Addictions: Regulating Risk - 17-18 June 2015


Seizing the initiative of our lifelong experiences in science diplomacy and our appointments as President of the European Group on Ethics (EGE) and UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS, we are delighted to invite you to attend a one-day, High-Level Consultation Event titled: ‘Addictions: Regulating Risk’.

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This engagement initiative, purposely limited to a select group of forty leading public health stakeholders, is being held in Brussels at the South African Mission to the EU on Thursday 18th June.

It will be preceded by a Networking Dinner for 80 persons from 7 pm on Wednesday 17th June, at which a ‘World in Health’ Keynote Address will be given by a senior UN Official. In addition, the government of South Africa will formally launch its flagship ‘South African Science Forum 2015’ initiative, while the first scientific insights into European City of Science Manchester 2016 will be given. (full programme below)

This is the fourth gathering in a five-year thematic series looking at issues of extreme importance to the global scientific community around ‘Evidence-Based Policy Versus Policy-Biased Evidence’’.

The first edition in 2012 examined ‘Harm Reduction Science’ and resulted in fifteen key findings and recommendations. It brought together twenty-seven eminent European, African and American-based thought-leaders from fifteen countries under the Co-Chairmanship of Professor Anne Glover, Chief Science Adviser to President Barroso and Professor Patrick Cunningham, then Irish Chief Science Adviser.

The second edition in 2013 examined ‘Addictions and Their Brain Reward Systems’ under the stewardship of The U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Office of Ban-ki Moon. It resulted in eight seminal essays detailing how the three strands of biological, physiological and social elements work together around nicotine, alcohol and drugs.

The third edition in 2014 examined ‘Addictions: Ethics, Integrity & The Policy-Maker’ under the stewardship of the President of The European Group on Ethics and The Global Commission on Drugs Policy. It resulted in eight seminal essays including, for the first time, two significant guest contributions. These spotlight the life and death nexus between criminalisation, intervention, ethical stances and public attitudes, both just and fabricated through apparent misuse and reporting of the scientific evidence. (series conclusions available here).

This open forum dialogue identifies best practices and pitfalls, hindsight and foresight, while reaching firm conclusions. Representation is selective, balanced, global and expert driven. It allows participants at the height of their profession, and sometimes on different sides of the same fence, to step back and re-think.

In so doing, you can perhaps reacquaint yourself with, or better understand, the role of personality and politics, coalition building and pressure groups, big business and even bad timing, around some of our most pressing public health issues, while sharing the latest knowledge on new developments.

We hope you’ll be able to join us for this unique, prestigious and hopefully rewarding occasion.

Professor Julian Kinderlerer (Chair),
M.D. Michel Kazatchkine (Chair),
Mr. Aidan Gilligan (Organiser)


CONVENOR’S INTRODUCTION: Why This Science Matters?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to attribute our compulsion for addictive damaging activities, such as over-drinking, smoking or taking illicit drugs, wholly to our genetic make-up? Then we could blame our parents for everything! We know it is bad for us and see millions die around us, but we still do it. Why?

This central question is what drives this SciCom series of high-level engagements for improved understanding of what kills us the most. One in seven people alive today will die needlessly. One billion will die from smoking-related diseases, nearly half a billion will die from drinking, and some thirty-five million will die from drug-related use. More than 8.5 million people, the entire population of Sweden, will die in 2015 from substance addictions.

Surely understanding addiction is the greatest public health imperative of our time?

In 2012 we examined the emerging field of harm reduction science and in 2013 we leaned on breakthrough research to explore addictions from the perspective of their brain reward systems. In 2014 we looked at ethical issues around the treatment of the addicted person asking if ‘institutionalised manslaughter’ is a case for policy-makers to answer. Often, we brought polar opposites together around the table – perhaps for the first time. What became clear is that whereas all have heard about ‘bad science’ or ‘bad pharma’, what is less spoken about is the impact of the ‘bad policy-maker’.

At the heart of this year’s event will be a focus on how lifestyle risks are actually regulated. The common aim uniting all 50 participants will be in establishing if ‘institutional science’ is asking the right questions and who owns the outcomes, if methodologies are correct, if this science is auto-correcting, and how can we manage gaps via other sources in areas where science is building knowledge for new knowledge? The common thread across this series remains giving more thoughtful consideration to the way in which information about science and technology and their products is used for societal benefit, evaluated for their potential harms, and communicated beyond the scientific community to end-users where it matters most.

Mr. Aidan Gilligan, CEO, SciCom – Making Sense of Science

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PROGRAMME

Wednesday 17 June, 2015

19h00 - 20h00: Welcome Networking Reception

20h00 - 22h00: Welcome Dinner

We are privileged to host the official European Launch event of: Science Forum, South Africa taking place on 8 & 9 December, 2015 in Pretoria. Forum insights will be given by Mr. Daan du Toit, the Department Deputy Director-General, International Cooperation and Resources, Department of Science and Technology.

Chairman’s Welcome Address “The Splits Emerging between Repressive and Health-focused Countries”
M.D. Michel Kazatchkine (FR) - United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and Former Executive Director, The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria.

