VHIO Academy VHIO – CaixaResearch Scientific Seminars Series Benchstorming Seminars Ad-hoc courses, Workshops, Perceptorships and Observerships

Director of the VHIO Academy Imma Falero Academic Officer Alba Echarte Research Culture and Career Development Officer Ana Martins Training Coordinator Maria Yubero International Attraction Officer Carme Harris Learning Management Administrator Paula Rodríguez VHIO Academy Scientific Chairs Francisco Barriga, Elena Élez, César Serrano

Education & Training

VHIO Academy

Area Summary

At VHIO Academy, we support scientific career progression and foster a thriving workplace to drive high-quality biomedical research and innovation. Rooted in VHIO’s commitment to ethics, integrity, transparency, and patient-centricity, VHIO Academy provides a solid foundation for career development at all stages, cultivating a research culture that builds trust and enhances the quality, impact, and reach of our findings.

Through developing strategic projects aimed at strengthening the capabilities of our scientific and medical workforce, professional development initiatives to solidify biomedical research careers, and inclusive practices that create a dynamic and supportive environment, VHIO Academy nurtures responsible scientific advancements that contribute to the fight against cancer.

Since its establishment in 2021, VHIO Academy has championed interdisciplinarity, scientific creativity, collaboration, communication, and mentoring. It has played a key role in the globalization and diversification of VHIO’s workforce, equipping early-career investigators with essential skills, and strengthening interactions between biomedical researchers and the healthcare community. These efforts are critical for fostering sustainable collaborations, ensuring collective responsibility, and driving impactful oncology research.

  • Develop cancer-focused educational programs.
  • Enhance senior researchers’ mentoring and leadership skills to support and promote early career researchers’ careers.
  • Foster an inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive professionally.
  • Launch and manage institutional academic programs to attract talented professionals in Oncology.
  • Foster and consolidate collaboration with Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) and international cancer research consortia to further expand educational activities, network of partners, as well as promote the global mobility of researchers and clinicians.
  • Support internal & external scientific communication and dissemination of advances in cancer research.
  • We obtained an EU HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund grant under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Program. Through VHIO’s new International Postdoctoral Program for Translational Research (VIDA), in 2025 we will recruit 12 postdoctoral researchers in two calls to conduct interdisciplinary cancer research. These fellowships offer researchers a chance to strengthen their expertise and connect with VIDA’s 16 partner organizations.
  • VHIO Academy has obtained a Redes y Gestores Grant from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación – AEI (State Research Agency) to consolidate and strengthen international talent attraction.
  • We are consultative partners for the INTERACT – 100 Programme, an ambitious EU project promoting effective communication between cancer care professionals from different specialties to enhance patient care.
  • Launch of the VHIO competitive call for Computational Master’s Students: Computational Oncology Award.
  • To further strengthen VHIO’s International PhD Program, we have set up Thesis Advisory Committees (TACs).
  • As part of our Postdoctoral Program we have introduced community and networking actions/ joint actions.
  • Launch of the MD Training Program.
  • We have provided tailored support for internal candidates applying for competitive grants (mock interviews).

The development and launch of new initiatives including:

  • Clinical Fellows program (training, career development, and fellowships opportunities)
  • Mentoring and leadership skills program for senior investigators.
  • Career Service for VHIO Academy Fellows.
  • Scientific Visitors Program.

VHIO Academy co-Chairs (left to right): VHIO’s Francisco Barriga, Elena Élez and César Serrano.

As already highlighted, the VHIO Academy has achieved several highlights including the launch of international Academic Programs (Bachelor, Master, PhD calls), the implementation and consolidation of a structured International PhD Program (+100 PhD students) adhering to the principles of interdisciplinarity and internationality, early independence and scientific creativity, excellence in science and technology, collaboration, and mentoring, and the deployment of an Advanced Training Program.

In 2024, the VHIO Academy coordinated 6 Academic Programs:

  • BBVA Foundation International Secondments Program
  • BBVA Foundation – Severo Ochoa VHIO International Summer Internship Program
  • BBVA Foundation – Severo Ochoa VHIO International Masters Internship Program
  • VHIO International PhD Program
  • Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera – VHIO MD-PhD Fellowship
  • Computational Oncology Award Program

Throughout the year it also coordinated a total of 22 VHIO-CaixaResearch Scientific Seminars, 12 VHIO-Benchstorming Seminars, provided 9 scientific trainings, 15 transferable skills trainings, organized 6 workshops on professional development skills for clinicians, and coordinated the Cancer Core Europe (CCE) Summer School 2024, 06 -11 October, Porto Bay Falésia, the Algarve, Portugal.

