Speakers
Angela Patricia Acosta Santamaria
She is an associate researcher at ICESI University (Colombia). Doctor (PhD) in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Master in Clinical and Health Effectiveness from the University of Buenos Aires. She worked in Brazil as a Specialist in medicines and health technologies at the South American Institute of Government in Health ISAGS - UNASUR. Senior consultant in health issues and university teacher in recognized universities in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.
Augusto Afonso Guerra Jr
Associate Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, with a PhD in Epidemiology from the School of Medicine. He coordinates the Pharmacogenomics Research Laboratory and the Collaborating Center for Technology Assessment and Excellence in Health. He is also an associate researcher at the National Center for Innovation in Artificial Intelligence for Health. He works in pharmacogenomics, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutical and health policies, data engineering, and artificial intelligence, which are applied to using “big data” in health. He has experience in leading national and international projects to evaluate and develop innovative health technologies. His research seeks to generate evidence from clinical studies and real-world data, focusing on supporting strategic decisions in the incorporation, use and development of innovative and high-cost pharmaceutical technologies, especially in rare diseases, genetics and cancer.
Bjorn Wettermark
He is professor of pharmacoepidemiology at Uppsala university, Sweden and visiting professor at Vilnius university, Lithuania. His research focus on drug utilization as a tool in health policy including prescribing quality indicators, international comparisons of drug utilization, evaluation of prescribing doctors´ adherence to guidelines, evidence generation for new medicines and patient adherence to treatment. He has previously had various managerial positions in the health region of Stockholm as well as other commitments including membership in national and regional strategic groups on medicine management, scientific advisor to the Swedish Medical Products Agency and chair of the European Drug Utilization Research group (EuroDURG), the European chapter of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology.
Carmem Lúcia Pessoa da Silva
Claudia Osorio de Castro
She is a researcher and professor at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. She holds a degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Ph.D. in Child and Women's Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. She is a senior researcher at the National School of Public Health (ENSP-Fiocruz), where she coordinates various disciplines and supervises master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students. She is an advisor for the World Health Organization, member of the Expert Committee on Essential Medicines, and has consulted for the Pan American Health Organization, and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. She is an ISPE member. Her research focuses on pharmaceutical services, drug utilization studies, medicines policies, the judicialization of access to medicines, and disasters and health emergencies.
Elisangela Lima
Felipe Ferré
Felipe Ferré is a pharmacist, PhD in bioinformatics, and a specialist in health informatics. He has been working in public health since 2009 as a health informatician with a focus on data science. He currently serves as a technical advisor at Conass – National Council of Health Secretaries, participating in national technical governance bodies for Digital Health. His main interests include artificial intelligence, big data, drug utilization studies, health economics, and health litigation.
Leonardo Castro
He is a researcher and professor at the National School of Public Health/ Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. She holds a degree in Psychology from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, master's in Social Psychology from the same University, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the National Museum/ Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Also at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, he coordinates the foresight initiative "Health Tomorrow, within the Fiocruz Strategy for the 2030 Agenda. Among his research interests is the study of digital technologies and their implications for health systems.
Lisa Pont
She is Professor of Pharmacy and Deputy Head of School in the Graduate School of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. Professor Pont leads the Medicines Utilization Research Team at the University of Technology Sydney, and her work centers around the epidemiology and utilization of medicines among older populations, primarily in aged care settings, and the use of real-world data to explore and understand medication-related problems.
Luciane Cruz Lopes
She is a full professor in the Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. She holds a degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry and a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Lopes has served as a consultant for the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, contributing to initiatives such as Brazil's National List of Essential Medicines. As the leader of the SERIEMA-EVIPNet-Brazil Evidence Center and chair of the Latin American group of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE). Her work spans diverse sectors, including health, social protection, and international development, with a strong emphasis on the intersection of evidence synthesis and policymaking. Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, Dr. Lopes has authored over 240 peer-reviewed publications
Macarius Donneyong
He is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University. With joint appointments in both the College of Pharmacy and the College of Public Health, Dr. Donneyong’s work extends across multiple disciplines, making significant strides in pharmacoepidemiology. His research focuses on understanding the safety and effectiveness of medications, particularly among underrepresented patient groups. Recognized for his scholarly contributions, He has been the recipient of several prestigious research grants and is a respected figure in the academic community. His insights have been sought after at various national and international avenues, including serving on as a Panel Member of an NIH study section, providing subject matter expertise to policymakers and regulators such as the FDA, etc. In addition to his research, Dr. Donneyong is committed to education and mentorship, having developed a pioneering course in healthcare data analytics at OSU and mentoring a new generation of researchers in pharmacoepidemiology.