Chairman’s Post-Dinner Address “The Ethics of Listening, Dithering or Waiting for Others to Act”
Professor Julian Kinderlerer (SA) - President, European Group on Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE) Reporting to President Barroso; Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Cape Town University; Adviser to the South African Department of Science & Technology; Occasional Adviser to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) & The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIDO); Former Director of Institutes on Biotech Law, Ethics & Society at Delft & Sheffield Universities.

Thursday 18 June, 2015

WHEN SCIENCE SPEAKS TO POLITICS, POLICY & POWER BECAUSE IT HAS EVIDENCE

09h00 – 09h15: Chairmen’s Welcome Address & Tour de Table

09h15 – 09h30: Tackling the World’s Addiction Problem: 2015 Global Insights
M.D. Delon Human (SA) - President & CEO, Health Diplomats; Adviser to the UN Secretary-General; Secretary-General of the Africa Medical Association;
Former Secretary-General of the World Medical Association; Author: Wise Nicotine.

09h30 – 10h00: GROUP OBSERVATIONS & DISCUSSION:
Moderator: M.D. Michel Kazatchkine (FR) - UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; Member of The Global Drugs Commission; Former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria.

10h00 – 11h15 - WORKING GROUP 1
What should we expect from the scientific community?

“Scientists should learn to stand up, shout up and when necessary, shut up. The voice of the rational middle ground should be louder”
Prof. Patrick Cunningham (IRL) - former Irish Chief Science Adviser (2012 Participant)

10h00 – 10h15: Case-study: Neurobiological toxicity – Understanding addiction as a brain disease
Dr. Thomas Hartung (DE) - Professor and Chair for Evidence-based Toxicology, Director, Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing; Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences.

10h15 – 10h30: Case-study: Social epidemiological research – Understanding determinants of relapse
Dr. Gert-Jan Meerkerk (NED) - Senior Researcher, IVO Addictions Research Institute, Erasmus University, Rotterdam.

10h30 – 11h15: WORKING GROUP OBSERVATIONS & DISCUSSION
Scientific community examples: Successes and failures when science meets policy
Discussion Lead: Dr Marie Laga (BE) - Professor & Head of Unit, HIV & Sexual Health, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.

11h15 – 11h30: Coffee Break

11h30 – 12h45 - WORKING GROUP 2
What are the factors taken into account by the policy-making community?

“Drugs have harmed many people but bad government policies have harmed many more”
Kofi Annan (GH) - Global Commission on Drug Policy

11h30 – 11h45: Case-study: Evidence champions? Understanding why science sits on tap, not on top
Dr. Theodoros Karapiperis (GR) - Head of Unit, Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Unit, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

11h45 – 12h00: Case-study: Evidence apartheid? Understanding the needs of societies in transition
Dr. Daya Reddy (SA) - University of Cape Town and President, Academy of Science of South Africa.

12h00 – 12h45: WORKING GROUP OBSERVATIONS & DISCUSSION
Policy-making community examples: Successes and failures when science meets policy
Discussion Lead: Dr Satoru Ohtake (JP) - Senior Executive Director, Japanese S&T Agency (JST).

12h45 - 13h45: Networking Lunch & Group Photo

13h45 – 15h00 - WORKING GROUP 3
What needs to improve from the perspective of third-parties and interest groups?

“We need to drag all stakeholders out of their silos and force them to work together”
Dr. Mary Baker MBE (UK) - Immediate Past President, European Brain Council & European Federation of Neurological Associations (2014 Participant)

13h45 – 14h00: Case-study: Emotionally charged science – Understanding built-in bias
Dr. Simon Planzer (CH) - Lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland; Head of the 'Lifestyle Risks' section of the European Journal of Risk Regulation; Editorial Board Member of 'The Brief Addiction Science Information Source’ (BASIS) - an online publication of the Division on Addiction at Harvard Medical School.

14h00 – 14h15: Case-study: Industry-led science – Understanding bias is not always built-in
Dr Marjana Martinic (USA) - Senior Vice President for Science and Policy, International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD).

14h15 – 15h00: WORKING GROUP OBSERVATIONS & DISCUSSION
Third-party and interest group examples: Successes and failures when science meets policy
Discussion Lead: Professor Kathryn O’Hara (CDN) - Professor of science broadcast journalism at Carleton University; President of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association; Board Member, World Federation of Science Journalists.

13h45 – 15h00 - WORKING GROUP 4
How should scientists, policy-makers and third-parties work together to manage risks?

“Only by systematically holding our leaders to account for the promises they make can we ever hope to tip the risks balance towards reduced harms and save lives”
Dr. Richard Horton (UK) - Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet; Former First President of the World Association of Medical Editors (2012 Participant)

15h00 – 15h15: Case-study: Institutionalised manslaughter? Understanding the ethics of intervention
M.D. Roy Robertson (UK) - Professor of Addiction Medicine, Center for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh.

15h15 – 15h30: Case-study: Individual responsibility? Understanding the limits of institutions
Prof. Lauritz Holm-Nielson (DK) - President of Euroscience; Chairman, the Danish Nature Fund, Former Rector of Aarhus University.

15h30 – 16h15: WORKING GROUP OBSERVATIONS & DISCUSSION
Managing risks & uncertainties: Successes & failures when science meets policy
Discussion Lead: Professor Julian Kinderlerer (SA) - President, European Group on Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE) Reporting to President Barroso; Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Cape Town University; Adviser to the South African Department of Science & Technology; Occasional Adviser to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) & The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIDO); Former Director of Institutes on Biotech Law, Ethics & Society at Delft & Sheffield Universities.

