Our speakers
Dr Donald I. Abrams
Donald I. Abrams, MD. is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. He has an Integrative Oncology consultation practice at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He received an A.B. in Molecular Biology from Brown University in 1972 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1977. After completing an Internal Medicine residency at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Francisco, he became a fellow in Hematology/Oncology at the Cancer Research Institute of the University of California, San Francisco in 1980. He was one the original clinician/investigators to recognize and define many early AIDS-related conditions at San Francisco General Hospital where he also served as chief of Hematology-Oncology for 14 years. He has long been interested in clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for HIV/AIDS and cancer, including evaluations of medicinal cannabis. In 1997 he received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct a clinical trial on the short-term safety of cannabinoids in HIV infection.
Subsequently he was granted funds by the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to continue studies of the effectiveness of cannabis in a number of clinical conditions. He completed a placebo-controlled study of smoked cannabis in patients with painful HIV-related peripheral neuropathy as well as a study evaluating vaporization as a smokeless delivery system for medicinal cannabis. He conducted a NIDA-funded trial investigating the pharmacokinetic interaction between vaporized cannabis and opioid analgesics in patients with chronic pain. His last study was an NIH-funded trial evaluating vaporized cannabis in patients with sickle cell disease. He co-authored the chapter on “Cannabinoids and Cancer” in the Oxford University Press Integrative Oncology text that he co-edited with Andrew Weil. He co-edited the NCI PDQ CAM Cannabinoids and Cancer website for 13 years. He was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s committee that published The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research in January 2017. He has received numerous awards recognizing his work in advancing cannabis as medicine.
Dr Eran Ben-Arye
Prof. Eran Ben-Arye has an MD degree from the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Prof. Ben-Arye is on the faculty of the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, The Technion, and since 2022 serves as the Chairman, Department of family Medicine, in the Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Ben-Arye is the founder and director of the Integrative Oncology Program at Lin, Carmel, and Zebulun Medical Centers, Haifa, Israel. He has been the chairperson of the Israel Society for Complementary Medicine of the Israel Medical Association. He is the Primary Researcher of the Middle East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) within the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC) and is an elected member of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Board of Trustees and serves as the SIO Regional Ambassador to Europe and the Middle-East.
His research interests include integrative and complementary medicine, family medicine, integrative oncology, medical education, doctor-patient communication, evidence-based medicine and research, and traditional and cross-cultural medicine. He has authored and co-authored 205 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals published in Pubmed/Medline and 9 chapters in oncology textbooks concerning integrative oncology, doctor-patient communication, sociology and nutrition.
Prof. Ben-Arye has constructed and co-conducted more than 20 clinical studies in the area of complementary and integrative medicine, including five randomized controlled studies. He is assigned as Associate Editor for Integrative Oncology in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care and as an Integrative Medicine section editor in Current Psychiatry Reports.
Dr Massimo Bonucci
Dr Massimo Bonucci M.D. is Chief of Clinical Pathology and Surgical Pathology and Outpatient Oncology in San Feliciano Hospital-Rome - Italy; he is member of IAP (International Academy of Pathology-Italian Division). He focused his work to FNAC/FNAB to breast cancer; brain cancer and colon cancer. For ten years he had collaborative experience with Dr. Nieper (late President German Society of Oncology); after he introduced the use and development of integrative medicine on cancer patients in Italy.
Graduated on Clinical Oncology from University of Pisa, Dr Bonucci works as Consultant Oncologist for Integrative treatments to some Hospital in Rome, Perugia and Milan (Italy). He works as Consultant Oncologist and Surgical Pathologist with I.S.S. (National Health Service) in news research for integrative use from chemotherapy and natural medicaments. Prof. Bonucci is founder and President of ARTOI (Associazione Ricerca Terapie Oncologiche Integrate) a non-profit organization, first in Italy, for to explain and to develop the Integrative medicine in cancer. He use also complementary therapies and nutrition for prevention.
He is Professor of the G. Marconi University Centro Studi Scienza della vita in Rome, for Integrative Oncology of postgraduate program and the same program in University of Chieti. He is working on a book, ‘Integrative Oncology in Italy”. Prof Bonucci has organized the International meeting of Integrative Oncology in Rome from 2009 to 2016.
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is an award winning Oxbridge-trained integrative medicine physician scientist and educator with over a decade’s experience in integrative healthcare. Dr Fuller-Shavel holds 4 Oxbridge degrees, including MB BChir (Medicine) and MA Hons Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and distinctions in MSc Precision Cancer Medicine and PG Dip Health Research from the University of Oxford. Dr Fuller-Shavel is a Fellow of the College of Medicine, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel has co-chaired the BSIO (British Society for Integrative Oncology) over 2021-2023 and is the current Co-Chair of the BSIO Education Committee. Dr Fuller-Shavel is the SIO (Society for Integrative Oncology) Global Ambassador to the UK and the Co-Chair of the SIO Global Committee, actively contributing to several other SIO committees and special interest groups. Alongside her extensive scientific and medical training, Dr Fuller-Shavel holds multiple qualifications in nutrition, integrative medicine, health coaching, herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yoga, mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches. Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel has also recently co-authored the book ‘Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care’ with Dr Penny Kechagioglou published by Springer in March 2024.
