Re-imagining Europe's health systems

Prior to assuming his current role as CEO of HealthAI, an organisation that seeks to enable and improve access to inclusive, impactful and responsible research into digital health and artificial intelligence (AI), Ricardo Baptista Leite served as a member of the Portuguese national parliament’s health committee. He also founded the UNITE global network of parliamentarians, present in over 100 countries and active in tackling infectious diseases. Leite was a practising physician for seven years and has also held an infectious diseases residency at the WHO. He was a medical volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the Lviv Regional Hospital in Ukraine in the summer of 2022. He has an active role on several scientific and advisory boards of health, including as Chair of the Global Health Policy Lab, a collaborative between the University Medicine Berlin and Harvard University, and Chair of the Centre for Global Health at NOVA University in Portugal.

Stine Bosse is a Member of the European Parliament, currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Public Health. Prior to joining the Parliament, Bosse chaired the board of several major organisations, including PlanBørnefonden and TelePost Greenland, and held senior roles in the insurance sector. Known for a strong stance on corporate responsibility and governance, Bosse brings extensive experience from both civil society and business. Bosse is also recognised for advocacy in gender equality and children’s rights across Europe and beyond.

Virginie Bros-Facer has served as Chief Executive Officer of EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe since March 2024, after having previously served as the organisation’s Scientific Director. Upon joining EURORDIS as Scientific Director, she took the lead on project development and patient engagement in rare disease research projects representing the voice of rare disease patients, including within the International Rare Disease Research Consortium (IRDiRC). Bros-Facer led in the creation of the EURORDIS Winter School on Scientific Innovation and translational research, aimed at empowering people living with a rare disease to fight for their rights to a better and healthier future. Before joining EURORDIS, Bros-Facer had been a member of the Diagnostic Scientific Committee of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium, which coordinates a dedicated working group on real-world applications and technologies for newborn screening.

Teresa Conceição is a lawyer with experience in mergers and acquisitions and pharmaceutical law, and has been working at Novartis for more than 13 years with a dedicated focus on personal data protection and AI compliance. Recently at Novartis, Conceição has been instrumental in driving key projects in the field of Data Privacy and AI Compliance in connection with responsible use of AI. In their current role, Conceição leads a dynamic global team focused on responsible use of data, including data privacy and AI governance.

Thomas Desaive is a professor at the University of Liège, Belgium, where he bridges engineering and medicine through cutting-edge biomedical research. With academic affiliations in both the Faculties of Sciences and Medicine, he plays a central role in the development of data-driven technologies to advance patient care. He is also Director of the GIGA In Silico Medicine research unit, and a key figure in the Department of Astrophysics, Geophysics and Oceanography (AGO), specifically within the Thermodynamics of Irreversible Phenomena group. A leader in the emerging field of digital twin technology, Desaive is pioneering the use of virtual patient models- dynamic, real-time simulations of individual physiology- to help clinicians personalise treatments, predict outcomes and improve decision-making at the bedside.

Edblad is Deputy Director-General at the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise and the Director of the Office for Life Sciences at the Government Offices of Sweden. The office coordinates policy between the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. The government presented an updated national Life Sciences strategy 2024, named “A concerted effort for excellence, long-term competitiveness and increased patient benefit” that aims to make Sweden a leading life sciences nation. Edblad was previously the Head of Division for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, and also served as Deputy Director at the Ministry of Enterprise. She is active in strategic innovation policy development and implementation within health and life sciences on both national and international levels.

 Bogi Eliasen is the Executive Director of the Movement Health Foundation and a senior professional in global health innovation, with a focus on digital transformation and preventive care. He initiated the FarGen project in the Faroe Islands and launched the Nordic Health Movement 2030. Eliasen co-chairs the World Health Organization’s Strategic Partners’ Initiative for Data and Digital Health and serves on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Advisory Group on Digital Healthcare Transformation. He is also a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and an Honorary Fellow in Futures of Health at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. 

Sandra Gallina is the Director-General of the European Commission’s DG SANTE. Her career at the Commission spans over three decades, during which she has held several senior roles, including Deputy Director-General for Trade and Director for Sustainable Development, Economic Partnership Agreements and Agri-food and Fisheries. She served as the EU’s chief negotiator for the EU-MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement and was the lead negotiator on non-agricultural market access during the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round. Previously, Gallina worked in the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, focusing on international trade and regulatory policy. 

András Tivadar Kulja is a surgeon and digital-health expert who was elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 on the ticket of Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party. With 360,000 followers on TikTok, he has Hungary’s most widely-viewed health-education channel. Kulja used his high social media profile to counter disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired to enter politics after attending an opposition rally in April 2024, Kulja gave up his hospital posts to speak freely about Hungary’s healthcare problems. He is a Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Climate, and Food Safety and a member of the Committee on Public Health, where he advocates for a stronger EU role in promoting healthcare reform.