Educated Guesses About What Needs To Happen Next

16h15 - 16h30: Tour de Table Open Forum Discussion

16h30 - 17h00: CONSULTATION GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS
Led by Co-Chairmen Prof. Julian Kinderlerer & M.D. Michel Kazatchkine
Rapporteur: Mr. Aidan Gilligan (IRL) - SciCom – Making Sense of Science

17h30 – 19h00: Post Event Networking Cocktail (Self Paid)
19h00 – 21h00: Post Event Networking Dinner (Self Paid)

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WORKING GROUPS

Rapporteur: Aidan Gilligan

OUR STARTING PREMISE
Science And Policy – A Crucial Relationship

  1. Science is a fundamental pillar of knowledge-based societies.
    Science provides innovation, technological development, and ultimately benefits to humanity. Science is also a value per se, expanding the frontiers of knowledge and should not only be judged in economic terms.
  2. Science can help provide the evidence base for sound public policy.
    In an ever more complex and globalised economy and society, its importance is growing. Yet, it is just one element in decision-making. Governmental decisions are ultimately political. Contrary to scientists, policy-makers are elected, which gives them the right (and the duty) to take decisions.
  3. The dialogue between science and policy is not straight-forward.
    Policy-makers have multiple sources of solicited and unsolicited advice, thus science does not always speak with one voice. Scientific evidence is not always welcomed by policy-makers, which can lead to it being ignored or distorted.

WORKING GROUP 1
10h00 – 11h15: What should we expect from the scientific community?

SUGGESTED STARTING POINTS (2012 EVENT CONCLUSIONS)

  1. The integrity of science needs to be positively asserted.
    It must be independent and transparent. Vested interests must be disclosed and conflicts of interest avoided or managed appropriately. The integrity and quality of science should be nurtured, both individually and as a whole, by underpinning it with continuous peer review. It should not be optimistic or pessimistic but accurate and strive for greater inter- and multi-disciplinarity.
  2. Stronger emphasis must be given to the inclusion of social sciences to improve understanding of how the public may react or adapt.
    This will further help scientists understand their role in society. Their collective wisdom is essential in more proactively helping policy-makers to get things right. Science must accept that such inputs are often required ad-hoc, as there is not always time for tailor-made studies or optimal solutions.
  3. Scientists must learn to use established communication channels for providing policy advice more effectively and be less aloof and perhaps less arrogant.
    In so doing, science must enhance its voice, be courageous in policy debates, and get better organised to ensure more accurate representation of its findings. In particular, scientists need to understand that policy makers have to constantly weigh up the pros and cons of every decision. By developing comparative analyses of choices based on scientific evidence, more pragmatic choices will be possible. Ultimately this will require a greater understanding of, and earlier engagement with, the general public, private sector and non-governmental organisations who are equal stakeholders.

2015 GROUP MEMBERS
DISCUSSION LEAD:Dr Marie Laga (BE)
- Professor & Head of Unit, HIV & Sexual Health, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.
PRESENTER: Dr. Thomas Hartung (DE), Professor and Chair for Evidence-based Toxicology, Director, Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing; Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences.
PRESENTER: Dr. Gert-Jan Meerkert (NED), Behavioral Research Addictions Institute, Erasmus University.

  • Dr. Francis Crawley (USA), Executive Director, The Good Clinical Practice Alliance & Member, Ethics Working Group of the European Academy of Paediatrics.
  • Dr. Gerry Stimson (UK), Imperial College London & Knowledge-Action-Change.
  • Dr. Francois Busquet (FR), Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
  • Ms. Marina Trani (IT), Head of R&D, Nicoventures.
  • Dr. Peter Schröder-Bäck (DE), Maastricht University, Department of International Health.
  • Ms. Sandra Olivera (SE), EU-policy officer at the Brussels office of the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA).
  • Ms. Laura Greenhalgh (UK), Editor, Research Europe.
  • Professor Martin Andler (FR), Chairperson of the Scientific Committee, University of Versailles.
  • Professor Aldo Streobel (SA), Executive Director, International Relations & Cooperation, National Research Foundation, South Africa.
  • Dr. Louise Byrne (IRL), Research Executive Agency, European Commission.
  • Mr. Philippe Keraudren (FR), European Commission DG Research, Acting Head of Unit, Reflective Societies, Directorate B, Innovation Union and European Research Area.


WORKING GROUP 2

11h30 – 12h45: What are the factors taken into account by the policy-making community and why?

SUGGESTED STARTING POINTS (2012 EVENT CONCLUSIONS)

  1. Policy-makers must be receptive to scientific advice, even when this advice is uncomfortable.  
    They should involve scientists at all stages in the policy-making cycle and pose the right questions in a timely fashion, as the quality of advice can be determined by the necessary speed of response.
  2. For the science and policy relationship to work, policy-makers have to challenge science to deliver on their public investment.
    In so doing, policy-makers must not look at aspirations only, but should define explicit goals.
  3. Policy-makers should consult more widely and learn from best practices and pitfalls encountered elsewhere.
    They may be restricted in the level of expertise or tools they have at their disposal. Nevertheless, they should keep their door open and more readily include the private/corporate sector and civil society groups/NGOs in public dialogue on scientific evidence.


