Married, three children. She is Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies of the University of Perugia. She is President of the Intercourse Council for Degree and Master's Courses in the Chemical Area since November, 2021.

She is the author of more than 110 papers on Physical Chemistry published in international scientific journals, and more than a hundred contributions to national and international conference proceedings. She is also involved in scientific aspects related to bioethics issues, and governance aspects of Biotechnology and Life Sciences.

Among the national and international institutional appointments: since 2006, she is member of the National Bioethics Committee. She has been scientific adviser to the Ministers Maurizio Sacconi (Work, Health and Social Politics) and Beatrice Lorenzin (Health). She is a member of the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO), and she is a member of the Bureau since November 2020.

She is a columnist for the newspaper Avvenire. She was honored with the Order of “Merit of the Italian Republic” by Presidential Decree on December 27, 2013.

Eugenia Roccella was born in Bologna, is married and has two children. She is a professional journalist; she was a columnist for Avvenire, the political culture magazine Ideazione, and has collaborated with several newspapers, including Il Giornale, Libero and Il Foglio. She has a degree in literature and a PhD in Historical studies of Italian literature. In 2007 she was spokesperson, with Savino Pezzotta, for the first Family Day.

She was a Member of Parliament in the 2008 and 2013 legislatures and Undersecretary for Welfare and Health. Re-elected in 2022, she was appointed Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities in the government led by Giorgia Meloni.

Roccella has published numerous books, including 'After feminism' (Ideazione editrice, 2001), 'End of motherhood', (Cantagalli 2015) 'Eluana must not die' (Rubbettino 2019). With Assuntina Morresi she wrote 'La favola dell'aborto facile. Miti e realtà della pillola Ru486" (Franco Angeli 2006).

Prof. Orazio Schillaci, 56 years old doctor, Rector of the University of Tor Vergata from 2019, is the Minister of Health of the government headed by the Hon. Giorgia Meloni.

He is a full professor of Nuclear Medicine and was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the same university. In 2020 he was appointed as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Istituto Superiore della Sanità.

He has held positions in numerous scientific bodies. He is the author of over 350 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals and a member of the editorial boards of numerous international scientific journals. He was sworn in by the President of the Republic on 22 October 2022.

Rafael A. Benitez was born on 23 January 1969 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He holds a Master’s degree in European Law (LL.M.) from the College of Europe (Bruges) and degrees in Law and Finance from the I.C.A.D.E. - University of Comillas (Madrid). He also studied Political Science at the U.N.E.D (Madrid). He has studied in Spain, Belgium and the United States.

Rafael A. Benitez is currently Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment in the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe.

He has worked in the Council of Europe since 1994 where he has previously occupied other functions including: Director of the Congress of Local and Regional authorities, Director Programme and Finance, Chief of Protocol, Head of the Programme Department, Head of the Public Law Department, Head of the Anti-Terrorism Division and Head of the International Law Division.

He has worked extensively in the legal field including administrative law and justice, international criminal justice and criminal law, in particular corruption and terrorism, and public international law.

He has written in these fields and spoken at many international conferences on these topics.

He has been a visiting lecturer at the Institute of International Relations (ITI-RI) and the International Human Rights Institute (IIDH) in Strasbourg and a member of the admissions board to the French Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA).

Prior to joining the Council of Europe he worked in the private sector, both in a law firm and a business association.

He speaks Spanish, English, French and Italian.

Agnese Canevari is a Manager and Head of the Studies, Research and Institutional Relations Unit at the National Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) – Department for Equal Opportunities, Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

She holds a degree in Political Science and a Master’s in European Institutions and Constitutional History.

An expert in human rights, equality and anti-discrimination, she is responsible for projects promoting equal treatment and tackling discrimination across various grounds and sectors. She has extensive experience with European and international institutions, in particular as a member of working groups at the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

Since March 2024, she has also served as Deputy National Equality Counsellor, an institutional role within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies that promotes equal opportunities and combats discrimination between women and men in the workplace.

Prof. Dr. Evis Sala is an internationally recognized leader in the field of oncological imaging. She served as the Founding Rector of Western Balkans University (2022–2025), where she established the academic and strategic foundations of the institution.

Prior to her role as Minister, Ms. Sala directed the Center for Diagnostic Imaging and Oncological Radiotherapy at Gemelli Polyclinic. She has an extensive academic and research career in the United Kingdom, having been affiliated with the University of Cambridge for many years. At Cambridge, she co-directed the Advanced Cancer Imaging Program and the Integrated Cancer Medicine Program at the Cancer Research Centre.

Her research focuses on the development of functional imaging biomarkers for rapid assessment of cancer treatment response, utilizing physiological and metabolic imaging of the tumor microenvironment. Her areas of expertise include radio genomics, integrating quantitative imaging with genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, and applying artificial intelligence for advanced data reconstruction and analysis.

