Plenary sessions and ceremonies
Be part of the Congress highlights that connect, challenge and inspire. Discover the plenary sessions, ceremonies and Big Debate—where bold ideas meet global perspectives to drive action in cancer control.
These sessions anchor the programme of the World Cancer Congress, bringing all participants together for shared moments of reflection and exchange. Each day begins with the plenary sessions—unmissable gatherings designed to energise, challenge and connect the cancer control community—where big questions meet real-world action, alongside ceremonies and the Big Debate that inspire dialogue and collective momentum for change.
Ceremony
Opening Ceremony
John
Lee Ka-chiu
Mr John Lee was born in 1957. He joined the Hong Kong Police Force in 1977 as a Probationary Inspector of Police and was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police in 2010. He served in a variety of posts in the Force, including Assistant Commissioner (Crime), Director of Crime and Security and Deputy Commissioner (Management). He holds a Master's degree of Public Policy and Administration from Charles Sturt University in Australia.
Mr Lee was appointed Under Secretary for Security in 2012 and Secretary for Security in 2017. During his service in the Security Bureau, he was responsible for the formulation of security policies covering law and order, immigration and customs control, fire and emergency rescue services, correctional services, government flying services and other areas. He also oversaw and coordinated the work of six disciplined services departments and two auxiliary forces under the Bureau.
Mr Lee was appointed Chief Secretary for Administration in 2021. Apart from assisting the Chief Executive in policy administration, Mr Lee was also responsible for supervising the work of nine policy bureaux, harmonising the work which straddled across different bureaux and departments, as well as promoting a good relationship between the Executive Authorities and the Legislature.
Mr Lee won the Chief Executive Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 8 May 2022, and was appointed as the sixth-term Chief Executive by the Central People's Government on 20 May 2022. Mr Lee assumed office on 1 July 2022.
Ulrika
Årehed Kågström
Ulrika Årehed Kågström is President of UICC, Secretary-General of the Swedish Cancer Society, board member of the Nordic Cancer Union and member of the Swedish Government’s Life Science Advisory Group.
Her background is in finance, crisis management and leading large and complex organisations in times of change. Ulrika is highly regarded for her extensive experience in strategic leadership and successful advocacy work. She is known to be a team player who listens and greatly values transparency.
Under Ulrika’s leadership, the Swedish Cancer Society has become the number 1 fundraising organisation in the country with a revenue that increased by more than 50 percent since Ulrika took office in 2016.
Ulrika is also an active leader in the Nordic Cancer Union. Fully committed to the global fight against cancer, Ulrika pays special attention to the numerous equity gaps in the access to early detection, treatment and care.
UIrika has served as a UICC Board member since 2018. She has served as treasurer, chairman and member of the Knowledge, Advocacy and Policy Committee, chairman and member of the Finance Committee, member of the Strategy Review task force, member of the ATOM Coalition task force, member of the Governance committee, member of the task force on Antimicrobial Resistance, member of the Advisory Board of the Solidarity Fund for Ukraine and member of the Congress and Summit Committee.
Prior to joining the Swedish Cancer Society in 2016, Ulrika was Secretary General of the Swedish Red Cross.
She has extensive experience in governance as chair and member of boards such as the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Magtoys Inc, the Folke Bernadotte Academy: Swedish agency for peace, security and development, and the Swedish Food Agency.
Ulrika has an extensive commitment to culture, partly through assignments at the National Theater and as chair of the Swedish Arts Council and previously as chair of the Royal Dramatic Theater.
Plenary session
Plenary 1 – Where are we now? The global state of cancer control
A reflective and thought-provoking session examining current global progress in cancer control.
Cary
Adams
Dr Cary Adams is the Chief Executive Officer of UICC. He has occupied this position since 2009. Born in London, Cary has a BSc Honours degree in Economics, Computing and Statistics, a Masters degree (with distinction) in Business Administration. He is a Harvard Business School alumni and has received two Honorary Doctorates in International Relations and Health.
In 2009, Cary made a career change, moving from the management of international businesses in the banking sector to become CEO of UICC, based in Geneva – the largest international cancer NGO of its kind with more than 1,150 member organisations in over 170 countries and territories.