2015 GROUP MEMBERS
Discussion Lead:
Dr Satoru Ohtake (JP) - Senior Executive Director, Japanese S&T Agency (JST).
SPEAKER: Dr. Theodoros Karapiperis (GR), Head of Unit, Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Unit, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).
SPEAKER: Dr. Daya Reddy (SA), University of Cape Town and President, Academy of Science of South Africa.

  • Dr. Stephane Hogan (FR/IRL), Counsellor for Research & Innovation, Delegation of the European Union to the African Union.
  • Mr. Daan du Toit (SA), Deputy Director General, International Relations, South African Ministry of Science.
  • Dr. David Budtz-Pedersen (DK), Humanomics Research Centre, University of Copenhagen, Associate Professor, Arhus University.
  • Mr. Paul Skehan (IRL), Director General, Spirits Europe.
  • Ms. Silvia Nicolau-Solano (SP), European Commission, Joint Research Centre.
  • Dr. Tony Mayer (UK), Europe Representative for Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
  • Mr. Gergely Bohm (HU), Head of Department for International Relations, Hungarian Academy of Sciences & Head of the Secretariat of The World Science Forum (WSF).
  • Ms. Sabine Louët (FR), Editor-in-Chief, EuroScientist Magazine & Founder of SciencePOD.net.
  • M.D. Michel Kazatchkine (FR), UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
  • Dr. Anne Cambon-Thomsen (FR), DREM CNRS France; BBMRI-ERIC (Biobanking & BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) Austria; Champion, ESOF 2018 Toulouse.


WORKING GROUP 3

13h45 - 15h00: What needs to improve from the perspective of third-parties & interest groups?

SUGGESTED STARTING POINTS (2012 EVENT CONCLUSIONS)

  1. The public plays a critical role in determining what positions policy-makers will take.
    Policy-makers are by and large elected and few will take a stance against the views of their electorate to support what the scientific evidence is telling us. This explains why industry and interest groups spend so much time and resources trying to influence public opinion. Scientists must learn to find transparent ways and means to counter-balance this if the messages being passed are scientifically incorrect. Even so, scientists have to realise that scientific consensus may not exist and avoid framing issues as science versus the public with science in the right. The public, also, must understand that societal problems are not necessarily problems with purely scientific solutions and accept that calculated risks are fundamental to realising proven benefits.
  2. Industry is the largest investor in science and has every right to have its voice heard.
    It expects that the policy-making framework is set up to facilitate its success which is both economic and societal. Industry should strive for better practice in disclosing its vested interests and avoid conflicts of interest when engaging with external scientists and policy-makers. Above all, industrial research should be underpinned by an inherent integrity and quality. It should avoid a battle-ground mentality and the promotion of public disinformation when competitors or policy-makers appear to be going in a direction it may not prefer.
  3. Interest groups similarly have every right to have their voice heard as guardians of the common good or legitimate sectoral interests.
    They must be transparent and accountable but above all, responsible for the information and misinformation they disseminate to suit their purpose. When interest groups clearly get it right, both the scientific and policy-making community should give them the credit they deserve. When they get it clearly wrong, they should learn to hold their hands up and contribute to dismantling the public myths about science they have helped create.

2015 GROUP MEMBERS
Discussion Lead:
Kathryn O’Hara (CDN) - Professor of science broadcast journalism at Carleton University; President of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association; Board Member, World Federation of Science Journalists.
PRESENTER: Prof. Simon Planzer (CH), Lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland; Head of the 'Lifestyle Risks' section of the European Journal of Risk Regulation; Editorial Board Member of 'The Brief Addiction Science Information Source’ (BASIS) - an online publication of the Division on Addiction at Harvard Medical School.
PRESENTER: Dr. Marjana Martinic (USA), Senior Vice President for Science and Policy, International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD).

  • Dr. Peter Tindemans (NED), Secretary-General Euroscience, Former Director, Research Council of The Netherlands and Academy of Sciences of The Netherlands.
  • Mr. Andy Stonard (UK), CEO, Esprit du Bois, France; Former CEO of Rugby House Drug & Alcohol Treatment Services UK.
  • M.D. Lars-Eric Rutqvist (SWE), Senior Vice President Scientific Affairs, Swedish Match.
  • Ms. Tatiana Schmitz (BE), Science Journalist, RTBF (Belgian French-Speaking TV).
  • Mr. Stephane Berghmans (NED), Elsevier.
  • Mr. Tanguy Arbmbruster (FR/USA), Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
  • Prof. Luke Georghiou (UK), Vice President, University of Manchester & Co-Champion, ESOF 2016.
  • Prof. Tateo Arimoto (JP), National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) & Japanese Science & Technology Agency (JST), Japan.
  • Dr Niresh Bhagwandin (SA), Executive Manager, Strategic Research Initiatives South African Medical Research Council.


WORKING GROUP 4

15h00 - 16h15: How should scientists, policy-makers and third-parties work together to manage risks?

