Plenary speakers

Luís Eugênio de Souza has a degree in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia-UFBA (1987), and a doctorate in Public Health from the University of Montreal – Canada (2001). Since 2004, he is a professor at UFBA. From 2005 to 2007, he served as municipal secretary of health of Salvador-Bahia, and from December 2008 to July 2009, as director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Health. He is currently president of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. He has written extensively on health policy, planning and management in their relationships with the production and use of scientific knowledge. His articles discuss subjects such as health policy analysis, healthcare programmes performance, scientific knowledge use and innovation in the health sector, judicialization of health (courts’ decisions that impact the healthcare system) and the impact of economic crisis and austerity measures on healthcare and population health.

Head of the Health Data Science Centre at the Human Technopole in Milan and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at University of Cambridge, Emanuele Di Angelantonio works on big data analysis applied to the study of cardiometabolic diseases, blood donors, and risk prediction.

After specialising in internal medicine in Rome, he obtained a Master’s degree in medical statistics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Cambridge.

During his career, he has held senior positions at University of Cambridge, NHS Blood and Transplant, European Society of Cardiology, and World Health Organisation. He is the author of more than 250 studies published in prestigious journals, including Lancet, JAMA and New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Zijian Feng is the Secretary General and Executive Vice President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and senior research fellow of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). He is also the member of the Expert Committee on Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for COVID-19 of the State Council, member of the Expert Advisory Committee on Health Emergency Response and Disease Control of National Health Commission, Chairman of Committee for the Infectious Disease Standards, Head of the Technical Working Group of the National Immunization Advisory Committee,  Vice Chairman of the Public Health Physician Sub-committee of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Vice Chairman of the Epidemiology Sub-committee of Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, and the former Chairman of the Public Health Sub-Committee of the Chinese Medical Association. He is also the member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH), PHSM and Global Health Crises Task Force (GPMB). He has been engaged in infectious disease prevention and control, national immunization program and health emergency management for 35 years at provincial and national public health agencies. Since 2002, he has served as Deputy Director of National Immunization Program center, Director of Disease Control and Emergency Response Office, Director of Health Emergency Response Center, and Deputy Director of China CDC.

Dr Feng is also Deputy Chief Editor of China CDC Weekly and Chinese Journal of Epidemiology. He has published over 100 research articles in international journals and Chinese journals, including The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, PLoS Medicine, BMJ, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Vaccine, et, edited (translated) multiple professional works, and supervised over 50 master’s and doctoral students.

Ira Helfand, MD is a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapon, ICAN, the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, and Immediate Past President of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the founding partner of ICAN and itself the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Back from the Brink campaign. He has published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the British Medical Journal and the World Medical Journal on the medial consequences of nuclear war. He was educated at Harvard College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr Mehreen Bhorat Hunter is a medical doctor currently specializing in Public Health Medicine as a registrar at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. She is currently the elected co-chair for the College of Public Health Medicine Registrar Subcommittee, one of the nominated local, South African registrar representatives for the University of Cape Town and the Global South representative on the WHO Public Health Roadmap initiative. She has applied herself extensively to global health initiatives, increasing collaboration between her base institutions and global partners in health, in an effort to raise the voice of young professionals, especially from Africa, and widen the platform of their influence.

She is passionate about positive change and realising the goals of universal health coverage and health security. Despite being early in her career, she is dedicated to building a better, safer and more equitable world, through strong international, intersectoral and multidisciplinary commitments to healthcare.

Dr. Jadad is a Canadian-Colombian physician, innovator, entrepreneur and philosopher. He leads initiatives with heads of state, multinational companies, communities, entrepreneurs and scientists from all over the planet, accompanying them during critical decisions in periods of maximum uncertainty.

He holds a medical degree from Xavierian University in Colombia, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Balliol College, at the University of Oxford in the UK.

He founded the Centre for Digital Therapeutics in Toronto, Canada, a simulator of the future of health and medicine, and created the Jadad Scale, the most widely used tool to assess clinical trial quality. He has authored 12 books and hundreds of scientific publications. His latest book, published in 2023, is ‘Healthy No Matter What’.

Dr. Jadad is a member of the Public Health Leadership Coalition, a group of world-class individuals assembled and coordinated by the World Federation of Public Health Associations, to support evidence-informed decisions and accountability around existential threats facing humanity, and to enable a more equitable and sustainable approach to health for all.

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge is the WHO Regional Director for Europe. His term began on 1 February 2020, following his nomination by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe and appointment by the WHO Executive Board.