UICC unites and supports the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda. UICC also boasts more than 60 strategic partners.
Cary also served two terms as Chair of the NCD Alliance Board, a coalition of around 2,000 organisations working on non-communicable diseases, which include cancer, diabetes, heart, respiratory, mental and neurological diseases.
In 2014, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations from the University for Business and International Studies in Geneva, and in 2015 an Honorary Doctorate in Health from Bath University in the UK. In May 2015, Cary was awarded ‘CEO of the year’ at the International and European Association conference organised by the Associations Network.
He also received the 2023 International Healthcare Leadership Award by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL). The award recognises his significant contributions to global healthcare and his dedication to fostering leadership within the sector.
Chung-mai
Lo
Professor Chung-mau Lo was appointed Secretary for Health on 1 July 2022. Before joining the Government, he was Hospital Chief Executive at The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Chair of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery at The University of Hong Kong and Director of Liver Transplantation Centre at Queen Mary Hospital.
Professor Lo has devoted himself to clinical work, teaching and scientific research in the field of hepatobiliary surgery for more than three decades. He is internationally renowned for his expertise in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation. He has published over 600 original articles in refereed international journals and his H-index is 94. His pioneering work in adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation has revolutionised the practice of liver transplant world-wide and has put Hong Kong on the world map of liver transplant. He and his team were awarded China’s top national honour of First-class State Scientific and Technological Progress Award in 2005.
He was the President of the International Liver Transplantation Society and the International Society for Digestive Surgery. He has served in the editorial board of many prestigious journals, including the American Journal of Transplantation, Liver Transplantation, Surgery and the Annals of Surgery. He has been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association, the American College of Surgeons, and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland as well as an Honorary Member of the European Surgical Association.
Professor Lo served as the Hospital Chief Executive of The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital from November 2016 to June 2022. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" strategy, he has actively leveraged the advantages of Shenzhen-Hong Kong cross-border collaboration to advocate "Green Healthcare Reform " in public hospitals, and to promote medical integration in the Greater Bay Area. Under his leadership, the Hospital became the youngest High-level Hospital of Guangdong Province in 2018 and received Shenzhen Municipal City Mayor's Quality Gold Award in 2020. The Hospital has been selected as a National High-Quality Development Hospital in 2021.
Jie
He
Dr. Jie He received his M.D. Degree (Clinical Medicine) in 1984 from the Bethune Medical University in Changchun, China and his Ph.D Degree in Oncology (Thoracic Surgery)in 1993 at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CHCAMS) in Beijing, China. Afterwards he did the postdoctoral fellow in the United States from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, he returned to the Department of Thoracic Surgery in CHCAMS and gradually became the Department Deputy Director, Department Director, Deputy Director of CHCAMS and Director of CHCAMS in 2011. In 2013, He was appointed as Executive Director of China National Cancer Center (NCC) by China Ministry of Health. In 2014, he was elected as the Academician, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2015, he was formally appointed as President of China National Cancer Center. Meanwhile, he holds the Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the Prestigious Fellowship Ad Hominem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and Honorary Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong (CSHK). In 2025, He was elected as the member, National Academy of Medicine of the United States.
Dir He has over 30 years’ experience in clinical practice and translational research on the thoracic oncology, particularly on esophageal and lung cancers. He led several national key grants supported by National Natural Science Foundation, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Health. He also received several national awards including 1st Prize for National Scientific and Technological Development. As the President of China NCC, he is playing the leading role in building the comprehensive network in cancer research, prevention and clinical practice all over China. In particular, he made much effort in cancer prevention and control across China, which established the biggest cancer registry network in the world and increase the 5-year survival rate of cancer patients from 30.9% to 43.7%.
Jeff
Dunn
Prof. Jeff Dunn AO is Chief of Mission and Head of Research at the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. He is also Professor of Social and Behavioural Science and Chair of Cancer Survivorship at the University of Southern Queensland. He is a Board Member and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service. He served as President of the Union for International Cancer Control from 2022 to 2024.
