Join the leading VHL researchers, physicians, and experts in Milan!
What: The 16th International VHL Medical Symposium, hosted by the VHL Alliance and the San Raffaele Scientific Institute, will bring scientists, clinicians and advocates together for two days of collaboration, idea exchange, and thought leadership.
Where: UniSR Campus Milano Olgettina (Via Olgettina 58, Milan) on the second floor of the Dibit 1 building, in the Caravella S. Maria Lecture Hall.
This link will provide you with direct step-by-step instructions on how to get there from wherever you are coming from: https://maps.unisr.it/spaces/606b1200dad60d30a2348971
When: October 19-20, 2024
Registration Fee: Standard $175 / Residents $100 / Students FREE [please note that the student registration does not include catering] / Corporate $750. Click here to register.
Lodging: Hotel Raffaele Via Olgettina, 60, 20132 Milano MI, Italy
CME Accreditation:
“The 16th International VHL Medical Symposium, Milan, Italy 19/10/2024 – 20/10/2024 , has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 14.0 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.”
“Through an agreement between the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert EACCME® credits to an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Information on the process to convert EACCME® credit to AMA credit can be found at https://edhub.ama-assn.org/pages/applications .
“Live educational activities, occurring outside of Canada, recognised by the UEMS-EACCME® for ECMEC®s are deemed to be Accredited Group Learning Activities (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.”
SCIENTIFIC COORDINATOR:
Dr. Alessandro Larcher, Milan (Italy)
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE:
Dr. Ruhee Dere, Huston – TX (USA)
Dr. Othon Iliopoulos, Boston – MA (USA)
Prof. Andrea Salonia, Milan (Italy)
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:
Joshua Mann, Boston – MA (USA)
Janet Thompson, Boston – MA (USA)
Abstract Submission Details
The deadline for abstract submissions is July 3rd. A link to submit abstracts will be provided to event attendees by email following the registration process. Please note that there is a 400 word maximum for abstract submissions.
Saturday, 19th October 2024 *Please note that each 20 minute time block will be divided into 15 minutes of presentation time and 5 minutes for Q&A | ||
8:30 – 09:00 | Registration | |
09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome and Introduction | Moderators: R. Dere (US) O. Iliopoulos (US), A. Larcher (IT), A. Salonia (IT), J. Thompson (US) |
09:05 – 09:10 | Opening Remarks | Moderator: K. Rathmell (US) |
Session 1 – Special Lecture | ||
09:10-09:30 | Belzutifan Development: Intrinsic and Acquired Resistance | J. Brugarolas (US) |
Session 2 – Clinical management of VHL tumors – surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment | Moderators: R. van Leeuwaarde (NL), A. Veltri (IT) | |
09:30 – 09:50 | Recommendations for management of VHL-related pancreatic manifestations | A. Tirosh (IL) |
09:50 – 10:10 | Identification, surveillance and treatment for VHL-related pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas | K. Pacak (US) |
10:10 – 10:30 | Proffered Abstract | F. Corea (IT) |
10:30 – 10:50 | Coffee Break | |
10:50 – 11:10 | Radiation therapy in ccRCC: potential application in VHL disease | R. van Leeuwaarde (NL) |
11:10 – 11:30 | Systematic assessment of surgical outcomes in hereditary ccRCC | A. Larcher (IT) |
11:30 – 11:50 | Proffered Abstract | P. Moeini (ES) |
Session 3 – Exploring the Molecular Basis of VHL disease – Genetics of VHL | Moderator: P. Carrera (IT) | |
11:50 – 12:10 | Modeling the von Hippel Lindau disease by using hIPSC | B. Gardie (FR) |
12:10 – 12:30 | Hypoxic stress favors somatic mutation in pre-cancer renal cells | I. Franco (IT) |
12:30 – 12:50 | Genetic analysis of VHL-related ccRCC | S. Gad Lapiteau (FR) |
