MDPI World Cancer Day 2026 Webinar Series | August—Ovarian Cancer

Department of Gynecology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin Medical University of Berlin, Germany;Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Jalid Sehouli is Director of the Department of Gynaecology with the Centre for Oncological Surgery at Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) and Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF) in Berlin. He also heads the European Competence Centre for Ovarian Cancer (EKZE) at CVK, as well as the Interdisciplinary Gynaecological Cancer Center at Charité. In addition, he serves as Deputy Director of the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC). Prof. Sehouli is the author of over 1,000 international peer-reviewed publications and editor of several academic series. He founded the world’s first dedicated Ovarian Cancer Center in 2007, along with the German Ovarian Cancer Foundation. He is also the initiator and Vice President of the European Artists' Guild for Medicine and Culture, and the founding President of the North-Eastern Society of Gynaecological Oncology (NOGGO) and PARSGO. Furthermore, he currently serves as President of the German-Turkish Society for Gynaecology (DTTG) and is President-elect of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO). Prof. Sehouli leads numerous national and international phase I, II, and III clinical trials in gynaecological cancers, focusing on the most advanced surgical and medical interventions. In addition to his scientific work, he is also the author of several literary books and is deeply committed to patient education and empowerment.

Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, UK;Dr Barbara Guinn is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Biomedical Sciences at the Hull York Medical School, University of Hull. With a background in genetics, immunology and hematology, Barbara's research has focused on understanding the biology of women's health conditions, particularly ovarian cancer and endometriosis, and exploring new approaches to earlier, less invasive diagnoses. She is keen to model early disease and the role of cancer–testis antigens in the development of the most aggressive and lethal form of gynecological cancer.

Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, USA;Dr. Michelle Dawson is a tenured Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry at Brown University and Associate Director for Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) at the Legorreta Cancer Center. With interdisciplinary training in Biomedical Engineering (BS), Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (PhD), and Tumor Biology (postdoctoral training), she brings an engineering perspective to understanding how cancer cells adapt to and remodel their microenvironment. Her research integrates mechanobiology, metabolism, and quantitative cell biology to define mechanisms of tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Her work on polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) has identified distinct features of their cytoskeletal organization, metabolic adaptation, and chemoresistance, providing insight into how these stress-induced cell states persist and contribute to tumor recurrence. In complementary studies, her laboratory investigates how cellular senescence drives extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, altered tissue mechanics, and fibrosis, and how these changes create microenvironments that influence subsequent cellular behavior. Her research has been supported by both the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, reflecting its contributions to fundamental cell biology and its relevance to cancer and human disease.

Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, USA;Dr. Marion Curtis, Associate Professor at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, AZ, focuses on immunology and cancer biology, particularly ovarian cancer. Her research investigates the tumor microenvironment’s impact on immune metabolism, the DNA damage response, and antigen discovery to develop new therapies. Her lab is working on enhancing tumor immunity by inhibiting protein phosphatase 4 (PP4) and reprogramming CAR-engineered macrophages for better performance against ovarian tumors. Dr. Curtis is also leading a Phase 1 trial of MUC1-activated T cells. Since joining Mayo Clinic in 2018, she has received several honors, including the NCI R37 MERIT Award, and published in leading journals.

Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia – Cervello (AORC), University of Palermo, Italy;Dr. Giuseppe Gullo is the coordinator of the IVF unit and a mentor at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). He finished his studies in medical school in 2007 and a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Palermo in 2013. He completed his PhD in medical and surgical biotechnology of human reproduction in 2017 at the University of Messina. He worked at the IVF Centre—IAKENTRO, Thessaloniki, from September to October 2010, in IVF and Fetal Medicine at King’s College Hospital, London, IVF Department, and then at Yale Fertility Centre, New Haven, USA (May 2011), and he performed endoscopic surgery at Sacred Heart Hospital Don Calabria, Negrar, from July 2011 to August 2012. He is a member of the National and International Scientific Societies in Obstetrics and Gynecology, including SIGO, SIGITE, ISGE, SIFIOG, SIGO, AOGOI, and ESHRE. He is an author and co-author of more than 160 papers in national and international journals. In 2023, he completed the National Scientific Qualification (Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale) as an Associate Professor. He is an invited speaker at the National and International Congress. He has more than 400 certificates of participation in related conferences and national and international courses.