Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Benson is a Consultant Breast Surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, Associate Lecturer, University of Cambridge and Visiting Professor, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. He has published widely in the field of breast diseases with authorship of more than 160 papers and has written/edited 7 books on breast cancer/reconstructive surgery (ranked in the top 0.084% of the world’s breast cancer experts). He is a former member of the Planning Committee for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (2013 – 2015) and was a Trustee/member of the Executive Board of ABS until demitting from office in 2021.

Michael currently works as an oncoplastic breast surgeon in St Vincents Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. He completed his undergraduate and surgical training in Ireland in 2021. He undertook a TIG Oncoplastic Fellowship in Imperial College London in 2022. His special areas of interest include the evolving surgical management of the axilla as well as oncoplastic treatment of breast cancer with a specific focus on breast conserving surgery with mammoplasty, partial/whole breast reconstruction. He has over 70 publications and has previously acted as an editorial assistant for the BJS as well as being a current member of the publications committee of ASBRS. 

ABS President

Miss Leena Chagla is the President of the Association of Breast Surgery and past-President of the Liverpool and Northwest Society of Surgeons. She heads the breast unit at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals which is actively involved in clinical innovation and trials. She continues to publish regularly in peer reviewed journals.

Leena qualified from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, with a gold medal in Surgery. Whilst in India, she trained at the Sir JJ Hospital and at the Tata Memorial Cancer Centre. Her passion for surgical oncology developed in those formative years.

She is a popular speaker both nationally and internationally and is involved in the development of guidelines for the management of breast cancer. She is passionate about MDT working and she launched the Anti-bullying Campaign (#CoreItOut) for ABS in alliance with RCSEd. She represented ABS on the pathology Big 18 and the organising committee of Symposia Mammographicum.

Leena was instrumental in setting up the International Forum at ABS with a view to sharing good practice globally.  She is committed to improving and standardising Breast cancer care through education and training. She is an Educational Supervisor for the National Oncoplastic Fellow and she is a Professional Clinical Advisor for screening to Public Health England.

Outside of work Leena is a keen sportswoman having played water-polo for Maharashtra, Liverpool and the Northern Counties at the highest level.

CRUK RadNet Cambridge

Charlotte Coles is Professor of Breast Cancer Clinical Oncology: Deputy Head of Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge; and Director of CRUK RadNet Cambridge. She leads practice-changing breast radiotherapy trials, has influenced international hypofractionation policy and addressed global health, gender, and equity challenges as Chair of the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission.

Charlotte led the IMPORT Low and High trials that proved efficacy and safety of partial breast radiotherapy and simultaneous integrated boost respectively. These trials informed NICE and international guidelines. She leads PRIMETIME: biomarker-directed omission of breast radiotherapy; and PARABLE, the first UK breast proton beam therapy trial.

Charlotte facilitated international breast radiotherapy guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic and co-led UK and European Breast Radiotherapy Consensuses. She was awarded a NIHR Research Professorship and leads the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Radiation Research Centre of Excellence.

In 2023, she was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences and awarded the Royal College of Radiologist’s Gold Medal. Charlotte is passionate about implementing patient-centred research through team science and nurturing the next generation of researchers.

Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Miss Karina Cox graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary's in 1998 and completed her basic surgical training in London. She then spent two years as a clinical research fellow at Imperial College London investigating the function of immune cells in lymph nodes draining breast cancer.

University of Southampton

Ramsey Cutress is Professor of Breast Surgery and Consultant Surgeon at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton. Ramsey was a member of the writing group for the NICE Early and Locally Advanced Breast Cancer Guideline (NG101) and the ABS BAPRAS Oncoplastic Breast Reconstruction Guidelines, and he is co-director of the ABS Advanced Skills in Breast Disease Management Course. His clinical research interests include breast cancer in young women as a member of the POSH study research team and the investigation of patient and host determinants of breast cancer outcomes including genetic predisposition, immunological and lifestyle factors. He is currently involved in various national research studies and clinical trials including the EndoNET HTA funded trail of neo-adjuvant endocrine therapy. He is Chair of the Academic and Research Committee of the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) and breast sub-specialty editor for the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Gartnavel General Hospital

James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust

Ms Downey qualified from Nottingham University in the last century and she undertook SHO training in Bristol, Research in Breast Cancer Oncology in Manchester and Registrar training in Yorkshire. Her first consultant post in Bradford for 4 years and moved to East Anglia in 2005. Sarah's first involvement in RCS was examiner for MRCS at time OSCE introduced. Acted on committee and then Chair of Court of Examiners for RCS England. Part of training committee since came to East Anglia in 2005. Undertook Divisional Director role in own hospital for 5 years – opened new daycase unit. Acted as regional Breast Screening QA Surgeon for 6 years. Joined SAC in 2015 and became regional TPD in 2018. Currently Chair of General Surgery SAC.  Undergraduate PBL tutor and online tutor for oncoplastic MS. Director of Screening for own Trust and also Clinical Appraisal Lead. Former TIG Chair and faculty on Advanced Breast Cancer Course. Currently Honorary Secretary of ABS.

University of Bristol & Royal United Hospitals

Kit is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Breast Surgery at the University of Bristol. She is chair of the Mammary Fold Academic & Research Collaborative and Royal College of Surgeons Associate Surgical Specialty Lead (aSSL) for Breast Surgery. She combines research activities with her final years of surgical training in the Severn region. Kit's research interests are to improve outcomes for breast surgery patients, through designing, developing and conducting high quality collaborative clinical research answering questions of importance to both patients and professionals. Recent studies include Diamond, RESTORE C-19 and performing the data analysis for the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership for Breast Surgery.

