IPVS 2026 Conference Co-Chairs
Anna R. Giuliano
USA
Theodoros Agorastos
Greece
IPVS 2026 Program Organizing Committee
Aimeé Kreimer
POC Chair
Dr. Kreimer is a Senior Investigator at the US National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. She focuses her research on the etiology and prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cancers at multiple sites, including the head and neck and anogenital region. She has particular interests in translational research, cancer etiology related to the natural history of HPV infection at multiple anatomic sites, and cancer prevention. She leads investigations on associations between HPV serostatus and risk of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancers. She is the Principal Investigator on several prophylactic HPV vaccine trials including “ESCUDDO: A Randomized Trial of One-Dose HPV Vaccination,” a research initiative of the Cancer Moonshot.
Anna-Barbara Moscicki
POC Co-Chair
Dr. Moscicki is Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA, Chief, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Associate Executive Chair for Clinical Research, and Chair, Clinical Trials Committee for Pediatrics. Dr. Moscicki’s 35+ year career has focused on adolescent gynecology and sexually transmitted infection research with a specific focus in Human Papillomavirus, HIV infection and mucosal immunology. Dr. Moscicki was the principle investigator of a natural history study of HPV in adolescents and young women that followed women for 25 years, one of the longest running HPV cohorts. Her work on the natural history included defining persistence and clearance, mucosal and systemic immune responses to HPV and the role of the microbiome and HPV clearance. She has served on numerous national and international committees, including the W.H.O., N.I.H., American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Cancer Society. She is a Past President of ASCCP. Her work was highly influential in forming the new cervical cancer screening guidelines and triage of abnormal cytology in young women in the US. She is also involved in health outcomes in perinatally HIV infected children including sexual risk behaviors, substance use, oral health, microbiomes, and HPV and has worked with numerous Networks on HIV disease in children and adolescents. She was a working group chair for the new ASCCP Risk-Based Management Guidelines.
Laura Sichero
Basic Science Chair
Research Coordinator at the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo and a Collaborator Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. I have a broad background in Molecular Virology, with specific training and expertise in molecular biology, molecular epidemiology, and biochemistry. Research focuses on the understanding of the impact of mucosal and cutaneous HPV genetic variability upon associated disease development and biological and biochemical properties of infected cells. Further involved in studying HPV transcription and the use of transcription factors as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Kimon Chatzistamatiou
Clinical Science Chair
Dr. Kimon Chatzistamatiou is an academic consultant in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He received his MD (2002) and PhD (2017) from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2013), certified in colposcopy and cervical pathology (2014), and has overseen the lower genital tract clinic at “Papageorgiou” General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, since 2018.
Ann Burchell
Public Health Chair
Dr. Ann Burchell, Canada Research Chair in Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention, uses epidemiological data to improve prevention and health care for HPV, HIV, and other STIs and minimize the complications associated with these diseases. She and her research team hope to promote sexual health for all by supporting effective and practical strategies to prevent STIs and related cancers in high-risk populations. Dr. Burchell is a scientist with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, and Research Director of St. Michael’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. She is also a scientist with ICES, an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine (Department of Family and Community Medicine) and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Division of Epidemiology).
Krystle Kuhs
Head & Neck Chair
Coming soon
Jessica Islam
Implementation Science Chair
Dr. Islam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL. She received her PhD in cancer epidemiology from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, NC. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research and decision sciences at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Islam’s research foci include: the prevention of cancers caused by infection, and quality of cancer care delivery to people with HIV (PWH) both in the US and globally. She is currently funded by the US NCI to study the mechanisms through which HIV stigma and cancer stigma impact survivorship care among PWH with cancer in the US Southeast. Her career goal is to develop and lead the implementation of multi-level interventions to optimize delivery of cancer preventive services and quality of cancer care to populations with health-related social needs.
Andreia Albuquerque
Course for Clinicians Chair
Dr. Andreia Albuquerque, MD, PhD, is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Associate Professor with a keen focus on early detection and the prevention of anal cancer. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, including first-author contributions in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, Clinical Infectious Diseases, British Journal of Cancer, and the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Albuquerque currently serves as a Board Member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), chairs the IPVS Social Media Committee, and is a member of the IPVS Education Committee. She also co-directed the inaugural edition of the IPVS Human Papillomavirus-Related Anogenital Diseases Course for Clinicians (IPVS PACC) and the IPVC 2024 High-Resolution Anoscopy Workshop.
