Jordi Barretina

CEO, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP)

Dr. Jordi Barretina serves as Director General of the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute (IGTP), a health research institute that is part of the Catalan CERCA network and is accredited as a center of excellence by the Spanish Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII).

Dr. Barretina has more than 15 years of experience in multidisciplinary scientific environtments, both in world-class academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry, and a broad background in genomics and cancer precision medicine. After getting his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), he completed his training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Harvard Medical School) in Boston (USA) before holding a position at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in Cambridge (USA). After leading an industry-academia collaboration, he became a Laboratory Head in the Oncology Translational Research group at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (NIBR) also in Cambridge. After returning from the United States, Dr Barretina took a leadership position as Director of the Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IDIBGI), before transitioning to his current role.

Andy Bleaden

Community Director,European Connected Health Alliance

Andy Bleaden has had long career in both funding and social care going back over 25 years and has been recently working in Greater Manchester at Stockport where he specialised in Adult Social Care, Robotics, Telehealth and Telemedicine, Regeneration and Dementia. He also formed alliances with pan European groups most recently with the EIP-AHA, Coral and Covenant for Demographic Change.

In addition, he has also been working as an External Expert for the European Commission since 2013 and also with the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) on the new Health KIC and also working for the new Urban Innovation Actions as an expert.

He brings a wealth of experience and skills in securing and management of strategic external funding, procurement, innovation funding and forming and development large and complex partnerships across Europe.

Fiona Costello

Vice President of National Accreditations, ORCHA

Fiona is responsible for supporting governments and policy makers to consider their approach to digital health and accreditation, supporting the design, development and delivery of new accreditation schemes. Fiona has an extensive healthcare career in strategy, business development and transformation. Prior to joining ORCHA as Vice President of National Accreditations, she was involved in accelerating growth strategies for a number of organisations, including NHS, private sector and non-profit organisations. Her experience of working within traditional healthcare settings as well as for start ups has led to a passion for ensuring digital health is always framed within the context of clinical and operational priorities to yield the maximum benefits for patients and respond to the challenges faced by healthcare professionals.

Joan Guanyabens

Consultant TIC Salut Social Foundation,Citricat

Physician and MBA from ESADE in Hospital Management with over 30 years’ experience in management, administration, consultancy and advice on the use and application of information technology in the health sector. He has been General Coordinator of information and communication technologies of the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya and CEO of the Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQUAS) having also worked in the Catalan Health Service, UDIAT Diagnostic Center of the Parc Taulí Health Corporation of Sabadell and PwC. He has been also General Director of the Foundation for Higher Studies in Health Sciences (FESS), the titular entity of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia. He currently works as an Independent Consultant in Innovation, Technology and Health, is Director of the Master in Digital Health Management at OBS Business School and is one of the founders / promoters of the SALUSCOOP initiative.

Jonathan Gomez-Raja

Chief Scientific Officer (CINO), FundeSalud (Extremadura – Spain Government)

Ph.D. in Microbiology, Master in International R&D programs management, and Master in Bioinformatics and Data Science in the healthcare sector. He is an expert in Genetics and Molecular Biology and his research has been focused on human fungal diseases and infectious diseases. He has developed his career in the USA, India, Germany, and Spain. Author of several articles published in scientific journals as well as book chapters. Regular reviewer in European funding programmes and relevant JCR-indexed journals. External expert for the Spanish Medicine Agency (AEMPS). He is a professor at the European University and Chief Scientific Officer at FundeSalud, Dept. of Health and Social Services at the Government of Extremadura.

Dr. Marco Inzitari

Director of Integrated Care and Research, Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili – Spain

Marco Inzitari, MD, PhD is a specialist in geriatric medicine and master in healthcare leadership and management. He graduated and achieved his specialty degree in Florence, Italy. He worked at his PhD between Florence and the University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. He serves as the Director of Integrated Care and Research at Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, a public healthcare provider of intermediate and primary care in Barcelona, Spain, and as a Professor of Aging at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. He is the Principal Investigator of the Research on Aging, Frailty and care Transitions (RE-FiT) Barcelona group of the Vall d’Hebrón Institute of Research (VHIR) and the current President of the Catalan Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology. He co-leads the Special Interest Group on Intermediate Care at the International Foundation of Integrated Care (IFIC) and served as an expert consultant for different international bodies, included the Government of Canada, the IFIC or the Inter-American Development Bank. At a local level, he is an advisor for the Integrated Care plan of Catalonia, Spain, and was appointed as one of the experts to propose a reform of the Catalan healthcare system by the President of the Catalan Government (2020). He also served as an expert advisor for the COVID-19 pandemic for the Minister of Science of the Government of Spain (2020-21). Dr. Inzitari published more than 90 peer-reviewed international papers and 3 international book’s chapters on aging and innovative care models for older adults, combining clinical research, implementation-research and innovation. He also directed 6 PhD theses.

Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva

Partner, Open Evidence | PredictBY

Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva. Professor at Open University of Catalonia and entrepreneur. He has been working in the intersection between data analytics, behaviour and regulation covering all the digital health and care funnel during more than 15 years. He combines his work in research and innovation with consultancy for both private and public institutions, such as the European Commission, the European Parliament and National and Regional governments.