Virginia Mahieu, as Neurotechnology Director at the Centre for Future Generations, explores how neurotechnologies impact society, combining neuroscience and foresight to ensure that governance frameworks are up to scratch so these emerging technologies contribute to a brain-healthy future. She previously worked at the Policy Foresight Unit and the Scientific Foresight Unit of the European Parliamentary Research Service, where she specialised in futures literacy, behavioural insights and scenario planning at the science-policy interface. Aside from neuroscience, her research and writing span topics such as responsible innovation, biotechnology, precision medicine, mental health, health policy and geopolitics.

Sandra Orta is a senior global executive with more than 20 years of experience leading businesses within pharma, diagnostic, biotech and nonprofit organisations. In July 2023, she joined BMS as General Director for Spain and Portugal. Orta has broad expertise across multiple disease areas having worked at Novartis, Pfizer and Roche, at international, regional and local markets. She has extensive experience in managing and elevating business operations and performance in Europe, the US and emerging markets, where she pioneered new ways of working, including a Digital Health business model. Orta joined BMS from her previous role as Chief Marketing Officer in Almirall, where she was responsible for global strategy, global marketing, digital transformation and new product planning. Prior to Almirall, Orta was General Manager South Africa and Head of Management Center at Roche diagnostic.

Javier Padilla Bernáldez is the current Secretary of State for Health of the Government of Spain and a prominent voice in Spain’s health and public policy landscape. He completed his medical degree at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and subsequently specialised as a Resident Medical Intern in Family and Community Medicine at the Andalusian Health Service, continuing as a clinician at the Madrid Health Service. In 2021, Padilla transitioned into politics as a regional deputy in the Assembly of Madrid, advocating on equity, mental health and the structural determinants of health. As Secretary of State for Health under the Ministry of Health, Padilla has taken on responsibilities including the development of the future State Public Health Agency, the modernisation of Spain’s health surveillance system and the promotion of equitable healthcare policies. Beyond his clinical and political roles, Padilla is also a published author and health commentator.

Tamsin Rose is a facilitator who was until recently a senior fellow for health at Friends of Europe. Having studied international relations, she has 25 years of experience working across the European continent from Ireland to Mongolia. A natural communicator, Tamsin has been a radio reporter, worked on press for the EU Delegation in Moscow and is currently a member of the external speaker team for the European Commission Directorate-General for Communication, describing how the EU works and key policies to visitor groups from around the world. Since 2002, she has specialised in public health and public participation issues, serving as the Secretary General of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), and providing strategic advice for health groups on how to engage successfully with the EU.

Tomislav Sokol currently serves as a Member of the European Parliament Committee on Public Health. Previously, he was the European People’s Party (EPP) Coordinator in the Committee on Public Health (SANT) and Vice-Coordinator in Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future (COVI). He also sat on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), among others, and was the main rapporteur for the European Health Data Space and EPP shadow rapporteur for pharmaceutical legislation (regulation). Prior to Brussels, he was a member of the Croatian parliament and an assistant minister in the Ministry of Science and Education. Sokol’s areas of professional interest include the law of the European common market, as well as health, competition, social and trade law. 

Anke van Es is a passionate leader dedicated to delivering meaningful impact in healthcare, with a strong commitment to patients, people and the planet. With over 20 years of experience at Philips, she currently serves as the Head of Europe for Hospital Patient Monitoring, leading a team of experts focused on co-creating innovative monitoring solutions and developing strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. Van Es is committed to launching new business models and value propositions that empower clinicians with better insights, support informed decision-making and prepare healthcare systems for the future. Van Es’ leadership is characterised by her dedication to building strong partnerships with healthcare professionals, channel partners and health tech companies, working together to make healthcare more effective, sustainable and patient-centred.

Vlad Voiculescu is a member of the European Parliament, health policy expert and patient advocate, who until recently has served as the Romanian minister of health. After pursuing a career in finance, Voiculescu became active in public service, serving as the Romanian Finance Minister’s chief of staff before becoming the minister of health in the Dacian Cioloș government.  He has been involved in patient advocacy, both at the national and European levels for over a decade. Voiculescu is the founder of an international network of volunteers that helped over 2,500 cancer patients receive essential medicines that were missing in Romania, a story that featured in the HBO documentary The Network’. He is also the Co-Founder of MagiCAMP, which seeks to provide support to children diagnosed with cancer and other serious illnesses. For this work, the European Parliament awarded Voiculescu its ‘European Citizen’s Prize.’

Elisabetta Zanon is the Chief Executive Officer of the European Cancer Organisation and a senior professional with over 20 years of experience in European affairs, during which she has shaped health policy and led impactful communication campaigns. She previously served as Director of European Union Public Affairs and Advocacy at the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, and as Director of Advocacy at the European Society of Cardiology, where she launched the European Society of Cardiology Patient Forum and contributed to European Union-funded research initiatives. Zanon also established and directed the National Health Service European Office in Brussels for a decade.