Head of the Oncology Urology Unit and Kidney Transplant Surgical Team Urology Department, Fundació Puigvert, Barcelona

Dr. Alberto Breda is a Urologic Surgeon specialized in uro-oncology and kidney transplantation with special interest in minimally invasive surgery.

He obtained his medical degree from the University of Padova School of Medicine and Surgery where he also completed his Urology Residency and PhD in renal cryotherapy. He then completed a clinical Research Fellowship at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California (UCLA), with a subsequent appointment as Clinical Instructor and Assistant Professor. During this period, Dr. Breda gained expertise in endourology with flexible instruments and lasers and in minimally invasive, laparoscopic and robotic-assisted techniques.

In 2009 he joined the Urology Department of Fundació Puigvert in Barcelona where he currently holds the position of Head of the Oncology Urology Unit and Kidney Transplant Surgical Team.

Dr. Breda has authored over 200 articles in indexed urological journals and 20 chapters in specialized books as well as several videos on surgical techniques. He has more than 300 papers presented in congresses and scientific meetings, some of them awarded and has been invited to participate as guest lecturer and as guest surgeon in many of them. He has organized many national and international urological courses and masterclasses.

He is member of several editorial Boards of international journals and member of several scientific societies, including the Spanish Urological Association (AEU), the European Association of Urology (EAU), the Endourological Society and the Italian Society of Urology (SIU). Furthermore he is Honorary Member of several international societies.

Since 2015 he is Chairman of the European Guidelines in Kidney Transplantation. In 2016 he was appointed as Chairman of the Laparoscopic Group of the ESUT/EAU and Director of Robotic Courses in Kidney Transplantation of the ERUS/EAU. He is currently Chair of the EAU Robotic Urology Section (ERUS).

Professor of Urology
Head of Department for Urolithiasis
University Clinical Centre of Serbia

Professor of Urology, "Saint John" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Department of Urology, Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Bogdan Geavlete, MD, PhD, is Professor of Urology at the "Saint John" Emergency Clinical Hospital, Department of Urology, in Bucharest, Romania. As a research scholar, his training included fellowships in endourology at Asklepios Klinik Barmbek in Hamburg, Germany, Tenon Hospital in Paris, France as well as a European Urological Scholarship Programme (EUSP) clinical fellowship at Radboud University, in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

During the past 15 years, he was involved as faculty (speaker, live surgery and moderator) in prestigious urological international events such as the EAU, AUA, WCE, SIU, CEM, EULIS and Challenges in Endourology annual meetings, as well as the most important national congresses and symposiums, while also co-authoring an impressive number of posters and videos.

His main areas of expertise and research focuses have been centered on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (PhD in photodynamic diagnostic, international premiere and randomized clinical research in plasma-button large tumors’ vaporization and narrow band imaging), benign prostatic obstruction (prospective, randomized-controlled studies in bipolar plasma vaporization and enucleation) and urolithiasis (international speaker and trainer in flexible ureteroscopy, with numerous ISI publications in this field).

Dr. Geavlete gained numerous international and national awards for best posters, videos or oral presentations in the most important congresses of the urological international scientific agenda such as the EAU, CEM, EMUC, Experts in stone disease, Engineering and Urology Society and Challenges in Endourology & Functional Urology meetings. Also, he is an investigator in multicenter international clinical trials as well as in national research grants as project manager, while also completing a post-PhD research fellowship in narrow band imaging. He is a member in the organizing committees of high-profile congresses as well as in renowned international scientific committees and forums.

Over the past decade, Prof. Dr. Geavlete has been selected as a reviewer for prestigious international journals, published several books well known publishing houses as well as a large number of articles in high impact ISI journals.

Professor of Urology, Medical University Sofia, Bulgaria
Head of the Urology Clinic of “Alexandrovska” University Hospital
Chairman of BUA

Education
English Language High School "Geo Milev", Ruse - completed secondary education
Sofia Medical University - completed higher education – medical doctor

Postgraduate qualifications
Resident at the Clinic of Urology UMHAT "Aleksandrovska" , Department of Urology, Sofia Medical University - diploma for "Urology" specialist
Clinical resident at the Urology Clinic UMHAT "Alexandrovska" , Sofia
Assistant, chief assistant, associate professor and professor at the Clinic of Urology, UMHAT "Alexandrovska", Department of Urology, Sofia Medical University