Ana Maiques

CEO, Neuroelectrics

Ana Maiques is the CEO of Neuroelectrics. She studied Economics at the University of Barcelona and has an MBA from London Metropolitan University. She has also completed IESE Business School’s advanced management program. She was nominated by IESE as one of the most influential entrepreneurs under 40 in Spain in 2010. In 2014, Maiques won third prize in the European Woman Innovator of the Year awards, for her entrepreneurial vision in promoting Starlab as an innovative company of scientific excellence. In 2015 & 2016, she was named one of most inspiring women on the Inspiring Fifty list in Europe.
Maiques founded Starlab spin-off Neuroelectrics in Barcelona, Spain, in 2011, and established offices in Boston, United States in 2014. Focused on developing medical devices for the brain, Maiques describes Neuroelectrics as a “digital brain health company” that aims to treat brain disease in a non-invasive, personalized way through the use of technology. Ana continues breaking the barriers of science and technology in an impactful way with Business Ethics

Toni Masi

CEO, Blood and Tissue Bank

Currently CIO at the Blood and Tissue Bank, Government of Catalonia, leading the digital transformation of the entity. Coordinator and professor of the eHealth Master at La Salle Barcelona and advisor to the ICT Strategic Committee of Catsalut.

Karolina Mackiewicz

Innovations Director, European Connected Health Alliance

Ann Mond Johnson is CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, overseeing the only association focused completely on advancing the adoption of telehealth. Ann is a leading voice representing a healthcare platform that many see as one of the few bright spots in the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on federal and state policy initiatives needed to ensure permanent access to telehealth services, so that everyone has access to safe, effective, and appropriate care when and where they need it. With a diverse membership including leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, the ATA is working to integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models. This year, the ATA launched the first-ever Telehealth Awareness Week, bringing together telehealth champions and supporters from every sector of healthcare to underscore the growing value of telehealth and its critical role in care delivery.

Ann Mond Johnson

CEO, American Telemedicine Association

Ann Mond Johnson is CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, overseeing the only association focused completely on advancing the adoption of telehealth. Ann is a leading voice representing a healthcare platform that many see as one of the few bright spots in the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on federal and state policy initiatives needed to ensure permanent access to telehealth services, so that everyone has access to safe, effective, and appropriate care when and where they need it. With a diverse membership including leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, the ATA is working to integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models. This year, the ATA launched the first-ever Telehealth Awareness Week, bringing together telehealth champions and supporters from every sector of healthcare to underscore the growing value of telehealth and its critical role in care delivery.

Miguel Pera

Chief Medical Officer and Chair of Surgery, Hospital del Mar – Parc de Salut MAR

The Director of the Healthcare and Medical Area and Head of the General and Digestive Surgery Department at Hospital del Mar holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Medicine from the same university. Trained at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota and Arizona) in the United States, he joined the PSMAR in 2002. He specialises in colon and rectal cancer surgery, laparoscopic surgery, peritoneal carcinosis, as well as enhanced recovery and outcome assessment. In the field of research, he co-coordinates the Clinical and Translational Research Group on Colorectal Neoplasms at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM). He has authored 125 articles in indexed journals and is a member of the editorial team of the publications British Journal of Surgery, Colorectal Disease, and the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Catalan Society of Surgery, the Executive Committee of the European Society of Coloproctology and the International Committee of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Sameer Pujari 

Global Digital health Strategy & Governance acting director, WHO – Switzerland

Sameer Pujari is the Unit Head a.i. and co-founder of the Be Healthy Be Mobile Initiative at the World Health Organization`s Digital Health and Innovations department, he is overseeing development and implementation of the Global Strategy for Digital Health and is the vice chair of the WHO ITU Multisectoral Ai for health focus group. Sameer joined WHO headquarters in Geneva in Feb 2008. With WHO, he has worked extensively on Digital Health including mHealth, Big Data, and AI, he has provided in-country support in over 50 countries. Since 2012 he is also co-leading the development & implementation of a joint WHO and International Telecommunication initiative of the United Nations on Digital Health. The initiative has successfully scaled digital health programs in 20 countries with over millions of people using the national programs.

Kaveh Safavi

Senior Managing Director – Consulting, Global Health at Accenture, Accenture

Kaveh Safavi, M.D., J.D., is a senior managing director at Accenture where he is responsible for leading, developing and driving a growth strategy that differentiates Accenture’s offerings for providers, health insurers, and public and private health systems across the globe.

A seasoned executive, Dr. Safavi brings more than three decades of leadership experience to Accenture Health. Prior to joining Accenture in 2011, Dr. Safavi led Cisco’s global healthcare practice. Before that he was chief medical officer of Thomson Reuters’ health business, vice president of medical affairs at United Healthcare, and had leadership roles at HealthSpring and Humana. Among his many accomplishments was establishing one of the Midwest’s first electronic-health-record-enabled primary care practices.