Mariano Molina
Early Career Researchers Chair
Mariano Molina, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Karolinska Institutet, where he investigates circulating bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) as liquid biopsy biomarkers for multi-cancer early detection. His work integrates microbiology, liquid biopsies, and multiomics approaches to improve early cancer detection.
Originally from Panama, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from Universidad Latina de Panamá, followed by an MSc in Microbiology at Radboud University in the Netherlands, with research stays in the United States and Canada. He also completed his PhD in Medical Sciences at Radboud University, where he studied the cervicovaginal microbiome and its relationship to high-risk HPV infections, contributing with high-resolution sequencing methods to advance the field. After his PhD, he completed a postdoctoral training at Amsterdam UMC focused on RNA-based liquid biopsy biomarkers for cervical cancer.
Mariano is an active member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), where he also serves as a Board Member, Chair of the Early Career Committee, and Member of the Social Media Committee.
Teresa Norris
Awareness Chair
Teresa Norris is a Sexual Health Specialist and the Founder and President of HPV Global Action/VPH Action Globale, a bilingual, international registered charity since 2006. She has the objective of preventing negative health outcomes and offers forward-thinking healthcare and academic programs daily in diverse socio-economic communities internationally; educating and captivating individuals of all ages and demographics about sexual and reproductive health in the context of healthy relationships with a particular emphasis on avoiding human papillomavirus (HPV) and its consequences which include 9 preventable HPV-related cancers.
She is highly regarded as an effective public communicator; clearly conveying complex ideas. Since 2019 , her secondary school intervention is an evaluation research project through McGill University in Canada, which assesses the impact of the presentation called Health Relationships _101 being done across Canada for 14-18 year-old students’ to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions of sexual and reproductive health topics. This anonymous pre and 1-month post evaluation measures modifications in all these spheres. This study will continue to collect data through 2024 and provide insight on what youth know and what are effective methods to meeting the needs of today’s youth so they can develop healthy habits in their relationships.
Marc Steben
Special Interest Sessions Chair
Dr. Marc Steben is a family doctor at the Family medicine Group la Cité du parc Lafontaine. He is president elect of the 2023 International Society for STD research. He is a member of the Board and chair for the Education Committee of the International Papillomavirus Society. He is chair of the Canadian Network for HPV Prevention. He is the elected president of the Canadian branch of the International Union Against STIs for 2023. He is a member of the Board of the American Sexual Transmitted Association. He is associate editor of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada. He is professor at the School of Public Health at Université de Montréal. He is co-chairman of HPV Global Action. He is a member of the PAVE consortium of the National Cancer Institute of the American NIH.
Kate Cuschieri
Scholars Chair
Dr. Andreia Albuquerque, MD, PhD, is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Associate Professor with a keen focus on early detection and the prevention of anal cancer. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, including first-author contributions in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, Clinical Infectious Diseases, British Journal of Cancer, and the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Albuquerque currently serves as a Board Member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), chairs the IPVS Social Media Committee, and is a member of the IPVS Education Committee. She also co-directed the inaugural edition of the IPVS Human Papillomavirus-Related Anogenital Diseases Course for Clinicians (IPVS PACC) and the IPVC 2024 High-Resolution Anoscopy Workshop.
Basic Science Committee
Laura Sichero
Brazil - Chair
Research Coordinator at the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo and a Collaborator Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. I have a broad background in Molecular Virology, with specific training and expertise in molecular biology, molecular epidemiology, and biochemistry. Research focuses on the understanding of the impact of mucosal and cutaneous HPV genetic variability upon associated disease development and biological and biochemical properties of infected cells. Further involved in studying HPV transcription and the use of transcription factors as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Angelika Riemer
Germany - Co-Chair
Angelika Riemer is heading the Division of Immunotherapy and Immunoprevention at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). She studied medicine and molecular biology at the University of Vienna (Austria), Monash University in Melbourne (Australia) and University of Bristol (UK), and received her MD degree in 2002 and her PhD degree in 2005. 2008/2009 she did a postdoctoral fellowship at the Cancer Vaccine Center of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. She is a board-certified Clinical Immunologist and Dermatologist, and holds a venia legendi in Immunology. Her scientific work focuses on the development of a therapeutic HPV vaccine based on validated target T cell epitopes. This validation step is provided by mass-spectrometry-based direct proof of a peptide being HLA-presented on a tumor cell’s surface, as well as immunogenicity assessment. The group has further developed orthotopic HPV-dependent tumor-models in MHC-humanized mouse strains, to allow preclinical efficacy testing of candidate therapeutic HPV vaccine formulations. Dr. Riemer is a member of the Extended Directorate of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, and co-coordinates the NCT program Immunotherapy. She is also part of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), where she co-coordinates the research area Infections of the Immunocompromised Host.
