Board of Directors

Nicholas J. Shaheen
University of North Carolina, USA

I am a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UNC. I specialize in endoscopic treatment of precancerous and cancerous conditions of the esophagus, and am an active clinical researcher in these areas. I am a longstanding member of the ISDE and support its mission. The unique multidisciplinary and international nature of the group provides a perspective not found elsewhere, and leads to enriched and stimulating academic interaction. I have enjoyed serving as a co-chair of the planning committee for our upcoming virtual Congress, and addressing the challenges presented by mounting a meeting in the time of a pandemic.

I have extensive administrative experience, both at my institution and in professional organizations, which make me well-suited for this position. In addition to managing our GI division and the clinical research center here at UNC, I have served as the Director of the American College of Gastroenterology Institute, the research and education arm of the ACG. I have also been a trustee of that organization for the past decade. I also served the American Gastroenterological Association as head of the Clinical Practice section, and a member of AGA Council. I am highly collaborative and believe that the best ideas to engage a professional society usually originate from the membership up, not the leadership down. I am honored to be elected in this position, and will work hard to promote the ISDE in national and international venues.

Lorenzo Ferri
Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

It is an honour to serve on the ISDE Board of Directors as Vice President, a society I have faithfully served since attending my first meeting in Adelaide over 15 years ago. I am an esophageal surgeon at McGill University in Montreal Canada and director of the division of Thoracic and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery at this institution.

In addition to being an active clinician directing the multidisciplinary McGill University Program in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancers, I am a tenured professor and scientist in the Departments of Surgery and Oncology. Through these roles, I have spearheaded numerous initiatives designed to improve outcomes in esophageal surgery and upper GI cancer through carefully coordinated basic, translational, and clinical scientific research.

Over the past 20 years I have been fortunate to have benefited from numerous peer review grants from funding agencies in North America and Europe for my work into the inflammatory basis of cancer progression and metastasis. In 2019, I was a part of an international team of scientists who received a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge to investigate the stromal drivers underpinning Barrett’s adenocarcinoma progression.

My roles in ISDE include being the program co-chair of the 2020-2021 ISDE World Congress and serving as associate editor of the Disease of the Esophagus journal since 2015. I look forward to contributing and continuing my service to the ISDE as Vice President.

Neil Gupta

Loyola University Medical Center, USA

Dr. Gupta has served the ISDE as the co-Editor in Chief of Diseases of the Esophagus since 2016.  He has clinical and research interests in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, malignant and pre-malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, and improving the quality of endoscopy. He has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed medical journals, presented over 200 abstracts at national medical conferences, and written chapters for several medical textbooks.  Dr. Gupta has been very active in multiple gastroenterology medical societies and has served on several committees for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).

Simon Law 

Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China

I have been an active member of ISDE since the early 1990s, and have attended all its congresses since. As an esophageal surgeon, I have special affinity for the society, as my career grew parallel with it. My closer association with ISDE commenced when I became an editor of Diseases of the Esophagus in 1999, and associate editor since 2010. I have served as co-chairman of the scientific committee for the ISDE world congress in Vancouver in 2014. Currently I am co-chairman of the Education Committee. I have been actively involved in development of many international initiatives on esophageal surgery, including as member of the Worldwide Esophageal Cancer Collaboration, Esophageal Complication Consensus Group, and working group on Enhanced Recovery after Esophagectomy. Engaging with other societies, I also hold positions, such as Consultant for International Society of Digestive Surgery, National Delegate to the International Surgical Society, Secretary General of the American College of Surgeons (Hong Kong Chapter), Asia II Representative of the Member Services Committee of the Society for Surgeons of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT). In addition I am honorary member of the American Surgical Association as well as European Surgical Association. Residing in Hong Kong, I have extensive network with physicians from the Asia Pacific region, not just in countries traditionally with close association with ISDE (such as Japan), but particularly in China, where growing involvement is evident in recent years. I hope that with my experience in the society, my international involvement, my network, I can continue to serve ISDE and form bridges between East and West. I am humbled by the achievement of the ISDE and will be honoured to contribute more to the society in the future.