12:50 – 13:10 | Proffered Abstract | H.H. Nguyen Tran (TW) |
13:10 – 14:20 | Lunch / Poster Session 1 | |
Posters will not be discussed, but they will be displayed and accessible during the lunch session and will cover the following topics: VHL genetics, Molecular basis of VHL disease, Clinical management of VHL-related tumours – surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, Systemic agents that can be exploited in VHL, Patients’ associations
POSTERS LIST AND AUTHORS: 1. Genetic deletion of the primary cilium promotes malignant cyst formation and induces masculine ccRCC phenotypes in female mice – M. Adlesic (DE) 2. Somatostatin receptor 2A expression in von Hippel‐Lindau related hemangioblastomas – S. Ahmad (NL) 3. Structural Characterization of Hypoxia Inducible Factor α – Prolyl Hydroxylases Interaction through MD Simulation – G. Camagni (IT) 4. Rassf1a mutation causes accumulation of chromosomal instability and induces gene expression changes characteristic of ccRCC – A. Catalano (DE) 5. The von Hippel-Lindau protein regulates androgen receptor in renal cancer – A. Falconieri (IT) 6. Rsume Expression as A Prognostic Indicator in Clear Cell Renal Cell: Carcinoma Involvement of Cilia and Ros Pathways – D. Gonilski (AR) 7. In silico unveiling the Androgen Receptor’s hidden role in Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) through Interaction with the von Hippel-Lindau Protein – F. Gregoris (IT) 8. Exploration of the MyVHL Natural Patient History Study: Patient Demographics, Cancer and Tumor Prevalence, and Impact of Smoking on Health Outcomes in Von Hippel Lindau Disease – R. Klein (US) 9. VHL inactivation and tyrosine kinase inhibitors prevent PD-L1 degradation – X. Liu (US) 10. Distinctive communication between lipid-laden TAMs and VHL-deficient renal tubule cells contributes to lipid accumulation in tumor cells and ccRCC development – N. Nguyen Thi (TW) 11. Patient-Specific Simulation of Retinal Hemangioblastoma Informed with Optical Coherence Tomography – F. Pradelli (IT) 12. Synthetic lethality of VHL deficiency with CDK inhibition – O. Razorenova (CA) 13. SETD2 regulates cytoskeleton function in ccRCC – R. Roffo (DE) 14. Hemangioblastomatosis Associated With Von Hippel Lindau Syndrome: Case Series – L. Sussmann (CO) 15. Epidemiology of von Hippel-Lindau Disease in Japan: A Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study – A. Takahashi (JP) 16. Contribution of NGS multi-gene panel testing to the genetic diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma patients – R. Vibert (FR) 17. Investigating the role of PBRM1 in a murine cancer model for ccRCC – C. Witt (DE) 18. Investigating the Role of Oncometabolites in von Hippel Lindau disease-related Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer – Y. Yossef (IL) 19. 810 nm infrared transpupillary thermotherapy for treatment the juxtapapillary retinal capillary hemangioblastoma. Case report – T. Zakaraiia (RU) 20. VHL Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma Origin: Postnatal Developmentally Arrested Basket/Stellate Cells of Purkinje/Molecular Layers in Humans – S. Shively (US)
21. Functional study of VHL in the initiation of renal carcinogenesis – V. Poillerat (FR) 22. Hypoxic stress favours somatic mutation in normal kidneys – J.P. Margaria (IT) | ||
Session 4 – Exploring the Molecular Basis of VHL disease – Tumor heterogeneity in VHL ccRCC | Moderators: R. Bernardi (IT) Ian Frew (DE) | |
14:20 – 14:40 | Influence of the tumour microenvironment and somatic mutations on tumour growth | T.J. Mitchell (UK) |
14:40 – 15:00 | Distinct transcriptomic and genomic profiles of kidney cysts and clear cell renal cell carcinomas in Von Hippel-Lindau disease | I. Rowe (IT) |
15:00 – 15:20 | VHL disease: repeated clonal evolution in a lifetime | S. Turajilic (UK) |
15:20 – 15:40 | Proffered Abstract | F. Cuomo (DE) |
15:40 – 16:00 | Coffee Break | |