Specializations and further training
Department of Urology Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge
Department of Urology Salzburg
Department of Urology The New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, New York, Cornell Medical Center
Department of Urology Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York
Department of Urology, Colombia University, New York
Department of Urology, Stanford, USA
Department of Urology University of California San Francesco
Department of Urology, Heilbronn, Germany
IRCAD Strasburg
Department of Urology, San Raffaele Hospital, Milano
Department of Urology, Global Robotics Institute, Orlando, Florida

Certificates related to innovative techniques in Urology
Laparoscopic Urology - basic level IRCAD Strasburg, France
Laparoscopic Urology advanced level IRCAD Strasburg, France
Endourology and Laser Therapy - Heilbronn Hospital, Heidelberg University, Germany
Da Vinci Robotic System Console Surgeon, Starsburg, France
Endourology - San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
Holmium Laser Prostate Laser Enucleation – Quanta, Italy

Prior positions held
Head of the Endourology and Extracorporeal Lithotripsy Department at the Clinic of Urology, "Alexandrovska Hospital", Sofia

Current positions held
Head of the Clinic of Urology, UMHAT "Alexandrovska", Department of Urology, Sofia Medical University
Chief Coordinator of the Urology Expert Council at the Ministry of Health
Chairman of the Bulgarian Urological Society
Member of the Board of the High Technology Section of the European Association of Urology
Deputy editor-in-chief of the scientific journal URONET - publishing body of the Bulgarian Urological Society

Membership in organizations
Bulgarian Urological Society
European Association of Urology
World Association of Urology
American Association for Robotic Surgery
American Association of Endourology

International urological activity
Presenter at the World Congress of Urology, Singapore 2000
Lecturer at Stanford Department on Urology Education in Bulgaria 2001
Lecturer at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center Clinic on Extracorporeal Lithotripsy in Children 2001
Presenter at the European Congress of Urology, Geneva 2001
President of the World Congress of Video Urology 2013
Moderator of the World Congress of Endourology, Paris, 2017
Moderator and presenter of the European Congress of Urology 2018
Moderator World Congress on Robotic Surgery - Live Surgery Session - Orlando, FL 2019
Presenter at the World Congress on Medical and Innovation and High Technologies ISMIT, Germany 2019
Clinical trials – total of 12 clinical trials for a period of 15 years.
1998 –1999 Phase III clinical trial Debiophram – clinical treatment of erectile dysfunction - SI
1999 2001– Phase III clinical trial Sanofi – long term results in treatment of BPH with alpha blocker. SI
2002 – 2004 – Phase II Clinical Trial Фаза 2 Treatment of BPH, PI
2006-2005- Phase III Clinical Trial, Astellas pharma, The effect of alpha blockers on nicturia. PI
2007 -2008 – Phase II Clinical Trial. The effect of injections of depo drug in bladder neck in the treatment of overactive bladder. PI
2008-2009 – Phase III Clinical Trial, Shwarz Pharma. The effect of antimuscarines on overactive bladder. PI
2012-2013 – Phase II Clinical Trial. The effect of tramadol on premature ejaculation. PI
2013-2015 – Phase III Clinical Trial. Antibiotic treatment of cUTI. PI
2017-2018 - Phase III Clinical Trial. Antibiotic treatment of cUTI. PI
2018-2023 – 3 Phase III Clinical Trials. Antibiotic treatment of cUTI. SI
GCP CERTIFICATE NIDA Clinical Trials Network, Good Clinical Practice, Version 5, effective 03-Mar-2017, HHSN27201201000024C, valid till 17.09.2023

Scientific activity
Published 160 original scientific papers, many of which in the following scientific journals abroad:
European Journal of Urology
British Journal of Urology
Urology (Societe Internacional D Urologie)
American Journal of Endourology
Chinese Journal of pathophysiology
PanAfrican Journal of Urology
DGU Urology

Teaching activity
Initiator, organizer and mentor in training in laparoscopic urology under the educational scholarship of the Bulgarian Urological Society - 103 urologists were trained with a certificate in a 4-year period
Mentor of the Sofmedica company for practical training and introduction of robotic prostatectomy
Mentor of the European Association of Urology for basic laparoscopic skills training
Scientific supervisor of 4 doctoral students
Supervisor of the specialization process in Urology of 10 residents
Lecturer for medical students, residents in Urology and Surgery

Honors
Signum Laudis - Medical University Sofia
Badge of honor for outstanding contribution to the development of transplantation activity in Bulgaria
Distinction of the „24 Hours” newspaper "Doctor in whom Bulgarians trust"
Distinguished in the specialty of urology in the Best Doctors ranking of Darik Radio

Specialist in general surgery and urological surgery
North Macedonia.