His work in cancer control spans 30 years, in which time he has dedicated his career to the development of strategies that underpin cancer survival and improve awareness of the disease with a special focus on the social and behavioural aspects of cancer and has over 200 publications, including peerreviewed manuscripts, chapters, books and reports. In 2014 Jeff was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medical administration through leadership of cancer control organisations and promotion of innovative and integrated cancer care programmes.
Plenary session
Plenary 2 – Where are we going? Breakthroughs and the future of cancer care
A forward-looking session focused on cutting-edge developments and innovation
Stephen
Grobmyer
Dr. Stephen R. Grobmyer, MD, is Chair of the Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi-Fatima bint Mubarak Center, Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, and Adjunct Professor of Surgery at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, he served as Section Head of Surgical Oncology and Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. At Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, he served as the Zapis Family Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Research.
Dr. Grobmyer received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas and completed his residency in General Surgery at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York. He completed a clinical fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Grobmyer completed 2 research fellowships during his medical training: Sarnoff Scholar at University of Pennsylvania; and a NIH training fellowship at Cornell Medical Center.
Dr. Grobmyer’s innovative clinical care program and research focus on developing new approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. He is currently Leader the Oncology Flagship Program of the Emirati Genome Project in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Grobmyer has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and recognitions including, The Lester Dragstedt Physician Scientist Award, The Society of Surgical Oncology Clinical Investigator Award, ASCO Leadership Development Program and The American College of Surgeons Japan Travelling Fellowship. In 2026, he was recognized among “Healthcare Heroes” in the UAE. He is a member of the American Surgical Association in the United States. His influential clinical care and research have been featured widely in the Unites States media including NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, National Public Radio, The New York Times and Vogue Magazine.
Elizabeth
Mittendorf
Dr. Mittendorf, a surgical oncologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is the Chief of Multidisciplinary Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Co-Leader of the Breast Program for the Harvard Cancer Consortium, and a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Mittendorf received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine where she also completed a residency in General Surgery. She then served on active duty in the United States military before completing a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Mittendorf also holds a PhD in Immunology from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston.
Dr. Mittendorf currently serves as President on the ASCO Society Board of Directors for the 2026–2027 term, having previously served as a Board member from 2019 to 2023 and as the Society Treasurer from 2022 to 2023. She has served as a member of various ASCO volunteer groups including the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee, the Best of ASCO Planning Committee, and as Chair of the Conquer Cancer Grants and Awards Selection Committee. Dr. Mittendorf serves on the advisory boards and executive committees of several national surgical and scientific organizations dedicated to advancing breast cancer care.
Big Debate
The Big Debate session, that takes place in plenary, in one of the standout sessions at the World Cancer Congress. This session features two speakers in a debate-style format debating either side of a contentious issue in cancer control. This interactive session features audience engagement via live polling and Q&A.
Big Debate – Will Precision Oncology Deliver a Healthier World?
In this session, two leading experts will debate the prospects for precision oncology to deliver a healthier world. Advances in molecular technologies have meant that we can move away from “one-size-fits-all” to a more targeted approach, but has precision oncology delivered on its undoubted promise and are healthcare systems around the world ready for precision oncology?
Lillian
Siu
Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the co-Director of the Phase I Trials Program, co-leads the Tumor Immunotherapy Program and holds the BMO Chair in Precision Genomics. Dr. Siu had served on the Board of Directors of both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She is a fellow of ASCO, AACR and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). Dr. Siu was the 2025-2026 President of the AACR.
Dr. Siu’s major research focus is in the area of new anticancer drug development, with respect to phase I trials and head and neck malignancies. Her translational research focus is in the area of liquid biopsies, predictive biomarkers and precision medicine. Internationally, Dr. Siu was the recipient of the US National Cancer Institute’s Michaele C. Christian Award in 2010, ESMO TAT Honorary Award in 2020, Canadian Cancer Trials Group’s Maria Ricci Memorial Lectureship in 2023, and ASCO’s highest honor - David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award in 2024. Dr. Siu received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON). For her mentorship of early career investigators, Dr. Siu received the International Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award from ASCO in 2020. Dr. Siu has published nearly 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and she is the co-Editor-in-Chief for AACR’s Cancer Research Communications, and is on the editorial board for Cell and Cancer Cell.