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan

Prof. Oreste Gentilini has been the Head of the Breast Surgery Department since 2015 and the Coordinator of the Breast Diseases Department at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan.

He is a tenured professor in the degree courses of Medicine and Surgery, International MD Program, the School of Specialization in General Surgery, and the Degree Course in Midwifery at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. He is also a founding member and president of the international research organization EUBREAST.

Royal Marsden

She is a specialist in oncoplastic breast surgery at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

The Royal Derby Hospital

Amit Goyal is a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon & Associate Professor at the Royal Derby Hospital, UK. His research is focused on axillary management in breast cancer. He is the Chief Investigator of the largest breast cancer surgical trials addressing the role of axillary treatment in the UK – POSNOC and ATNEC.

Nightingale Breast Cancer Centre, Manchester, UK

Cliona is an Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at the Nightingale Breast Cancer Centre in Manchester, UK. She studied medicine, including a BSc in the History of Medicine, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London and University College London. Her surgical training was in London, Bristol, Bournemouth, South Africa and Greater Manchester. She completed a PhD entitled ‘The Role of Procoagulants in Cancer and Chemotherapy Induced Venous Thromboembolism’ at the University of Manchester in 2006.

She delivers and teaches in all forms of oncoplastic breast surgery including reconstruction. At the University of Manchester, she leads the Cancer and Thrombosis Research Group, performing basic, translational and clinical research, investigating the symbiotic relationship between cancer and thrombosis. She also supervises MRes, MD and PhD students.

She is Chief Investigator on the TIP Trial and CHAMPion Study and surgical lead for LORIS, PRIMETIME, POETIC-A and FAST-Forward Boost and is on the Sloane Committee. Cliona leads the Association of Breast Surgery guideline development group for Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis and is a key member of the International Society of Haemostasis and Thrombosis guideline development group for VTE in breast cancer. She is Director of the North West Surgical Trials Centre, and mentors the North West Research Collaborative and North West Breast Research Collaborative. She also chairs the Scientific Committee for the Prevent Breast Cancer charity.

In her personal life, she enjoys dressmaking, knitting and endurance sports, having previously completed two Ironmans and the Everest Marathon.

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Ulm, Germany.

Chair of the European Breast Cancer Research Organisation of Surgical Trialists (EUBREAST), DE

Cancer Research UK

Dr Oikonomidou holds a position as an Academic Consultant Medical Oncologist with special interest in breast cancer in Cancer Research UK

North Bristol NHS Trust and Bristol Medical School

Shelley Potter is Professor of Surgical Oncology at Bristol Medical School and Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust. Her research interests focus on improving outcomes for women undergoing breast surgery by generating high quality evidence to support clinical practice and decision-making. She is currently Chief Investigator of the PreBRA, ANTHEM and Brighter studies, Shelley is also Royal College of Surgeons of England Surgical Specialty Lead for Breast Surgery, Chair of the iBRA-NET group and Secretary to the ABS Academic and Research Committee and the British Breast Group.

Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Kelvin Ramsey attended Cambridge University for his undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. He then completed training in general surgical specialties and specialist training in plastic surgery within the Pan Thames region. After a microsurgery fellowship at Charing Cross Hospital, London he undertook visiting fellowships in Georgetown, Washington DC and Melbourne, Australia where he gained further experience in reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery.

In 2009 Mr Ramsey was appointed as a Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London. He was Clinical Lead for Plastic Surgery at RMH until 2022 and he was also Chair of the Surgical Audit Group at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

He has published and lectured widely and is actively involved in research, in particular in the field of lymphatico-venous anastomosis (LVA) surgery for lymphoedema. He is Chief Investigator for PRELUDE, an RCT of LVA surgery for breast cancer related lymphoedema.

Mr Ramsey is a fully trained, approved and accredited Consultant Plastic Surgeon. He regularly performs complex reconstructions for a wide range of tumour types including skin, sarcoma, breast and pelvic cancer. He specialises in microsurgical breast reconstruction, abdominal / perineal reconstruction and supermicrosurgery for lymphoedema. 

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham

Professor Abeer Shaaban is a Consultant Pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Professor of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham. She is Professional Clinical Advisor (PCA) for the UK NHS Breast Screening Programme and Pathology lead for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance (GMSA) for Central and South. 

She has published 210 peer reviewed publications and contributed to a number of guidelines including the WHO Blue Book for Genomic Syndromes 2023, the WHO Blue Book for Breast tumours 2019,  the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR)  DCIS dataset 2021, the RCPath Breast Pathology reporting guidelines (2023) and the European guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of breast lesions with uncertain malignant potential (B3 lesions) developed jointly by EUSOMA, EUSOBI, ESP (BWG) and ESSO. Her research interests include HER2 low breast cancer, tissue biomarker analysis, ethnic diversity of breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.

She led the NCRI Cellular and Molecular Pathology initiative Workstream 2 (Clinical Trials) and served as member of the RCPath, member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Breast Cancer Now and Committee member for the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Addenbrooke's Hospital

Clinical Lead of the Cambridge Breast Unit
Consultant Radiologist, Addenbrooke's Hospital

University of Sheffield

Lynda Wyld underwent surgical training in the UK, spending time in Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester. She did her PhD at the University of Sheffield. She was appointed to an academic post at the University of Sheffield in 2002 and is now Professor of Surgical Oncology. Her clinical interest is the management of breast cancer in older women and she practices as a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at Doncaster Teaching Hospitals in the UK. Her main research interest is in age related inequalities in cancer surgery where she has led projects to improve outcomes and develop decision aids for older women with breast cancer. Her other career focus has been to develop training in breast cancer surgery and in particular to see the development of breast surgery as a specialty in its own right. She is a Trustee of the ABS and is the current secretary and President Elect of European Breast Exam Board.