Cary Moody
USA
Dr. Moody is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is also a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is the Co-Director of the NIH NIAID NRSA-Funded “Molecular Biology of Viral Diseases” T32 training program.
Dr. Moody received a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology from Mississippi State University in 1997 and 1999, respectively. She received a PhD in Microbiology from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport in 2004. She completed her post-doctoral training with Dr. Lou Laimins at Northwestern University School of Medicine from 2005-2010. Dr. Moody joined the faculty of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 2010.
Research in Dr. Moody’s lab focuses on understanding how cancer-associated HPVs alter the host cell during the different stages of the viral life cycle to promote viral replication. Her studies aim to identify cellular signaling pathways commandeered by HPV to facilitate viral DNA synthesis and to determine the impact of modifying the cellular environment on host genomic stability. Dr. Moody’s research has been continuously funded by the U.S. NIH since 2010. Her work has also been supported by a Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society.
Laila Sara Arroyo Mühr
Sweden
Dr. Sara Arroyo is a Tumor Biologist and Scientific Lead at the International Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Reference Center, Karolinska Institutet. Her research focuses on HPV-associated cancers, leveraging molecular biology, next-generation sequencing, and machine learning to advance cancer prevention and screening. Dr. Arroyo oversees the Global HPV LabNet, a worldwide network of national HPV reference laboratories dedicated to global standardization and quality assurance in HPV diagnostics. She coordinates key initiatives, including Sweden’s cervical cancer elimination project, and leads pioneering efforts such as self-sampling programs in conflict-affected regions like Ukraine. Dr. Arroyo is a recognized expert in risk-based screening and HPV diagnostics.
Clinical Science Committee
Kimon Chatzistamatiou
Greece - Chair
Dr. Kimon Chatzistamatiou is an academic consultant in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He received his MD (2002) and PhD (2017) from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2013), certified in colposcopy and cervical pathology (2014), and has overseen the lower genital tract clinic at “Papageorgiou” General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, since 2018.
Anna Daniela Iacobone
Italy - Co-Chair
Dr. Anna Daniela Iacobone is a gynecologist with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, specializing in Public Health. She has extensive expertise in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lower genital tract diseases, with a particular focus on HPV-related conditions, vulvar pathology, and laser surgery. Her competencies also include the fertility-sparing management of early-stage cervical and endometrial cancers in young women.
Dr. Iacobone currently practices at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, where she leads research initiatives in HPV-related diseases. She is widely recognized for her contributions to clinical research on HPV testing, test-of-cure strategies, and self-sampling methodologies. In addition to her clinical and research work, she has a strong academic presence, lecturing in advanced university programs and publishing extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
An active member of several Italian societies for cervical screening, colposcopy, and vulvar pathology, Dr. Iacobone has been a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease since September 2019.
Suzanne Garland
Australia
Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Women’s Hospital, Department of Microbiology, RCH Honorary Research Fellow, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Richard Hillman
Australia
Professor Richard Hillman runs the Dysplasia & Anal Cancer Services within the Department of HIV & Immunology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. He developed High Resolution Anoscopy in Sydney during the initial efficacy trials for Gardasil in 2004. Since then, he has been President of the International Anal Neoplasia Society, where he was involved in the development of international guidelines for High Resolution Anoscopy, and anal cancer screening. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles, including in the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine.
Public Health Committee
Ann Burchell
Canada - Chair
Dr. Ann Burchell, Canada Research Chair in Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention, uses epidemiological data to improve prevention and health care for HPV, HIV, and other STIs and minimize the complications associated with these diseases. She and her research team hope to promote sexual health for all by supporting effective and practical strategies to prevent STIs and related cancers in high-risk populations. Dr. Burchell is a scientist with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, and Research Director of St. Michael’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. She is also a scientist with ICES, an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine (Department of Family and Community Medicine) and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Division of Epidemiology).
Sadeep Shrestha
USA - Co-Chair
Dr. Shrestha is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a recipient of the Quetelet Endowed Professorship in Public Health that was awarded in 2018. He is the director of the Program in Epidemiology of Inflammation, Infection, and Immunity (PEIII) and has established epidemiology and genomic research programs of various infection related diseases, including STIs (specifically HIV and HPV). He has particular interest in understanding the biology and risk factors of HPV persistence and associated pre-cancer lesions and cancers (cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, and penile). Dr. Shrestha has also initiated a cervical cancer screening program in Nepal, in collaboration with multiple stakeholders including local governments, academic institutes, and a local NGO with tremendous outreach access. In addition to his research, Dr. Shrestha is extremely dedicated to education and mentorship in US, Nepal and globally.