Vani Konda
Baylor University Medical Center, USA

Vani J.A. Konda, MD is a gastroenterologist with clinical expertise in esophageal diseases including Barrett's esophagus, early esophageal cancer, achalasia, swallowing disorders, eosinophilic esophagitis, reflux, and complex esophageal strictures. She completed her residency and fellowship training and remained on faculty at University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Since 2017, she has served as the Medical Director at the Baylor Scott and White Center for Esophageal Diseases at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Collaborating with other gastroenterologists, surgeons, and otolaryngologists, she has developed a clinical multidisciplinary program for complex benign and malignant disorders of the esophagus. She actively participates in a unique multidisciplinary, translational research program at the Baylor Scott and White Center for Esophageal Research. Her research interests have focused primarily on premalignant lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, in particular Barrett’s esophagus and advanced endoscopic imaging. She has authored over 100 articles, book chapters, and videos. She has been active in the International Society of Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE) on the Board of Directors and as Communications Committee Co-chair and in the three major national societies, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).

Wayne Hofstetter
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Wayne L. Hofstetter, M.D., is currently Professor and Deputy Chair in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and serves as Director of the Esophageal Surgery Program. A graduate of the University of Southern California Medical School, Dr. Hofstetter focused on thoracic surgical disease, completing fellowships in esophageal and foregut surgeries at the University of Southern California, and then thoracic oncology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Broadly trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon and thoracic oncologist at the Texas Heart Institute, he now devotes a great deal of his work to esophageal cancer and lung cancer. At M. D. Anderson, he formed a strong network of clinicians with specific interests in esophageal diseases. A multidisciplinary group emerged under his able leadership, and together, physicians from other specialties like Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Gastroenterology collaborate closely to treat esophageal cancer patients.

Ken Kato
National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan

I am a medical oncologist and chief of Department of Head and Neck, and Esophageal Medical Oncology, and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, 2020-2022, and chief, Biobank Translational Research Support Section, Clinical Research Coordinating Section, Clinical Research Support Office, National Cancer Center Hospital. My primary interest is chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal, esophagogastric, and gastric cancer. I am a group coordinator of the Japan Esophageal Oncology Group of JCOG, the most significant clinical trial group for cancer in Japan.

Our group has conducted clinical trials to develop new chemotherapy for metastatic disease and early oesophageal cancer in multimodality therapy. As a study coordinator, I conducted the randomized phase III trial, which compared the surgery and chemoradiotherapy for clinical stage I oesophageal squamous carcinoma, named JCOG0502, which reported the non-inferiority of chemoradiotherapy to surgery. The randomized phase III trial of neoadjuvant therapy for resectable oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, named JCOG1109, showed superior survival of triplet-chemotherapy over doublet-chemotherapy. This trial gave a new aspect to neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer.

To develop new drugs, such as immune-checkpoint inhibitors, I committed to the international phase III trial of oesophageal cancer as a steering committee member, for example, ATTRACTION-3 KEYNOTE-590, CheckMate-649, RATIONALE-306, and others. 

I am a director of the Japan Esophageal Society (JES) and am committed to international conferences in Asia and the public relations activity of JES. I am honored to be serving on the ISDE Board of Directors  and I will work hard to promote the ISDE in national and international venues.

Michael Vaezi
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA

The International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE) helps disseminate to its membership and beyond important and clinically relevant information about esophageal diseases. ISDE for years has advocated scientific exchange of knowledge relating to esophagus among multidisciplinary specialties. I am honored to have been nominated as a Director in ISDE. I am committed to the mission of the Society in order to advance the practice of gastroenterology and to significantly impact in digestive disease health and outcomes. Over the past years, I have had the privilege to serve at various capacities in different GI organizations and I am currently an associated editor of Gastroenterology. I will provide the requisite support for the missions of the ISDE and provide any insight into improving upon the educational and scientific mission of the Society. My experience (academic position, research, publication, mentoring and interactions with various societies) has given me greater appreciation for the importance of Societal function as well as the future direction of the Society as a whole. I have always sought to enhance the quality of clinical care, education, advocacy and research that impact our ability as gastroenterologists to improve health and prevent disease.

I view the role of the ISDE Director highly important to ensure continued successes in all aspects of ISDE endeavors. I am grateful for being elected and I accept this nomination with humility, sense of pride and commitment to fulfill this important responsibility on behalf of the ISDE. I would work closely with other members to ensure the goals of this society are met and we continue to strive forward in providing significant contributions to our organization. If selected, I will take on this responsibility with enthusiasm, dedication and humility. I have the requisite time to fully commit to this position and would welcome the opportunity. My commitment and service to the ISDE will continue to be strong and I look forward to my continued stewardship on behalf of patients, members and the ISDE.