Paolo Ghia

Paolo Ghia, MD, PhD is Professor of Hematology at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and Head of the Strategic Research Program on CLL at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, where he is one of Europe's most influential leaders in CLL research, clinical guideline development, and international collaborative science. Prof. Ghia is a lead author and chair of the ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for CLL, which represent the definitive European standard of care recommendations for CLL diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment and are revised to reflect the rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape. He serves as a founding member and steering committee leader of ERIC (European Research Initiative on CLL), the largest European collaborative CLL research network, which has harmonized MRD methodologies, established cytogenetic and molecular prognostic standards, and coordinated translational substudies across major international CLL trials. Prof. Ghia has been a principal investigator in multiple European CLL trials, including studies of venetoclax-based fixed-duration combinations evaluated within the HOVON-ERIC framework. His research has made foundational contributions to understanding the CLL immune microenvironment, characterizing T-cell exhaustion and PD-1/PD-L1 immune evasion mechanisms exploited by CLL cells. He has also been a leader in MRD standardization, helping develop and validate flow cytometric and next-generation sequencing MRD assays applied across international trials. A prolific author with over 350 publications, Prof. Ghia is one of the most respected CLL physician-scientists in Europe.