Marc Brisson
Canada
Dr. Marc Brisson is full professor at Laval University and is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1). He leads the Research Group in Mathematical Modeling and Health Economics of Infectious Diseases. His research aims at developing mathematical models that predict the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions against infectious diseases to help policy decision-making. His current research mainly focuses on HPV vaccination, cervical cancer prevention and respiratory infectious diseases. Dr. Brisson has produced over 150 peer reviewed journal articles (including high impact journals such as The Lancet and The Lancet Family, JNCI, BMJ, and Annals of Internal Medicine), and made over 140 presentations at conferences, external seminars and workshops (over 80 as invited speaker). He has been a scientific consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Immunization Committee (CIC). He has a BSc in Actuarial Science (1992-1996), a certificate in Statistics (1996) and an MSc in Epidemiology (1996-2001) from Laval University in Quebec City, and a PhD in Health Economics (1999-2004) from City University in London, England.
Jessica Wells
USA
Jessica Wells, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Howard University in 2006. She earned a PhD in Nursing along with a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the Laney Graduate School of Emory University in 2012. Dr. Wells then completed a postdoctoral fellowship from Emory University in 2015.
Dr. Wells’ research contributions include promoting cancer prevention strategies in the vulnerable and at-risk HIV population. Her program of research is novel and is at the forefront of an emerging public health problem—an aging HIV population who is increasingly dying from HPV-related cancers. Dr. Wells has unique expertise in leading innovative research that integrates cancer science and HIV science. Her research has been funded by national and federal agencies to promote cancer prevention strategies among people living with HIV including funding from National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Woodruff Health Science Institute, and Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Dr. Wells is currently the Principal Investigator on a recently funded R01 study that aims to tailor and implement an evidence-based, multi-level intervention to promote HPV vaccination among people living with HIV.
Michelle Silver
USA
Dr. Michelle Silver is an Associate Professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences, in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. She received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her ScM and PhD in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and completed a Cancer Prevention Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Silver is an epidemiologist, health services researcher, and dissemination & implementation (D&I) scientist with a background in cancer prevention and control, whose research aims to understand and address the multi-level factors that prevent the delivery of evidence-based screening and prevention tools (e.g., HPV vaccination; HPV testing; cancer screening) into routine practice in ways that facilitate access to cancer prevention across diverse populations. Her research program is centered around accelerating access to cancer prevention through increasing cancer screening and HPV vaccination and has been funded by the Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Collaborative, and the NIH.
Gary Clifford
France
As an epidemiologist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), Dr. gary Clifford has strong and longstanding expertise in infection-related cancer epidemiology and prevention, largely in HPV-related cancer research, and the influence of HIV. Dr. Clifford has a wide experience in coordinating international studies and have authored or co-authored of over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Some of his notable recent contributions to the field are in anal cancer epidemiology. His ongoing research includes evaluating non-invasive blood-based markers, including circulating HPV DNA, as risk predictors for HPV-related cancers. This work is expected to establish the utility for integrating biomarkers into the design of future anal (and other HPV-related) cancer prevention programs for PLHIV, but potentially for other risk groups.
Manolis Smyrnakis
Greece
Coming soon.
Maribel Almonte
France
Coming soon.
Head & Neck Program Sub-Committee
Krystle Kuhs
USA - Chair
Coming soon.
Eleni Rettig
USA - Co-Chair
Eleni M Rettig, MD FACS is a head and neck cancer surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, USA, and is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on leveraging emerging minimally invasive biomarkers to optimize outcomes for patients with HPV-positive head and neck cancers.
Implementation Science Program Sub-Committee
Jessica Islam
USA
Dr. Islam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, FL. She received her PhD in cancer epidemiology from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, NC. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research and decision sciences at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Islam’s research foci include: the prevention of cancers caused by infection, and quality of cancer care delivery to people with HIV (PWH) both in the US and globally. She is currently funded by the US NCI to study the mechanisms through which HIV stigma and cancer stigma impact survivorship care among PWH with cancer in the US Southeast. Her career goal is to develop and lead the implementation of multi-level interventions to optimize delivery of cancer preventive services and quality of cancer care to populations with health-related social needs.
