Meet AIEOP’s Board of Directors!

Each week we will be featuring one of AIEOP’s board members as an opportunity to know their work as leaders of the association and as individuals part of the international pediatric oncology medical community!
 
Meet Dr.ssa Angela Mastronuzzi
 
City: Rome, Italy
Institution: Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital
Position: Head of the Neuro-Oncology Unit for the Department of Hematology, Oncology, Cell Therapy, Gene Therapies and Hematopoietic Transplant
What is your academic and/or professional background (degree and specialty)?
I have my MD with a specialization in Pediatrics from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. I received my PhD in Molecular Science from Sapienza University and master’s degree in Child Neurology from Tor Vergata University. Recently, I began a position as Contract Professor at Unicamillus University. 
 
My patients are my focus: my clinical experience is in diagnosis and treatment of pediatric onco-hematologic patients with a particular interest in central nervous system tumors, and I am highly committed to my research activities, where I serve as Principal Investigator and Sub-Investigator for phase I/II/III trials and protocols, with European grants that include EU4CHILD, UNICA4EU and ACCELERATE. Moreover, I am Head of Neuro-oncology Working Group at OPBG, and member of the ITCC Brain Tumor Group and the SIOP Europe Brain Tumor Group.
 
What is your focus or particular interests in your field?
My interests include translational imprint, personalized treatment, multidisciplinary approaches to pediatric cancers, central nervous system tumors, innovative treatments for pediatric cancer, target therapy, cancer predisposition syndromes, and cell and gene therapy. 
 
What are your specific tasks and responsibilities with the Board of Directors?
Since 2021, I have been a member of the AIEOP Board of Directors with a particular focus on communication activities. I believe that dialogue, specifically with media, is fundamental in order to communicate AIEOP’s objectives, projects and activities at national and international level, with the aim of maximizing the visibility and positions taken by AIEOP. I would like a fast, clear and multi-channel communication activity. Therefore, together with AIEOP’s press office, which coordinates the communication and dissemination activities of our institutional news, I am in charge of selecting contributions that may have informative value for not only the scientific community but also for families.
What is your goal or hope for AIEOP? 
As a pediatric oncologist, I have been committed for years to guaranteeing targeted and effective treatments for children and adolescents affected by cancer and, in particular, by central nervous system tumors. My hope for AIEOP is that it will increasingly become a scientific community with children and their families at the center, able to guarantee effective and timely support in the treatment of cancer and at the same time oriented towards improving their quality of life.
 
What is your life motto or quote in which you live by as a professional and individual? 
“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” (Lao Tzu)
 
 
 
*** The AIEOP Board of Directors has the responsibility to achieve the statutory objectives and verify that the association’s activities are carried out in compliance with the provisions of the statute and regulations. It is their duty to promote and encourage all initiatives aimed at increasing and enhancing the humanisation of care for the hemato-oncological children and their families.