Members

Mark McDonnell

Mark McDonnell is the Chairperson and one of the founders of NET Patient Network Ireland, established in 2012. He has previously served as President of the International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance (INCA) and is currently a board member of WECAN, the Workgroup of Cancer Patient Advocacy Groups in Europe.

A key priority in Mark’s work is creating common platforms and collaborating with medical communities to fulfill the informational needs of patients, ensure access to the highest standards of care, and facilitate patient involvement in research.

Mark was diagnosed with small-bowel neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in 2011. As a dedicated advocate, he has led a series of disease awareness campaigns and advocacy projects within Ireland. As the former Chair of INCA's Access Committee, he oversaw INCA's SCAN project, the largest global survey of NET patients and caregivers (Survey of Challenges in Access to Diagnostics and Treatments for NET Patients), which has been widely disseminated and published at major medical conferences around the world.

Mark is a self-employed software engineer and founder of a technology company. He strongly believes in patient engagement with research, health service delivery, the pharmaceutical industry, and all stakeholders involved in the design, development, and delivery of cancer treatments and diagnostics.

Prof. Bertrand Tombal

Bertrand Tombal is the Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Full Professor of Urology at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium. From 2017 to 2021, he was the President of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the leading European academic research organisation in the field of cancer. He has both basic science and a clinical interest in urological oncology, particularly in the field of prostate and bladder cancer. Professor Tombal obtained his MD in 1990 and his PhD in 2003, both from the Université Catholique de Louvain. During his PhD, he studied the mechanisms involved in the apoptosis of prostate cancer cells and the modulation of apoptosis by growth factors. He completed part of his basic sciences training at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.”Bertrand Tombal is the Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Full Professor of Urology at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium. From 2017 to 2021, he was the President of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the leading European academic research organisation in the field of cancer. He has both basic science and a clinical interest in urological oncology, particularly in the field of prostate and bladder cancer. Professor Tombal obtained his MD in 1990 and his PhD in 2003, both from the Université catholique de Louvain. During his PhD, he studied the mechanisms involved in apoptosis of prostate cancer cells and the modulation of apoptosis by growth factors. He completed part of his basic sciences training at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Prof. Ignasi Carrió

Professor Carrió has been Professor of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Autonomous University of Barcelona where he is currently Emeritus Professor of Medicine. He has been Director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hospital Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain. His professional certifications include the European Board of Nuclear Medicine (FEBNM) and the American Certification in Nuclear Cardiology. Prof. Carrió is Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, UK) and of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC).

His main research and scientific activity has been in Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, in particular in the fields of Cardiovascular Medicine and Oncology. Scientific publications include over 300 articles and 6 books. Prof. Carrió has been recipient of many grants funded by national and international bodies including the European Commission. Prof. Carrió has given lectures and participated in panels and scientific events on Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging all over the world.

Prof. Carrió has been President of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (EANM, 2005-6) and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Dr Nicola Fazio

Nicola Fazio graduated at the University of L’Aquila, Italy, Faculty of  Medicine and Surgery, in 1988, where he also specialised in Internal Medicine  in 1993. In 2013 he gained his Ph.D. in Digestive Oncology at the University  of Rome “La Sapienza”. Fazio is currently Director of the Division of  Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumours and Director of  the Programme in Digestive and Neuroendocrine Tumours at the European  Institute of Oncology, in Milan, Italy, where he has been working since 1995.  Since 2015 he is head of the IEO ENETS Centre of Excellence for GEP NENs and lung NETs.     

From 2013 to 2019 he served as coordinator of the Italian (AIOM/ITANET) neuroendocrine neoplasms guidelines.
Fazio is full member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) since 2000 and full member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) since 2002. He has 
been serving as ESMO Faculty Coordinator for Neuroendocrine, Endocrine and 
CUP for the period 2016-2019 and he is currently member of the NET end endocrine tumors ESMO  faculty.  He served as chair of the ESMO NEN  Preceptorship in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 and chair of the ESMO NEN Advanced Course in 2019 and 2021.

Since 2015 he has  been member of the European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (ENETS) Advisory  Board and he served as Advisory Board Speaker for the period 2018-2020. Since 2020 he is member of ENETS executive committee. Since 2021 he is chair of the ENETS certification of centers of excellence and co-chair of the academic database research activity. In 2024 he has been nominated ENETS President Elect for 2024-2025.

His research has focused on multidisciplinary and translational clinical research in neuroendocrine neoplasms and upper gastrointestinal cancers.

He has participated as invited speaker in several national and international meetings and has co-authored more than 250 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. Ken Herrmann

Nuclear Medicine Physician based in Essen, Germany.

Prof. Dr Herrmann is Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany and until recently acted as Adjunct Professor at the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA.

In 2011, he completed his residency in nuclear medicine at Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany, focusing on his research entitled “In Vivo Proliferation Imaging with 3´deoxy-3´-[¹⁸F]Fluorothymidine PET in Oncology”. Following this, Prof. Dr Herrmann then went onto complete a fellowship at Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan, and received an executive MBA degree from the University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. From 2012 to 2016, he served as Vice Chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. Until 2023, he served as Chair of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Oncology & Theranostics Committee. He has also authored more 700 peer-reviewed articles.

DR MARK GAZE

Dr Mark Gaze has been a consultant clinical oncologist at University College London Hospitals and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, UK since 1993. His particular areas of expertise include the management of cancer in children and young people with all forms of radiation treatment, including molecular radiotherapy. He runs a portfolio of clinical trials in this area.

Mark qualified from Saint Bartholomew's Hospital and undertook specialist cancer training in Edinburgh and Glasgow. His MD research was on the targeted radiotherapy of neuroblastoma, a subject in which he maintains a strong clinical and research interest.