Session 5 – Clinical management of VHL tumors – Live Tumor Board | Moderators: F. De Cobelli (IT), O. Iliopoulos (US), E. Jonasch (US), S. Mukai (US), A. Tirosh (IL) | |
16:00 – 16:30 | Case Presentation of VHL Disease 1 | L. Salerno (IT) |
16:30 – 17:00 | Case Presentation of VHL Disease 2 | S. Ahmad (NL) |
17:00 – 17:10 | Closing Remarks | R. Dere (US) O. Iliopoulos (US), A. Larcher (IT), A. Salonia (IT) |
Sunday, 20th October 2024 *Please note that each 20 minute time block will be divided into 15 minutes of presentation time and 5 minutes for Q&A | ||
08:25 – 08:30 | Welcome and Introduction | R. Dere (US) O. Iliopoulos (US), A. Larcher (IT), A. Salonia (IT) |
Session 1 – Special Lecture | ||
08:30 – 09:10 | VHL 1984-2024: Evolution of Diagnosis, Management, Surgery and Therapy | M. Linehan (US) |
Session 2 – Clinical management of VHL tumors – Systemic Agents for VHL | Moderators: O. Iliopoulos (US), A. Necchi (IT) | |
09:10 -09:30 | Mid-term outcomes following HIF inhibition in VHL disease | E. Jonasch (US) |
09:30 – 09:50 | Quality of life and toxicity under HIF inhibitors in hereditary and sporadic ccRCC | R. Srinivasan (US) |
09:50 – 10:10 | Impact of HIF-2a Inhibition on CNS tumors | O. Iliopoulos (US) |
10:10 – 10:30 | Coffee Break | |
Session 3 – Signal Transduction and Modeling in VHL Disease | Moderators: A. Boletta (IT), R. Srinivasan (US) | |
10:30 – 10:50 | Study New VHL Signaling Axis in Kidney Cancer | Q. Zhang (US) |
10:50 – 11:10 | Linking VHL and SETD2 in a Common Oncogenic Pathway Converging at the Mitotic Spindle. | R. Dere (US) |
11:10 – 11:30 | Transcriptional Control of Renal Carcinogenesis | S. Vanharanta (FI) |
11:30 – 11:50 | Cross Species Functionalization Of The Cancer Genome | G. Genovese (US) |
11:50 – 12:10 | Sex-specific differences in ccRCC: separating the functions of KDM5C and KDM5D | I. Frew (DE) |
12:10 – 12:30 | Proffered Abstract | X. Lu (US) |
12:30 – 13:50 | Lunch / Poster Session 2 | |
Posters will not be discussed, but they will be displayed and accessible during the lunch session and will cover the following topics: VHL genetics, Molecular basis of VHL disease, Clinical management of VHL-related tumours – surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, Systemic agents that can be exploited in VHL, Patients’ associations
POSTERS LIST AND AUTHORS: 1. Genetic deletion of the primary cilium promotes malignant cyst formation and induces masculine ccRCC phenotypes in female mice – M. Adlesic (DE) 2. Somatostatin receptor 2A expression in von Hippel‐Lindau related hemangioblastomas – S. Ahmad (NL) 3. Structural Characterization of Hypoxia Inducible Factor α – Prolyl Hydroxylases Interaction through MD Simulation – G. Camagni (IT) 4. Rassf1a mutation causes accumulation of chromosomal instability and induces gene expression changes characteristic of ccRCC – A. Catalano (DE) 5. The von Hippel-Lindau protein regulates androgen receptor in renal cancer – A. Falconieri (IT) 6. Rsume Expression as A Prognostic Indicator in Clear Cell Renal Cell: Carcinoma Involvement of Cilia and Ros Pathways – D. Gonilski (AR) 7. In silico unveiling the Androgen Receptor’s hidden role in Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) through Interaction with the von Hippel-Lindau Protein – F. Gregoris (IT) 8. Exploration of the MyVHL Natural Patient History Study: Patient Demographics, Cancer and Tumor Prevalence, and Impact of Smoking on Health Outcomes in Von Hippel Lindau Disease – R. Klein (US) 9. VHL inactivation and tyrosine kinase inhibitors prevent PD-L1 degradation – X. Liu (US) 10. Distinctive communication between lipid-laden TAMs and VHL-deficient renal tubule cells contributes to lipid accumulation in tumor cells and ccRCC development – N. Nguyen Thi (TW) 11. Patient-Specific Simulation of Retinal Hemangioblastoma Informed with Optical Coherence Tomography – F. Pradelli (IT) 12. Synthetic lethality of VHL deficiency with CDK inhibition – O. Razorenova (CA) 13. SETD2 regulates cytoskeleton