CHAIRS

Tit Albreht

National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia

Prof. Tit Albreht, M.D., Ph.D. in Health Services Research at the University of Amsterdam, Head of the Centre for Health Care at the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia, and member of the Scientific Committee of EUPHA. He served as President of the Slovenian Preventive Medicine Society (2016 – 2022) and was elected President-elect of the European Public Health Association for the term 2024-2026. His research and policy work has predominantly been on policies in health workforce, patient mobility, cancer control and cancer care. He was the scientific coordinator of three EU cancer policy projects, Joint Actions.

Josep M. Borrás

Catalan Cancer Strategy

Josep M Borras (MD, Phd) is a physician with postgraduate training in epidemiology, Scientific advisor to the Catalonian Cancer Strategy at the Department of Health and full professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Barcelona, Spain. Previously, he was director of the Catalonian Cancer Institute (ICO). He studied medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and subsequently, he gained his PhD in Medicine at the same University. Also, he holds a Master in Methodology in Health Sciences (UAB).

Kristin Byrkje

Norwegian Cancer Society

Kristin Byrkje is a special adviser at the Norwegian Cancer Society (NCS). Kristin Byrkje has almost 20 years’ experience in tobacco control, covering areas such as tobacco cessation, advocacy work, strategic planning and policy making, media work, project development and project management. She contributed to drafting a national tobacco control strategy (A Future Without Tobacco, 2013-2016) at the Ministry of Health and Care Services. Byrkje serves as vice president of the Smoke Free Partnership Board of Directors. She is active in the Nordic Tobacco Control Network and the Smoke Free Partnership Coalition.

Angela Ciobanu

World Health Organization

Angela Ciobanu is a medical doctor and graduated with a Master’s degree in the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the Doctoral programs at the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemițanu”, Republic of Moldova. For more than 10 years she worked in the National Center of Public Health of the Republic of Moldova. In the second term of 2018 she moved to Copenhagen in the position of technical officer in tobacco control of the WHO Regional Office for Europe where is currently working.

Esteve Fernández

Institut Català d'Oncologia

Esteve Fernández, Director of the Department of Cancer Prevention & Control and the WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco Control of the ICO and IDIBELL, in Barcelona, is also a Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the School of Medicine at University of Barcelona. He received his MD from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, as well as the Master of Public Health and Doctoral degrees. Dr. Fernandez’s main areas of research are primary prevention and early detection of cancer, with special focus on tobacco smoking.

Marcela Fu

Catalan Institute of Oncology

Marcela Fu is an associate researcher at the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco Control; a member of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute; and an associate lecturer at the Department of Public Health, Mental Health and Perinatal Nursing of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona. Her research interests include the epidemiology, prevention and control of tobacco and electronic cigarettes, and the measurement of second-hand smoke exposure.

Mervi Hara

Action on Smoking or Health

Mervi Hara has been the Executive Director of Finland’s ASH since 1990. During her professional career she’s published numerous publications on tobacco policy, tobacco marketing, cancer, smoking and communication. She has got a large experience in the tobacco control field while participating in many activities such as the planning, promotion and develop of the national tobacco control policy, the strategic planning of various national projects and being a consultant on tobacco policy and health.

Regina Izquierdo

Clinica Izquierdo

Regina is the Medical Director of the dental clinic “CLINICA IZQUIERDO”. She has a degree in Dentistry and a postgraduate in Periodontology from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Valencia, where she is an Associate Professor of Periodontology. She is a Specialist Full Member of the Spanish Society of Periodontology and Osseointegration (SEPA) and member of director’s board.

Astrid Knudsen

Danish Cancer Society

Astrid Knudsen is an analysis and development consultant at The Danish Cancer Society (DCS). Knudsen has more than 12 years of experience in the field of tobacco control with specific focus on strategic planning, policy development, professional networks, capacity building and the development of prevention strategies on novel products, tobacco environmental issues and the UN SDGs. She has been project leader and country focal point of the Danish WHO Capacity Assessment, has contributed to the advocacy work leading up to the Danish National Action Plan Against Smoking among Children and Young People in 2019 and coordinates The Nordic Tobacco Control Network.