Michelle Silver
USA
Dr. Michelle Silver is an Associate Professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences, in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. She received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her ScM and PhD in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and completed a Cancer Prevention Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Silver is an epidemiologist, health services researcher, and dissemination & implementation (D&I) scientist with a background in cancer prevention and control, whose research aims to understand and address the multi-level factors that prevent the delivery of evidence-based screening and prevention tools (e.g., HPV vaccination; HPV testing; cancer screening) into routine practice in ways that facilitate access to cancer prevention across diverse populations. Her research program is centered around accelerating access to cancer prevention through increasing cancer screening and HPV vaccination and has been funded by the Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Collaborative, and the NIH.
María Fernandez
USA
Dr. María Fernández is Vice President of Population Health and Implementation Science at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) and the founding Co-Director of the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science. Dr. Fernández is also the Lorne Bain Chair of Public Health and Medicine, Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the UTHealth Houston Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. As a researcher and a leader, Dr. Fernández has spent her career conducting participatory community-engaged research and practice to develop, evaluate, implement, and disseminate interventions to improve health and health equity. Her research focuses on cancer and chronic disease prevention and control among underserved populations in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Fernández is an expert in dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, having served as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health Study Section and as faculty for several national and international D&I training programs. Dr. Fernández has an extensive portfolio of global, federal, and state-funded research developing and improving evidence-based interventions and guidelines for preventing and controlling cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (among others) in clinical and public health settings. Dr. Fernández has over 235 peer-reviewed publications and has co-authored several books, including the 4th edition of Planning Health Promotion Programs: An Intervention Mapping Approach (2016) and the Handbook of Community-based Participatory Research (2017). Her awards include the Association for Schools and Programs of Public Health Research Excellence Award and the UTHealth President’s Scholar Award for Research Excellence.
Lara Savas
USA
Coming soon.
Heather Brandt
USA
Heather M. Brandt, PhD directs the HPV Cancer Prevention Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She is co-associate director for outreach in the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center and full faculty member in the department of epidemiology and cancer control. As a social and behavioral and public health implementation scientist, her research and implementation activities focus on cancer-related health disparities in cancer prevention and control and specifically on working with those who have professional and lived experiences as subject matter experts, thought leaders, partners, and allies to effectively use what we know works to increase HPV vaccination coverage.
Ida Ismail-Pratt
Singapore
Dr Ida graduated from Glasgow University and obtained her specialist accreditation, MRCOG, in the United Kingdom in 2010. She recently obtained her fellowship from the Royal College of O&G (UK). She is a BSCCP (British Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) accredited colposcopist and currently President of SCCPS (Society of Colposcopy &Cervical Pathology Singapore). She was previously a Consultant ObGyn & led the Gynaecology Cancer Screening and Prevention services in National University Hospital (NUH). During that time, Dr Ida championed the introduction of HPV DNA testing as an alternative for cervical cancer screening in 2014.She was co-chairman for the Cervical Screen Singapore (CSS) Implementation Committee that was responsible in implementing HPV Primary Screening in Singapore in May 2019 and currently lead the CSS Clinical Guideline Review Group in updating cervical cancer screening practice in Singapore. Dr. Ida is also active internationally in education and training of doctors mainly in the LMIC. She co-led and co-develop the International Gynaecology Cancer Society (IGCS) preinvasive Disease certificate Program which was created especially to aid in developing skilled preinvasive cervical disease practitioners in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). She has helped to develop various preinvasive and colposcopy training in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. She leads the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) ECHO committee that gives a support platform for doctors especially in the LMIC on management of HPV related cases. She is also the Secretary for the Asia Pacific HPV coalition who are currently actively establishing implementation studies on introduction of HPV self-sampling to LMICs. This year, she has been awarded the International Gynaecology Cancer Society (IGCS) Global Humanitarian Award for her work in the LMIC in cervical cancer prevention efforts.
Course for Clinicians Program Sub-Committee
Andreia Albuquerque
Portugal - Chair
Dr. Andreia Albuquerque, MD, PhD, is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Associate Professor with a keen focus on early detection and the prevention of anal cancer. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, including first-author contributions in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, Clinical Infectious Diseases, British Journal of Cancer, and the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Albuquerque currently serves as a Board Member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), chairs the IPVS Social Media Committee, and is a member of the IPVS Education Committee. She also co-directed the inaugural edition of the IPVS Human Papillomavirus-Related Anogenital Diseases Course for Clinicians (IPVS PACC) and the IPVC 2024 High-Resolution Anoscopy Workshop.