Professor of Urology
Chairman of the the Division of Andrology,Department of Urology
Istanbul University, Turkey

Prof. Kadıoğlu served as the President of the Turkish Society of Andrology between 2002 and 2009. Currently, he is the Honorary President of the Turkish Society of Andrology. He is the head of the Division of Andrology in the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.

He served as the president of the Turkish Association of Urology between 2008 and 2012. Currently, he is vice president of the Turkish Association of Urology, coordinator of the Turkish Academy of Urology, and editör in chief of the Turkish Journal of Urology.

He served as a vice-dean of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine between 2011 and 2014. He is a clinician, academic, and researcher in the fields of sexual medicine, infertility, and prostatic diseases. His 209 articles were published in peer-reviewed journals, and these articles have received 3734 citations.

He is a member of the guideline committee for the sexual and reproductive health of the European Assoc. of Urology EAU

He participated in the educational programs on sexual medicine in San Francisco Faculty of Medicine, California in 1991, and on male infertility at Baylor College of Medicine Houston/Texas in 1994.
He is a member of the ESSM, EAU, AUA, ISSM, ISWISH, and ASRM. He contributed as a reviewer to the journals “European Urology”, “Journal of Sexual Medicine”, “Andrology”, “ Asian Journal of Andrology”, “Andrologia”, and “World Journal of Clinical Urology”. He is a board member of the European Section of Andrological Urology (ESAU).
He chaired the 6th South Eastern European Meeting (SEEM) organized by the EAU on October 1–2, 2010, and the European Sexual Medicine Congress (ESSM) on January 29th- February 2nd, 2014, in Istanbul. He served as a committee member at FSD pathophysiology in the 2nd International Erectile and Sexual Function consultation, and as chairman of the Priapism Committee at the 3rd International Erectile and Sexual Function consultation. He participated in the Peyronie Disease Committee in the 4th International Erectile and Sexual Function consultation.
Ateş Kadıoğlu is married and has 2 children. He speaks English and German.

He was deemed worthy of the "Distinguished Career Award" at the congress held in Dubai between 10-14 November 2021 by the World Association of Urology (Société Internationale d'Urologie).

Prof Kadioglu ranked 51st Academician Directing Turkish Medicine

Ateş Kadıoğlu ranked 51st with 144 studies and 3162 citations in the list of 100 Turkish people who steered Turkish science in 2018, made by Turkish time magazine.

Associate Professor of Urology at Mannheim University Hospital, Germany
Head of the Department of Urology, Sindelfingen Medical Center, University of Tuebingen, Germany.

Dr. Knoll was previously staff member and Head of Endourology and Minimal-invasive surgery at the Department of Urology, University Hospital Mannheim, Germany. Dr. Knoll’s field of expertise includes endourologic, laparoscopic and robotic surgery for urolithiasis, benign prostatic hyperplasia and uro-oncology.

His extensive scientific and clinical work focuses on the interventional treatment of urolithiasis and benign hyperplasia. He performed a large experimental work on the pathogenesis and prevention of calcium oxalate and cystine stone formation.

Dr. Knoll won a total of 9 awards pertaining to his innovation and research, including the Arthur-Smith-Award of the Endourology Society, the best abstract in stone disease of the American Urological Association (AUA), the 2nd best experimental abstract of the European Association of Urology (EAU), the Felix-Martin-Oberländer Award of the German Urological Society (DGU) and the Gustav-Simon-Medaille of the Southwestern Germany Society of Urology (SWDGU).

Dr. Knoll has published over 200 manuscripts in peer-reviewed literature and 18 book chapters.

Dr. Knolls serves an Editorial board member of the Journal of Endourology, the World Journal of Urology, and Urolithiasis. He is board member of the EAU Guideline Office, the Sections for Urolithiasis, Uro-Technology and Ethics in Live Surgery. In 2015 he was appointed as Member of the EAU Scientific Committee.

James N’Dow is Professor of Urological Surgery and Director of the Academic Urology Unit at the University of Aberdeen - first Chair of Urological Surgery to be appointed in Aberdeen’s 529-year history as a medical school.

He is Adjunct Secretary General at the European Association of Urology (EAU) with oversight of the six Education portfolio Offices and the founder of Horizons an innovative social enterprise model designed to be a catalyst for sustainable systemic and permanent transformation of maternal and infant healthcare in West Africa, piloting in The Gambia. Horizons has raised USD$31 million to establish an international standard social enterprise hospital in The Gambia.

