Yin-Kai Chao is professor and chief of the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in Chang Gung memorial hospital-Linkou, Taiwan. 

Dr Chao acquired his MD degree from Chang Gung University in 2001 and completed specialist training as thoracic surgeon in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2006. In 2010, he received his PhD degree in Medical sciences at the Chang Gung University. 

Dr Chao is a board-certified surgeon pioneering in minimal invasive Thoracic Surgery. He is a very strong patient advocate and very dedicated to his specialty, his talent in minimal invasive surgery is outstanding, exemplary and of the highest quality. 

In addition to his work, Dr Chao is also a well-known researcher. His areas of scientific investigation include the esophageal cancer research, development of biodegradable medical devices, fluorescence-guided Thoracic Surgery in hybrid OR and robotic surgery. Being a recipient of numerous research awards since 2006, he has authored over 180 papers in peer-reviewed international journals. 

Dr Yin-Kai Chao is a well-respected doctor in the thoracic surgery field. His innovative surgical methods as well as his experienced techniques have gained him recognition and praise around the world.

Dr Anson Cheung is the Director of Cardiac Transplantation of B.C. and Clinical Professor of Surgery with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery. Practicing since 2000, he is currently on staff at St Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. He is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with post-graduate work at Stanford University, University of Western Ontario and the University of Pittsburgh.

 He joined the academic staff at UBC in 2001 and St Paul’s Hospital in 2000. His specialties include cardiac transplant surgery, mechanical circulatory assist devices, transcatheter valve therapy and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). 

Dr Cheung has established the VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) Program at St Paul’s Hospital, which is the first VAD program in Western Canada. He is also a leader in transcatheter valve therapy. He is currently involved in numerous research projects along with other works in progress. He was also the recipient of the Department of Surgery Concept Awards in 2003 as well as the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery President’s Award in 2010 and 2015. He continues to foster cardiac surgical education by participating in numerous symposiums and postgraduate courses worldwide.

Dr Amy Fiedler is an assistant professor of cardiac surgery with a focus on heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at UCSF.  Dr Fiedler earned her medical degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine where she graduated with the highest honors. She completed her general surgery residency and cardiac surgery training at The Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. 

In 2020, Dr Fiedler was selected as one of 60 scholars to participate in the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholars, a program offered through the collaboration of several former U.S. presidents’ centers which brings together young leaders to collaborate and make a difference in the world as they learn about leadership thruough the lens of past presidential experiences.  

Dr Fiedler currently serves as surgical director for Rwanda Team Heart, a nonprofit organization providing life saving Cardiac Surgery in addition to creating a sustainable surgical infrastructure for the people of Rwanda.

Dr Kendra J. Grubb, MD, MHA, FACC, Surgical Director Emory University Structural Heart and Valve Center, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients through innovation and building collaborative teams to promote patient-centered treatment of cardiovascular disease. Previously, she was Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and the Heart Valve Program at University of Louisville. 

Dr Grubb has led and participated in numerous clinical trials of innovative technologies, including studies of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, mitral valve percutaneous therapies, endovascular treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms, and transcatheter heart failure devices.

Dr Grubb attended University of Southern California, where she received her medical degree from Keck School of Medicine and a Master of Health Administration. She completed general surgery residency at University of Illinois at Chicago (2010), fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at University of Virginia (2012), and fellowship in interventional cardiology and transcatheter therapies at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University (2013). Currently, Dr Grubb is completing a Master of Science in Clinical Trials at the University of Oxford with anticipated graduation in 2024.

Dr Jonathan Spicer is an associate professor of surgery at McGill University, where he is the medical director of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) Thoracic Oncology Network. He chairs the McGill regional thoracic oncology tumor board and is co-director of the MUHC thoracic oncology clinical trials unit. He trained in general surgery at McGill University and subsequently in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Centre. Dr Spicer is a surgeon scientist leading a broad research program covering basic, translational and clinical research topics. 

On a basic science front, Dr Spicer is recognized as a leader in our understanding of how neutrophils impact cancer progression, and in particular, on the role of neutrophil extracellular traps in cancer biology. On a clinical front, Dr Spicer has developed one of the most active research programs in the area of neoadjuvant precision therapy for operable lung cancer. His expertise in this domain is evidenced by clinical trial leadership roles at national and international levels for several peri-operative lung cancer trials. He is an expert in enhanced recovery protocols for surgery and his clinical practice is focused on minimal access techniques for pulmonary surgery and extended resections for thoracic malignancies. He is also the program director for the McGill Advanced Thoracic and Upper GI Surgical Oncology Fellowship. 

In total, Dr Spicer’s scholarly activity includes over 100 peer-reviewed publications with more than 7000 citations, an H-index of 30 and an i10-index of 66. He has published in several prestigious journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Cancer Cell, Annals of Surgery and many others.