Participants

Julia del Amo Valero is the Director of the Division for the control of HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis in the General Directorate of Public Health, of the Ministry of Health since October 2018. Her previous appointment was as Professor of Biomedical research at the National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute. She has a degree in Medicine from the Autonomous University of Madrid, MRCP, (Member of the Royal College of Physicians) in the United Kingdom, Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H), Diploma in Genitourinary Medicine and HIV (Dip G.U.M), Master of Epidemiology in Infectious Diseases (MSc, London School of Hygene and Tropical Medicine) and Doctor of Public Health (Miguel Hernández University of Alicante).

Binod Mahanty is a science trained public health expert with Masters Degrees in Biology and in Public Health. He has 25 years experience in HIV Programmes with National Governments, Bilateral Organizations, United Nations and CSO. He has worked the last 4 years with the German Ministry of Health, being responsible for the national HIV response and for international HIV processes including WHO and UNAIDS. He has also Core Expertise HIV Programming (prevention and treatment), monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

Jose Luis Sanz is the Mayor of Seville. He has a degree in Economics and Business. He worked in the private sector until joining the Board of Directors of the RTVA, where he was from 1997 to 1999. Mayor of the Sevillian town of Tomares between 2007 and 2021, he was also a senator in the period between 2011 and 2023. He was elected senator for Seville since November 2011 and has chaired the Finance and Public Administration commission in this institution, and a member of the Development and Petitions commission. Later, he has been a member of the Defense, Budget, Treasury and Interior commissions. Parliamentary in the Parliament of Andalusia between 2000 and 2011, being during that period: member of the Coordination Commissions of the Andalusian Parliament, of the Permanent Council, of Employment, of Economy, Finance and Budgets and of the General Assembly of Caja San Fernando.

Pater Takács is the State Secretary for Health of Hungary. He has a degree in Medicine from Semmelweis University. Between 2015 and 2017, he was head of the financing department and director of outpatient care at Szent János Hospital and United Hospitals North Buda. Between 2017-2019 he was head of the Health Policy Department of the Ministry of Human Resources. Between 2020 and 2022 he was deputy director general responsible for basic and specialized care of the Directorate of General Hospitals of the Nation (Reference: https://kormany.hu/belugyminiszterium/dr-takacs-peter ).

Stella Kyriakides is European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety since 2019. She was Member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus between 2006-2019 and Vice President of the Democratic Rally Party (DISY) between 2013-2019. Head of Cyprus Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 2012 to 2019 and Vice President of the European Peoples Party (EPP) at PACE 2019. Member of the EPP Ethics Committee during 2019 and PACE representative to the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) between 2018-2019. She has been also Acting President of EPP at PACE 2018, President of PACE between 2017 and 2018, President of the National Committee on Cancer Strategy from 2017 to 2019 and President of the European Breast Cancer Coalition Europa Donna from 2004 to 2006 (Reference: https://commissioners.ec.europa.eu/stella-kyriakides_en#biography ).

José Manuel Miñones is the current Health Minister of Spanish Government.

José Manuel Miñones has a degree in Pharmacy and PhD in Physical Chemistry with Gold Medal Distinction from University Santiago de Compostela.

Appointed Minister of Health by Royal Decree 203/2023, of March 27 (BOE of March 28). Since March 2021, he was Government Delegate in Galicia. Mayor of the Ames City Council (2015-2021). Vice president of the Healthy Cities Network and member of the Government Council (2019-2021). Executive Secretary of Municipal Policy (Province of A Coruña) of the Galician National Committee and member of the executive (2017-2021). Spokesperson for the PSdeG-PSOE in the Ames City Council. Local deputy secretary of the Ames Socialist group (2012-2015). Councillor for Health, Administrative Reform and New Technologies in the Ames City Council (2009-2011). Lecturer in the Department of Physical Chemistry of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). Director of various doctoral theses, research projects and final degree projects. Researcher of the regional program "Parga Pondal"

Dr Andrea Ammon, MD, MPH, was appointed Director of ECDC in June 2017.

From April 2011 to April 2015, Andrea Ammon was Deputy to the Director and Head of Unit for Resource Management and Coordination. From May 2015, she was ECDC's Acting Director.

