Steffen Thirstrup is a medical doctor and board certified specialist in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. He holds a PhD in pharmacology and has a long background in clinical internal medicine. He is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen. From 2004-9 ST worked at the Danish Medicines Agency acting as member of CHMP and additionally CAT at the European Medicines Agency. Following a short period involved in developing best practice guidelines for primary care ST rejoined the DKMA as Head of the Licensing. From 2013-22, Prof Thirstrup worked asdirector and strategic consultant for NDA Group AB. From June 2022 Prof Thistrup is the Chief Medical Officer of the European Medicines Agency.

Sarra has worked more than 10 years in Genetics and in Gastroenterology with different positions at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. Also working for the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA) since 2013 and obtained a permanent position in the Agency in 2018. Currently working as Preclinical and Clinical Assessor in the Pre-marketing department of the AIFA with various responsibilities as VHP coordinator, CTFG delegate and secretary. Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology, PhD in mucosal immunology, Master degree in Regulatory Affairs.

Mihaela David, Director RA department at PSI CRO AG, based in Bucharest. Senior Pharmacist by education, with 15+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical and clinical trials industry, responsible for coordinating regulatory submissions and related processes in multiple European countries. My main focus of activities is related to the implementation of the Clinical Trial Regulation in PSI and to the compliance with the pharmaceutical and quality related European guidelines. I am a member of DIA since 2014, the organization that offered me the opportunity to be part of the exclusive group of experts in clinical trials in Europe.

Stefan Strasser trained as a medical doctor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He joined the Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency in 2009 as a clinical assessor. His special interest are the regulatory and process aspects of clinical trials with medicinal products, medical devices and IVDs as well as their interfaces (combination products and combination trials). He is a member of several working groups of the EC and the EMA, including the CT Experts Group on Clinical Trials, the Clinical Trials Facilitation Group and the EUDAMED CI/PS WG. Since 2019 he is the head of the department of clinical trials and responsible for the implementation of the various regulations (CTR, MDR and IVDR) regarding clinical trials.

A Master of Pharmacy and DIA member since student days, I have had the opportunity to work in various fields of pharmaceutical and medical devices safety and regulatory affairs before settling in Clinical Trials regulatory environment. I have a strong interest in EU Clinical Trials Regulation and its impact on European countries on the outskirts of the EU, including Eastern Europe. I like to keep an eye on new technologies and their application in clinical trials. As a rare disease patient, I am genuinely committed to addressing unmet needs of this group of patients. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote “It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish”, so I am always looking forward to embarking on new regulatory journeys.

Vojtech is a qualified expert in drug safety and pharmacovigilance with extensive experience gained through working on different positions across all PV areas. The wide exposure to global clients (both sponsors and MAHs) has helped him to gain a comprehensive overview of critical PV processes and systems. Vojtech’s main expertise is advance pharmacovigilance consulting, EU QPPV activities, signal management, ICSR management, EudraVigilance support, XEVMPD/ISO IDMP, PV auditing and medical writing.

General Practitioner – Center of Hematology, Ploiesti, Romania Saint Antoine University, Paris, France - Hematology and Blood Transfusion, 1-year courses University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania - Medical Doctor Degree

Camelia has 15 years of experience working in academia, the pharmaceutical industry and in a regulatory agency, in the fields of regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance and clinical trials. She is a pharmacist by education and has been working at the European Medicines Agency for almost 5 years. In her role Camelia is responsible for the coordination of GCP and pharmacovigilance inspections, taking part in drafting EU guidelines related to GCP and collaborating with international regulatory agencies on inspectional matters. Camelia has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Wojciech has more than 12 years of experience in clinical trials and regulatory affairs. He is a member of the Polish Association for Good Clinical Practice and holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology.

Ekaterina has 3 yrs. of experience as physician in the Immunohematology dept. at the Nat. center of Hematology & Transfusion Medicine & 18 yrs. in the pharmaceutical industry both clinical trials and post-marketing services. She led clinical, regulatory & PV teams & communicated with authorities regarding regulatory submissions (EMA, BDA, EOF, Turkish MoH). Her large expertise includes clinical, regulatory and safety in Clinical Trials (mainly in Oncology, Hematology, Cardiology and Respiratory diseases), development of start-up CT procedures for EU and MENA region as well as PV procedures for EU and PV trainings for EU and USA, dQPPV responsibilities, Medical writing, Life Cycle Management, Clinical systems implementation & Support in BD.

Doina Draganescu is a pharmacist by education. Since 2018 she is a member of the Bioethics Commission of the Academy of Medical Sciences, currently Vice-President, where she is involved in the evaluation of clinical trial applications in Romania, subject to compliance with the Declaration of Human Rights, as well as all specific regulations.

Katarina Kovacova graduated from the Comenius University in Slovakia, Faculty of Natural Sciences. Since 2000 Katarina worked for Contract Research Organizations responsible for Czech and Slovak republics. Since 2009 Katarina has also been acting as an expert adviser for regulatory affairs in Slovak and Czech Republics, and as an opinion leader for drug law development. Since 2018 obtained a permanent position in Slovak regulatory agency as a Head of Clinical trial department. She provides GCP training to investigators, CRAs, study team members.