VHIO – CaixaResearch Scientific Seminars Series

Scientific co-Chairs (left to right): VHIO’s Elena Élez, Joaquin Mateo and Laura Soucek.

Coordinated by the VHIO Academy, the VHIO – CaixaResearch Scientific Seminars Series is supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation. This annual educational program welcomes internationally renowned researchers and clinical investigators to VHIO to share and discuss their latest research findings and to meet with VHIO investigators. Established in 2019, these seminars take place in the VHIO Auditorium and typically consist of a 30-45 minute talk followed by a Q&A session.

A total of 22 VHIO – CaixaResearch Scientific Seminars were organized in 2024.

DATE SPEAKER TALK TITLE
26/01/2024 Eva Muñoz, Head of VHIO’s Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Tumors Group, Barcelona, Spain. Navigating the adjuvant setting: who, when, and what.
09/02/2024 Raquel Perez-Lopez, Head of VHIO’s Radiomics Group, Barcelona, Spain. Radiomics: enhancing imaging analysis towards precision medicine.
16/02/2024 Michela Bertero, Strategy Director, Clínic Barcelona – August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain. A dialogue on Open Science: news, future challenges and opportunities.
23/02/2024 Xavier Trepat, ICREA Research Professor, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona, Spain. Mechanobiology of the immunocompetent tumor ecosystem.
01/03/2024 Irene Braña, Head of VHIO’s Head and Neck Cancer Group, Barcelona, Spain. Head and neck cancers: unmet needs and research opportunities.
15/03/2024 Mireia Crispin, Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, and Group Leader, Early Cancer Institute, Cambridge, UK. More is different: data integration for ovarian cancer.
22/03/2024 Sergio Roa, Group Leader, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. Deciphering vulnerabilities in the lymphoma microenvironment of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL).
05/04/2024 Lars Velten, Group Leader, Single Cell and Synthetic Genomics of Blood Formation, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain. Genetic engineering-free clonal tracking in the hematopoietic system by single-cell omics.
12/04/2024 Marcos Malumbres, Head of VHIO’s Cancer Cell Cycle Group, Barcelona, Spain. Following a microRNA, from development to cancer, backwards.
19/04/2024 Silvia Affò, Group Leader, Tumor Microenvironment Plasticity and Heterogeneity, Clínic Barcelona – August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain. CAF heterogeneity in cholangiocarcinoma: a vulnerability or a new opportunity for therapy?
10/05/2024 Esteban Veiga, Group Leader, National Center for Biotechnology, Spanish National Reserarch Council (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain. The next generation of cancer immunotherapies based in bacteria-instructed T-Cells.
24/05/2024 Capucine Baldini, Medical Oncologist, Drug Development Department (DITEP), Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France. Drug development.
14/06/2024 Patricia Pancho, Group Leader, Metabolism Cancer Stem Cells, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain. Lipid metabolism determines the aggressiveness of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
19/07/2024 Mateo Lamberttini, Associate Professor, University of Genova – IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Hospital, Genova, Italy. Breast cancer in young women.
26/07/2024 Caroline Dive, Director, Cancer Research UK (CRUK)National Biomarker Centre, CRUK Manchester Institute, Manchester, UK. A continued role for academia in liquid biopsy research - exemplars in small cell lung cancer and cancer of unknown primary.
13/09/2024 Trevor Graham, Director, Centre for Evolution and Cancer, Group Leader of Genomics and Evolutionary Dynamics Group, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, UK. Fluctuating methylation for cancer lineage tracing at clinical scale.
20/09/2024 Marco Palombo, Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) MicroTeam Group and Medical Image Computing Group, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, UK. Enhancing cancer diagnosis with AI, deep learning, and simulation-based inference of magnetic resonance imaging data.
04/10/2024 Silve Vicente, Principal Investigator, Oncogenes and Effector Targets (OnTarget) group, University Research Institute of the Universidad de Navarra (CIMA), Pamplona, Spain. Leveraging the transcriptome for the treatment of mutants. KRAS cancers: how far can we get?
18/10/2024 Carla Oliveira, Group Leader, Expression Regulation, Cancer Instituto de Investigaçao E Innovaçao em Saúde i3S, Porto, Portugal. Hereditary cancer: an opportunity for fundamental and translation research with socio-economic impact.
25/10/2024 Wouter Scheper, Senior Scientist, Department of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Functional decoding of intratumoral T cell repertoires through genetic screens.
22/11/2024 Alexandra Avgustinova, IRB Barcelona and Group Leader, Paediatric Cancer Epigenetics Group, Sant Joan de Déu Institut de Recerca, Barcelona, Spain. Decoding the origins of childhood cancer.
12/12/2024 Matthew G. Vander Heiden, Director, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. How altered metabolism influences cancer progression.