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is the founder and Director of Synthesis Clinic, an innovative multidisciplinary practice in Hampshire, specialising in women’s health, integrative pain care and integrative cancer care (integrative oncology) for children and adults. Alongside her clinical work, Dr Fuller-Shavel is a guest lecturer in integrative medicine for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and delivers independent educational courses for medical and nutrition professionals, including her Systems Approach to Cancer Programme. Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel participates in research in integrative oncology and precision health, is an expert integrative and supportive oncology abstract reviewer for international conferences and journals, and contributes to journal editorial boards (NMJ and IJIO) and guideline development panels nationally and internationally. Finally, Dr Fuller-Shavel holds two integrative oncology non-profit roles as the CEO of the UK NCIO (National Centre for Integrative Oncology) charity and the Co-Founder and Director of Oncio CIC, supporting access to services and best clinical practice and research in integrative oncology.
Emma Holly
Emma Holly is a leading specialist in Scar Therapy, providing education around the world for health and wellbeing professionals with a growing teaching team in UK and internationally. Emma has been a speaker on scar therapy at UK and international conferences and symposiums including the international Scars2023 in Germany, Finnish Lymphoedema Association conference 2025, the Australasian Lymphology Symposium, New Zealand 2023 and Australia 2025, and presented on scar massage at the Association of Breast Surgery Conference 2024, UK. She has a clinical practice in Harley Street, London where she offers non-invasive scar therapy treatment for clients after injury, surgery and radiotherapy. Oncology scar treatments have always been at the heart of the Restore program, as this patient cohort often experience considerable issues linked to treatment, with symptoms that can be minimised with the Restore scar therapy approach.
Dr Penny Kechagioglou
Dr Penny Kechagioglou is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Chief Medical Officer for Icon UK and the Chief Clinical Information Officer/deputy CMO at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. She holds leadership roles in various academic, digital and regulatory bodies, including being an advisor for the WHO academy for lifelong learning in health. Penny has completed a doctorate in leadership and innovation with Warwick business school and is the author of the book 'Healthcare Innovation Success: learning from organisational experience'. She also holds Masters in Public Health and Health Management, an MBA and a PGDip in Digital Health from the prestigious NHS Digital Academy.
Dr Penny is an undergraduate and postgraduate tutor, lecturer, mentor and professional health coach, she is the co-author of the book 'Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care' and co-founder of the ONCIO CIC, the first ever Integrative Oncology app to support patients throughout their cancer journeys.
Dr Amy Mitchell
Dr Amy Mitchell is a consultant paediatric and adolescent oncologist at Oxford Children’s Hospital and a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford. She has extensive expertise in paediatric aftercare, survivorship, and holistic cancer care, leading integrative approaches to improve long-term outcomes for children and young people.
With over eight years of NHS consultant experience, Dr.Mitchell plays a key role in paediatric oncology across Thames Valley, leading on quality improvement, patient safety, and the development of personalised aftercare services. She is committed to embedding integrative approaches within paediatric oncology, encompassing exercise oncology, psycho-oncology, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine.
Dr. Mitchell recently completed a 2 year term as training advisor for the RCPCH Paediatric Oncology CSAC, where she contributed to national training strategy and mentorship for paediatric oncology trainees. She remains an active educator, leading postgraduate training and serving as an educational supervisor for paediatric oncology trainees. She holds a postgraduate diploma in clinical education and is passionate about developing future paediatric oncologists through high-quality training and mentorship.
A principal investigator for multiple paediatric oncology clinical trials across the range of solid tumours of childhood, including Neuroblastoma, Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), Renal Tumours, and Rhabdomyosarcomas, Dr.Mitchell has a strong research background, holding a master’s in cancer cell biology. She is dedicated to advancing precision and integrative oncology through evidence-based practice and multidisciplinary collaboration.
She is a member of CCLG, SIOP Europe, Pancare, Q and the British Society for Integrative Oncology (BSIO) as well as a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health. Passionate about improving quality of life for paediatric cancer survivors, she is currently focused on developing multidisciplinary, personalised aftercare models that integrate conventional and complementary approaches to support children beyond treatment.
Dr Isabel Giralt Sampedro
Born in 1956, Dr Isabel graduated with medical degree from the University of Barcelona in 1981. She began studying acupuncture in her third year of medical school, later continuing her studies in France and Great Britain, where she received certification with Dr. Radha Thambirajah in 1986. Also certified in acupuncture by the Board of Physicians of Barcelona. Master’s degree in Acupuncture from the University of Barcelona – Bosch I Gimpera Foundation.