Dr. Safavi has published numerous papers and is often quoted on healthcare issues in various media publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, The New York Times, Consumer Reports, US News and World Report, Harvard Business Review and The Economist. Recently, IT Services Report named him the #1 healthcare IT executive for 2020.

Dr. Safavi earned an M.D. from Loyola University School of Medicine and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. He is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and completed his medical residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. An adjunct lecturer of Health Enterprise Management at Kellogg School of Management-Northwestern University, Dr. Safavi also serves on the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences’ Board of Visitors–Northwestern University and is a frequent guest scholar at the Stanford University Clinical Excellence Research Center. He is a member of the Easterseals National Board of Directors.

Sara Secall

General Partner, Inveready

Sara is responsible for building the Biotech Portfolio. Sara has an extensive international career in technology investing. She was involved in investing and exiting several Venture Capital investments while working for Chevron Technology Ventures, the corporate Venture Capital group based in California with USD 210 MM under management. Prior to joining Inveready, as Director of Spin Outs for the University of Barcelona, she was involved in starting and financing over 25 technology start ups and she negotiated numerous technology licenses, mainly in the biotechnology sector. She has worked extensively in the USA, Latin America and Europe. Sara holds a BS in Chemistry, MSc from Indiana University and an MBA from the London Business School.

Louisa Stüwe

Project lead French EU Presidency, Ministery of Health – France

eHealth Project lead – French EU Presidency
Ministerial eHealth Delegation, French Ministry of Solidarity and Health
Franco-German health policy professional currently working as French EU Presidency eHealth project lead at the Ministerial eHealth Delegation of the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health, I like to drive high-level multi-stakeholder projects and partnerships at the interface of national, European and international policy makers, the academic sector and innovative health industries. Wherever and whenever I am involved, I like to add value, challenge, connect the dots between stakeholders and contribute to success of initiatives fostering innovation and research for health.
Passionate about evidence-based policy-making, digital health and health data, before joining the French Ministry of Health, I have worked for the French public-sector body Health Data Hub, international organizations like the WHO and the World Bank as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Since the transmission of knowledge to, training of and interaction with the younger generation is my driver and lies close to my heart, I also teach academic courses on these topics based on the lessons learned from my various experiences, at Sciences Po Paris among others.

Alfonso Valencia

ICREA Research Professor & BSC Life Sciences Dept. Director,Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)

Prof. Alfonso Valencia is ICREA Research Professor and Director of the Life Sciences Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC), Director of the Spanish National Bioinformatics Institute (INB) and head of the Spanish Node of the European Bioinformatics Infrastructure ELIXIR. He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), and former President of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB). He has served in numerous Scientific Advisory Boards, including the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), of which he is currently Vice Chair, EMBL, the Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics, among others. He is Co-Executive Editor of Bioinformatics and he has published more than 450 articles with an h-index of 97 (Scopus profile).

Julien Venne

Board Director, European Connected Health Alliance and the Digital Health Society, Researcher, United Nations University

Naturally evolving in an international environment (fluent in English, French and Spanish), passionate about digital transformation & social impact, Julien is an experienced C-level executive with track records in large corporates, start-ups, governments & public authorities, hospitals, universities and non-profit organisations.
Highly-skilled in strategic thinking, Julien supports the innovation in public and private organisations, around public policies, services & investments design, business modelling, market access & business development tactics, ecosystems building, customers’ engagement, marketing & communication.
As an entrepreneur or intrapreneur, Julien is designing digital products and services aiming to improve people’s life such as personalised health and wellbeing programmes, behaviours change strategies and solutions, digital platforms and mobile apps, GovTech & CivicTech, smart human cities, etc.
As a researcher, Julien is affiliated to the United Nations University (UNU-MERIT), the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (India). His researches focus on digital transformation, data governance and digital trustworthiness, digital democracy, behavioural sciences, health and wellbeing, public and international health.
Involved in ECHAlliance almost since its beginning, Julien has been Director of Strategy and Innovation during 5 years and now he’s Board Director in charge of the Digital Health Observatory (DHO) and the scientific content of our activities, as well as of the deployment of partnerships and ecosystems in Latin America. He’s also Board member of the Digital Health Society (DHS) and member of the Council of the Global Health Connector Partnership.
Julien is also regularly speaking at international events.

Sébastien Ziegler 

Board Director,Chair of Europrivacy International Board of Experts in Data Protection & Director of Mandat International foundation

Dr Sébastien Ziegler serves as President of the Europrivacy International Board of Experts, President of the International Internet of Things Forum (IoT Forum), and as Rapporteur on Emerging Technologies for the IoT and for smart cities at the ITU (SG20). Sébastien has a PhD in Management with a specialization in Information Systems at the Faculty of Economy and Management of the University of Geneva. He graduated in International Relations, followed by a Master in Environment, a MBA in international administration, and complementary executive courses at Harvard Business School in Boston, Stanford University, UC Berkeley and EPFL. With a multi-disciplinary academic profile, combining international law, science, and economics, he is a relentless promoter of research, innovation and international cooperation.