SUGGESTED STARTING POINTS (2012 EVENT CONCLUSIONS)

  1. Scientific advice must be more involved in all stages of the policy cycle particularly in harm reduction: from policy anticipation and development to policy implementation and evaluation.
    Particularly in Europe, scientists need to be more readily seconded into political circles as is the US model. This interaction will help bridge the gap whereby scientists tend to think long-term while policy-makers tend to think in short-term categories (election cycles).
  2. Policy-making must learn to cope with the speed of scientific development and include greater foresight and policy anticipation.
    Aspects of future risk and uncertainty are particularly complex and difficult for policy-makers to grapple with. Science should be more forthright in providing advice on the costs and benefits of action or inaction. Similarly, the precautionary principle must not be misused for impeding technological progress around reducing harm.
  3. Investment in harm reduction science is ‘the right thing to do’.
    An increased focus on harm reduction science and innovation will help prevent disease and premature death and promote health in the EU and worldwide. For this to be further established, there is a need to build trust between scientists, policy-makers and other societal actors through a long-term, sustained and participatory dialogue. Nobody should be excluded or left behind. There is a need for institutions that can serve as ‘brokers’ and ‘interpreters’ between the science and policy arenas.

2015 GROUP MEMBERS
Discussion Lead: Prof. Julian Kinderlerer (SA) - President, European Group on Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE) Reporting to President Barroso; Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Cape Town University; Adviser to the South African Department of Science & Technology; Occasional Adviser to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) & The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIDO); Former Director of Institutes on Biotech Law, Ethics & Society at Delft & Sheffield Universities.
PRESENTER: Prof. Roy Robertson (UK), Center for Population Health Science, University of Edinburgh.
PRESENTER: Prof. Lauritz Holm-Nielson (DK), President of Euroscience, Chairman, the Danish Nature Fund, Former Rector, Aarhus University.

  • M.D. Delon Human (SA), President & CEO, Health Diplomats; Adviser to the UN Secretary-General; Secretary-General of the Africa Medical Association; Former Secretary-General of the World Medical Association; Author: Wise Nicotine.
  • Mr. Henry Ashworth (UK), Chief Executive, Portman Group.
  • Dr. Istvan Palugyai (HU), Science Editor, Nepszabadsag & European Union Science Journalists Association.
  • Dr Marie-Jo Thiel (FR), European Center for Ethical Teaching & Research, Faculty of Medicine & Member of the European Group on Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE).
  • Dr. Marina Murphy (IRL), International Scientific Affairs Manager, BAT.
  • Dr. Greet Teuns (BE), Scientific Director Toxicology – Safety Pharmacology CNS and Drug Abuse, Janssen Pharmaceutical Research & Development.
  • Dr. Isidoros Karatzas (GK), Head of Ethics, DG Research & Innovation, European  Commission.
  • Dr. Raphaela Kitson Pantano (UK/FR), Head of International Health Relations, AXA.
  • Dr. Jan-Marco Mueller (DE), Policy Officer International Relations, Joint Research Centre; Former Assistant, Chief Science Advisor to President Barroso.



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OBSERVERS

  • Ms. Vinny Pillay (SA), Department of Science and Technology, Government of South Africa
  • Ms. Mirna Bratoz (SL), Press Officer, Research, Science & Innovation, European Commission.
  • Dr. Lieve Van Woensel (BE), Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Unit, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).
  • M.D. Gianluca Quaglio (IT), Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Unit, European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).
  • Mr. Georgios Tziapouras (CYP), Assistant to a Member of the European Parliament.
  • Ms. Ann Cahill (IRL), EU Affairs Editor, The Irish Examiner; Past President, International Press Association.
  • Mr. Roeland Scholtalbers (NED), Head of Communications, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp.
  • Mr. Frederik Wittock (BE), Senior Director, R&D Communication, Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
  • Mr. Jim Dratwa (BE), Office of The European Group in Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE).
  • Ms. Joanna Parkin (UK), Policy Officer, European Political Strategy Centre, Ethics in Science and New Technologies.
  • Mr. Huseyin Kebapchi (CYP), CEO, CX6 Consulting London.
  • Ms. Isabella Platon (FR), Vice President, International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP).
  • Ms. Carole Brigaudeau (FR), Director of Communications, Spirits Europe.
  • Ms. Agnieszka Katner (PL), Public Affairs Manager, Pernod Ricard.
  • Ms. Inge Delfoss (BE), Secretary General, European Smokeless Tobacco Council (ESTOC).
  • Ms. Rupini Bergstrom (SE), Formerly Head of Scientific Communications Swedish Match; Nordic Correspondent, Financial Times & Deputy Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal Stockholm.



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PRESENTERS

Click on the name of the presenter below to view a brief CV and photo:

 

Thomas Hartung, MD PhD

 

Dr. Thomas Hartung, MD PhD

Thomas Hartung, MD PhD, is Professor of Toxicology (Chair for Evidence-based Toxicology), Pharmacology, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and University of Konstanz, Germany; he also is Director of their Centers for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT, http://caat.jhsph.edu) with the portal AltWeb (http://altweb.jhsph.edu). CAAT hosts the secretariat of the Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration (http://www.ebtox.com) and the industry refinement working group. As PI, he heads the Human Toxome project (http://humantoxome.com) funded as an NIH Transformative Research Grant. He is the former Head of the European Commission’s Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), Ispra, Italy. He has authored more than 430 scientific publications.
     