Andrea joined ECDC as the Head of the Surveillance Unit in 2005. The unit was responsible for developing The European Surveillance System (TESSy), implementing a long-term surveillance strategy for the European Union (EU), evaluating the Dedicated Surveillance Networks (DSN), performing step-by-step transfer of DSN activities to ECDC, revising the EU case definitions and producing an Annual Epidemiological Report on infectious diseases in the EU.

Prior to joining the ECDC, Dr Ammon served in several roles at the Robert Koch-Institute, in Berlin, Germany, most recently as Head of Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology. In this capacity, she maintained and further developed the German national surveillance system; coordinated the national outbreak response team for current and emerging infections; coordinated emergency planning for influenza; directed the national Field Epidemiology Training Programme; coordinated epidemiological research programmes in infectious diseases and provided scientific advice for government Ministries, Members of Parliament, and the public.

Mr Robb Butler is the Director of Division of Communicable Disease, Environment and Health, WHO/Euro from 1st of September 2023. He is a social scientist and public health promotion adviser with over 25 years of international experience working in communicable disease prevention, social protection, and humanitarian assistance. He worked for 15 years on rural development, malaria, safe water, and sexual and reproductive health programmes in Asia and Africa. From 2009, Mr Butler spearheaded WHO's efforts to strengthen childhood immunization demand promotion to countries in the WHO European Region. Between 2014 and 2018, he led the vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programme at WHO/Europe and for the past four years served as the WHO Regional Office for Europe's Executive Director.

Christine Stegling is the Deputy Executive Director of the Policy, Advocacy and Knowledge Branch at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. Prior to joining UNAIDS in January 2023, Ms Stegling was the Executive Director of Frontline AIDS; previously she was Executive Director of both the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition and the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA). Ms Stegling holds a Master's degree in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and served until December 2022 as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the AIDS Rights Alliance in Southern Africa.

Ramon Espacio is a Geography and History, as well as Fine Arts graduate. He started his labour as an HIV-related activist in 1993. Since then, Ramon has participated in several NGO's government agencies; president of the "Comité Ciudadano Antisida de la Comunidad Valenciana" (Citizen Committee against AIDS at the Valencian Community), chief of the FIT Foundation, president of CALCSICOVA and president of CESIDA (HIV/AIDS State Coordinating Committee) from 2017 to October 2021. He is currently at this last entity as a general secretary.

Débora Álvarez is a PhD in Public Health, scientific communicator on health and specialist in social intervention based on the use of audiovisual tools. Since 2017 she leads the communication agency "La Doctora Alvarez" where they produce scientific documentaries on health topics and she presents scientific events. In addition, she collaborates in social intervention projects aimed to improve the lives of people living in vulnerable conditions.

Diego García is an English philologist who got in contact with the HIV world in Los Angeles, where he met people in 1990 who would leave a mark in his following career back in Spain, where he developed his activism for people living with HIV since 1992. At this time, he is the director of Sevilla Checkpoint, NGO Adhara's communitarian clinic, is a member of EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group) and has been responsible for the Communitarian Consultant Committee "FEAT" (Spanish Forum for HIV Treatments Activists)

María José Fuster-Ruiz de Apodaca: PhD in Social Psychology and Master in behavioural and health Sciences Methodology. The main topics of my research are the psychosocial problems associated with HIV, mainly HIV-related stigma, and health-related quality of life. Also, she has expertise in patient-reported outcomes (PROs). She has a long activism history and have been a woman with HIV since 1989. She is a university professor (UNED) and Director of the Spanish AIDS Society (SEISIDA).

Jorge del Diego is General Director of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation of Andalusia. He has a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malaga, an he is a specialist in preventive medicine and public health. His work experience includes positions such as deputy general director of Health Promotion and Prevention and technical advisor in the cabinet of the Secretary of State for Health, both in the Ministry of Health, and also national head of the Preventive Medicine department of the ASISA group. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Health Management.

Viatcheslav Grankov is a Medical Doctor and public health specialist with more than 20 years of experience in clinical medicine, public health and healthcare management. He completed MD studies at Belarusian State Medical University and Master in Public health at Lund university in Sweden. In 2016, he joined WHO and worked in communicable diseases at the country level, since May 2023 – as a Medical Officer on HIV at WHO Regional office for Europe.

