On September 14, 2024, during the 38th Brazilian Congress of Nuclear Medicine, held from September 13 to 15 at the Rebouças Convention Center in São Paulo, Brazil, Dr. Elba Cristina Sá de Camargo Etchebehere and Dr. Allan de Oliveira Santos, principal investigator and associate researcher at CEPID CancerThera, were elected president and first treasurer, respectively, of the Brazilian Society of Nuclear Medicine (SBMN) for the 2025-2026 term. The election took place at a time of great anticipation for the medical community, consolidating the leadership and excellence of these researchers in the field of Nuclear Medicine.
“Our vision for the future involves an open yet firm dialogue, grounded in science, with internationalization that will strengthen negotiations with Ministries, the National Nuclear Energy Commission, the National Health Surveillance Agency, the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research, Councils, and other regulatory bodies,” highlighted Etchebehere in her first speech after the election results.
Endorsed professional trajectories
Graduated in Medicine from the University of São Paulo School of Medicine (1992), with a doctorate in Medical Sciences from the University of Campinas (2001) and a habilitation (Livre-Docência) from the University of Campinas (2019), Elba Etchebehere has a solid career marked by work both in Brazil and abroad. Between 2014 and 2016, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship and worked as an Assistant Professor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, USA, an institution recognized worldwide for excellence in Oncology. She has extensive experience in PET/CT and SPECT/CT in Oncology, Nuclear Orthopedics, and radioisotope therapy. She also stands out for her use of artificial intelligence in molecular imaging, bringing innovations that improve patient prognosis and cancer treatment. Currently, she works in the Nuclear Medicine Service at the University of Campinas Hospital and is a partner at the group Medicina Nuclear Diagnóstico e Terapia (MND). In addition to being a principal researcher, she is also the Knowledge Dissemination Director at CancerThera.
Allan Santos holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Campinas School of Medical Sciences (1994), where he also completed his residency in Nuclear Medicine (1998) and his doctorate in Clinical Medicine (2006). His professional career includes work in radioisotope therapy, with specialization in radioembolization of liver tumors, radiosynovectomy, and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, along with extensive experience using PET/CT with radiopharmaceuticals. He also works in bone densitometry and body composition analysis. Currently, he is on staff at the University of Campinas and is a partner at the MND group.
The new SBMN board also includes other prominent names in Nuclear Medicine: Paulo Almeida Filho was elected vice president and Lara Terra Carreira will serve as second treasurer; Gustavo do Vale Gomes and Flávia Paiva Lopes were chosen as first and second secretaries, respectively; while Dalton Alexandre Anjos will lead the Defense and Ethics division, and Camila Mosci will be responsible for the Scientific division.
Advances in Brazilian research in Nuclear Medicine
Elba Etchebehere and Allan Santos are research leaders in the field of Nuclear Medicine, with extensive clinical experience. Their academic and scientific contributions are currently focused on the theranostic approach, a model that integrates diagnosis and therapy simultaneously in Oncology.
“In the scientific sphere, we hope to strengthen the role of Nuclear Medicine research in Brazil, including that developed within the CancerThera framework, to expand international visibility of what is produced domestically, as well as to foster collaboration among research institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory bodies. Such partnerships are essential to ensure that innovations from research centers like CancerThera, for example, can be translated into accessible and effective clinical advances for the population,” says Etchebehere.
With this new leadership, the expectation is that SBMN will move forward in strengthening medical research and innovation in the specialty of Nuclear Medicine and related fields, contributing to the improvement of disease diagnosis and treatment through the most modern technologies and therapeutic approaches. “We hope to create an environment that fosters the development of innovative research, ensuring that Brazil remains at the forefront of global Nuclear Medicine, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence,” emphasizes the researcher.
Text: Romulo Santana Osthues | Photo: Personal collection