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen

 

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen is The Executive Director of Sino-Danish Center, Beijing, as well as Special Advisor to the senior management at Aarhus University (AU). He is President of EuroScience, chairman of The Danish Nature Fund, and member of the governing board, Gothenburg University. Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen was the Rector of Aarhus University from 2005-2013. He was member of the Danish Prime Minister’s Growth Forum, member of the Africa Commission, Vice-Chairman of the Danish Research Commission, Vice-Chairman of Universities Denmark, Vice President of the European University Association, Chairman of the Nordic University Association, Board Member of the Danish National Research Foundation, Rector of the Danish Research Academy, Chairman of the Danish Science Research Council, and of the Danish Council for Development Research. He has been member of several OECD expert review panels on science, technology and innovation.

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen has a degree in botany from AU (1971) and was Dean of the Faculty of Science at AU (1976-79) before he became professor at P. Universidad Católica, Quito, Ecuador (1979-81). Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen has spent 18 years working abroad, 12 of these at the World Bank in Washington D.C. (1993-2005).

Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen is Commander of the Order of Dannebrog & Gran Oficial del Orden Gabriela Mistral (Grand Officer), Chile.
     

M.D. Delon Human

 

M.D. Delon Human

PDelon Human, M.B.Ch.B., M.Prax.Med, MFGP, DCH, MBA is a physician, published author, ilecturer and health care consultant specializing in global health strategy, harm reduction and health communication. He is the immediate Past Secretary General of the World Medical Association (WMA), and also current Honorary Secretary-General of the Africa Medical Association (AfMA). He is a fellow of the Russian and Romanian Academies of Medical Sciences. He served as Secretary-General and Special Envoy to WHO / UN of the International Food and Beverage Alliance, a group of leading food and non-alcoholic beverage multinational companies. He has acted as adviser to WHO Director-Generals and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. In addition he has advised and worked with several leading corporations and philanthropic organizations. In non-communicable disease, he has worked in tobacco control, diabetes and substance abuse. He chaired the coordinating committee for NGOs in preparation of the World No Tobacco Day 1999. In communicable disease, he serves on the advisory board of a diagnostics company, with the mission of making diagnostics more accessible in poor countries. He qualified as physician in South Africa and completed his postgraduate studies in family medicine and child health in South Africa and Oxford, England. He was a clinician for two decades, part of the pediatric endocrinology research unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and involved in the establishment of several medical centres, a hospital and emergency clinic in South Africa. His business studies (MBA) were completed at the Edinburgh Business School.
     

Dr. Theodoros Karapiperis

 

Dr. Theodoros Karapiperis

Dr Theodoros Karapiperis was born and went to primary and secondary school in Thessaloniki, Greece. After a year in Sevenoaks School, UK, he read Mathematical Physics at the University of Sussex, UK, and went on to earn a PhD in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982. He worked for several years in fundamental research (Schweizerisches Institut für Nuklearforschung, Villigen, Switzerland, and Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany) before switching in 1990 to applied research (Group Modezeitung Endlager-Sicherheit at the Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen and Würenlingen, Switzerland). In 1995 he took up a post as administrator at the European Parliament in Brussels. After a stay at the Parliament’s Press Service, he moved to the secretariat of STOA (Science and Technology Options Assessment) and the secretariat of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, where he dealt mostly with matters related to Community research policy. From July 2005 to February 2010 he was in charge of Policy Department A - Economic and Scientific Policy, providing expertise to parliamentary committees within the Directorate- General for Internal Policies. Since March 2010 he has been head of the newly created STOA unit - previously part of Policy Department A. Postal address: European Parliament, Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA), DG Internal Policies, Rue Wiertz 60, RMD 00J008, 1047 Brussels, Belgium E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
     

M.D. Michel Kazatchkine

 

M.D. Michel Kazatchkine

Professor Michel Kazatchkine has spent the last 30 years fighting AIDS and promoting Global Health as a leading physician, researcher, administrator, advocate, policy maker, and diplomat.

He attended medical school in Paris and completed postdoctoral fellowships at St Mary’s hospital in London and Harvard Medical School. Professor of Immunology at Université René Descartes in Paris, he has authored or co-authored over 500 articles in the scientific literature. Dr Kazatchkine has played key roles in various organizations, serving as Director of the national Agency for Research on AIDS (ANRS) in France (1998-2005), Chair of the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Committee on HIV/AIDS (2004-2007) and member of the WHO’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group on tuberculosis. From 2005 to 2007, he served as French Ambassador on HIV/AIDS and  Vice-Chair of the Board of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

In 2007 Dr Kazatchkine was elected Executive Director of the Global Fund, a position in which he served until March 2012.

Dr Kazatchkine was appointed as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in July 2012. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Graduate Institute for International Affairs and Development in Geneva and has been n a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policies since its creation in 2010.
     