In 1986 in Barcelona she founded the ENERGIMED acupuncture clinic, where she is currently the Medical Director with a team of five other acupuncture physicians and has been the President of the Acupuncture Physicians Section of the Board of Physicians of Barcelona. Currently a member of the Board.
Dr Isabel Was a member of the Master’s Teaching Commission in Acupuncture for medical school graduates of the University of Barcelona–IL3 from 1996 to 2006 and rom 2007 to 2009, President of the International Council of Medical Acupuncture, an association of over 15,000 acupuncture physicians worldwide. Currently, Past-President on the Council board.
She is the Director of the Acupuncture Master’s Programme for medical school graduates and certified physiotherapists at the University of Lleida. Editor of the “Revista Internacional de Acupuntura” for Elsevier Publishers.
Dr. Friedemann Schad
Dr. med. Friedemann Schad is specialist in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Since 2010 he is Head of the Oncology Center at the Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhöhe, Berlin (Germany). He is Member of Management of the Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhöhe, the Research Institute Havelhöhe, Berlin (Germany) and Netzwerk Onkologie. Friedemann Schad is a member in Tumorzentrum Berlin und Tumorzentrum gemeinnütziger & konfesioneller Krankenhäuser in Berlin e.V.
Head of Berlin’s Oncology Center at Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhöhe (Berlin, Germany)
Board Member of the Havelhöhe Research Institute and Havelhöhe Hospital
Member of Berlin’s Tumorzentrum
Dr Jan Vagedes
Dr Jan Vagedes is head of the department of Pediatrics at the Filderklinik. He is director ofthe ARCIM Institute (Academic Research in Complementary and Integrative Medicine), and is affiliated to the University of Tübingen. Dr. Jan Vagedes studied in Munich with study visits to Boston (USA), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Alicante (Spain). He received his MD degree from the Medical Faculty of the Ludwig Maximilian University, Medical School (Munich) and his MA degree (Magister Artium) in Philosophy from the High school for Philosophy (Munich).
He is a board member of the & Medical Seminar Bad Bollquot and lectures worldwide on integrative medicine. One of his research interests is in the psycho-physiological effects of integrative therapies.
Dr Ines von Rosenstiel
Dr Ines is consultant in Paediatrics, Lifestyle medicine and Integrative Medicine , Clinic of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, and adult oncology Center, Rijnstate Teaching Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands. I am educated Medical Doctor at the University of Leiden Medical School , specializing in General Paediatrics and Paediatric Intensive Care at the University Academic Hospital in Amsterdam, and obtained additional degrees in Integrative medicine and Integrative oncology. Her primary fields of interest are childhood obesity, lifestyle medicine in pediatrics , CFS/ME and Post-Acute Inflammatory Syndrome (PAIS) and the broad field of integrative oncology.
Since 2018, she is one of the instigators and active member of the Dutch Integrative Medicine and Health consortium (www.CIZG.nl) During recent years, her predominant interest has been in the nationwide implementation and advocacy of integrative pediatrics and integrative oncology .Dr Ines teaches integrative medicine and lifestyle medicine in the undergraduate medical curriculum and students of other health care professions. She is engaged in dissemination activities, and a regular contributor to public debates and a podcaster and global keynote speaker whose mission is to empower patients to step into their strengths.
As a consultant in integrative oncology for the last eight years Dr Ines works with patients to develop personalized treatment plans, addressing not just the disease but also the emotional, physical, and nutritional well-being of the individual. By integrating evidence-based therapies such as nutrition, stress management, and supportive healing practices, she aims to enhance treatment outcomes and minimize side effects, empowering patients through their cancer journey.
Dr. Francesca Andreazzoli
Dr. Francesca Andreazzoli is a distinguished haematologist specialising in integrative oncology and nutrition. She serves in the Department of Hematology at Versilia Hospital in Tuscany, where she applies a holistic and evidence-based approach to patient care.
A recognised leader in her field, Dr. Andreazzoli is the Haematology Referent at the ARTOI Foundation and an active member of both the SIO and the Homeopathy SIO Group of Interest. She is also a lecturer in Integrative Oncology and Haematology at an Italian university, where she shares her expertise in microbiota research and its implications for haematological health.
Her research focuses on the role of nutrition, supplements, and complementary therapies in haematological conditions. She has authored numerous publications in esteemed journals, contributing to the evolving understanding of integrative approaches in haematology. Her work includes studies on integrative care for lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as the broader application of complementary modalities in haematological treatment.
Through her clinical work, academic contributions, and research, Dr. Andreazzoli is shaping the future of integrative haematology, bridging conventional medicine with innovative, patient-centered approaches.