function in ccRCC – R. Roffo (DE) 14. Hemangioblastomatosis Associated With Von Hippel Lindau Syndrome: Case Series – L. Sussmann (CO) 15. Epidemiology of von Hippel-Lindau Disease in Japan: A Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study – A. Takahashi (JP) 16. Contribution of NGS multi-gene panel testing to the genetic diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma patients – R. Vibert (FR) 17. Investigating the role of PBRM1 in a murine cancer model for ccRCC – C. Witt (DE) 18. Investigating the Role of Oncometabolites in von Hippel Lindau disease-related Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer – Y. Yossef (IL) 19. 810 nm infrared transpupillary thermotherapy for treatment the juxtapapillary retinal capillary hemangioblastoma. Case report – T. Zakaraiia (RU) 20. VHL Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma Origin: Postnatal Developmentally Arrested Basket/Stellate Cells of Purkinje/Molecular Layers in Humans – S. Shively (US) 21. Functional study of VHL in the initiation of renal carcinogenesis – V. Poillerat (FR) 22. Hypoxic stress favours somatic mutation in normal kidneys – J.P. Margaria (IT) | ||
Session 4 – Clinical management of VHL tumors – Extrarenal Primaries | Moderators: A. M. Ferrara (IT), S.Partelli (IT), A. Tirosh (IL) | |
13:50 – 14:10 | Minimally invasive treatment of retinal hemangioblastoma | S. Mukai (US) |
14:10 – 14:30 | CNS Hemangioblastomas – the role of surgery in the modern era | P. Chittiboina (US) |
14:30 – 14:50 | CNS hemangioblastoma – the reasons for surgery upfront | A Feletti (IT) |
14:50 – 15:10 | Optimizing surgical outcomes for hereditary pancreatic NET | N. Nilubol (US) |
15:10 – 15:30 | Proffered Abstract | R. Halperin (IL) |
15:30 – 15:50 | Coffee Break | |
Session 5 – Patient associations and policymaking | Moderators: R. Giles (NL), F. Lombardi (IT), J. Mann (US) | |
15:50 – 16:10 | Addressing the Psychosocial Needs of Individuals living with VHL | G. Perez (US) |
16:10 – 16:30 | Current unmet need of European VHL Families | R. Giles (NL) |
16:30 – 16:45 | State of VHLA | J. Thompson (US) |
16:45 – 17:00 | Closing Remarks | R. Dere (US) O. Iliopoulos (US), A. Larcher (IT), A. Salonia (IT) |
Meet some of the 2024 speakers
Marston Linehan, MD
Dr. Linehan pioneered the study of the genetic basis of kidney cancer. His team identified the genes for the common forms of kidney cancer and described the pathways of these kidney cancer genes. His recent studies targeting the metabolic basis of kidney cancer have resulted in the regression of metastatic cancer in patients with type 1 and type 2 papillary kidney cancer. As Chief, Dr. Linehan oversees the Branch’s clinical/translational research program, which emphasizes new approaches to the therapies of genitourinary cancers, diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of solid GU tumors, and the development of innovative surgical and adjunctive approaches to the treatment of patients with primary and metastatic urologic cancer.
Eric Jonasch, MD
Eric Jonasch, MD is Professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Center at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Jonasch is director of the VHL Clinical Center at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and is involved in tissue-based translational research in renal cell carcinoma and VHL disease. He leads the Department of Defense Kidney Cancer and VHL Disease Consortia. Dr. Jonasch is in charge on an ongoing laboratory research effort evaluating the determinants of response and resistance to therapy in renal cell carcinoma and VHL disease. Dr. Jonasch’s current work focuses on understanding the drivers of renal cell carcinoma tumor ontogeny, and the development of informative models of tumor-microenvironmental interaction. Dr. Jonasch serves as Vice-Chair of the NCCN Kidney Cancer Guideline Panel and is a Board member of the International Kidney Cancer Coalition.