Professor Julian Kinderlerer

 

Professor Julian Kinderlerer

Julian is the President of the European Group on Ethics in Science & New Technologies (EGE) which reports to the the European Commission, Council and Parliament on any ethical issues in science and new technologies referred to the Group by the President of the Commission or self-instigated.  The Group was originally primarily focused on ethics in biology and medicine  but at the request of the Commission has provided Opinions on topics as diverse the ethics of  Information and Communication technologies, Security and  surveillance, and energy production, use and research in the last few years. The Group is currently working on "Ethical implications of new health technologies and citizen involvement in health” and is producing a short comment on the requirements for an ethical code of practice for research integrity for research funded by the European Union.
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He is Emeritus Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Cape Town University leading a group looking at legal and policy issues around intellectual property and innovation.  He is an adviser to the South African Department of Science & Technology o the ethics of nanotechnology, on databases for indigenous knowledge and is currently acting as chair of an ad-hoc group set up to advise on a new parliamentary bill on Indigenous knowledge and its links with IP.  He has advised many governments on the safety of genetically modified organisms, assisting in the drafting of laws in this area and has worked with the United Nations Environment Programme on assisting developing countries implement the Cartagena Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity and worked with UNEP and the CBD secretariat on assisting countries implement the Biosafety Clearing House.  He has acted as an occasional Adviser to the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) & The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO); Julian has been Professor of Biotechnology Law at Sheffield University and is a  Former Director of the Sheffield Institute on Biotechnological  Law and Ethics and was Professor of Biotechnology and Society at the Technical University Delft.

Julian first studied Chemistry and mathematics at the University of Cape Town, obtaining his undergraduate degrees with distinction in Chemistry and First Class Honours. He completed a doctorate in Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge thereafter, and spent many years in the Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Department at Sheffield before transferring to the Law Faculty.
     

Professor Marie Laga

 

Dr. Marie Laga

Marie Laga [MD 1982 Louvain University; MPH 1987 at LSHTM; PhD 1990 University of Antwerp] is Professor and Head of HIV and Sexual Health group at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp Belgium. She started working on HIV in 1984, spent several years overseas in Kenya, DRC, US (CDC- AIDS program) and Côte d’Ivoire, and did numerous short term missions to Africa and Asia, focusing on better understanding of the HIV epidemic as well as designing and evaluating Interventions to address the epidemic. Marie Laga and her team contributed significantly to HIV prevention science in the area’s of sexual transmission and its co-factors, prevention programs for vulnerable groups such as female sex workers, youth and MSM, evaluation of female controlled methods and linkages of sexual and reproductive health. In recent years, Marie Laga has become a leading expert in HIV prevention, advocating for intensifying HIV Prevention worldwide. She provided policy support and technical assistance in the areas of strengthening HIV Prevention and Care for numerous international and local organisations. She is also involved in teaching HIV related topics in Master and short courses in and outside ITM.

Marie Laga is author of over 140 scientific publications on different aspects of HIV/AIDS worldwide.
     

Marjana Martinic, Ph.D.

 

Dr. Marjana Martinic, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Science and Policy, International Alliance for Responsible Drinking

Marjana Martinic is Senior Vice President, Science and Policy at the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), a global health NGO dedicated to reducing harmful drinking. Marjana is responsible for the organization’s scientific efforts, including its research program, and the translation of science into policy solutions. Prior to joining IARD, she was Deputy President of the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP), a global think tank. Marjana brings with her extensive experience in global alcohol policy and its local implementation through projects and programs in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. She has published extensively on alcohol issues and is the co-author of several books, including Reasonable Risk, which examines the assessment and regulation of risk related to alcohol consumption. She is a member of the Science Group advising the European Commission’s European Alcohol and Health Forum.

Marjana was trained in neuroscience at Harvard and Northwestern Universities in the United States, and began her career in research on the early development of the brain at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and at the US National Institutes of Health. A German national, she was raised in Yugoslavia, Libya, Germany, the UK and Argentina. She speaks German, Spanish, French and Serbo-Croat fluently.
     

Dr. Gert-Jan Meerkerk

 

Dr. Gert-Jan Meerkerk

Senior Researcher

Gert-Jan Meerkerk Ph.D., (born June 21, 1963) studied clinical psychology at the Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands)  where he obtained his master’s degree in 1991. After graduation he started to work as a research assistant on an evaluation project of drug free prison regimes, which he continued until he started at the Addiction Research Institute Rotterdam (IVO) in the end of 1994. Since then he has been involved in many alcohol and behavioral addiction research projects at IVO, such as research on the addictive qualities of the scratch lottery in the Netherlands, research on the possibilities of the biological alcohol marker CDT as an innovative tool for general practitioners for early detection of alcohol related problems, and since 2000, research on the addictive properties of the internet, which resulted in a thesis in 2007. Currently, he continues his research work on compulsive internet use at IVO, focusing on the use and abuse of online pornography, and conducts several other studies, e.g., alcohol marketing and underage drinking, improving early detection of alcohol abuse among the elderly, and an outcome evaluation of an addiction care organization. Finally, Gert-Jan is also responsible for the coordination of the educational program on addiction for academic students.
     

Kathryn O’Hara

 

Professor Kathryn O’Hara

Kathryn O’Hara is a professor of journalism at Carleton university in Ottawa Canada where she holds the CTV chair in science broadcast journalism. She was a member of the council of Canadian academies’ experience panel on research integrity, and has written on the muzzling of Canadian federal scientists for Nature and other publication. She is the past president of the Canadian science writers association and has served for four years as the treasurer of the World Federation of Science Journalists.
     

