When Joaquim Teixeira first heard about the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), it wasn’t in the media or a job ad, it was through a friend, who then invited him for a Happy Hour. “There were maybe twenty people at most, but the atmosphere had gravity. You could sense that something meaningful was about to happen and you wanted to be part of it”, he recalls.

The story of Cátia Feliciano and the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) began when she was still finishing her PhD in Neurobiology at Duke University in Durham, in the United States (USA). With a broad smile, she states that her great passion has always been neuroscience, and that when she heard of the plans to build a large research centre in Lisbon dedicated to this field, returning to Portugal became a possibility.

João Santinha graduated in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa during one of the longest economic crises Portugal has ever experienced and it was during this time that he heard about the Champalimaud Foundation (CF) for the first time. In a period when there were few opportunities in his field of study, a position opened up on the Scientific Software team that interested him. “I wasn’t selected,” he says smiling, but he adds proudly, “I was invited to another position a few years later.”

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.”

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.

When I interviewed Albino J. Oliveira-Maia, we spoke about the challenges and lessons that shaped his career. What struck me most was his ability to pursue different things at once and to create the space to keep doing so. By writing this, I hope to share that feeling of courage with others who are now wondering which path to follow.