James in co-Founder and Managing Director of the Scottish Urological CANcer charity (UCAN) which has raised over GBP£7 million so far and funded the opening of the first Urological Cancer Care Centre in Scotland co-located with the acute urology services, brought the first Robot to Scotland and currently working to establish a one-stop urological cancer diagnostic centre in the North of Scotland.

He was appointed as Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Aberdeenshire and in 2023, James was awarded the St. Peter’s Medal by the British Association of Urological Surgeons.

In 2024, James was appointed OBE in King Charles’ New Year’s Honours list for his services to advancement of the profession of urology, his related cancer research and for his voluntary clinical and academic work.

Chairman of Patient Office at European Association of Urology

Mr. Rogers, M.Ch., M. Med. Sci., LLB (Hons), F.R.C.S.I., F.R.C.S. (Urol), Dip. Urol. Oncol. (Baylor) is an experienced and award-winning urologist and clinical advisor with a track record spanning over 25 years. In 1999, in conjunction with his colleagues, he received the Aneurin Bevan Award for exemplary management of urology patients at Central Middlesex Hospital, London. He is a former president of the Irish Society of Urology (2017-2018). His current positions include the following: National Clinical Advisor in Urology to Irish Healthcare System (HSE), Lead Urologist in the National Cancer Control Programme (Ireland), and Consultant Urologist at the University College Hospital Galway (Ireland). He recently received an adjunct appointment to the Department of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine, USA.

He is a member of the following Societies: Irish Society of Urology, European Association of Urology, American Urological Association, and Société Internationale d’Urologie. His track record includes more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. Throughout his career, he was responsible for formal and informal tuition of both undergraduates and fellow postgraduates at University College Hospital Galway, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Baylor College of Medicine and University of Dublin, Trinity College. He presented at regular surgical meetings and was responsible for unit presentations at clinical, radiological and histopathology conferences.

Dr. Cesare Scoffone is the Chief of the Department of Urology of the Cottolengo Hospital of Torino, Italy. His personal case series include thousands of open, laparoscopic, and endoscopic procedures (over 750 ECIRS, >500 en-bloc no-touch HoLEPs, thousands of RIRS) performed as first surgeon in all urologic fields, and during the last fifteen years, he has been often invited for Live Surgeries (mainly RIRS, ECIRS, bipolar TURP, HoLEP) all over the world.

He is the author of many peer-reviewed publications, guidelines, book chapters (including one in the 4th edition of the Smith’s Textbook of Endourology on ECIRS), didactic videos (also for ESU/Surgery in Motion), editor of a Springer book on ECIRS, reviewer for many international journals, member of national and international urological) societies, consultant for various companies, part of the EAU, CIE, and SIU Faculties, and chairman of the Technology and Training in Endourology Congress in Torino.

Education and training:

• 1989 Medical Degree, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Torino. Thesis on “Advanced prostatic cancer and therapy with LH-RH-agonists”.
• 1989-1994 Residency in Urology, Department of Urology, San Luigi University Hospital of Orbassano (Torino), University of Torino. Thesis on “P53 protein in bladder cancer”.
• 1991-1993 Internship followed by a full-time position in Surgery, San Lazzaro Hospital of Alba (Cuneo)

Hospital appointments:

• 1993-1999 Medical Assistant in Urology, Department of Urology (Director Prof. D. Fontana), San Luigi University Hospital of Orbassano (Torino).
• 1999-2002 Medical Manager in Urology, Department of Urology (Director Prof. D. Fontana and then Prof. R. M. Scarpa), San Luigi University Hospital of Orbassano (Torino), basic professional position level D.
• 2002-2010 Medical Manager in Urology, Department of Urology, San Luigi University Hospital of Orbassano (Torino), professional position level C1 (Oncological Urology).
• 11/2010 Head of the Department of Urology, Cottolengo Hospital, Torino.

Topics of special interest and expertise:

• Endourology, including ureterorenoscopy (rigid and flexible), percutaneous nephrolithotomy and ECIRS, ESWL, bipolar prostatic resection, Holmium laser enucleation, anteroretrograde treatment of ureteral and urethral stenoses.
• Urinary Stone Disease (comprehensive metabolic evaluation, preventive medical treatment, and minimally invasive management of urinary tract stones). He created the Stone Center of the Cottolengo Hospital of Torino.
• Uro-oncology: He performed as the first surgeon about 6000 surgical procedures of all kinds (upper and lower tract endoscopy, as well as major open and laparoscopic major surgery). He was the first urologist in Italy with Professor Scarpa to perform ECIRS (PNL combined with RIRS in the Galdakao modified supine Valdivia position) in 2005.