Satoru Otake

 

Dr. Satoru Otake

Senior Executive Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

  • Date of Birth: 7 April 1957
  • Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan

Satoru Otake joined science and technology administration in the Government of Japan in1984, just after graduating the Graduate School of University of Tokyo where he was conferred Master Degree of Science in high energy physics. In his public service career in science administrations, he engaged in the policy planning and R&D management; establishment of Government’s Science and Technology Basic Plans (in 1996, 2001 and 2011), establishing and running research programs and projects in photonics, mathematical science; engaging International Human Frontier Science Program in the HFSP Organization in Strasbourg in France between 1990 and 1992. He used to work in international collaborations, both bilateral and multilateral programs like Global Science Forum of OECD, Group of Earth Observation (GEO) and Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). He once worked as a Japanese negotiator for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Project (ITER) from 2001 to 2005.

He also experienced the institute management in Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and National Institute of Radiological Sciences.

In Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), he is in charge of management of international affairs, science and technology information exchange and dissemination, and science communication programs, in addition to overall management of JST as a deputy to the president from 2013.

He occasionally gives lectures on science, technology and innovation policy in universities like Nara Institute of Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Hokkaido University, Shinshu University and so on.

In private, he enjoys travelling in Japan and world wide, good food and wine, classical music and opera.

Education:

  • Graduated from University of Tokyo, conferred Bachelor Degree of Science
  • (Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences)
  • Graduated from Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, conferred Master Degree of Science (Physics)

Professional Career

  • 2013- : Senior Executive Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
  • 2012-2013: Deputy Director General, Research and Development Bureau, MEXT
  • 2010-2012: Director for Science and Technology Policy (General and International Affairs), Bureau of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Cabinet Office
  • 2009-2010: Director, General Affairs Department, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
  • 2006-2009: Director, Basic and Generic Research Division, Research Promotion Bureau, MEXT
  • 2005-2006: Director, Department of General Affairs, National Institute of Radiological Sciences
  • 2001-2005: Director for Fusion Energy, Research and Development Bureau, MEXT
  • 2001 : Director for Planning, Science and Technology Policy Bureau. Cabinet Office
  • 1999-2001: Director for Planning, Policy Division, Science and Technology Policy Bureau, Science and Technology Agency (STA)
  • 1997-1999: Director for Planning, Nuclear Safety Bureau, STA
  • 1984-1997: Various appointments in STA and other public corporations, including an officer of the International Human Frontier Science Organization (HFSPO) in Strasbourg, France (1990-1992)
     

Dr. Simon Planzer

 

Dr. Simon Planzer

Dr Simon Planzer is Lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen HSG (Switzerland) and a practising lawyer. He is in charge of the ‘Lifestyle Risks’ section of the European Journal of Risk Regulation and is Editorial Board Member of ‘The Brief Addiction Science Information Source’ (BASIS) - an online publication of the Division on Addiction at Harvard Medical School.

Dr Planzer has served as reviewer for various journals and advised regulatory bodies. In his research and publications, he has focused on policy questions at the intersection of regulation and empirical evidence. Fields of interest include EU law, addiction, lifestyle risks, and gaming. He completed research / studies inter alia at Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School (Division on Addiction), College of Europe, European University Institute, and the University of St.Gallen HSG.

Recent relevant publications include:

  • Simon Planzer (2015). Towards an EU Addiction Policy: Rationale and Competences. In: Regulating Lifestyle Risks - The EU, Alcohol, Tobacco and Unhealthy Diets, A. Alemanno and A. Garde (eds.), Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Simon Planzer (2014). Gambling Regulation and Gambling Addiction:
  • Assumptions and Facts. Bern: Editions Weblaw (in German language).
  • Simon Planzer (2014). Empirical Views on European Gambling Law and Addiction. Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation. Vol. I, K. Purnhagen (ed.), Cham/Heidelberg/New York/Dordrecht/London: Springer International Publishing. http://www.springer.com/?SGWID=0-102-2-1496241-0
  • Simon Planzer, Heather Gray & Howard Shaffer (2014). Associations between National Gambling Policies and Disordered Gambling Prevalence Rates within Europe. 37(2) International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 217-229.
  • Simon Planzer (2013). DSM-5: What’s New? 4(4) European Journal of Risk Regulation 531–533.
     

Dr. Daya Reddy

 

Dr. Daya Reddy

Daya Reddy is President of the Academy of Science of South Africa, and is a professor in applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town. He obtained a BSc in civil engineering from the University of Cape Town and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He is a recipient of the Order of Mapungubwe of South Africa, and the Georg Forster Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany. He is a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and the International Association of Computational Mechanics. Daya Reddy is co-chair of the InterAcademy Council (IAC), which produces reports and provides advice on scientific and technological issues of global concern to national governments and international organisations. He is President-elect of ICSU, the International Council for Science.
     

M.D. James Roy Robertson

 

M.D. James Roy Robertson

  • Born 1951 Edinburgh
  • Educated Edinburgh University Graduated in Medicine 1975
  • Fellow of Royal College Physicians Edinburgh
  • Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners
  • Long term interest in injecting drug users and HIV/AIDS
  • Publications and books on the same subject
  • Member of various National committees on Drug and HIV/AIDS policy
     

 



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