Kimon Chatzistamatiou
Greece - Co-Chair
Dr. Kimon Chatzistamatiou is an academic consultant in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He received his MD (2002) and PhD (2017) from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2013), certified in colposcopy and cervical pathology (2014), and has overseen the lower genital tract clinic at “Papageorgiou” General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, since 2018.
Special Interest Sessions Sub-Committee
Marc Steben
Canada - Chair
Dr. Marc Steben is a family doctor at the Family medicine Group la Cité du parc Lafontaine. He is president elect of the 2023 International Society for STD research. He is a member of the Board and chair for the Education Committee of the International Papillomavirus Society. He is chair of the Canadian Network for HPV Prevention. He is the elected president of the Canadian branch of the International Union Against STIs for 2023. He is a member of the Board of the American Sexual Transmitted Association. He is associate editor of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada. He is professor at the School of Public Health at Université de Montréal. He is co-chairman of HPV Global Action. He is a member of the PAVE consortium of the National Cancer Institute of the American NIH.
Federica Inturrisi
The Netherlands - Co Chair
Dr. Federica Inturrisi is an epidemiologist with a special interest on cervical cancer prevention.
She holds a bachelor degree in Biology (2011) from the University of Catania, Italy, a master degree in Molecular Biosciences – major Cancer Biology (2014) from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and a master degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2016) from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy. In 2022, she completed her PhD in Epidemiology at VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Her PhD contributed to the Horizon 2020 RISCC project, focusing on optimizing cervical cancer screening through risk-based strategies in European settings. Her work included evaluating self-sampling as a primary screening method in the Dutch national program and risk stratification based on HPV genotyping, past screening results and HPV vaccination status.
Since 2022, Dr. Inturrisi has been working with the US National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) on the PAVE project, driving efforts to advance secondary prevention of cervical cancer in resource-limited settings. As part of this large effort in nine LMICs, Dr. Inturrisi works on the self-sampling and HPV extended genotyping components, contributes to the AI-driven visual evaluation, and supports with coordination of the clinical sites and collaboration with the commercial partners. She also serves as the referent person for study sites in sub-Saharan Africa (Tanzania, Malawi, Eswatini) and spent a year in Tanzania supporting fieldwork and collaborating on national cervical cancer prevention policies.
Awareness Program Sub- Committee
Teresa Norris
Canada - Chair
Teresa Norris is a Sexual Health Specialist and the Founder and President of HPV Global Action/VPH Action Globale, a bilingual, international registered charity since 2006. She has the objective of preventing negative health outcomes and offers forward-thinking healthcare and academic programs daily in diverse socio-economic communities internationally; educating and captivating individuals of all ages and demographics about sexual and reproductive health in the context of healthy relationships with a particular emphasis on avoiding human papillomavirus (HPV) and its consequences which include 9 preventable HPV-related cancers.
She is highly regarded as an effective public communicator; clearly conveying complex ideas. Since 2019 , her secondary school intervention is an evaluation research project through McGill University in Canada, which assesses the impact of the presentation called Health Relationships _101 being done across Canada for 14-18 year-old students’ to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions of sexual and reproductive health topics. This anonymous pre and 1-month post evaluation measures modifications in all these spheres. This study will continue to collect data through 2024 and provide insight on what youth know and what are effective methods to meeting the needs of today’s youth so they can develop healthy habits in their relationships.
Luisa Villa
Brazil - Co-Chair
Luisa Lina Villa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Radiology and Oncology of the Faculdade de Medicina of the Universidade de São Paulo and Head of the Innovation in Cancer Research of the Center for Translational Research in Oncology of the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
In 1972 She graduated in Biological Sciences from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) (1972) and obtained a PhD in Sciences (Biochemistry) from the Institute of Chemistry of USP (1978). She was a researcher at the São Paulo branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research from 1983 to 2011, and was its director from 2006 to 2010. She was a professor at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia School of Medical Sciences in São Paulo from 2011 to 2015 where she coordinated a National Institute for the study of Papillomavirus infections and diseases (INCT-HPV), a comprehensive research program sponsored by the National Council for the Development of Science (CNPq) and the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). She has experience in the area of Microbiology, with emphasis on Virology, Basic Oncology and Epidemiology, acting mainly on the following subjects: human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, anogenital cancer, head and neck cancer, epidemiological studies of HPV in women and men, immunology of HPV infections, prophylactic HPV vaccines. Much of her research has been international with collaborative projects in Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United States of America.
She is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Commander of the National Order of Scientific Merit. In 2018 she received the Biology Prize from The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in Trieste, Italy.
