Jacob Bornstein, MD, MPA, Chairman of the Israeli Society for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, is a Full Professor and Emeritus Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, a Gynecologist and a Colposcopist, and Head of the Gynecological Pain Research Laboratory, Board Member of the National Israeli Academy of Science in Medicine, and chair of the Colposcopy Nomenclature Committee of the IFCPC.

Prof. Bornstein has authored 300 peer-reviewed publications, and a textbook: Vulvar Disease – Breaking the Myths, chaired the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Galilee Medical Center, was a President of the ISSVD and chaired its Terminology Committees. He served as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, President of The Israeli Society of Colposcopy and a member of the IFCPC Board.

Awards: Honorary professorship of the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine, Argentina, the Distinguished Scientific Award from the ASCCP, and honorary memberships from the ISSVD Presidents, the Israeli Society of Colposcopy, the Israeli Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Hellenic Society of Lower Genital Tract Disease (EKGE), the Hellenic Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (HSCCP) and the Latin American Society of Vulvar Pathology (SOLAPAV).

Piergiacomo Calzavara-Pinton, MD, is Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology and School of Specialization of Dermatology at the University and ASST-Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy. His clinical and research interests focus on photo-dermatology, non invasive diagnostic techniques, inflammatory diseases and skin oncology. He is the head of a team working on the development of new drugs for the treatment of skin tumors and inflammatory disorders, new photoprotective and photosensitizing molecules and innovative non-invasive diagnostic techniques. He has a teaching role in the PhD program of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of the University of Brescia that is trying to shape new perspectives in teaching and care in Medicine.

Author and co Author of 502 papers cited on Scopus. H-index 59.

President of the European Society of Photodermatology. Past Board Member of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. Past President of the Italian Society of Dermatology and STDs. Honorary Member Italian, Austrian, French and Swiss National Societies of Dermatology.

Dr. Martin Chio is a Senior Consultant Dermatologist at the National Skin Centre Singapore and former Head of the DSC clinic. His clinical interests are STIs, HIV & genital dermatology, qualitative research and skin cancers. He completed his advanced speciality training in Dermato-venereology at the National Skin Centre. He was awarded a National Medical Research Council medical research fellowship as part of the Ministry of Health Manpower Development Plan to pursue a Master of Science at University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; he was awarded the 2007 best dissertation prize. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Academy of Medicine Singapore - he was the Chair of the Chapter of Dermatologists (2015 – 2019). He is an avid clinician educator and has been appointed Adj. Associate Professor with the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Duke-NUS Medical School & the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Clinical Senior Lecturer with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine - he was awarded the YLLSOM Dean’s award for Teaching Excellence twice. He is a visiting consultant with the SAF Medical Corps & Tan Tock Seng Hospital and also an associate mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre. For his active volunteer work as a visiting dermatologist at both the Dover Park Hospice and Villa Francis home for the aged, he was awarded the Healthcare Humanity Award. In 2024, he was awarded the NHG Outstanding Citizenship award & the Red Ribbon award by Action for AIDS Singapore for advocacy work.

• Born in Milan
• Degree in Medicine – University of Milan
• Degree in Dermatology and Venereology University of Milan
• He worked at Institute of Dermatological Science Policlinic of Milan from 1986 to 2022
• Head of Sexually Transmitted Infection Centre from 1994 to 2022
• Head of the Cutaneous Biopsies Section Clinic of Dermatology from 2010 to 2022.
• Teacher at the School of Dermatology and School of Urology University of Milan.
• Past President of the Interdisciplinary Italian Society for Sexually Transmitted Infections (SIMAST)
• Member of the Board for Sexually Transmitted Infections of IUSTI Europe
• Member of the Council of IUSTI as Education Officer
• Member of the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology) task force for HPV (human papilloma virus)
• Member of the EADV task force for STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections)
• Author or Co Author of more than 150 scientific papers mostly in the field of sexually transmitted infections and genital dermatology.