Adelaida Lozano

FAECAP

Dr. Adelaida Lozano is a Public Health Nurse in the Health Promotion and Education Service of the General Directorate of Public Health and Addictions. She is the coordinator of the Smoking Group of FAECAP and SEAPREMURS, the former vice-president of the National Committee for the Smoking Prevention (CNPT) and current Territorial Delegate in the Region of Murcia. Her research and experience focuses mainly in the field of tobacco control, where she has been the principal investigator in three different lines of research.

Liliana Mahulea

Aragonese Health Service (SALUD)

Dr. Liliana Mahulea is a specialist in family and community medicine, with training in Zaragoza. She is currently working as a family doctor at the “La Jota” Health Center in Zaragoza. She has been Coordinator of the Health Center and associate professor of the University of Zaragoza. She is also a tutor of accredited residents. Dr. Mahulea is a member of the SEMERGEN Diabetes Group, the SEMERGEN smoking group and RedGDPS

Iveta Nagyova

Pavol Jozef Safarik University

Dr. Iveta Nagyova is the Head of the Department of Social and Behavioural Medicine and a Senior Research Leader at Pavol Jozef Safarik University. She is also the President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), and a member of several advisory groups at the WHO. Her research interests are in biobehavioural and psychosocial innovations in chronic condition prevention and management, non-pharmacological interventions, behaviour change, improvements in functional status and quality of life in persons with a chronic disease and their implications for integrated care.

María José Peña

Institut Català de la Salut

María José Peña is a Medical Doctor specialized in Family and Community Medicine. She has worked as a professional at the Institut Català de la Salut for more the 13 years. Dr. Peña is also a member of the Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors. She obtained her Medicine’s degree at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Carlos Rábade

Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR)

Dr. Carlos Rábade holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Santiago de Compostela and is an Expert in Tobacco Use from the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) where he is currently Coordinator of the Smoking Area, as well as Deputy Director of the journal Prevención del Tabaquismo (Smoking Prevention). Dr. Rábade has authored several publications in indexed journals with impact level on: Smoking, COPD, pleura, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary thromboembolism or COVID-19, among others.

Cornel Radu-Loghin

European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP)

Cornel Radu-Loghin is the General Secretary at European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), where he has worked at for more the 14 years. Mr. Radu-Loghin is an experienced Team Leader in establishing and running projects especially in IT and Health related fields. He’s also got experience in working with NGO’s, local authorities, governmental and European institutions with abilities to create synergies between team members, project beneficiaries and donor organisations. His specialties are project management, IT& Telecom, NGO management and Tobacco Control.

Francisco José Rodríguez Lozano

European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP)

Dr. Francisco Rodríguez Lozano is a Medical Doctor, Specialist in Dentistry and Magister in Tobacco Control. During his professional career he has held different positions such as: the president of CNPT, the vicepresident of CED and board member of SEDET, among others. He has done lobby work with Spanish parliamentarians, union representatives and journalists for the latest Spanish Tobacco Law (2010) and its maintenance and lobby work with Spanish MEPs for the latest Tobacco Products Directive (2014).

Lucienne Thommes

Director of the Fondation Cancer Luxembourg

A medical doctor (GP) by training, Dr Thommes is the Director of the Fondation Cancer Luxembourg (FC) since January 2016. Lucienne is a Board Member of the Scientific Committee in the Association of European Cancer Leagues – selecting cancer research projects to be funded by the FC – and acts as the representative of FC in the European Network on Smoking Prevention. She also participates in the ECL’s Access to Medicines Task Force and serves in multiple working groups of the National Cancer Plan as cancer patients advocate.

Rosa Urbanos

Complutense University Madrid

Rosa M. Urbanos has got a degree in Economics (UCM) and Political Science (UNED), a master’s Degree in Public Finance and Economic Analysis from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and her PhD in Economics from the Complutense University (Extraordinary Prize, Doctoral Thesis Award of the Institute of Fiscal Studies). She is currently a professor of Applied Economics at the UCM and member of the Health Advisory Council. She has participated as a speaker or guest lecturer in more than a hundred courses, conferences and seminars.

Wendy Yared

European Cancer Leagues (ECL)

Dr Wendy Yared is the Executive Director of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), a pan-European alliance of national and regional cancer leagues. Dr Yared has over 30 years’ experience in international public health and cancer policy, most of which is in Europe. Professional roles include the World Health Organization, the European Parliament, Johns Hopkins University, the United States Public Health Service, and with the US government in sub-Saharan Africa.