Marcia Goncalves de Oliveira
She is a pharmacist and specialist in public health from the Federal University of Goiás. She is a specialist in Health Regulation and Surveillance from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. She holds a master's degree in Public Health from the Federal University of Bahia and in Public Administration from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. She has worked at the National Health Surveillance Agency since 2005, working on drugs subject to special control, drug leaflets and labeling, pharmacovigilance, good regulatory practices, and post-market monitoring. She is currently the manager of the Health Services area, responsible for topics such as control and regulation, risk management, patient safety, prevention and control of Healthcare-Associated Infections and antimicrobial resistance.
Marcio Galvao Oliveira
Dr. Marcio Galvão Oliveira is a Pharmacist and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil. He holds a PhD in Medicine and Health from UFBA and completed postdoctoral training at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA). As a member of ISPE, he served as the leader of the Brazil Chapter of the ISPE RIG LATAM from 2024 to 2025, and currently serves as a project advisor. His work focuses on promoting the appropriate use and deprescribing of medications in older adults, as well as the use of technology in the care of older people with multiple chronic.
Maria Caterina Milone
She is a researcher and professor at the National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco in Argentine. She holds a degree in medicine and Pediatrician with a Master's degree in Pharmacoepidemiology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is Adjunct professor in the Departments of Health Research and Bioethics, General Pharmacology, and Drug Advertising Analysis in the Medicine Program. She is member Argentine Group for the Rational Use of Medicines. The Argentine Public Network for Health Technology Assessment (RedARETS) and member of the Drug Commission of the Medical Confederation of the Argentine Republic for the update of the National Therapeutic Formulary. Her focuses on training and raising awareness among people in pharmacoepidemiology, health research, bioethics, human health, and planetary health. Development of competencies to promote sustainable, ethical, fair, equitable, and honest professional development in a transdisciplinary manner to strengthen alliances in pursuit of sustainable development goals.
Maria Pilar Sanchez Olavarria
She holds a degree in Chemistry and Pharmacy from the University of Chile, a Master's in Biostatistics from University of Chile and a Ph.D. in Statistics, data analysis and Biostatistics from the University of Barcelona. She is a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology in the University of Santiago, where she coordinates various courses in pregrade and postgrade (University of Santiago, USACH, University of Chile and University of the Americas (UDLA). She is a member of One Health Latinoamerica, Iberoamerica , and the Caribe (OHLAIC) and the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chile. She is an ISPE member. Her research focuses on pharmaceutical pollution (eco-pharmacovigilance), its impacts in the loss of biodiversity and bioequivalence of medicaments.
Maribel Salas
She s is an Executive Director at Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Adj Scholar at UPenn and Rutgers University. She holds a MD degree with Specialty in Internal Medicine. She holds a MSc and DSc in Pharmacoepidemiology, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She has been working in Patient Safety for more than 20 years initially at the University of Birmingham Alabama where she was Professor at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and then at the pharmaceutical industry. She has more than 100 publications and more than 1,000 citations. She has received multiple awards and research grants. She is a Fellow of the ISPE and ISoP and Chair of the ISPE Global Development Committee.
Mina Tadrous
He is an Assistant Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Policy and Real-world Evidence. He co-directs Pharmaceutical Policy and Pharmacy Practice at the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) and is an ICES adjunct scientist and ISPE Fellow (FISPE). With a PhD in Pharmacoepidemiology (University of Toronto) and a Master’s in Health Outcomes (University of Tennessee), he also trained in pharmacy and drug policy research. His work focuses on drug policy evaluation and post-marketing surveillance, leveraging large datasets to inform real-world medication safety and effectiveness Consumption (ESAC-Net) and WHO GLASS.
Oscar Lopez
Veterinarian, Master in Education, Master in Veterinary Sciences and PhD in Conservation and Biodiversity Management. Researcher in antibiotic resistance genes in freshwater environments and vertebrate carriers. Professor of Animal Pathology with One Health approach. Education consultant. Director of the NGO Triangulum Australe. President of the Organizing Commission of the VI Latin American Congress of Mastozoology Chile-2024. Member of the editorial team of the Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural History and Director of the School of Veterinary Medicine of Santiago Campus from Santo Tomás University.
Tais Freire Galvão
Ursula Kirchmayer
Trained as a pharmacist and holding a Master's degree in Public Health, Ursula has dedicated the last 28 years to the Italian public healthcare service as an epidemiologist, with 18 years of experience in pharmacoepidemiology. She represents her department at ENCePP and currently serves as the president-elect of ISPE.
Vincent Lo Re
He is a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Scholar at the Penn Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He leads an NIH-funded research program on the pharmacoepidemiology of liver diseases, focusing on antiviral and antiretroviral therapies. He also maintains a clinical practice in chronic viral hepatitis. Dr. Lo Re is Co-Director of Penn’s MS in Clinical Epidemiology program and MPI of its Pharmacoepidemiology T32 training program. A long-time ISPE member, he has served as Board Member (2015-2018), Scientific Program Chair (2019), President (2021-2022), and Regional Editor for the Americas of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety since 2018.