Prof. Sala is also a dedicated mentor and distinguished speaker, committed to educating and inspiring the next generation of medical and scientific professionals.
 

Vasiliki Karaouli studied Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and pursued postgraduate studies in Environmental Protection, specializing in Sanitary Engineering at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. She furthered her education by obtaining a second postgraduate degree in Environmental Protection and Occupational Health and Safety from RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Ms. Karaouli also worked at LAMSADE, the Research Center at Dauphine University in Paris, focusing on Multicriteria Analysis as a decision-support methodology. Additionally, she graduated from the National School of Public Administration in Greece, specializing in Public Administration organization and management, with a focus on Health Systems and Services.

Since 2006, she has served as the Director of the Directorate of Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Hygiene at the Ministry of Health. From November 2014, Ms. Karaouli served as the Director of Public Health, and in June 2018, she became the General Director of Public Health and Quality of Life at the

Ministry of Health in Greece. Ms. Karaouli has actively participated in numerous committees on Public Health-related topics and represents Greece in international and European workshops and committees organized by the WHO and the European Union. 

Lorenzo is a senior expert at the National Office Against Racial Discrimination in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, where he supports anti-discrimination initiatives with a focus on health. He also serves as advisor to the Director of the Italian National Blood Centre overseeing international cooperation activities. Previously, he led the work on innovative treatments and health technologies at the Council of Europe (2020–2023) and contributed to the scientific and educational programmes of the European Pharmacopeia (EDQM) (2018–2020).

At the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), he served as Head of the Biological Medicines Office (2011-2018) and Senior GMP Inspector (2003-2010), after having worked at the University Hospital of Turin (1998-2003).

Throughout his career, Lorenzo has been committed to fostering dialogue and collaboration, serving as chair and member of numerous working groups and steering committees and initiatives at prominent organizations such as the EMA, WHO, and the European Commission, as well as universities, NGOs, and professional and patient organizations.

His academic background includes studies in Pharmacy (1990-1995), Clinical Pharmacy (PharmD 1998-2001), and Regulatory Affairs (PhD 2001-2005).

Lee Hibbard works in the Health Division of the Council of Europe. His responsibilities include health literacy and human rights, AI in healthcare, youth and gender perspectives in health, and equitable access to healthcare. Lee also served as the Council of Europe's internet governance coordinator, responsible for strategic thinking, public speaking, relationship building, and coordination on human rights and technology, including partnerships with digital companies.

L'honorable professeure Kristine Sørensen est une leader d'opinion mondiale très citée et primée dans le domaine de la littératie en santé. En tant que conseillère exécutive, elle aide les dirigeants à améliorer la littératie en santé par la conception. Elle travaille avec les gouvernements, l'industrie, le monde universitaire et la société civile pour développer la littératie en santé pour tous. Kristine Sørensen est affiliée à l'université d'Aalborg, fondatrice de la Global Health Literacy Academy, présidente de Health Literacy Europe et ancienne présidente de l'International Health Literacy Association. 

Guglielmo Bonaccorsi is associate professor in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Florence. He is currently the Director of the School of specialization in hygiene and public health at the same University, and in the recent past has held numerous academic responsibilities as President of Degree Courses and Masters in public health issues and healthcare organizations. Author of over 200 publications in international journals on issues of health promotion, prevention, health organization, and health literacy, which he has explored in different fields: from the individual to healthcare organizations, from the community to public health interventions.

Chiara Lorini is professor in Public Health at the University of Florence (Italy). She coordinates the Health Literacy Laboratory of the Department of Health Science and the Master Program in Health Literacy. She has been involved in health literacy research at local, national and international level for at least ten years.

• PhD in Psychology.  Director of the Department of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
• Lecturer at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Beira Interior and at the Portuguese Catholic University.
• Coordinator of the Directorate-General of Health’s Action Plan for Health Literacy 2019/2021 and 2023/2030.
• Member of the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS) Task Force in the COVID-19 response and Task Force for Behavioral Sciences applied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Focal point in the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) CCON. 
• National Representative in the Expert Group on the Economics of Public Health of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2016–present).
• National focal point for the Behavioural and Cultural Insights Unit of the World Health Organization – Europe.
• Health representative on several national councils and committees.
• In addition to these activities, he is also a researcher with several published articles.
• Winner of the Public Health Award, Ministry of Health, Dr. Francisco George, 2018.
   

Degree in Philosophy and Sociology; PhD in History and Theory of Law; Postgraduate and Master's degrees in Bioethics. Professor of Bioethics at the Polytechnic University of Marche and coordinator of Master in Bioethics for Clinical Trials and Ethics Committees. Chair of the National Bioethics Committee of San Marino, member of the CDBIO-Council of Europe and its Bureau. President of the 14th Global Summit of National Ethics Committees organized with WHO and UNESCO in San Marino. Former member of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics and of several Italian Ethics Committees for clinical trials. Author of numerous monographs and publications in national and international scientific journals.