Othon Iliopoulos, MD, PhD
Othon Iliopoulos is an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he serves as the Clinical Director of the VHL Disease/Familial Renal Cell Cancer Program. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and at the Center for Cancer Research at MGH. Dr. Iliopoulos is a VHL Alliance Research Grant Recipient and is a Clinical Investigator for the MK-6482 (formerly PT-2977) clinical trial. His lab is involved in research pertaining to the main mechanisms underlying the reprogramming of cancer cell metabolism and cancer angiogenesis with the goal to develop mechanism-based strategies for selectively killing cancer cells. Dr. Iliopoulos is the Chair of the Clinical Advisory Council and the Research Council.
James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D.
James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D., is a practicing oncologist and a tenured Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). He is the Sherry Wigley Crow Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and the Founding Director of the Kidney Cancer Program, one of two recognized by the NCI with a SPORE award. Spanning the spectrum from fundamental to clinical research, discoveries from his laboratory identified kidney cancer driver genes, set the foundation for the first genetic classification of the most common type (ccRCC), led to the first mouse models reproducing ccRCC, and identified the first core dependency. His team is credited with advancing a first-in-class HIF-2 inhibitor developed at UTSW by validating HIF-2 as a target in kidney cancer and through the identification of putative biomarkers and mechanisms of resistance. A member of ASCI and the NCI Renal Cancer Task Force, Dr. Brugarolas serves as chair of the scientific advisory board of the Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators. Following a residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he trained with Nobel Laureate William G. Kaelin, Jr, M.D. He holds an M.D. from the University of Navarra and a Ph.D. from MIT, where he trained with Tyler Jacks, Ph.D.
Ramaprasad Srinivasan, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Srinivasan is developing precision, targeted treatment strategies and clinical trials for patients with both hereditary and non-hereditary forms of kidney cancer. Currently, he is investigating a variety of mechanism-based treatment strategies in clear cell and papillary kidney cancer, as well as hereditary kidney cancer syndromes such as von Hippel-Lindau, hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) and hereditary papillary renal cell cancer (HPRC).
Karel Pacak, MD, PhD, DSc
Dr. Karel Pacak graduated summa cum laude from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic in 1984. In 1990 he began his postdoctoral fellowship at NINDS Under Drs. Kopin and Goldstein. Then in 1995 Dr. Pacak began his residency in internal medicine at the Washington Hospital Center under Dr. L. Wartofsky, followed by a fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at NIH. He was Board certified in 1998 and 1999 in those disciplines. In 1998 he established a new Program for Neuroendocrine Tumors focusing on pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma at NICHD. He received his Ph.D. in1993 and his D.Sc. in 1998 in the field of neuroendocrinology from Charles University. In 2006 he was awarded a lifetime professorship in Internal Medicine at Charles University. Dr. Pacak is an internationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, especially pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Dr. Pacak also established the International Symposia on Pheochromocytoma. He also helped co-found a new Asian Alliance for the Study of Neuroendocrine Tumors in 2010. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Peter Heimann Memorial Award at Yale University, International Association of Endocrine Surgeons; NIH Director’s Mentoring Award, Award for Cure from Pheo & Para Alliance, NICHD Director’s Award of Merit, Pincus Taft Memorial Lecture the Highest Award from Endocrine Society of Australia, Jessenius Gold Medal from Slovak Academy of Sciences, Outstanding Clinical Endocrinologist from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and recently Outstanding Clinical Investigator (to be given in 2022) from the US Endocrine Society as well as Team Science Award from American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Pacak is the author of more than 720 scientific peer-reviewed articles, 150 book chapters, and 6 books.
MILANO
Milan is a vibrant and exciting city that offers a wealth of experiences for everyone. It is home to some of the most renowned museums and galleries in the world, including the Last Supper Fresco, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, but also of iconic landmarks such as the Gothic-style Duomo di Milano and the imposing Sforza Castle. Milan is not only the capital of Italian fashion but also a foodie’s paradise, offering a diverse range of culinary experiences that showcase the best of Italian cuisine. Visitors can enjoy everything from traditional street food to Michelin-starred fine dining. No matter the day or the time, Milano is alive: music festivals, art exhibitions, theatrical performances and much
more are there to entertain any kind of guest.
