboratory and is the recipient of a prestigious individual investigator award from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) focusing on characterizing the heterogeneous nature of liver tumor immune microenvironment after local therapies, as well as implementing novel molecular and imaging approaches to reduce disease recurrence. He is a current active member of the Radiological Society of North America, Society of Interventional Radiology, and Society of Interventional Oncology and actively participates in the annual planning of these meeting and in research grant study sections, as well as serving as vice- chair of SIO research committee. Dr. Avritscher is the recipient of an SIO research grant for his work on the tumor immune microenvironment after transcatheter arterial embolization in hepatocellular carcinoma. He was recently elected a fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology in 2018 and has been chairing diverse interventional oncology sessions at the annual meeting of RSNA, SIR, and SIO. Other interests include advanced hybrid suite imaging, lymphatic interventions, and cirrhosis. He received the Editor¿s Award for Outstanding Laboratory Investigation from the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology in 2014.

Dr. Thanila Macedo, MD is a radiology specialist in Rochester, MN. She is affiliated with medical facilities Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus and Mayo Clinic - Rochester. Her office accepts new patients.

Vijay Ramalingam, MD, FSIR is a practicing Interventional Radiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. His areas of expertise are portal vein thrombosis, transplant vascular interventions, and tumor ablation. He serves as co-director of the Portal Vein Thrombosis clinic and the lead for Genitourinary Tumor Ablation.

Prof. Yasuaki Arai is a leading interventional radiologist in Japan and is the pioneer and expert of Angio CT technology who has also developed several new techniques and other breakthroughs in medical devices over the years.
In addition he is the founder of the Japan Interventional Radiology in Oncology Study Group (JIVROSG), which gathers and analyzes clinical evidence in the fi eld of interventional radiology. In 2017, he was honored by being named a Distinguished Fellow of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE).
Prof. Arai is widely recognized as a medical expert both inside and outside of Japan, and he is frequently invited to speak at seminars at more than 30 international academic conferences annually. He also plays an instrumental role in supporting the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in the development and approval of safety requirements for medical devices.
The National Cancer Center, which is one of the National Centers for Advanced and Specialized Medical Care, serves as a hub for cancer treatment and research as a member of the National Research and Development Agency of Japan. Its mission is to provide clinical care, conduct research, promote technological development, oversee clinical trials, perform investigations, formulate policy proposals, foster human resources, and issue accurate information concerning cancer and malignant tumors.
In the first five years of my career as a physician, I focused on the field of internal medicine. At that time, the medical treatment for patients with cancer was solely chemotherapy. In many cases, survival rates were not as high as today. I feel fortunate to be skilled in very intricate procedures, therefore I have made extra effort in ways to help patients using catheter-based interventional methods.
A major turning point in my Interventional Radiology career was when I was transitioning to a new hospital, I was unexpectedly assigned to the radiology department, rather than staying in my field, further improving my internal medicine skillset. Around the same time Interventional Radiology (IR) was introduced and evolving in Japan, I had come to the realization what I had been seeking to pursue and achieve was in the field of IR specialty itself. This is how I ended up specializing in IR. I have always sought to challenge myself and achieve new things that have never been done before, or considered impossible in medicine, therefore my strong desire was a new field that offered many new challenges to be faced.