Anna Falanga is Director of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Centre, Department of Haematology, Ospedali Riuniti in Bergamo, Italy and Professor of Haematology at University of Milan Bicocca.

Having received her medical degree and board certification in internal medicine at the University of Naples, Dr. Falanga obtained her board certification in haematology at the University of Verona, Italy. Subsequently, she spent three years working as a postdoctoral fellow in the Mario Negri Institute in Milan, Italy, and a further two years at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, USA.

Dr. Falanga's research interests include the study of the interactions of malignant cells with the haemostatic system, the role of antithrombotic agents in human cancer and experimental models, and the management of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients.

Dr. Falanga became an elected member of the Scientific and Standardization Committee's Class 2008, in 2002, and Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Haemostasis and Malignancy from 2002 to 2006. She is also a member of the committee on Haemostasis of the American Society of Hematology (2006-2008).

Dr. Falanga contributed to the preparation of the Guidelines for prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer, both from the Italian Society of Medical Oncology (AIOM), in 2006, and, as a co-chairman, from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in 2007. She has an active role in many professional societies, including the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, the Italian Societies of Hematology and of Haemostasis and Thrombosis, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society for Cancer Research. She is the Vice President of the Italian section of the Medical Women International Association.

Ajay Kakkar is Professor of Surgical Sciences and Dean for External Relations, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Consultant Surgeon St Bartholomew's and University College London Hospitals, and Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, London, UK. He received his medical education at King's College Hospital Medical School, University of London, and was awarded an MBBS in 1988 and a PhD in 1998. He was made a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1992.

His awards include Hunterian Professor, Royal College of Surgeons of England 1996, the David Patey Prize, Surgical Research Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1996, the Knoll William Harvey Prize, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis 1997 and the James IV Association of Surgeons Fellow 2006.

Professor Kakkar's research interests are in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolic disease and cancer-associated thrombosis.

David Bergqvist studied medicine in Uppsala, Sweden and his PhD thesis examined hemostatic plug formation and stability in the rabbit mesenteric microcirculation. Professor Bergqvist completed his surgical training at the county hospital in Sköde, Sweden and became Associate Professor of surgery at the University of Lund, Sweden in 1979. Since 1993, he has been Professor of Vascular Surgery at the University of Uppsala, Sweden and Head of Vascular Surgery at the University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.

Professor Bergqvist has authored around more than 700 original articles, several reviews and book chapters and three text books. His main areas in research deal with prophylaxis of post-operative venous thromboembolism, epidemiological and pathogenetic aspects on aortic aneurismal disease and formation of pseudointimal lesions with arterial reconstructive surgery and balloon trauma. He is an honorary member of the Royal Australiasian College of Surgeons Division of Vascular Surgery, Hellenic Angiolgical Society, American Venous Forum, the Vascular Surgical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, European Society for Vascular Surgery and the Swedish Society for Vascular Surgery.

Technical University of Munich, Germany

Sylvia Haas is Professor of Medicine and had been Director of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Research Group at the Institute for Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research, Technical University of Munich, Germany for almost 30 years. Professor Haas received her medical degree from the University of Freiburg and began her training in paediatric haematology and oncology at the Dr. von Haunersche Kinderspital, University of Munich. She continued her training in internal medicine at the Technical University in Munich and received full professorship after having established the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Research group at the Institute for Experimental Surgery, now the Institute for Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research.

Her scientific focus is on the development of new anti-thrombotic therapies, laboratory monitoring of anticoagulants, biomarkers and tumour-associated thrombosis. Professor Haas is involved in several clinical trials, in particular trials in prevention and treatment of arterial and venous thromboembolism. She also is in charge of various integrated teaching programmes.

Professor Haas is a member of several professional societies, including the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, the International Society of Angiology, the European Society for Surgical Research, and the German Societies of Surgery, Angiology, and Thrombosis and Haemostasis Research. She is a fellow of the Southern African Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and is also a member of the editorial board for peer-reviewed journals, including Current Hematology Reports, International Angiology and Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis.

Dr. Khorana is Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. His clinical and translational research program focuses on predictive factors in cancer-associated thrombosis and is funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Dr. Khorana received his medical degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University's Medical College in Baroda (Gujarat), India. His postdoctoral training included a residency in internal medicine at the University at Buffalo in New York and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Rochester. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Khorana is co-chair of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Scientific Subcommittee on Hemostasis and Malignancy and serves on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Venous Thromboembolism Guidelines Panel. He is also a member of the US Pharmacopoeia Oncology Expert Committee and the GI committees of the Southwest Oncology Group and American College of Surgeons Oncology Group.

Co-editor of the book Cancer-Associated Thrombosis: New Findings in Translational Science, Prevention and Treatment (Informa, 2007), Dr. Khorana's scientific work has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood, Cancer, Lancet Oncology, Archives of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, among other publications. He is an associate editor of the journal Cancer Investigation.

Paolo Prandoni Ph.D. is Professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Thromboembolism Unit at the University of Padova. He trained at the University of Padova from 1971-79 before moving to Holland where you studied for his PhD at the University of Amsterdam in 1992. Professor Prandoni's research and professional experiences cover epidemiology, diagnosis and management of thromboembolism. Of particular interest are studies addressing the association of cancer with venous thromboembolism.

Professor Prandoni has published more than 300 papers in peer-review journals. Key achievements include; the demonstration of the value of real-time compression ultrasonography for the diagnosis of DVT; the confirmation of the risk for subsequent overt cancer in patients with idiopathic VTE; the demonstration that LMWHs are as effective and safe as UFH in the treatment of DVT; the demonstration that LMWHs allow the home treatment of DVT; the description of the natural history of DVT, outlining the particularly high risk of recurrent thromboembolism in cancer patients; the demonstration that both factor V Leiden and G20210A prothrombin variant are independent risk factors for recurrent VTE; the demonstration that residual vein thrombosis is a predictive marker of recurrent thromboembolism; the demonstration that cancer patients with venous thrombosis have a high risk of recurrent thromboembolism while on anticoagulation; the demonstration of an association between atherosclerosis and venous thrombosis; the demonstration that chronic pulmonary thromboembolic hypertension following an episode of pulmonary embolism is more frequent than commonly thought.

Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

Morten S Rasmussen is a Staff Specialist and Consultant Surgeon at the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr Rasmussen graduated as Medical Doctor in 1986 from the University of Copenhagen, and became a specialist in surgery and surgical gastroenterology in 2001 and 2002.

Dr Rasmussen is associated with the Center for Clinical Thrombosis Research, Bispebjerg Hospital at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr Rasmussen is Chairman of the preparation of Danish national guidelines of: Thromboprophylaxis for general surgery; anti-platelet treatment and invasive procedures and cancer-associated thrombosis.

Dr Rasmussen's areas of scientific interest include postoperative thromboembolism, prolonged thromboprophylaxis, cancer-associated thrombosis and risk factors for development of postoperative venous thromboembolism.

Dr Rasmussen is also a member of advisory board at Pfizer AS.