CONGRESS VENUE
Congress Centre HSR
Via Olgettina 58/60 – Milano
Building Dibit 1
The San Raffaele Research Hospital is a highly specialized multi-disciplinary medical center of world importance, which embodies the integrity of the treatment, clinical research and teaching activities. San
Raffaele provides treatment in all existing medical fields, which allows this center to take care of the most
complex patient cases. The Hospital is recognized as IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research and Healthcare) for its research in molecular medicine and innovative treatments application, such as the gene therapy.
The hospital is a multi-specialty center with more than 50 clinical specialties available and with over 1600 beds; it is accredited by the Italian National Health System to provide care to both public and private, Italian and international patients.
In 2018 the San Raffaele Hospital performed over 51,000 patient admissions, 72,000 emergency room encounters and delivered over 1.5 million outpatient medical services. It is widely regarded as the most celebrated hospital in the country and among the most reputable medical centers in Europe. San Raffaele’s wards and operating theatres are equipped with the most advanced machines, such as PET, PET/CT, Gamma Knife, Cyber Knife, Rapid Arc, Tomotherapy. San Raffaele’s Radiotherapy Unit was the first place in Europe to install Tomotherapy in 2004. Nowadays this Unit confirms to be one of the most experienced worldwide; it has developed numerous protocols for cancer treatment of the prostate, breast,
central nervous system, brain, liver, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and others. The Oncological
Board of the Hospital consisting of diagnosticians, clinical oncologists, immunologists, surgeons and
radiotherapists, hold weekly meetings to discuss oncological patients’ pathways in a multidisciplinary manner.
Beside its Cancer Center, San Raffaele is well-known for its medical know-how in cardiology and cardiac surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal tract surgery, liver surgery, pancreas surgery, transplant medicine, gynecology and obstetrics, urology, dermatology, ophthalmology, immunology, rheumatology and pediatrics.
San Raffaele is a pioneer in the field of gene medicine and treatment of rare immunologic and genetic diseases. San Raffaele Scientific Institute is where the first in the world gene therapy with stem cells was created, named Strimvelis, for patients affected by ADA-SCID syndrome.
The Research at the San Raffaele Hospital focuses on integrating basic, translational and clinical research to provide the most advanced care to the patients. It counts on over 1,500 scientists, working in state-of-the-art facilities covering a surface of 130,000 square meters, and have produced over 1,446 scientific publications in 2018.
Research at San Raffaele aims at understanding the mechanisms underlying a variety of important human diseases and at identifying new targets and new therapeutic strategies to treat them.
The San Raffaele Hospital hosts the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, a fully private university with a
complete Medical School (including specialty courses and residencies), Nursing School, a Psychology graduate and post-graduate programs, and Allied Health Professions School. The mission of the Vita-Salute
San Raffaele University is to answer the question “Quid est homo?” in the belief that the human being is a biological, psychological and spiritual unicum. Since 2010 the San Raffaele Hospital also hosts the
International MD Program, the only graduate program accredited to license Medical Doctors in both Europe and North America.
Accessibility
Metro 2 (Green LINE) from city centre to Cascina Gobba stop
From Cascina Gobba there is a private train line that will bring to HSR in 5 minutes
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Depending on your citizenship, you may need to obtain a VISA before coming to Italy. For detailed
information, visit the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en
It is the delegate’s responsibility to investigate the VISA requirements for Italy and to apply for a VISA, if
necessary.
The conference organizers and/or the Organizing Secretariat will not directly contact embassies and
consulates on behalf of VISA applicants.
Visas should be requested at least 2 months before departure, you can apply also later but it is not sure it will be released on time, as the application process can take several weeks.
Special information and questions for VISA can be requested to the Congress Secretariat at the e-mail
address: [email protected].
INVITATION LETTER
The invitation letter to the conference can be requested to the Congress Secretariat after the registration is paid and accepted.
Please contact us at: [email protected] Please note that the standard invitation letter of the conference may NOT be suitable for VISA application of those countries with special dedicated procedures.
Please check your status and action requested to you as explained in the Visa Information Area.