Mark
Lawler
Mark is Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast. He chairs the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, a global initiative which looks at cancer outcomes across the world and was senior author on a Lancet Oncology paper that highlighted the role of National Cancer Control Plans in delivering optimal cancer care. He was Chair of the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission, which produced the most comprehensive analysis to date of cancer research activity in Europe, which is informing cancer research and policy across the continent.
Mark co-leads Health Data Research UK’s Big Data for Complex Diseases Driver Programme which has a major focus on the use of cancer data. He is Scientific Director of DATA-CAN, the UK’s Health Data Research Hub for Cancer. He is the Scientific Lead of the European Cancer Organisation’s European Cancer Pulse, which captures data on cancer inequalities across Europe.
Marks pioneering work on Covid-19 and cancer received the Royal College of Physicians Excellence in Patient Care Award and the prestigious European Communique Award. His team won the HDR-UK Impact of the Year Award for providing the crucial intelligence informing a change in policy for treating colorectal cancer. Mark is a member of the International Advisory Committee for the Lancet Oncology, the leading cancer journal.
Mark was the architect of the European Cancer Patient’s Bill of Rights, a catalyst for change and an empowerment tool for cancer patients, for which he received the 2018 European Health Award, which specifically rewards work with pan-European impact. He co-led the development of the European Code of Cancer Practice, a European Cancer Organisation (ECO) initiative which articulates what people should expect from their cancer health system. He co-leads ECO’s focussed Topic Network on Emergencies and Crises and co-authored a Manifesto on improving cancer care in conflict-impacted populations in The Lancet.
Mark was one of the leadership involved in developing and launching a radical new data-informed UK plan for cancer research and cancer care in the House of Commons, Westminster. In January 2024, he provided the crucial evidence on the need to re-establish a National Cancer Plan to the Health and Social Care Select Committee in the House of Commons, which was a key deciding factor in the Secretary of State for Health committing to a National Cancer Plan. On World Cancer Day 2025, he co-led a campaign to ensure a big, brave and ambitious cancer strategy, data-informed and with patients at the centre, which he delivered as a petition to Number 10 Downing Street.
On a lighter note, Mark is a devotee of the famous Irish writer James Joyce and performs an acclaimed One Man Show “Doctoring James Joyce,” treading the boards many times in Dublin and Belfast, but also in Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam to date, which explores not only the authors writing, but also the scientific and medical aspects of his work, in stories, anecdotes, songs and doggerel verse.
Plenary session
Plenary 3 – Impact, Influence, and Societal Change
This third plenary session focuses on how we can exert influence and through whom to make change happen at a global, regional and local level, with a focus on political will, civil society, social media, and future societal trends, and considering high-profile speakers from outside the cancer field. Session to feature case studies and examples of successful policy influence.
Zainab
Shinkafi-Bagudu
Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is a distinguished pediatrician and global health leader with a profound commitment to women’s health and cancer care. A pioneer in Nigerian healthcare, she established Medicaid Radio-Diagnostics & Clinics, the first comprehensive diagnostic center in Abuja, addressing a critical gap in medical services.
Recognising the urgent need for cancer care, she also founded the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, driving awareness, prevention, and improved access to treatment. The foundation has raised over $2 million to address gaps in cancer care.
As the former First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr Bagudu leveraged her position to spearhead transformative healthcare initiatives, including the development of a comprehensive cancer control plan and the expansion of HPV vaccination for girls. Her advocacy extends globally through her roles with UICC and First Ladies Against Cancer.
With a relentless dedication to improving lives, Dr Bagudu continues to be a driving force in the action against cancer, empowering communities, and shaping healthcare policies in Nigeria and beyond.
Chioma
Uzodimma
Her Excellency, Barr. Chioma Deborah Uzodimma is the First Lady of Imo State, Nigeria, and the wife of the Executive Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Odidika Uzodimma, CON. Their union is blessed with children. She is a distinguished legal practitioner, called to the Nigerian Bar, with LL.B. and LL.M. degrees from Imo State University, Owerri, and professional experience across leading law firms in Nigeria. As First Lady, she champions impactful social initiatives through the GoodHope Women Flourish Initiative (GHWFI), with a focus on women’s empowerment, healthcare advancement, and support for vulnerable populations. Her Excellency currently serves as Chairperson of First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), Chair of the Subcommittee on Monitoring and Evaluation for the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE), and Secretary of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). In recognition of her leadership and humanitarian contributions, she has received several honours and awards. Notably, she was named First Lady of the Year 2025 by The Sun Newspapers in January 2026. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC) and a recipient of a Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa).
