Project coordination
Coordination team
Ms Monika Hierath, Mag. phil., is Executive Manager at the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) and Director of European and International Affairs at the European Society of Radiology (ESR).
Eleonora holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Naples Federico II and a double Master's degree in Management. She has over five years of experience in the management of EU-funded research and innovation projects, with expertise spanning medical research, sustainability, renewable energy, and international development.
Professor and expert in cardiothoracic imaging with a strong focus on the early detection of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Leader of the NEL-SON-POP project, an extension of the NELSON LCS trial. Recognised specialist in low-dose CT and quantitative imaging biomarkers, bridging clinical radiology with epidemiology. Actively advancing population-based screening, early diagnosis, and precision medicine, and promoting evidence-based, preventive imaging strategies.
Professor Torsten Gerriet Blum, MD, MBA, works as consultant physician at the Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring, Berlin as well as at the Medical School Berlin. He is the current Head of the Thoracic Oncology Assembly within the ERS and has chaired and co-chaired several ERS taskforces within the scope of lung cancer. He is the clinical lung cancer co-lead within the EU IMI Consortium OPTIMA and EU IHI IDERHA. He is a steering board member of the German national lung cancer guideline group as well as the clinical lung cancer lead within the Association of German Tumour Centres.
Professor Helmut Prosch, MD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, where he serves as the deputy head of the division of general and paediatric radiology and is the section chief of thoracic imaging. His research focuses on the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.
Professor Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko, MD, is the head of the Department of the Genetics and Clinical Immunology at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw, Poland. She served as the coordinator of the National Expert Group for Lung Cancer, has been a member of the lung cancer expert advisory group to the Minister of Health and to the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System in Poland. She is co-author of the national guidelines on lung cancer management as well as member of the expert board for the two European position papers on lung cancer screening. She was the Secretary General of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) for the period 2019 - 2022.
Pippa Powell has headed up the European Lung Foundation (ELF) since 2005 and been in the role of General Secretary of Lungs Europe since 2018. Pippa has worked together with the Chairs to develop and grow both organisations. In addition to her background and PhD in biomedical science, Pippa has more than 20 years’ experience working in respiratory health. First as a journal editor and a medical writer. Then providing evidence-based information for patients, and working with the press and media to ensuring accurate reporting of respiratory science and awareness campaigns for the general public. Pippa has championed the role of the patient within science and has been working with professionals to find best practice for patient and public input into respiratory healthcare.
Leaders of work packages
Ms Monika Hierath, Mag. phil., is Executive Manager at the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) and Director of European and International Affairs at the European Society of Radiology (ESR).
Eleonora holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Naples Federico II and a double Master's degree in Management. She has over five years of experience in the management of EU-funded research and innovation projects, with expertise spanning medical research, sustainability, renewable energy, and international development.
Professor Torsten Gerriet Blum, MD, MBA, works as consultant physician at the Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Helios Klinikum Emil von Behring, Berlin as well as at the Medical School Berlin. He is the current Head of the Thoracic Oncology Assembly within the ERS and has chaired and co-chaired several ERS taskforces within the scope of lung cancer. He is the clinical lung cancer co-lead within the EU IMI Consortium OPTIMA and EU IHI IDERHA. He is a steering board member of the German national lung cancer guideline group as well as the clinical lung cancer lead within the Association of German Tumour Centres.
Professor Dr Ildiko Horvath works as a professor of pulmonology at the National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology and senior advisor at the Public Health Institute at Semmelweis University. She worked as a research fellow at the NIH, Bethesda, US, for three years and in Imperial College, London, UK, for 18 months. She had several leadership positions in the European Respiratory Society and was a member of the Scientific Panel for Health, an advisory board to the European Commission on health research. Dr Horvath spent 8 years in public administration, for four years as State Secretary of Health. She had a major role in launching several preventive interventions and programmes, including the legal act on protection of non-smokers, trans fat ban, colorectal cancer screening pilot, newborn CF screening, and a national LDCT screening pilot for lung cancer screening.
Annemiek Snoeckx is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Antwerp and Head of the Department of Radiology at the University Hospital Antwerp.
Her clinical and scientific interests lie in the field of thoracic imaging, in particular thoracic oncology, lung cancer, lung nodules, lung cancer screening, and the implementation of artificial intelligence.
She is an active member of numerous European associations (ESTI, ESR, ERS and BSR).
Professor Martina Koziar Vasakova graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine of Charles University in Prague. She obtained attestations from internal medicine, tuberculosis and respiratory disease (now pneumology and phthisiology), allergology and clinical immunology, specialization in bronchology and license in interventional bronchology. She was appointed as a professor of internal medicine in 2015. As of 2016, she is the head of Department of Pneumology First Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Thomayer Hospital.