Benchstorming Seminars

VHIO’s Benchstorming Seminars co-Chairs. Left to right: Francesco Grussu, Carme Harris (VHIO Academy), Fabio Giuntini and Sara Simonetti.

Established in 2016, VHIO’s Benchstorming Seminars represent an excellent opportunity for young researchers to present and discuss their research interests with other VHIO groups.

As part of VHIO’s training for PhD researchers coordinated by the VHIO Academy, 3rd year PhD researchers prepare and deliver a Benchstorming seminar to discuss the big picture of their research. They present on all their experiments conducted up to the date of the seminar, highlight the potential societal benefits that their research may yield, and reflect on what remains to be done to conclude their PhD journey.

Since September 2024, Benchstorming Seminars are coordinated by the VHIO Academy and co-chaired by PhD Representatives (PhD Council). A total of 12 seminars took place in 2024.

DATE SPEAKER TALK TITLE
29/01/2024 Paula Carrillo Rodríquez, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Proteomics Group (Francesc Canals). From awareness to action: GreenVHIO's seminar on environmental Impact.
05/02/2024 Fátima Guerra Aguilera, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Cancer Cell Cycle Group (Marcos Malumbres). Targeting classical and atypical CDKs in lung cancer.
19/02/2024 Ariadna Grinyó Escuer, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Growth Factors Group (Joaquín Arribas). Armoring anti-p95HER2 CAR Ts as an effective immunotherapy against a subset of HER2-amplified tumors.
18/03/2024 Marion Martinez, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Cellular Plasticity and Cancer Group (Maria Abad). Mining the secreted microproteome in PDAC.
25/03/2024 Andreu Òdena Bermudo, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Experimental Therapeutics Group (Violeta Serra). Exploring the potential of a novel HER3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate in breast cancer patient-derived xenografts.
22/04/2024 Andrea Herencia Ropero, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Experimental Therapeutics Group (Violeta Serra). Exploring predictive biomarkers of response and overcoming resistance to PARP inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy in hereditary cancer.
27/05/2024 Alejandro Piris, Director of VHIO's Scientific Management Area and CSO. New Scientific Management Area units (part I) and VHIO in the Cancer Mission (part II).
10/06/2024 Mariona Cubells Quiñonero, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Cancer Cell Cycle Group (Marcos Malumbres). Exploring novel therapeutic strategies in gynecological malignancies.
15/07/2024 Daniel Acosta Eyzaguirre, Medical Oncologist and Clinical Investigator, VHIO’s Upper Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors Group (Teresa Macarulla). First line therapies in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: an evolving field.
16/09/2024 Susana Aguilar, Head of the VHIOTECA Unit and Coordinator of VHIO’s Molecular Prescreening Program. The VHIOTECA unit and the Molecular Prescreening Program: two examples of VHIO’s initiatives that enhance translational research.
30/09/2024 María Fariña Morillas, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s Cancer Computational Biology Group (José A. Seoane). Targeting epigenetic synthetic lethality for gastrointestinal cancer treatment.
25/11/2024 Heura Domènech Garcia, Predoctoral Researcher, VHIO’s VHIO’s Experimental Therapeutics Group (Violeta Serra). Analysis of HRD biomarkers in tissue and blood in advanced breast cancer and high-grade ovarian cancer.

Ad-hoc courses, workshops, perceptorships and observerships

Focused on specific, cutting-edge aspects of cancer research and treatment, we also organize and host several ad-hoc events throughout the year. Over 60 ad-hoc courses, workshops, preceptorships and observerships took place in 2024.

In addition to these events, as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (2022-2026), VHIO has developed its PAtient and CiTizen InvolvemENT Program. This program includes VHIO Talks for patients and their families as well as conferences for patient advocacy associations.

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