Early Career Program Sub-Committee
Mariano Molina
The Netherlands - Chair
Mariano Molina, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Karolinska Institutet, where he investigates circulating bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) as liquid biopsy biomarkers for multi-cancer early detection. His work integrates microbiology, liquid biopsies, and multiomics approaches to improve early cancer detection.
Originally from Panama, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from Universidad Latina de Panamá, followed by an MSc in Microbiology at Radboud University in the Netherlands, with research stays in the United States and Canada. He also completed his PhD in Medical Sciences at Radboud University, where he studied the cervicovaginal microbiome and its relationship to high-risk HPV infections, contributing with high-resolution sequencing methods to advance the field. After his PhD, he completed a postdoctoral training at Amsterdam UMC focused on RNA-based liquid biopsy biomarkers for cervical cancer.
Mariano is an active member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), where he also serves as a Board Member, Chair of the Early Career Committee, and Member of the Social Media Committee.
Qudus Olajide Lawal
Nigeria - Co-Chair
Dr. Qudus Olajide Lawal is a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (Oncology) at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, with a focus on cervical cancer prevention and health systems strengthening. He leads national efforts through CANCAD Nigeria and the End Cervical Cancer Nigeria Initiative and serves on the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of Nigeria’s National Task Force for Cervical Cancer Elimination. Dr. Lawal is the Program Coordinator for IPVS Nigeria, co-chaired the 2024 IPVS Early Career oral abstract sessions, and actively supports global collaboration through the IPVS Early Career Researcher community.
He also serves as a junior faculty mentor with the International Gynaecological Cancer Society, a steering committee member of the Africa Cancer Research and Control ECHO program, and a member of the Skin of Color Subcommittee of the ISVVD.
Evangelia Savvidou
Greece
Dr. Evangelia Savvidou holds a Bachelor of Medicine and an MSc in Public Health and Health Policy from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and is currently an MSc candidate in Developmental and Adolescent Health at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece). Dedicated to advancing HPV awareness and prevention, Dr. Savvidou spearheads the HPV Awareness Campaign in Greece as part of the IPVS International Campaign and is an active member of the Hellenic HPV Society. Within IPVS, she serves on the ECR and Education Committees, as well as the 2026 Conference ECR Programme and Legacy Committees. Broadening her impact, she also coordinated an educational podcast (consisting of 8 episodes) for the European Joint Action project ‘PartnERship to Contrast HPV’ (JA PERCH).
Beyond her focus on HPV, she is an elected Junior Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and is further recognized as a Planetary Arts Youth Ambassador. She collaborates with the WHO Regional Office for Europe as Greece’s Youth Representative and a Youth Advisor for the EVID-ACTION project’s Youth Alcohol Network. Additionally, she serves as an Academic Associate at the Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A passionate advocate for public health and science communication, she launched the Primary Care Dialogues podcast in 2023. Backed by over eight years of experience in youth work and sustainability, she continues to play a pivotal role in mobilizing young leaders across diverse organizations.
Natalia Rodriguez
USA
Dr. Natalia Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Public Health and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, and Member of the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. She leads an interdisciplinary lab focused on the design and implementation of novel HPV detection technologies to address cervical cancer disparities. By meaningfully engaging underserved communities in translational science, her lab employs participatory methodologies to increase adoption of technological innovation, empower community health workforces, and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Dr. Rodriguez is the recipient of a career development award from the National Cancer Institute and a 2023 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.
Scholars Sub-Committee
Kate Cuschieri
United Kingdom - Chair
Dr. Andreia Albuquerque, MD, PhD, is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Associate Professor with a keen focus on early detection and the prevention of anal cancer. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, including first-author contributions in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, Clinical Infectious Diseases, British Journal of Cancer, and the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Albuquerque currently serves as a Board Member of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), chairs the IPVS Social Media Committee, and is a member of the IPVS Education Committee. She also co-directed the inaugural edition of the IPVS Human Papillomavirus-Related Anogenital Diseases Course for Clinicians (IPVS PACC) and the IPVC 2024 High-Resolution Anoscopy Workshop.
Emmanuel Timmy Donkoh
Ghana - Co-Chair
Dr. Emmanuel Timmy Donkoh is a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics and group lead at the Centre for Research in Applied Biology in Ghana. He is also a Research Fellow at the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC) in Ghana. His research focuses on biomarker development for the early detection of preventable and re-emerging diseases and involves pioneering screening programmes that incorporate evidence-based strategies such as self-sampling, near-patient testing, and digital health innovation to reach vulnerable groups. As a strong advocate of health security for Africa, Dr. Donkoh is currently implementing screening projects for metabolic and infectious diseases in primary healthcare settings, drawing on a deep understanding of sub-Saharan Africa’s contextual challenges and a strong network of community partnerships.
