Dr. Ana Filipa Martins Ferreira Varges Gomes is a senior medical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer with extensive leadership experience in clinical oncology, research, health system management and oncology policy in Portugal and across Europe. She also has significant expertise in thoracic oncology and multidisciplinary care for complex solid tumors.
She is Head of the Medical Oncology Department at Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, where she leads the lung cancer program and chairs multidisciplinary tumor boards at the Portimão Unit. She founded and coordinates ONCOSEGUE, a proximity-care oncology program designed to improve continuity, access and patient-centered care; the program was a finalist for the Best Health Practices Award 2025 in Portugal. At European level she serves as Work Package Leader (Communication) for EUnetCCC, supporting integration of Comprehensive Cancer Centers across Europe.
Dr. Varges Gomes has held multiple national and international leadership roles, including President of the Portuguese Study Group of Head and Neck Cancer, Secretary of the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Group, European Chair for the ESMO Asia Congress (Head & Neck, 2021) and long-standing member of the EHNS Board. She is a founding board member of the Portuguese MAKE SENSE Campaign, the European awareness initiative for head and neck cancer under the European Head and Neck Society.
Her clinical training includes head and neck oncology fellowships at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) with Dr. Marshall Posner and at UZA Antwerp with Prof. Jan Vermorken. She completed her medical oncology residency at IPO Porto and holds postgraduate qualifications in health management and clinical coding.
Dr. Varges Gomes has authored and co-authored numerous publications in international journals, contributed to ESMO‑EURACAN clinical practice guidelines, and served as principal investigator and national coordinator for multiple multinational clinical trials in head and neck cancer. She is a frequent invited speaker at major international oncology congresses and has received awards for cancer awareness and clinical excellence.
Active in public service and education, she has served as President of the Portuguese Health Parliament, lectures in medicine and economics at university level, and volunteers long-term with the Order of Malta supporting vulnerable populations.
Her career combines clinical excellence, scientific leadership, policy engagement and patient-centered oncology practice, with a sustained commitment to improving outcomes for patients with head and neck and thoracic malignancies.
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