Henry de Vries (1967) is dermatologist-venereologist with expertise in skin infections, especially sexually transmitted infections. In 2010 he was appointed Professor of skin infections at the University of Amsterdam, and he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London (FRCP). He is currently employed at the Public Health Service Amsterdam Centre for Sexual Health where he leads a research group including 15 PhD students in close cooperation with the public health laboratory and research department. He is also appointed as staff member at the Department of Dermatology at the Amsterdam University Medical Centres, the Netherlands. In 2021 he organised the STI & HIV World Congress as President of the International Society for STD research (ISSTDR). He was scientific chair for the International Union against STI 2018 World congress in Dublin, and the IUSTI Europe congress in Malta in 2023. He co-authored over 300 PubMed registered publications on various topics including mpox, Lymphogranuloma Venereum, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, and Leishmaniasis. In 2020 and in 2022 he was awarded the Bio Art & Design Award in joint projects with artists.

Dr. Claire Dewsnap is a Consultant Physician in Genitourinary Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. Claire has been a consultant in Genitourinary medicine for nearly 20 years, she has worked in the speciality in a variety of settings across the UK for 25 years.

Claire has worked in national leadership roles including BASHH conference organiser and BASHH president. Claire is the current BASHH Immediate Past President. Claire has represented the specialty at national and international events, lead to speciality’s UK response to the MPOX outbreak in 2022, represented and advocated for STI and HIV care to British Government Select committees and national action plans. Claire’s research interests are in bacterial STIs , implementation and more recently , access to sexual health services including expansion of online STI and HIV testing.

Professeur Nicolas DUPIN
Head of the Department of Dermatology, Hôpital Cochin, ApHp, Paris
Head of the STDs clinic, Hôtel Dieu, ApHp, Paris
Inserm U1060, Institut Cochin, cutaneous biology group, Université Paris
Degree in Medicine and Dermatology in 1994
1997-1999: Visiting fellow at Robin Weiss Lab at Institute of Cancer Research, London
2001: Professor of Dermatology, Université de Paris Cité
Past-president (sept-2016-sept-2018) of the college of the dermatology teachers in France (CEDEF)
2021 and 2022: President of the French society of dermatology (SFD)
Member of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
Member of the European Society of Dermatological Research
Since 2006: Head of the French National Reference Center of Syphilis

Publications indexed in Pub Med: 486
Citations: 19219, index H: 67
Innovation et patents
Founder of SkinDermic, a start-up dedicated to the discovery of new drugs in dermatology and dermo-cosmetic (2018)
EP16305782-Hycantone derivatives and primaquine derivatives for use in the prevention and/or the treatment of disorders associated with gammaherpesvirus, 2016 EP-16305912-Meclozide derivatives and diclazuril derivatives for use in the prevention and/or the treatment of disorders associated to the inflammation induced by P. acnes, 2016
EP15305414-isolated peptides and fragment thereof from fibrinogen for use as drugs, particularly in skin inflammatory diseases, 2015 (PCT en 2016)

He is Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and director of the MSc program of Infectious Diseases at the University of Athens. His main research contribution is immunomodulation in sepsis and in auto-inflammatory disorders. He has 563 publications in international peer-reviewed journals with more than 40,000 citations and h-index 93. He has contributed in the development of clarithromycin for immunomodulatory treatment of severe infections and in the recognition of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) as an auto-inflammatory disorder and in the licensing of adalimumab for HS treatment. He is the current chairman of the European Sepsis Alliance and the current President of the Hellenic Society of Chemotherapy. His main achievement is the approval of anakinra for COVID-19 pneumonia in adults by the European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration through the phase 2 and 3 trials SAVE and SAVE-MORE that he designed and conducted.

Rochelle Hamilton is a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health in a large public hospital in Geelong, Australia. Rochelle works privately within a multidisciplinary team as a Clinical Sexologist in Geelong. This year is her 50th year in nursing, and her qualifications include Midwifery, Family Planning, and a Master's in Sexual Health. She is awaiting feedback on her recent thesis submission for her Doctor of Public Health. Rochelle is the nurse manager of the HIV/Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic and the nurse-provider of the LARC clinic at Barwon University Hospital, Geelong. She has provided lectures for post-graduate doctors at Deakin University on sexual health, sexual dysfunction, and contraception. She continues to support ongoing education and supervision in these areas to medical students, including supervision to those completing their Diploma of O&G. Rochelle continues to present nationally and internationally across a variety of sexual and reproductive health topics, including STIs, contraception, termination, sexual dysfunction, and sexual pleasure, also providing presentations for ViiV and Gilead in the areas of women living with HIV, ageing and menopause, and the use of cabenuva injectable ART. She has four adult children, of whom she is very proud. She loves cooking and entertaining, and the opportunity to continue travelling.