Throughout his career, beginning as a family doctor in Belgium, along a journey to Somalia, Liberia, the prisons in Siberia, former Soviet Union countries, Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and most recently leading the Division of Health Systems and Public Health at WHO/Europe for a decade, Dr Kluge has always been committed to achieving better health for all with a focus on the vulnerable.

As Regional Director, Dr Kluge’s vision for the WHO European Region is “United action for better health”, working in partnership to achieve universal health coverage, address health emergencies and promote healthier populations.

Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi is the Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Center based in Nairobi, Kenya. She previously served as the Center’s Director of Research and Head of the research Unit on Health and Systems for Health. Catherine has a medical background and is a trained epidemiologist with research interests in the interface between Non-Communicable Diseases and Health Systems Strengthening. She has led research projects on the epidemiology of NCD risk factors in Kenya, and designed and tested service delivery models for resource-constrained settings such as slum settings. She has also conducted research on the policy context for NCD prevention in several African countries. Catherine is a strong advocate for the societal benefit of research beyond traditional research outputs. At APHRC, she has strengthened the Center’s approaches to policy engagement and advocacy and supported the development of policy and advocacy models to ensure timely and effective uptake of evidence in decision making.  She has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers, sits on multiple national and global expert advisory panels.

Catherine is also the co-Director of the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) – Phd and Post-doctoral fellowship Program to strengthen the capacity of eight public Universities in Africa to produce the next generation of African research leaders.

Catherine is a Joep Lange Chair at the University of Amsterdam and is working on Chronic Disease Management as an entry point to make healthcare systems more responsive to NCDs in Africa. She is also a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.

Professor Heidi J. Larson,Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project and Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; University of Washington, Seattle; and University of Antwerp and KULeuven, Belgium. Her research focuses on managing risk and rumors. She is particular focused on public cooperation during emergencies – disease outbreak, natural disasters, terrorism and conflict.

Prof. Larson previously headed Global Immunization Communication at UNICEF, chaired Gavi’s Advocacy Task Force, and served on the WHO SAGE Working Group on vaccine hesitancy. She is author of STUCK: How Vaccine Rumors Start – and Why They Don’t Go Away  (Oxford University Press, 2020). In 2021, she was awarded the Edinburgh Medal and BBC named her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world.

Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus is the head of the Health Systems Research Group at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and a professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. He is the author of more than 300 publications, including the Global COVID-19 Consensus Statement (Nature 2022) and multiple studies on COVID-19 vaccines hesitancy and has been advising governments, NGOs and WHO, as well as frequently appearing in the media to address pressing issues about the pandemic.

Dr. Laura Magaña is president and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. During her tenure, ASPPH has significantly grown its global engagement, launched the academic public health leadership institute, and enhanced the voice of academic public health through advocacy efforts. She has over 35 years of experience leading the transformation of organizations and academic institutions globally. Most recently, she was dean of the School of Public Health in Mexico at the National Institute of Public Health. Her diverse portfolio features 90 academic publications and educational technological developments—many of which relate to learning environments, the use of technology in education, and public health education. She has been a faculty member and lecturer in diverse universities around the world.

Dr. Wahid Majrooh is the Ex. Minister of Health of Afghanistan, previously served as Deputy Minister for Healthcare Service Delivery, Senior International Relations Advisor and Technical Advisor to the Health Minister. He has the background of working at senior positions with national and international institutions including U.S Embassy, USAID, EU, World Bank, Afghan Government.

Dr. Majrooh has an MD, two Masters Degrees in Global Health Policy (LSHTM) and Political Science and 14+ years of experience in global health, diplomacy, strategic communication, healthcare delivery to undeserved communities with exceptional capacity in emergency and crisis management.

Dr. Majrooh currently sits on the WHO’s Executive Board, having previously served as the 1st Vice Chair of WHO Executive Board and alternate Board Member at GAVI.

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). She is winner of international prizes including the Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in 2021, Italy’s highest civilian honour, the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the ‘3 most important thinkers about innovation’ by The New Republic, one of the 50 most creative people in business in 2020 by Fast Company, and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by WIRED.

She is the author of three highly-acclaimed books: The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths (2013), The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy (2018) and most recently Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism (2021). She advises policymakers around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being Chair of the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health for All, Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a member of the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council, the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors, the European Space Agency’s High-Level Advisory Group on Human and Robotic Space Exploration for Europe, and the United Nations High-level Advisory Board (HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs, among others.

