At this year’s St. Gallen Breast Cancer Congress (SGBCC, 15-18 March 2023), Professor Giuseppe Viale was honoured with the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Award 2023 for devoting decades of his career to breast cancer research and for his exceptional contributions to the field.
St. Gallen Oncology Conferences (SONK) is privileged to count on Professor Viale as an active contributor and supporter of the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference and Consensus Guidelines.
This year’s St. Gallen Breast Cancer Award holds a special significance as it not only recognises the remarkable achievements of Professor Viale but also pays tribute to the visionary late Professor Senn, who passed away on January 13, 2023. Senn established the Foundation St. Gallen Oncology Conferences (SONK) and paved the way for the development of the St. Gallen Consensus Guidelines – now widely recognised as the gold standard for the treatment of individuals with early breast cancer. It was Professor Senn who created this prestigious award back in 2003, to honour outstanding contributions to the field of breast cancer research and treatment.
With this recognition, Professor Viale joins a list of well-known scientists who have been honoured with the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Award, including Professors Philip Poortmans (2021), Monica Morrow (2019), Martine Piccart-Gebhart (2017), Alan Coates (2015), Aron Goldhirsch (2013), V. Craig Jordan (2011), Richard Gelber (2009), Michael Baum (2007), Umberto Veronesi (2005), and Dr. Gianni Bonadonna (2003).
Professor Giuseppe Viale, on receiving this award: “I am more than happy and honoured to be the recipient of the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Award 2023 and to join past recipients who I have long admired and respected. I had the privilege of collaborating for many years with high-quality clinical research groups, such as the IBCSG and BIG, and I am convinced that this award is above all an acknowledgment of my work within these organisations.
I also consider the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Award 2023 as a token of appreciation for the contribution pathologists have made, and will increasingly make in the context of a multidisciplinary teamwork, to the advances in clinical and translational research and in local and systemic treatments for patients with breast cancer.”
On behalf of BIG, we would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Professor Viale for receiving this well-deserved recognition. We thank him for his unwavering drive and tireless efforts to advance the understanding and treatment of breast cancer!