Eija Hiltunen-Back is an associate professor of venereology in the University of Helsinki. She has 30 years of clinical experience as a consultant physician and the head of the STI clinic in the Department of dermato-venereology in Helsinki University Hospital. She is also a part time researcher in the National Institute for Health and Welfare. Her main research interests are epidemiology and diagnostics of STIs and genital dermatology. She is currently Chair of the Finnish Society against STIs, the national representative in the Council of IUSTI Europe since 2004 and the secretary general since 2018.

Prof. Andreas Katsambas received his MD and PhD from Athens University Medical School and completed his fellowships at St. John Hospital (London) .

He was full Professor of Dermatology and Head of the Dermatology Department at A. Syngros Hospital, Athens Medical School (1999-2011).

Professor Katsambas was the President of the Hellenic (Greek) Society of Dermatology and Venereology for 9 years and he organized, as Secretary General and President, important International Congresses:

• 2nd Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) in 1991
• 20th Conference of Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI Europe) in Mykonos in 2004
• 15th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) in 2006
• 9th World Congress of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2013
• Professor Katsambas is visiting Professor of Dermatology at
• Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts-USA
• University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
• Wake forest, Winston-Salem, North Caroline-USA
• Sienna-Italy
• Belgrade University-Yugoslavia
• Professor Katsambas was:
• Secretary General (for 8 years) and President of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) at 2008-2010,
• Board Member and Chairman of the Awards Committee of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) at 1997-2010,
• Member of the Committee of International Affairs of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) at 2014-2016,
• President of the European Academy of Cosmetic and Aesthetic Dermatology (ESCAD) at 2019 and he was also
• Honorary member of 22 International Societies and Academies
• Prof. Katsambas has published over 680 papers in peer reviewed medical Journals, and he is the author or co-author of 8 books (3 in English).
• Prof. Katsambas was the editor in chief of the Greek Journal of Dermatovenereology and is also consulting editor and member of the Advisory and Editorial board of 12 peer-reviewed journals.
• JAAD
• Archives of Dermatology
• JEADV
• Clinics in Dermatology
• Int.J. Dermatology
• Dermatology, etc.

His h-Index is 76 and the Citations are 18420.

Chris Kenyon is currently head of the STI Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp. In addition to his post here, he works as an Infectious Diseases Physician at the University Hospital Antwerp and at the University of Cape Town. He trained as an Infectious Diseases specialist at the University of Cape Town and has also trained in Public Health (LSHTM), politics, philosophy, economics (Oxford) and completed his PhD in Epidemiology (Uni Antwerp). His research interests include better understanding and preventing the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through stewardship and novel antimicrobial-sparing strategies such as bacteriocins, bacteriophage therapy and use of antiseptics. His unit is currently mapping the patterning of AMR in commensal Neisseria, with the intention of using commensal Neisseria as early warning systems for excessive antimicrobial consumption. He has a number of projects using G. mellonella, mouse and human studies to investigate if low the doses of antimicrobials allowed in food are able to induce and select for AMR in a range of target bacterial species. He is currently PI of a number of clinical studies including: 1. GonoScreen Study (NCT04269434) which is an RCT assessing if screening MSM on PrEP for gonorrhoea/chlamydia is associated with a reduction in the cumulative incidence of these infections; 2. ResistAZM Study (NCT05027516), an RCT comparing the efficacy of ceftriaxone versus ceftriaxone plus azithromycin for the treatment of gonorrhoea, 3. MoNg Study – efficacy of chlorhexidine mouthwash to treat pharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae. 4. SafeDoxyPEP Study – what is the effect of doxycycline post exposure prophylaxis on antimicrobial resistance in a range of target bacterial species.

A graduate of the Military Medical Collegium, Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Łódź with the master’s degree in medicine.
After completing her internship in 2021, she began specializing in dermatology and venereology.
Since 2022, she has been a resident at the Fryderyk Chopin University Clinical Hospital in Rzeszów in the Departments of Dermatology and Venerology.
Co-author of several publications in Polish and international journals. Lecturer at national conferences on dermatology and venereology.
Primary interest and specialization in venereology and sexually transmitted diseases.