Prof. Martin McKee qualified in medicine in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with subsequent training in internal medicine and public health. He is Professor of European Public Health and Medical Director at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is also research director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and Past President of the European Public Health Association. He is President of the British Medical Association for 2022-23. He has published over 1,400 academic papers and 50 books and, measured by citations, is in the top 400 living researchers worldwide.  His contributions to European health policy have been recognised by, among others, election to the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, Academia Europaea, and the US National Academy of Medicine, by the award of honorary doctorates from Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK and visiting professorships at universities in Europe and Asia, the 2003 Andrija Stampar medal for contributions to European public health, in 2014 the Alwyn Smith Prize for outstanding contributions to the health of the population, and in 2015 the Donabedian International Award for contributions to quality of care. In 2005 was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He has an active following on Twitter as @martinmckee. Prof. McKee is a member of the Public Health Leadership Coalition, a group of world-class individuals assembled and coordinated by the World Federation of Public Health Associations, to support evidence-informed decisions and accountability around existential threats facing humanity, and to enable a more equitable and sustainable approach to health for all.

Dr. Samuel Myers is a Principal Research Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and is the founding Director of the Planetary Health Alliance. Samuel’s research explores the human health impacts of global environmental change. His projects currently include exploring the human nutritional consequences of rising concentrations of CO₂ in the atmosphere, falling populations of pollinating insects, and changes in global fisheries in response to ocean warming. He is interested in policy interventions to improve human health while stabilizing Earth’s natural systems. As the Director of the Planetary Health Alliance, Sam oversees a multi-institutional effort (over 320 organizations in over 60 countries) focused on understanding and quantifying the human health impacts of global environmental change and translating that understanding into action globally. For his research, Dr. Myers was the inaugural recipient of the Arrell Global Food Innovation Award in 2018 and Prince Albert II of Monaco prize for research at the interface of health and environment in 2015. He is the co-editor with Howard Frumkin of Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves published in August 2020, and he has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters.

Dr. Maria P. Neira was appointed Director of the Department of Environmental, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland in September 2005. Prior to that, she was Vice-Minister of Health and President of the Spanish Food Safety Agency. She had previously held several senior positions in WHO. Dr Neira began her career as a medical coordinator working with refugees in the Salvador and Honduras for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Dr Neira is a Spanish national, and a medical doctor by training. She specialized in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases; and Public Health. Dr Neira has been awarded the Médaille de l’Ordre national du Mérite by the Government of France and is a member of the Academy of Medicine, Asturias, Spain.

Dr. Okwo-Bele has worked for more than 40 years at the national and international levels in support of child health, emergency disease control and immunization programmes. He was Director of the WHO Vaccines and Immunization programme, overseeing vaccine research, vaccine regulation and immunization service delivery activities from 2004 to 2017 when he retired. He strengthened the WHO’s vaccine policy-recommendations processes and was involved with the Gavi operations and governance. Previously, he served as Chief of the UNICEF global immunization unit in 2002-2004, Regional Head of the WHO immunization programme in Africa from 1989 to 2002 and Manager of the DR Congo Immunization programme during the period 1984-1989.

He now provides board advisory and consulting services. He is a member of the Leadership Coalition Group of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

Author of >40 articles and book chapters, Dr Okwo-Bele received the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow recognition for advancing polio eradication in Africa.

Dr Okwo-Bele is a member of the Public Health Leadership Coalition, a group of world-class individuals assembled and coordinated by the World Federation of Public Health Associations, to support evidence-informed decisions and accountability around existential threats facing humanity, and to enable a more equitable and sustainable approach to health for all.

Graduated in Medical Sciences (Argentina, 1986), residency in Internal Medicine (1989), Specialization in Hospital Management (Technnion Institute/Israel 1993), Master’s and PhD in Public Health from the State University of Campinas (1998; 2001) and full professor at the State University of Campinas since 2004. She coordinated the Postgraduate Program in Public Health and the postgraduate committee. Psychoanalyst. She was Visiting Professor at Yale University (2018-19). She has experience in: collective health, management and subjectivity, mental health, health planning and evaluation. She participates in the training of doctors and coordinates the Residency Program in Mental and Collective Health. She leads the research group Public and Mental Health: Interfaces since 2003. In addition, she is a master’s and doctoral supervisor.

Prof.K. Srinath Reddy, a cardiologist and epidemiologist, is Founder President of the Public Health Foundation of India, which has established five Indian Institutes of Public Health. He was the First Bernard Lown Visiting Professor of Cardiovascular Health at the Harvard School of Public Health (2009-13) and presently Adjunct Professor at Universities of Harvard, Emory, Sydney and Pennsylvania. He has 570 scientific publications. He is an International Member of the National Academy of Medicine, USA and co-chair of the Health Thematic Group of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.  He was President of the World Heart Federation (2013-15). For his contributions to global tobacco control, he was awarded the WHO Director General’s Award and the Luther Terry Medal. He received the Queen Elizabeth Medal for Health Promotion and was conferred Padma Bhushan by President of India.