Teaching activity:

• 1995-2002: support to the courses for residents in Urology of the University of Torino (Kidney and urinary tract diseases, Endocrine-metabolic and nephrourologic diseases, Surgical nephrology, Endoscopic procedures)
• 2003-2004: Theoretical teaching and Live Surgery in the Second Level Master’s Degree Course “Endoscopy and Urology Laparoscopy,” San Luigi Hospital of Orbassano (Torino).
• 2002-2011: Invited lectures during numerous advanced courses during congresses and meetings

Prof. Dr. med. Jens-Uwe Stolzenburg, FRCS(Ed), FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Glasg)

Born: 09.12.1964

Position: Director of Department of Urology
Chairman of International Urological Training Centre of Laparoscopy and Robotic-assisted Surgery

Address: University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany

Academic and professional career
1985 - 1992 Medical school, University of Leipzig 1990 Defence of Diploma (equivalent to Masters degree):
Title: “Size and density of glial and neuronal cells within the cerebral neocortex of various insectivorian species”

1992 Medical Degree, received from the University of Leipzig/ Germany
1992 Defence of Dissertation A
Title: “Rabbit retinal Müller cells in cell culture” (Doctorate thesis)
1992 - 1993 Awarded German Scientific Society ("Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft") grant to attend for scientific studies (6 months) at the College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology in Saskatoon (Canada) in neurophysiology, “Pharmacological characteristics of potassium-induced, glycogenolysis in astrocytes”
1993 - 1999 Resident and Senior Resident, Department of Urology and Department of Surgery, University of Leipzig
1999 Consultant, Department of Urology, University of Leipzig
2002 Chairman of International Urological Training Centre of Laparoscopy and Robotic-assisted Surgery
2003 Defence of Habilitation (equivalent to PhD), Title: "Comparative anatomy of the male and female dog and male guinea-pig and human lower urinary tract: histomorphology and three-dimensional reconstruction”
2003 Associate Professor of Urology
2007 Professor and Director, Department of Urology, University of Leipzig
2021 Chairman of Centre of Robotic-assisted and navigated Surgery University of Leipzig
Since 2000 Multiple (more than 200) international invitations for live surgery meetings/congresses and teaching courses (England, Scotland, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Italy, Singapore, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, South Africa etc.)

Awards (Selection)
2007 Fellowship ad hominem, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
2010 Fellowship by election, Royal College of Surgeons of England
2010 Honorary member of Georgian Society of Urology
2011 St. Paul’s medal of British Association of Urological Surgeons
2011 Honorary Member of Hungarian Society of Urology
2012 Honorary Member of Dutch Urological Association and Honorary Section Endourology of Polish Urological Association
2014 Honorary Fellowship of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

Publications:

• § 349 Scientific publications (Peer-reviewed Pub Med Journals)
• § 5 Books – Editor/Author
• § 14 books chapters as contributing author

Prof. Olivier Traxer is currently Professor of Urology at the Sorbonne University, Paris, France, and works in Tenon Hospital (academic hospital). After training in general urology in Paris, Professor Olivier Traxer did a research fellowship at Southwestern Medical School, University of Texas, Dallas, Texas (under the supervision of Professors Charles Y.C. Pak and Margaret Sue Pearle) to specialize in endourology and kidney stone management, which represent his main fields of interest. As an endourologist, his main goal is to improve the knowledge of urinary stone disease and endourology, to optimize the quality of treatment given to patients, and to promote the role of his specialty in that field.

Professor of Urology, Department of Urology, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris Cité University, Paris, France

Evanguelos Xylinas obtained his medical degree at the University Paris Descartes, France. He received his urologic training at the Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris.

He held a 2-year fellowship in urologic oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, in New York, under supervision of Prs Shahrokh Shariat and Douglas Scherr.

He is currently a Professor of Urology at the Department of Urology at Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris Cité University, Paris, France, where he leads the Onco-Urology Unit.

His main areas of scientific interest include outcomes and translational research in urothelial carcinoma of the upper and lower tract.

He has been the chairman of the Young Academic Urologists of European Association of Urology (EAU) Urothelial Carcinoma group, a board member of the EAU section of Onco-Urology (ESOU), a member of the French and European Guidelines in Bladder Cancer.

He is currently the leader of Onco-Urology in the Education Office of EAU. He is an active reviewer for several urologic and oncologic journals and active investigator in several clinical trials dealing with urothelial carcinoma.