Professor Martina Koziar Vasakova is the President of the Committee of the Czech Pneumological and Phthisiological Society, Head of the International Registry of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - EMPIRE, member of the board of the Czech Asthma Initiative, Member of the Council of Immunology Charles University and Member of other Czech and international societies.
Professor Martina Koziar Vasakova is very active in publishing, for which she has also received more awards, such as: the 2013 Rector's Award for Monography Vasakova M., Polak J., Matej R.: Interstitial Pulmonary Processes.
Of the non-publication scientific results, it is very important to mention Industrial Model: 2015 - Biodegradable tracheal stent, for which she was awarded the 2015 Innovation Prize.
Professor Joanna Chorostowska-Wynimko, MD, is the head of the Department of the Genetics and Clinical Immunology at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw, Poland. She served as the coordinator of the National Expert Group for Lung Cancer, has been a member of the lung cancer expert advisory group to the Minister of Health and to the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System in Poland. She is co-author of the national guidelines on lung cancer management as well as member of the expert board for the two European position papers on lung cancer screening. She was the Secretary General of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) for the period 2019 - 2022.
Professor Marie-Pierre Revel is currently Full Professor of Radiology at Université de Paris, Head of the Radiology department at Cochin hospital, APHP.Centre. She is past president of the European Society of Thoracic Imaging and has an internationally recognized expertise in thoracic imaging. She is very involved in the screening of lung cancer by low dose CT.
She participated in the French DEPISCAN study on lung cancer screening and is currently the principal investigator of the CASCADE study, a pilot program for lung cancer screening in high-risk women in France.
She is a member of the working group of experts preparing the implementation of lung cancer screening through a large pilot study in France, coordinated by the French cancer institute.
She is responsible for the certification project for lung cancer screening of the European Society of Radiology, a specific program that was created to train European radiologists in lung cancer screening.
Prof Revel is also chair of the Communication and Interdisciplinary Affairs Committee of the European Society of Radiology.
Professor Helmut Prosch, MD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, where he serves as the deputy head of the division of general and paediatric radiology and is the section chief of thoracic imaging. His research focuses on the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.
Pippa Powell has headed up the European Lung Foundation (ELF) since 2005 and been in the role of General Secretary of Lungs Europe since 2018. Pippa has worked together with the Chairs to develop and grow both organisations. In addition to her background and PhD in biomedical science, Pippa has more than 20 years’ experience working in respiratory health. First as a journal editor and a medical writer. Then providing evidence-based information for patients, and working with the press and media to ensuring accurate reporting of respiratory science and awareness campaigns for the general public. Pippa has championed the role of the patient within science and has been working with professionals to find best practice for patient and public input into respiratory healthcare.
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Work package 1: Project management and coordination
This work package will oversee project management and coordination of the project. -
Work package 2: Evidence, implementation, data and quality framework for european lung cancer screening pilots and programmes
This work package will assess and monitor evidence and national lung cancer screening activities to facilitate set up and optimisation of national lung cancer screening pilots and programmes in EU member states. In addition, WP2 will provide transversal input and assistance to WPs 3-7 via epidemiological and cost effectiveness analyses and modelling, an interoperable data platform and data management.
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Work package 3: Towards inclusive lung cancer screening: optimising enrolment and adherence beyond baseline LDCT in lung cancer screening rounds
This work package will test and standardise methods of enrolment, risk assessment and follow-ups in LCS. -
Work package 4: Standards and quality assurance for technical performance, radiation protection and nodule management in low-dose CT screening
This work package will establish harmonised European standards and quality assurance for technical performance, radiation protection, and nodule management to ensure safe, consistent, and high-quality LDCT and ULDCT LCS. -
Work package 5: Integration of structured smoking cessation measures in lung cancer screening programmes and clinical management of positive LDCT screening-detected nodules
This work package will collect and analyse data from SOLACE and SOLACE+ as well as appraise current literature to define the optimal models of smoking cessation interventions in LCS and clinical management of the positive LDCT findings. -
Work package 6: Tobacco-associated comorbidities and incidental findings
This work package will establish standardised approaches for radiological evaluation and evidence-based management of smoking-associated comorbidities and incidental findings. -
Work package 7: Integration of AI in lung cancer screening
This work package will assess the potential and actual use of AI in LCS pilots and programs throughout Europe. WP7 will create synergies with parallel actions and initiatives, notably EUCAIM and COMPASS-AI, to foster AI development and uptake in LCS. -
Work package 8: Evaluation, training, sustainability
This work package aims to ensure that the project results will have a lasting impact on LCS in Europe and beyond. -
Work package 9: Community engagement, outreach and dissemination
This work package will ensure that SOLACE+ is able to engage and communicate with the wider LCS community across the EU27 and beyond, ensuring that the findings and recommendations strengthened and developed within the project are clear and accessible for all and meet the needs of those it impacts most.