Dr Donkoh is the recipient of an accelerated PhD award from the Department of Molecular Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he studied under Professor Francis Agyemang-Yeboah and Professor Edwin K. Wiredu. In 2017, he took up a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Prof. Ellis Owusu Dabo, following up on the first cohort of HPV vaccinated girls in Ghana. His academic career began in 2018 when he joined and later led the Department of Basic and Applied Biology at the University of Energy and Natural Resources.
As the founding Head of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, and current Head of the Centre for Research in Applied Biology, Dr. Timmy Donkoh facilitates the development of affordable molecular diagnostics to drive national screening programmes, driven by a passion to expand universal access to cervical screening to address healthcare inequalities for women and neglected populations. Additionally, as Country Ambassador for the International Papillomavirus Society, he actively advocates for strategies that accelerate cervical cancer eradication in low-resource settings.
Laura Sichero
Brazil
Research Coordinator at the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo and a Collaborator Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil. I have a broad background in Molecular Virology, with specific training and expertise in molecular biology, molecular epidemiology, and biochemistry. Research focuses on the understanding of the impact of mucosal and cutaneous HPV genetic variability upon associated disease development and biological and biochemical properties of infected cells. Further involved in studying HPV transcription and the use of transcription factors as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Farah Naz Rahman
Australia
Dr Farah Naz Rahman is a public health researcher with a background in medicine and gerontology. She has contributed to multiple HPV-focused studies investigating disease burden, risk factors, health-seeking barriers, and the implementation of preventive services for HPV in low-resource settings. Her work is driven by a passion for translating evidence into practice to advance sexual and reproductive health for adolescents and women across the Global South.
Racheal Mandishora
USA
Dr Racheal S. Dube Mandishora is a trained Molecular Virologist and Cancer Epidemiologist. She has developed a strong research profile focused on the biology of oncoviruses, such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and their synergistic cooperation with other microorganisms in contributing to human diseases and cancers. Racheal has led and co-investigated studies on the molecular characterization and prevalence of HPV across various anatomical sites—including cervico-vaginal, anal, vulval, and ocular regions—in the Zimbabwean population, with an emphasis on infection rates in people living with HIV (PLWH). She is currently analyzing data from the HPV in Men (HIM) study cohort to explore oral HPV acquisition patterns and the associated risk factors among men from the USA and Latin America. With a background in wet laboratory Medical Science, Racheal combines her Basic Science and Epidemiology expertise to investigate the role of HPV variants at both lineage and sublineage levels. Her research also examines HPV whole genome diversity in women living with HIV, particularly in the context of multi-anatomical site cancers. Racheal’s long-term goal is to translate these findings into clinical practice, contributing to more effective HPV related cancer preventative and diagnostic tools.
Dr Racheal S. Dube Mandishora, a native Zimbabwean based in the USA, has actively mobilized researchers from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to become members of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), through the ambassador program. She maintains a strong presence in cancer awareness, in her home country, and has organized HPV workshops and laboratory trainings, fostering collaboration between senior IPVS researchers and early-career scientists from the Southern African region. This work demonstrates her commitment to capacity building and research visibility in the global fight against HPV-related cancers.
Chemtai Mungo
USA/Kenya
Dr. Chemtai Mungo is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Global Health at the University of North Carolina in the United States. She was born and raised in Kenya and did her undergraduate and medical training in the United States. Dr. Mungo is passionate about using research, advocacy, and capacity-building to pursue global women’s health equity. Her research is focused on increasing access to effective, evidence-based secondary prevention of cervical cancer in Africa, particularly focused on women living with HIV.
Dr. Mungo received a bachelor’s degree with Honors from the University of California in Berkeley. She received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, where she graduated with Distinction in Clinical and Translational Research. She also completed a master’s in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Mungo has published seventeen peer-reviewed manuscripts in international journals and is leading several clinical trials evaluating the feasibility of using topical, self-administered therapies for HPV and cervical precancer treatment in low-resource settings. She was named a Young Cancer Leader in 2021 by the Union of International Cancer Control and, in 2022, received the Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award. Her research is also funded by the National Institute of Health (U.S.A) and the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Mungo is motivated by her experiences growing up in a small town in Kenya and witnessing the health impact of weak health systems among women already facing the double burden of poverty and patriarchy.