He is an active member of the European Paediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma Group (EpSSG), and the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN), and previously chaired their radiotherapy committees. He is past chair of the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), and currently President-Elect of the Paediatric Radiation Oncology Society (PROS). He is a member of the UK Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC), the Intercollegiate Standing Committee on Nuclear Medicine and the Molecular Radiotherapy Consortium steering group. He has a major interest in postgraduate medical education, and has published a number of textbooks and chapters, in addition to a wide range of peer reviewed scientific articles.

Dr. Rocío Ramos

Rocío Ramos Membrive has a degree in Chemical Science from the University of Barcelona (2013), a specialist in Radiopharmacy (2017) and a Doctor of Science from the University of Navarra (2021). After completing her residency she worked as responsible for the production of PET radiopharmaceuticals in the GMP facility of Clínica Universidad de Navarra (Pamplona). In 2018 started a new position as Co-head of a Radiopharmacy Unit in Clínica Universidad de Navarra IN Madrid, where she is currently still working. Since 2024, she has been a member of the Nuclear Medicine Quality Assurance Commission and the Teaching Commission of the hospital.

As a research activity, her main field is the development of new radiopharmaceuticals which reflect in: 

• Several research stay, in national in CIEMAT  (Madrid), the Medizinische Universität Innsbruck (Innsbruck) and at the Paul Scherrer Institut Villigen (Villigen), where she has trained mainly in radiometallic chemistry for labeling peptides and antibodies
• Her participation in 8 competitive funding  in preclinical research projects as a member of the research team
• Two Spanish Society of Radiopharmacy award (2015 for best oral communication and in 2017 for best Abstract)
• Her participation in 10 clinical trials with new radiopharmaceuticals. 

She has been part of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Radiopharmacy as VicePresident (2020-2022) and as President (2022-2024). She currently participates as coordinator of the SERFA-SEFM working group and as a member of the Society's teaching platform.

Prof. Martyn Caplin

Martyn Caplin is Professor of Gastroenterology & GI Neuroendocrinology at the Royal Free Hospital and University College London, UK.

He leads The Royal Free ENETS Center of Excellence, including research programmes into neuroendocrine tumors.

He was a founding member ENETS in 2004 and was elected Chairman from 2014 - 2016. He now serves on the ENETS Advisory Board.

He is founder and Past-Chairman of the UK & Ireland Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (UKI NETS) and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from UKI NETS.

He is Past-Chairman of National Cancer Research Institute NET group.

He is currently Chairman of the European Union Reference Network for Rare Cancers Neuroendocrine Tumor Group (EURACAN G4 NET) and is a patron of the NET Patient Foundation.

He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, written multiple book chapters, and co-authored two books.

André Deschamps

Born in Maaseik, Belgium, on 5 September 1949, André Deschamps took several management positions in manufacturing companies (mainly in automotive components) in Europe and the US after his studies in chemical engineering and for an MBA. As an experienced manager, he is driven by the quality of work and the right balance between economic and human factors.

Together with his wife Lut, he was the owner of a consultancy company specialised in sustainable manufacturing and Chain of Custody certifications, until his retirement in 2014. More than 1500 companies made use of their expertise.

At the age of 51, Deschamps was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had a radical prostatectomy. From then on, he developed an interest in the way cancer patients are treated by the medical staff, in the quality of life of patients and in prostate cancer treatments.

In 2011, Deschamps joined Wij Ook, a Belgian society supporting prostate cancer patients and raising awareness of prostate cancer. Two years later, he was elected chairman.

In 2014, Deschamps was elected as a board member of Europa Uomo, the voice of men with prostate cancer in Europe. He served as a board member and treasurer before being elected chairman in June 2018.

Deschamps has been married with Lut since 1973. He’s the father of two kids and a six-time grandfather.

Dr Luka Ležaić

Luka Ležaić MD PhD works as head of diagnostic imaging and therapy of the Department for Nuclear Medicine at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia and is an Assistant Professor in Diagnostic Imaging at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana. He initially specialized in internal medicine, holding a specialist degree from 2009 and further specialized in nuclear medicine, holding a specialist degree from 2015. He defended his PhD thesis in nuclear medicine imaging in 2010. He attended a fellowship in PET/CT imaging at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College Hospital, London, UK in 2010 and was involved in research of novel therapies for advanced heart failure as a Fulbright scholar at the Cardiovascular Institute and the Departments of Radiology and Medicine of Stanford University in 2014. His clinical and research interests are molecular imaging in oncology and cardiovascular medicine and radionuclide therapy.

Prof. Dermot O'Toole

Dermot O’Toole is Professor of Gastroenterology and Clinical Medicine at Trinity College Dublin (TCD, The University of Dublin) and Consultant Gastroenterologist at St James’s and St. Vincent’s University Hospitals Dublin, Ireland. He graduated from TCD and has postgraduate degrees from TCD and the Universities of Paris and Angers. His major research interests include gastrointestinal cancer biology, especially in neuroendocrine tumor (NET)-related diseases and early GI neoplasia (Barrett’s oesophagus, gastric and colorectal cancers). Professor O’Toole is Clinical Lead for the national NET group. He has served on the Executive Committee of the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) and is current Vice-Chairman of ENETS, helping to develop guideline papers and standards of care initiatives in the field of NET. He is Past Chair of the ENETS-driven European Centers of Excellence programme. He has been involved in many national and international research activities in GI oncology and is a member of several professional bodies in Europe and North America, serving as advisor to national health-care projects as well as patient advocacy groups.

Josep Maria Borrás