Esteban Martinez is senior consultant at the Infectious Diseases Unit at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. He is associate professor of medicine at University of Barcelona and currently also president of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS). He co-chair at EACS Conference 2023 (Warwaw, Poland) and currently associated editor of HIV Medicine and Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Meg Doherty has been the Director of the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes at WHO since February 2020. Meg was previously the Coordinator of Treatment and Care in the Department of HIV at WHO Headquarters. She has more than 25 years of experience in HIV and infectious diseases, including leading WHO's normative and programmatic work on expanding HIV treatment to all and reducing inequalities in access to the most effective antiretrovirals for people living with HIV. Meg spent 10 years in low- and middle-income countries, advising ministries of health and international partners on implementing comprehensive HIV and infectious disease programmes, including five years in Ethiopia as the Director of Clinical and Training Services for JHUTSEHAI, a PEPFAR implementing partner supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Teymur Noori is a psychologist and works at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) as an expert on monitoring an evaluation. He is primarily responsible for monitoring the HIV response in Europe and Central Asia, including monitoring the continuum of HIV care, and HIV-related stigma in the community and in the healthcare setting.

Teresa Campos is currently the Head of the Public Health Coordination Service at the General Directorate of Public Health (Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs). Since 1991, she has been working for the Andalusian Health Administration and, in particular, during the last 20 years, she has held various positions of responsibility at the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health.

Miłosz Parczewski MD, Ph.D diploma received a title of full professor of medicine in 2016 based on the scientific publications on HIV resistance and transmission networks. Current Vice-president and member of the Governing Board of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) and President of Polish Scientific AIDS Society. Remains an active practitioner in infectious diseases leading the Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Acquired Immunodeficiency Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland. Serves as associate editor of BMJ STI and HIV Medicine journals. His current research focuses on the molecular epidemiology in HIV infection, HCV coinfection and COVID-19, as well as implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis and recently migrant care.

María Velasco is a specialist in Internal-Infectious Medicine. She is coordinator of the Research Unit of the Alcorcón Foundation University Hospital in Madrid and professor of Medicine at the Rey Juan Carlos University. Secretary of the Board of Directors of GeSIDA and President of GEPI (Imported Pathology Working Group) of SEIMC.

Anna Koval finished medical education in Ukraine, specialization as infectious disease doctor in Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in May 2021. June 2021 - December 2022 was working in HIV department in Ukrainian public health center of Ministry of Health as a National PrEP coordinator. Main responsibilities were implementation of PrEP in all regions of Ukraine, cooperation between NGOs working with HIV key population and medical workers.

After beginning of russian invasion mooved to Germany. Nowadays working in University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf with Ukrainian cohort of patients with HIV, Hepatits B and C, TB. Also participating in trials according to Ukrainian cohort in UKE. Since January 2022 holding a position of Honorary Secretary in Wave, EACS.

Luís Mendão was diagnosed with HIV and HCV in 1996. He graduated in Biochemistry in 1983. He is currently the Director of Advocacy, Health Policies at GAT (Treatment Activists Group) and part of the Board of Directors at Coalition PLUS. He was a former chair of CSF (Civil Society Fund) and EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group), and has been decorated by the President for work on HCV in 2015 and by the Health Minister for his services to the NHS (National Health System). Luís Mendão is also a community consultant for WHO Europe, the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addictions) and the EMA.

Gonçalo Lobo is Vice President for Regional Relations at the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, working for the Fast-Track Cities network, where he started as Regional Director for Europe (2020-2021). Gonçalo previously worked for ABRAÇO (2007-2019) a national wide NGO in Portugal focused on HIV, viral hepatitis, and other STIs, of which he was president for seven years. He has over five years of experience as advisor/consultant for parish councils in Lisbon, in the health and social fields (2014-2020). Full member of the Portuguese Psychologists Association, specialized in Clinical Psychology and Advanced Specialization in Sexology, he is also member of the Portuguese Association for the Clinical Study of AIDS.

Concha Amador is a specialist in Microbiology and Internal Medicine. She did a year fellowship in Infectious Disease at McGill University in Montreal. She started caring for patients with HIV/AIDS at the beginning of the epidemic in Spain. She has been devoted to infectious diseases and HIV infection at the Infectious Diseases Unit in the hospital of Marina Baixa, a community hospital in Alicante.

Carmen Amador was involved in the executive board in the Spanish AIDS study group, GeSIDA (2009-2013) and she was president of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Society of AIDS (SEISIDA), specially dedicated to the quality of life of people living with HIV, against discrimination and stigma.

She is a member of the board of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC).

