CHAIRS

Irina Panovksa-Stavridis, MD, PhD - Professor Irina Panovska-Stavridis is Medical Director of the University Clinic of hematology-Skopje which is the only institution of this kind in the Republic of Macedonia that offers medical care for all patients with malignant and nonmalignant hematological diseases. Prof.Panovska-Stavrdis graduated from the Medical Faculty in Skopje in1995 and since 1996 has been working at the University Clinic of hematology-Skopje. She is specialist of internal medicine and subspecialist hematologist. She has been trained in North Macedonia. UK, USA, Greece and Hungary. She participated in many clinical trials as study coordinator and authored and coauthored numerous professional papers, reviews and book chapters. Prof. Panovska-Stavridis is a member of many eminent world societies for hematology and stem cell transplantation  and  is appointed as ambassador for Macedonia by the Society of Hemato-Oncology (SOHO).
Dimitar Efremov, MD, PhD - Dr. Dimitar Efremov is Head of the Molecular Hematology Group of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy, Visiting Professor of Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, North Macedonia, and Full Member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Dr. Efremov obtained his MD degree at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, where he also completed his specialization in internal medicine and training in hematology. He obtained his PhD degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands, and received postdoctoral training at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA. He is recognized internationally as a leading researcher and expert on chronic lymphocytic leukemia but has also contributed to other areas of hematology research, including B cell lymphoma, hemoglobinopathies, autoimmunity, allergy and bone marrow transplantation. Among his most notable achievements are the first preclinical studies demonstrating activity of B cell receptor inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and studies identifying the mechanisms through which the B cell receptor contributes to the pathogenesis of this disease. He has received numerous awards for his research, including prestigious grants from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of the USA, the Italian Association for Cancer Research, and the European Union.