SUGGESTED ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Rafael ***
Via Olgettina, 60 – 20132 Milano
Email: [email protected]
https://www.rafaelhotel.it/
Located near the Conference venue
Hotel NH Milano 2 ****
Strada di Olgia Nuova – 20090 Segrate Milano
Email: [email protected]
Website
15/20 min walking distance from the venue
HOW TO REACH MILAN
RAILWAY STATION
Stazione Centrale
It is the second largest and second busiest station in Italy, located 3 km away from the Duomo and is connected by 2 metro lines (M3 yellow and M2 green). The imposing and majestic railway station is a crucial hub for the city’s services and shopping district and the main departure point for the High-Speed train and rail connections
with the rest of Europe.
MALPENSA AIRPORT
The most important intercontinental hub in Southern Europe, located just at about 50 km from Milan
city center and quickly reachable by car, train (high-speed Malpensa Express train), bus or taxi.
Malpensa airport is in a strategic position in the financial and productive heart of Europe. It is located just over 50 kilometres from Milan and is quickly reachable by car, train, bus or taxi. It is one of the most important airports in Europe, offering more than 2,500 direct flights each week and numerous intercontinental and long-
haul destinations. It is also the leading Italian airport in terms of freight transport.
FROM/TO MALPENSA AIRPORT
Malpensa Express Train: the airport can be easily reached from the center of Milan with the Malpensa Express train from Milan Cadorna, Milan Centrale, and Milan Porta Garibaldi stations. Malpensa Express train stops at Malpensa Terminals 1 and 2. Trains scheduled every 30 minutes. Travel Time: Cadorna (43 minutes) – Central
Station (53 min) – Porta Garibaldi (41 minutes)
By Coach: bus connections between Milan Central Station and the two terminals of Malpensa Airport are
operated by three bus lines: Terravision, Malpensa Bus Express (Autostradale) and Malpensa Shuttle (Air
Pullman). Average travel time: 45 minutes
By car: Milan Malpensa airport is easily reachable by car using the A8 / A9 motorway if you are coming from
Milan or located to the North and East of the airport, the A4 motorway if you are coming from the West or the
South.
By taxi: various radiotaxi services are available at both Milan Malpensa Airport Terminals. The taxi ranks are
located at the ARRIVALS, at the ground floor, at gate 6 of Terminal 1 and at gate 4 at Terminal 2. Fixed taxi fare
from/to Malpensa to/from Milan: 110 €
LINATE AIRPORT
The city airport is located 7 km from downtown and quickly reachable by car, metro, bus or taxi.
Milan Linate Airport is the second-largest airport serving the city and is an inner-city airport, located just 7 km from central Milan.
FROM/TO LINATE AIRPORT
By Metro: the M4 blue line connects Linate airport to the city center.
By Train: it is possible to reach Milan Linate airport by train arriving at the Milan Forlanini station, directly connected to the airport through the urban bus line 73 (7 stops for a journey of about 10 minutes).
By Coach: the bus connections between the city of Milan and the neighboring municipalities and Linate Airport are operated by various bus lines: ATM, Airbus, Starfly, Autoguidovie, and Air Pullman. Travel time: to/from
Milan City Centre (Duomo): 60 minutes – to/from Milan Central Station: 25 minutes
By Car: Milan Linate airport can be easily reached by car from the North (A4/A51), from the West (Viale
Forlanini) and from the East (A35-Brebemi) via the Rivoltana provincial road.
By Taxi: several radiotaxi services are available at Milan Linate. The taxi ranks are located at the ARRIVALS, at the ground floor.
MILAN BERGAMO AIRPORT (ORIO AL SERIO)
Low-cost companies’ airport located at 45 km north-east of Milan and easy reachable by car (A4), by
bus or taxi.
Milan Bergamo Airport is the third busiest international airport in Italy. The airport is 45 km north-east of Milan and is mainly operated by low cost companies.
FROM/TO MILAN BERGAMO AIRPORT
By Train: you can arrive by train to Bergamo train station and use the convenient bus service ATB which in just
10 minutes will bring you to Milan Bergamo airport (departures every 15 minutes).
By Coach: the bus connections to the centre of Milan are operated by different bus companies: Terravision,
Autostradale, Orio Shuttle, Flixbus. Travel time to Milan Central Station: 50 minutes.
By car: for those coming on the A4 from Milan it is recommended to exit at Bergamo and follow for Milan Bergamo Airport. For those coming on the A4 from Brescia, the recommended exit is Seriate.
Taxi: at the arrivals exit you will find the taxi zone (110/130 €).