Fernando Martínez Cañavate has a degree in Medicine and Surgery (University of Seville) and a master in "Addictions treatments” (University of Seville, 2003-05).

Professor at the postgraduate course of University experts in addictions treatment, organised by the University of Seville and the Commissioner for the drug of the Junta de Andalucia. Head of the Municipal Health Service of Seville City Hall since 2005. Member of HIV/Aids working group, organised by Health Counseling of Junta de Andalucía. Institutional coordinator of "Plan por una Sevilla libre de VIH y Sida"and member of Organizing Committee of Fast Track Cities Conference, which took place in Seville in 2022.

Umunyana Rugege is a human rights lawyer and the Head of Human Rights at UNAIDS. She has played a leading role in several human rights cases advancing the right to health and access to medicines. She has led policy development and law reform that has helped to realise the right to health, particularly for vulnerable groups. Prior to joining UNAIDS, Umunyana was the Executive Director of SECTION27, a human rights organization based in South Africa that seeks to achieve substantive equality and social justice. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo; a Master's degree from Cornell University; and an LLB from the University of Cape Town. Umunyana has clerked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Jorge Garrido is the Executive director of Apoyo Positivo and Creative Hub coordinator in Algo Está Pasando (2010-currently). National communtary coordinator of Fast Track Cities iniciative in Spain. He is therapist and expert in Social entities and social communication. Wide experience in diversity, sexual and public health and reproductive and sexual rights, as well as in human rights and exclusión and discrimination associated.

Marc Angel has a degree in Tourism-Economy (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and a degree in German, French and English Translation (University of Vienna). In the past he was member of Luxembourg City Council and Member of Luxembourg Parliament. Nowadays he is Member of the European Parliament, Co-founder of STOP AIDS NOW, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Cape Verde in Luxembourg, President of the LCTO – Luxembourg City Tourist Office (Honorary) and UNAIDS Champion for the 90-90-90 Treatment Target (Reference: European Parliament webside, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/202073/MARC_ANGEL/cv ).

Sanjay Bhagani is a Professor and a Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, London and at University College London. He is the immediate past-president of the European AIDS Clinical Society.

Stela Bivol is the Unit Lead (Joint Infectious Diseases) at WHO Regional Office for Europe. A medical doctor and public health professional with over 20 years of experience in global health she has dedicated her career to international programs across Europe and at the global level. In addition to her studies in medicine and a master in epidemiology and international health, she is an inaugural Women in Global Health LEAD Fellow at Harvard Global Health Institute.

Nikos Dedes is chair of Positive Voice, the Greek Association of People Living with HIV. He has a longstanding involvement in European organisations and initiatives and is currently member of the Steering Committee of NEAT id (European Treatment Network of HIV, Hepatitis and Global Infectious Diseases), member of the HIV Treatment Guidelines Panel of EACS (European AIDS Clinical Society), member of the Steering Committees of the “HIV Outcomes” and “EuroTEST” initiatives and board member of the Euroepan Patients Forum.

He has been past chair of the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), past member of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and co-chair of the Patients and Consumers Working Party (PCWP), and past member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Committee on HIV. Nikos advocates for universal access to evidence-based and cost-effective care and prevention services for all people as a moral imperative and pre-condition for a prosperous and fair society.

Ricardo Fernandes is working in HIV field for more than a decade. He has a degree in Modern Languages and Literature from the Faculty of Arts, University of Lisbon. His been working in several Portuguese NGO in the HIV field since 2000 mainly in project and services coordination. He is the Executive Director of GAT - Portuguese Group Treatment Activist on HIV / AIDS (GAT) - www.gatportugal.org. He is currently the Chair of the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG - www.eatg.org). Co-organiser of several Portuguese conferences and co-author of studies and articles mainly in stigma, diagnose and late presenting (Reference: EATG https://www.eatg.org/about-us/board-of-directors/ ).

Denis Onyango is a Director of Programmes at Africa Advocacy Foundation and oversees initiatives supporting migrants at risk or living with HIV, hepatitis, mental health, TB, mental ill-health and other health conditions in the WHO European region.

He has over 20 years' experience in grassroots community health promotion work and is involved in health policy work at national, regional and international levels.

He is a board member of the European Public Health Alliance has served on a number of advisory boards e.g.WHO RCC on HIV, Hepatitis and TB, the EU Civil Society Forum, NHS England CRG on PrEP, the UK HIV Commission etc.

