Speaker Profiles
Prof. Jacques Marescaux
Founder, IRCAD – Research Institute Against Digestive Cancer
Prof. Jacques Marescaux is an internationally renowned pioneer in minimally invasive surgery and surgical innovation. In 1994, he founded IRCAD in Strasbourg, which has become a global reference centre for surgical research and training, welcoming more than 8,800 surgeons from around the world each year.
Throughout his career, Prof. Marescaux has been at the forefront of major advances in robotic surgery, virtual reality and image-guided procedures. In 2001, he led the landmark Operation Lindbergh, the world's first transatlantic telesurgery procedure, demonstrating the potential of technology to overcome geographical barriers in surgery.
Under his leadership, IRCAD has developed an international network of training and research centres across several continents and created WebSurg, a free online university serving a global community of more than 500,000 surgeons.
His work has consistently combined surgical excellence, advanced technology and education, making him one of the most influential figures in the evolution of modern surgical training.
Prof. Andrew Gumbs
Director of Artificial Intelligence Surgery
Hôpital Antoine Béclère – AP-HP, Paris
Editor-in-Chief, Artificial Intelligence Surgery
President, AIONS
Prof. Andrew Gumbs is a surgeon and international expert in artificial intelligence, minimally invasive surgery and surgical robotics. He serves as Director of Artificial Intelligence Surgery at Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, and as Editor-in-Chief of Artificial Intelligence Surgery.
He is Chief Medical Officer of ACCREA Medical Robotics, specializing in collaborative interventional robotics, and Founder and President of the Artificial Intelligence Organization for the Next Generation of Surgeons (AIONS).
Prof. Gumbs has held academic and clinical positions in Europe and the United States, including at Cornell-Weill Medical College, Columbia University and Fox Chase Cancer Center, with particular expertise in minimally invasive hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery.
His work focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence, robotics and minimally invasive techniques into surgical practice and training, with particular attention to how emerging technologies are shaping the next generation of surgeons.
Prof. Umberto Cillo
President-Elect, European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT)
Full Professor of General Surgery
University of Padua, Italy
Prof. Umberto Cillo is an internationally recognised expert in hepatobiliary surgery and liver transplantation. He is Full Professor of General Surgery at the University of Padua and Director of the Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit at the University Hospital of Padua.
His clinical and academic work focuses on liver transplantation, complex hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, and surgical oncology. Since 2004, he has led one of Italy’s major liver transplant centres, with extensive experience in both adult and paediatric transplantation.
Prof. Cillo has contributed extensively to research in transplantation medicine, surgical oncology and hepatobiliary surgery, and has played an important role in the development of clinical practice and organ allocation models in Italy.
As President-Elect of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), he brings to the Roundtable the perspective of international scientific leadership, advanced surgical practice and the evolving educational needs of highly specialised surgical communities.
Prof. Rodolfo J. Oviedo
CEO, The Robotic Global Surgical Society (TROGSS)
Medical Director of Bariatric & Robotic Surgery
Nacogdoches Medical Center, USA
Prof. Rodolfo J. Oviedo is a board-certified and fellowship-trained metabolic, bariatric and general surgeon with particular expertise in robotic metabolic and bariatric surgery, interventional bariatric endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal and anti-reflux surgery, and abdominal wall reconstruction.
He serves as Medical Director of Bariatric and Robotic Programs at Nacogdoches Medical Center and as Clinical Professor at the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine and Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
As CEO of The Robotic Global Surgical Society (TROGSS), Prof. Oviedo is actively engaged in advancing robotic surgery and surgical education internationally. He is also Chair of Global Surgery for the International College of Surgeons – US Section and Founder and CEO of the Surgical Excellence Academy (SEA).
He serves as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Robotic Surgery and Associate Editor of Obesity Surgery. His work brings together robotic surgery, surgical education and international collaboration, with a strong focus on advancing training and excellence in technology-assisted surgery.
Prof. Michele Diana
Professor of Surgery, University of Geneva
Former Scientific Director, IRCAD
Prof. Michele Diana is Professor of Surgery at the University of Geneva and an internationally recognised surgeon-scientist in digital surgery and surgical innovation.
Former Scientific Director of IRCAD in Strasbourg and Head of the Photonics for Health Department at ICube Laboratory, his research focuses on image-guided surgery, surgical robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to surgery.
An active medtech entrepreneur and founder of two medical technology companies, he combines academic research with innovation and technology transfer. He serves on the faculty of leading international surgical societies, including EAES, ISFGS and iSMIT, and has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications.
His work is focused on the development and clinical translation of next-generation surgical technologies, bridging surgery, engineering and digital innovation.
Prof. Arcangelo Merla
Full Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the BioEngineering Lab,
G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara
Prof. Arcangelo Merla is Full Professor of Biomedical Engineering at G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, where he directs the BioEngineering Lab and serves as President of the Degree Course in Biomedical Engineering.
His research focuses on biomedical imaging and modelling, with particular expertise in infrared thermal imaging and optical imaging and their applications in medicine and applied neuroscience. His work has also expanded into human-machine interaction, affective computing and assistive robotics.
Prof. Merla has contributed to research combining intraoperative imaging and machine learning, including applications of thermal infrared imaging to advanced tumour segmentation in neurosurgery.
His work brings an engineering perspective to the integration of biomedical imaging, artificial intelligence and human-machine interaction, contributing to the development of advanced technologies for clinical practice and medical training.
Prof. Shivani Sharma
Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Aston University
Co-Director, NIHR Applied Research
Collaboration Thames Valley
Professor Shivani Sharma is a health services researcher and Professor of Health Equity and Inclusion whose work focuses on the relationship between applied research, health systems and equity. With a background in psychology, she investigates how organisational, social and behavioural factors influence healthcare delivery, translating research evidence into improvements in policy, practice and patient outcomes.
As Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at Aston University and Co-Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Thames Valley, she provides strategic leadership for interdisciplinary research, promoting research inclusion, patient and public involvement, and methodological excellence in the generation of evidence for healthcare systems.
Her research has made an important contribution to advancing health equity, particularly in kidney health, demonstrating how psychological, social and organisational factors influence equitable access to care and patient experience. Her work has been recognised with the Donna Lamping Award from the UK Kidney Association for her contribution to inclusive research.
Across her academic and institutional leadership, Professor Sharma is committed to translating high-quality research into practical solutions that support more equitable, evidence-based and sustainable healthcare systems.
Prof. Luigi Marano
President, European Federation – International Society for Digestive Surgery (EFISDS)
Vice-Rector for International Affairs AMiSNS
Elbląg, Poland
Prof. Luigi Marano is President of the European Federation – International Society for Digestive Surgery (EFISDS) and an academic surgeon with extensive experience in digestive, oncological and minimally invasive surgery.
He serves as Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Director of the International Center for Medical Education (ICME), and Professor of Surgery at the Academy of Applied Medical and Social Sciences (AMiSNS) in Elbląg, Poland. He also supervises the Robotic and Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgical Program at “Saint Wojciech” Hospital, Nicolaus Copernicus Health Center in Gdańsk.
His academic and clinical work focuses on esophago-gastric and oncological surgery, with particular emphasis on innovation, minimally invasive techniques and perioperative management.
Prof. Marano is actively involved in international surgical education and research networks and serves on the Education and Training Committee, Upper GI Section, of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO).
Dr. Francesco Giovinazzo
Director of General Surgery,
San Camillo Hospital, Treviso, Italy
Senior Research Fellow,
University of Hertfordshire, UK
Adjunct Professor of General Surgery,
UniCamillus University, Rome
Scientific Director – Advanced Surgical Training International Roundtable