Wassim Abou-Kheir has a broad background in cell biology and
cancer research, with specific training and expertise in cancer stem cells in
solid tumors. After obtaining his B.Sc. (Lebanese University-Biology) and M.Sc.
(American University of Beirut-Biology), he pursued a pre-doctoral fellowship
at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (NY, USA). As a Ph.D. student, he
carried out research on the signaling pathways that control actin cytoskeleton
remodeling and that govern the relationship between tumor cells and the
microenvironment, especially tumor-associated macrophages. In 2007, he joined
the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NCI/NIH;
MD, USA) as a Postdoctoral fellow. His work at the NIH was focused on
understanding prostate cancer progression and isolating and characterizing
cancer stem cells in a mouse model of prostate cancer. In September of 2011, he
joined the Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiological Sciences in
the Faculty of Medicine at AUB. At AUB, he built a multidisciplinary research
group, The WAKers, that focuses on pressing issues in the stem cell field in
both normal and abnormal conditions. He is an active member of many
international scientific societies, like AACR, ISSCR, and SFN. He is also a member of
and ambassador for the EACR.
Elai Davicioni is the Senior Vice
President of Scientific and Clinical Operations and Medical Director of Urology
at Veracyte, Inc. He earned a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from the University of
Southern California in 2006. His scientific training (chemistry, biophysics,
bioinformatics) at UBC, Ben Gurion, and USC led him to be part of a team that
used gene expression profiling to help pathologists and oncologists better
diagnose and risk stratify pediatric sarcomas. In 2007, he founded his first
company, Decipher Biosciences (formerly GenomeDx), which was acquired by
Veracyte in 2021. His research interests include Biotechnology, Genomics,
Molecular Biology, Oncology, and Genetics.
David I. Lee is a Professor of Clinical Urology at UCI
Health. He recently served as Chief of Urology at Penn Presbyterian Medical
Center and an Associate Professor of Surgery and Urology at the Perelman School
of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated as part of the
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society from Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
He completed his urology residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He
has been recognized in Best Doctors in America, Castle Connelly Top Doctors, and
Top Docs in Philadelphia Magazine. He is a member of the Asian Pacific Prostate
Society, American Urological Association, Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons, and
Society of Urologic Oncology. He was a Surgeon Champion for the American
College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), a
Cancer Liaison Physician for the Cancer Committee, and a member of the Abramson
Cancer Center.