Denis is a founding member of the “Nobody Left Outside (NLO)”, a collective of organisations working to improve health service provision for Europe's most underserved communities, including LGTBIQ+, homeless, migrants, people who inject drugs, sex workers and prisoners. Denis' background is in education, public health, public policy and voluntary sector.

Member of the EESC since 2016, currently vice president GR3 civil society organization. Former president of the Italian Third Sector Forum (FTS), an umbrella organization of the entire Italian non-profit sector. Previously president of the Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicap (FISH) the umbrella organization of persons with disability in Italy. From 1996 to today, president of the cooperative Centro per l'Autonomia which deals with people with disabilities, with HIV, the elderly and migrants. Member of the Italian delegation to the Ad Hoc Committee at the UN for the Convention of Persons with Disabilities from 2002 to 2006. Engaged in international cooperation projects in Palestine and in particular in the Gaza Strip.

In 2007, Reyes Velayos started as a volunteer at the "Apoyo Positivo" association. In 2008 she became part of its board of directors as the president, and in July 2004 she began her work as Management Coordinator at the Madrid delegation. Since October 2021 she is also the President of CESIDA (the State Coordinator of HIV/AIDS). Reyes Velayos started at CESIDA in 2005 as a board member in Madrid, but she is linked to the activist movement against HIV since 2003, when she started as a volunteer at FASE (Spanish Fundation against AIDS). She proceeded to be a part of Médicos del Mundo (Doctors of the World), also as a volunteer. Her goal is to contribute to the eradication of HIV by 2023, and keep working for the rights of people living with HIV.

Ganna Dovbakh, Executive Director of Eurasian Harm Reduction Association united 279 organisations and activists from 29 countries of Central, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia for a progressive human rights-based drug policy, sustainable funding advocacy, and quality of harm reduction services oriented on the needs of people who use drugs. Ganna is holding MA in social psychology, MA in culture studies. She is originally from Ukraine known as regional community mobilization expert with extensive knowledge in health and social programs for key populations, organizing systems of capacity building, and knowledge management for civil society in a post-totalitarian context.

Carlos Iniesta is a Medical Doctor with a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health. He has contributed significantly to the implementation of PrEP in Spain. He has worked at the National Epidemiology Center, has collaborated with the HIV Division, and has worked as an HIV specialist advisor to the Minister of Health. He is currently the research coordinator at SEISIDA.

Jessika Deblonde has a master's degree in Law and a PhD in Social Health Sciences. In 2012, she joined Sciensano, as a scientific collaborator of the HIV surveillance unit where she is responsible for the national PrEP, PEP and HIV testing surveillance and involved as investigator in research as regards HIV prevention and health-related quality of life.

She coordinates the Monitoring Committee which is the official body to monitor the implementation of the national HIV Plan adopted as the political framework to guide the HIV response in Belgium.

Matthias De Moor is the General Representative of Flanders to the European Union. He has master's degrees in economic policy and in conflict and development (Ghent University) and also a MSc in Environmental Technology and International Affairs (Technical University Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna) (Referencee: https://www.fdfa.be/en/delegation-of-flanders-to-the-european-union ).

Pilar Aparicio has carried out different tasks in clinical-care areas (University Hospital of Mostoles in Madrid, Hospital Teodoro Álvarez, in Buenos Aires, Argentina); research applied to the epidemiology of infectious diseases (National Center for Microbiology of the ISCIII and Central Public Health Laboratory of England), teaching and activities related to international public health and technical scientific cooperation, aimed at strengthening public health systems and control of communicable diseases World Health Organization (WHO) and National Center of Tropical Medicine of ISCIII in different countries of Latin America and Africa.

Silvia Calzón is Secretary of State for Health of Spain. She is a specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health and a PhD from the University of Granada. She has held the position of Manager of the Health Management of Areas of South of Cordoba and Seville of the Andalusian Health Service. She was a deputy in the Andalusian Parlament (VII legislature) and later General Director of Juvenile Justice of the Junta de Andalucía. At the municipal level, he has been a councilor of the Utrera City Council (Seville) in the periods 1999-2008 and 2012-15. (Reference: Portal de Transparencia https://transparencia.gob.es/servicios-buscador/contenido/curriculums.htm?id=CV_12162⟨=en&fcAct=Mon%20Sep%2013%2016:49:44%20CEST%202021 ).