He is Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, and Scientific Advisor to the Italian Minister of Health for the coronavirus pandemia.

He has been President of Mission Board for Cancer of European Commission.

He is Chair of the Scientific Committee of Human Technopole Foundation.

Prof. Ricciardi is Past President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) (2003-2004 and 2010-2014) and past President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) (2020-2022).

He was the Italian Representative in the Executive Board of World Health Organisation (November 2017-May 2020).

He is former President of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health) (2015-2018) and its Commissioner from July 2014 to July 2015.

He has been Member of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (European Commission, DG – SANTE) for two three-year mandates (2013-2019).

Executive Board Member of the National Board of Medical Examiners of the United States of America (NBME) (2009-2015).

Founder and Director of Osservatorio Nazionale per la salute delle Regioni Italiane (Italian Observatory on Healthcare) from 2002.

Editor of European Journal of Public Health, of Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice and Founding Editor of Italian Journal of Public Health and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health.

He received “Laurea Honoris Causa” at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA (2019) and was appointed “Commendatore” of the Italian Republic by Decree of the President of the Republic 02 June 2017.

Duncan Selbie is the President of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) and chief adviser to the Saudi Public Health Authority.  His public service career spanned 41 years in Scotland and London.

He was the founding Chief Executive of Public Health England from 2012 to 2020. Prior to this Duncan was Chief Executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, the regional teaching hospital for the south east of England.  From 2003 to 2007 he was the Director General of Programmes and Performance for the NHS and subsequently its first Director General of Commissioning.  Immediate to this, he was Chief Executive of South East London Strategic Health Authority and before that Chief Executive of the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

Dr. Sibillo is an Italian American Computer Scientist renowned worldwide for his prolific path of great inventions and patents. He is the CEO of the multibillion dollars Software Research and Development Holding Spychatter Inc. He is the inventor of “Augmented Reality Sharing” valued over 300 billion dollars (Metaverse) and Cloud Computing. The CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg TV, and Amazon Prime made a documentary on him, his company and his inventions. (Season 6 Episode 1). Dr. Agostino works with several governments on Cyber Security and Digital Health. Dr. Sibillo is on the cover page of Marquis Who’s Who in America and Millennium Magazine as one of the top inventors and computer scientist in the world.

Carlo Signorelli is Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at the Universities of Parma and Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, where he is also Director of the Post-Graduate School in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine. He first qualified in medicine and surgery in 1986, before undertaking degrees in law and political sciences. He went on to a post-graduate specialization in hygiene and preventive medicine. Across his academic career, he has also taken a MSc in epidemiology and a PhD from the LSHTM, United Kingdom. He is Past-President of Italia Society of Public Health (SItI). He is Treasurer of EUPHA and a member of the Executive Board of ASPHER. His current research work is mainly in the field of public health, epidemiology, environmental health, health organisation and vaccination policies. He has been a member of the Hygiene Council since 2006 and a member of the International Forum on Home Hygiene since 2009. He was also a consultant to the Italian Senate and member of the Italian National Commission for Vaccination.

Walelasoetxeige Suruí (Txai Suruí) is a young activist of the Paiter Suruí people, she founded the Indigenous Youth movement of Rondônia in order to articulate and strengthen the indigenous youth of her state. She was the only Brazilian to speak at the opening of COP26. She is the coordinator of the Kanindé Ethno-Environmental Defense Association. She is currently an Alternate Counselor at the State Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Rondônia. A major voice for indigenous climate activism, she is a volunteer at Engajamundo and a Counselor at WWF-Brazil. Adviser to the UN Global Compact. Columnist at Folha de São Paulo.

For nearly four decades Adrian Te-Patu has worked for government departments, crown agencies, community organisation, iwi, and health providers including District Health Boards. He has also been a member of various government reference groups.

In more recent years he has been a tutor, trainer, lecturer and an advisor in public health, particularly indigenous health.

He is a recent past vice president of the Public Health Association of New Zealand. He currently represents New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region on the governing council of the World Federation of Public Health Associations and chairs the indigenous working group of the council. He has also served on various boards including the Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand, Canterbury West Coast Cancer Society and served two terms as an elected member of the Christchurch City Council on the Lyttelton Mt Herbert Community Board.