Tanja Cufer, MD, PhD is a medical oncologist, Professor of Oncology at the Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She gained her medical degree and PhD in oncology from the University of Ljubljana and subsequently completed her fellowship at Stanford University, California, USA and The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.

From 1994 to 2003 she served as a Medical Director and the Head of Medical Oncology department at the Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana. Since 2006 she has been appointed as Full Professor at the Medical Faculty, Ljubljana.

Prof. Cufer’s main fields of scientific interest are lung cancer, breast cancer and the molecular biology of cancer. She played an active role in novel drug development and translational research in oncology; she has been the principal investigator in more than 30 multinational clinical trials. Her professional work has resulted in almost 40 invited lectures at many prestigious oncology conferences. Prof. Cufer has authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters and monographs in the field of oncology. She is also a member of several editorial boards and a reviewer for numerous international medical journals.

Prof. Cufer is an active member of many educational bodies and societies. She had a leading role in the recognition of Medical Oncology as a standalone specialty in Slovenia and led the Medical Oncology training programme in Slovenia from 2000 to 2010. Prof. Cufer is currently the Chair of the ESMO/ASCO Global Curriculum Working Group. She took that position in 2019 after being a member of the ESMO/ASCO Global Curriculum Group since 2017. She was a member of the ESMO Faculty for Lung and Other Thoracic Cancers from 2017-2020. Currently she is a member of the ESMO Faculty for Non-Metastatic NSCLC and other Thoracic Malignancies.

She is very active in various national and international societies. She has been an ASCO and ESMO member since the nineties. She was member of the ASCO International Affairs Committee from 2007 to 2010 and served as the ASCO International Affairs Committee (IAC) Chair from 2011 to 2012. She also chaired ASCO International Clinical Trials Workshops Working Group from 2013 to 2014. From 2009 to 2012 she was the Chair of the EORTC Breast Cancer Group and served as a member of the EORTC Board in the period 2006-2009. Prof. Cufer is also active in national scientific societies. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Medical Chamber of Slovenia in 2011.