Albino Oliveira-Maia, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and Director of the Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Champalimaud Foundation, has been elected to serve as President-Elect for the 2026–2029 term. He will subsequently assume the full presidency of the SPPSM from 2029 to 20321. Upon accepting the position, Oliveira-Maia emphasized the importance of advancing scientific progress and ensuring its real-world impact, stating: “Through leadership of this Society I hope to continue and expand on the work needed to make science and innovation accessible to those that most need it.”

For Leonor Beleza, Rui Costa’s arrival represents an invaluable contribution to the development of the Foundation’s scientific and clinical mission in the fields of cancer and neuroscience. She highlights: “The strategic vision and remarkable career of Professor Rui Costa strengthen our ability to generate knowledge and transform it into real benefits for patients and for society. It is also an investment in the future and in the continuity of our ambition and vision.”

Personalised Medicine for Colorectal Cancer

In the Clinical Research category, the award went to Rita Fior, leader of the Cancer Development and Innate Immune Evasion Group, for the study “The zAvatar test forecasts clinical treatment response in patients with colorectal cancer: a co-clinical study paving the way for personalised medicine.” Bruna Costa, a postdoctoral researcher, is the first author of the recognised work.

Host

Michael Orger, PhD, Vision to Action Lab

Venue

Seminar room

On March 13, 2026, the Champalimaud Foundation will host the Lung Cancer Fight Club – 3rd Round, a multidisciplinary meeting bringing together renowned scientists and clinicians to discuss cutting-edge strategies in lung cancer management.

This year’s symposium will provide a platform for knowledge exchange across surgery, radiotherapy, interventional pulmonology, genetics, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and applied technologies in oncology.

Programme

Before there was a building by the river, before there were retreats and bustling labs, there was only an idea and a handful of conversations sparked across Lisbon, Boston, and New York.

When Tiago Santos first walked through the glass corridors of the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) in 2014, he already had two years of nursing experience, but none in urology or oncology. “Deep down, one could say I started a new chapter of my career here,” he admits with a wry smile. Indeed, stepping into a nearly empty unit with no reference guides, protocols, or precedents might have made most people run for the hills. But not Tiago. For him, the emptiness was an invitation: a white canvas on which to paint the future of urology nursing at CF.

The work fits into a broader effort to understand how the immune system maintains balance – a theme underscored by this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries in immune tolerance.