Gilberto
Lopes
Gilberto Lopes is medical director for international programs and associate director for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, interim chief of the medical oncology division and professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School of Medicine. He currently serves in the board of directors for the Union International for Cancer Control and as Editor-in-Chief for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s JCO Global Oncology. He completed medical school at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and residency in internal medicine, chief residency and hematology and medical oncology fellowship at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University and senior consultant and associate director for clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Center and served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the Oncoclinicas group, the largest oncology provider in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. Dr. Lopes has published more than 200 papers and book chapters in journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, Nature Reviews, Lancet, Lancet Oncology and Health Affairs. In addition to delivering lectures around the world, he has been principal, co-Principal Investigator or steering committee member in more than 150 studies and clinical trials covering breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and thoracic cancers. His other main areas of research interest are disparities, health economics, value, policy and access to cancer drugs and care in low and middle-income countries.
Asem
Mansour
Asem H. Mansour, M.D., has served as the CEO and Director General of Jordan’s King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), the largest standalone comprehensive cancer center in the Middle East, since 2012. In this role, he leads over 3,000 staff members, including 400 oncologists and consultants, to execute KHCC’s vision of providing the highest quality care to cancer patients throughout the region.
Dr. Mansour’s affiliation with KHCC dates back to 1998, when he was appointed Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, and subsequently led the department to become one of the most advanced diagnostic imaging facilities in the Kingdom, with highly qualified staff and state-of-the-art machinery.
In 2006, he became KHCC’s Deputy Director General and was promoted in early 2012 to be the Center's Director General and the Executive Chairman of the Jordan Breast Cancer Program (JBCP), a national program concerned with activating early detection of breast cancer by improving the quality of services provided across Jordan.
He also serves as an active Board Member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), having been elected for a second term from 2024 to 2026 and a Board Member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). Furthermore, he has held the position of Commissioner for the Lancet Commission on Cancer & Health Systems since 2022.
Since he assumed leadership of KHCC, he has worked tirelessly to shape and direct the strategic vision, provide the optimum portfolio of services while capitalizing on recent advancements and successes in the fields of Cancer Care, Oncology Training and Research which ultimately positioned KHCC as a leading oncology center in the region and as international hub sought from around the world. The Center’s reputation for quality, innovation, and clinical excellence today draws over 6,000 new cancer patients from Jordan and internationally each year.
Dr. Mansour’s breadth of experience has been paramount to the success of KHCC. He led the nursing and the quality management teams to achieve status as one of the ten most elite international hospitals, and the first Oncology Specialized Center outside the United States to earn the prestigious Magnet® distinction from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in 2019. Under his leadership, KHCC also became an AHAARP (Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs) accredited academic institution in 2019, placing it as one of the top performing research institutions in the Middle East.
A renowned Diagnostic Radiologist with a subspecialty fellowship in Neuroradiology (ESNR), Dr. Mansour earned his M.D. from the Vitebsk Medical Institute, School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship with the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR- London), and holds a Master’s of Medical Management (MMM) from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. In 2022, the American Association of Physicians Leadership (AAPL) named him a Certified Physician Executive (CPE), and he received his M.Sc. in International Public Health from Liverpool John Moores University in 2023.
Moreover, he is an accomplished, published author of the famous, controversial, debut book “Two Years of Solitude”, published in 2021. He is also an editor, a columnist, an active reviewer, who co-authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications. He coauthored two eBooks published in Frontiers in Medicine entitled “Bioethics amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic” in 2022 and another in 2023 entitled as “Cancer care in areas of conflict”.
In October 2024, Dr. Mansour was awarded the Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in recognition of his exceptional contributions to Cancer Care.
Ceremony
Closing Ceremony
Speaker
to be confirmed