Robert Gajda, PhD

From 2018 Mr. Robert Gajda is the Commissioner for protection from discrimination in Albania, with a 5 years mandate that may be renewed once.

Previously, He was a lecturer of Constitutional Law and Administrative Law at the University of Elbasan and has received his PhD for Constitutional Justice and Fundamental Rights at the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2015.

He has a conspicuous academic activity in writing articles in law reviews and conferences proceedings, in organizing scientific conferences and in 2017 has published a monograph titled “Individual constitutional complaints in the Albanian legal order. Comparative aspects”, Bonomo Editore, Bologna.

He has collaborated with various civil society organizations, especially in relation to the recognition and promotion of human rights as a lecturer, trainer, organizer of legal clinics and collaborator in concrete studies.

He has been engaged as an activist together with intellectuals, students, citizens, NGOs in support of civic initiatives but also as project winners.

Areas of interest are constitutional aspects, human rights, effective implementation of the law, local government, administrative law, legal advice etc.

From 2021-2023 he has been member of the Executive Board in EQUINET.

The institution of Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination (CPD) is an independent public authority and is entitled to a number of powers: – First, the CPD deals with concrete complaints on alleged discrimination; – Second, the CPD conduct independent surveys related to discrimination; – Third, the CPD publish reports, issue recommendations and provides legal opinions about every issue that is related to discrimination; – Fourth, the CPD raise awareness on fundamental rights, specifically on principle of equality and nondiscrimination.

Tigran Karapetyan is the Head of Transversal Challenges and Multilateral Projects Division of the Council of Europe’s Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards. He works in the CoE since 2013. He is an experienced lawyer with considerable experience in leading projects in the field of Human Rights, Rule of Law, Good Governance and Democracy. Prior to joining the Council of Europe, Mr Karapetyan lead the democratisation and good governance programming for the OSCE in Ukraine and before that served as a legal and project management expert on electoral and democracy issues for various international organisations. He also has significant experience as an in-house lawyer and a legal consultant in the commercial sector.

Assoc. Prof. Signe Mežinska is a bioethicist and sociologist by training. She holds PhD in Sociology of Health and Illness (Riga Stradins University, Latvia) and MSc in Bioethics (Union Graduate College, US). Her research interests span the sociology of health and illness, biomedical research ethics, biobanking and biotechnology ethics, ethics in psychiatry, and reproductive ethics. She is currently affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Latvia, where she has been teaching medical ethics, bioethics, and the sociology of health and illness for over 25 years. She has also served as a research ethics trainer in numerous international training programs.

Signe Mežinska served as a member of the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee from 2016 to 2024 (Vice-Chair from 2017 to 2021). She is currently a member of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Bioethics (CDBIO), a member of the BBMRI-ERIC ELSI network, a research ethics expert for the European Commission, and a member of the Central Medical Ethics Committee of Latvia.

She has been a grant holder and work package lead in several projects funded by the Latvian Council of Science and the European Commission. At present, she serves as work package lead in the Horizon Europe projects BEYOND and FAMILY, and has contributed as a researcher and expert to other Horizon Europe initiatives including TRUSTParency, ROSiE, VIRT2UE, B1MG, EDITH, as well as several COST actions.

Prof. Luciana Teofili is the Director General of the Italian National Blood Center (Centro Nazionale Sangue) as of July 2025. The Italian National Blood Center coordinates and provides technical and scientific support to the Ministry of Health for transfusion activities. Prof. Teofili acts as the Italian representative member on the CD-P-TS of the EDQM (Council of Europe, Strasbourg) and on the SOHO Coordination Board (European Commission, Brussels).

Before her current position, she directed the Transfusion Medicine Department of Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS in Rome. She is an Associate Professor of Hematology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Rome), where she spent her academic career conducting research studies on hematological diseases and transfusion medicine.

Born in 1989, Mattia PERADOTTO is a graduate in Management Engineering and Business Management from Politecnico di Milano. He also participated in an exchange program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

His diverse professional journey encompasses a range of roles at various levels of government and organizations. He began his career as the head of the secretariat for the President of the Judicial Commission for the staff of the Chamber of Deputies. He then moved on to serve as a key figure in the secretariat of the Senate Vice-President. Later, he assumed the position of Secretary General of a Foundation under the umbrella of the FEPS (Foundation for European Progressive Studies).

Following his work in the public sector, Peradotto transitioned into the Government, where he became the head of the secretariat for the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family. From August 2022, he took on the role of Director General at UNAR (National Office Against Racial Discrimination), which operates under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.