Dimitra Koumaki is a Dermatologist–Venereologist currently working in the Dermatology Department at the University Hospital of Heraklion in Heraklion, Greece. She studied Medicine at the Medical School of Athens, where she also completed a Master’s degree and a PhD. She received her specialty training in Dermatology–Venereology in Athens. Dr. Koumaki completed two Inter-University Diplomas in Dermatology in France—at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the University of Franche-Comté (UFC)—and undertook a fellowship at CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Following her training in Athens, she worked in several dermatology departments in the United Kingdom, including Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester, and the Royal Free Hospital, the Royal Marsden Hospital, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

She has a special interest in HPV infection and squamous cell carcinoma and has published over one hundred papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Assoc. Prof. Vesta Kucinskiene
Dermatovenereologist
Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania
IUSTI board member, EADV member, EHSF member

Dr. Carmen Lisboa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Porto. She is a senior researcher at RISE–Health (Health Research and Innovation) at the same University. Her research/clinical interests are STIs and HIV, HPV (cancer,vaccination), syphilis, anogenital dermatosis and Hidradenitis suppurativa. She is a consultant dermato-venereologist at Hospital de São João, Porto. She is head of the STI Outpatient Clinic and of Genital Dermatosis/Hidradenitis suppurativa consultation at the same Hospital. She was member of the Advisory Board of the National Commission to Fight AIDS (2003 to 2006) and, in 2019-2021, she was member of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Task Force that aimed to define national strategies to reduce incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in Portugal. She is member of the Scientific Committee of Doctoral Program of School of Medicine, University of Porto. She has mentored several master's students in medical research and public health topics. She has supervised and co-supervised PhD candidates in Dermatology-Venereology and Medical Microbiology. She is an Associate Editor of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Journal and she is the national representative of International Union Against sexually Transmitted Infections-Europe.

I graduated from the School of Medicine at the University of Zagreb in 1996. After completing my internship, I worked as a team leader in the Emergency Medical Service in Nova Gradiška. In 2002, I passed the specialist exam in dermatology and venereology, after which I have been permanently employed at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb. I defended my master's thesis titled “Contact Sensitization in Patients with Seborrheic Dermatitis” in July 2003 at the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. I defended my doctoral dissertation titled “The Significance of the Asymptomatic Male Partner of a Woman with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia” in November 2005.

I am the author and co-author of over 200 scientific and professional articles, as well as teaching materials for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. I serve as a reviewer for numerous domestic and international journals. I participate in many national and international projects and am the principal investigator in several clinical studies (treatment of atopic dermatitis and urticaria). My primary areas of expertise include allergic and immunologically mediated dermatoses, genital diseases, and sexually transmitted infections.

Dr. Gemma Martin-Ezquerra (Orcid: 0000-0002-5106-7526) holds a degree in Medicine from the Universitat de Barcelona and a Ph.D. in Medicine from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is a specialist in Dermatology and has been in charge of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Unit at Hospital del Mar since 2007. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. She leads a specialized consultation on Cutaneous Infections at Hospital del Mar, which includes the management of STIs, HIV patients, and Tropical Dermatology. She has published more than 60 articles in indexed journals. Since 2023, she is the Spain's representative at IUSTI-Europe.

Dr. Susana Muñoz-Gómez is a Family and Community Medicine specialist with over 15 years of clinical experience. She currently serves as the Clinical Coordinator of the STI Unit at Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (HUGTiP) in Barcelona, where she focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through a community-based, person-centred approach.

She leads a dedicated sexual health clinic that improves access to care for women, transgender people, and adolescents, ensuring inclusive and tailored services for these populations. As part of her role, she promotes the harmonization of clinical protocols and care strategies with other community and hospital services to ensure a coordinated and consistent response across diverse groups.

Dr. Muñoz-Gómez is a key member of the research team led by Dr. Oriol Mitjà, which focuses on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and STIs, including the development of alternative treatments for syphilis. Additionally, she is an active collaborator in other research projects related to these fields.

Among her recent publications, she is co-author of a study published in The Lancet on the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

She is also strongly committed to teaching and mentoring, with extensive experience in medical education at both the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of Barcelona. She currently supervises medical residents at the Institut Català de la Salut.

In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Muñoz-Gómez has contributed to humanitarian projects, particularly in Sahrawi refugee camps, where she has supported primary healthcare initiatives and the training of local healthcare professionals.

COLM O’MAHONY, MD.FRCP.BSc.Dip.Ven.
Professor University of Chester Medical school, current post.
Consultant in sexual health and HIV in Chester until 2022
Theme lead for Professionalism,
University of Liverpool 2018 – 21
President Liverpool Medical Institution 2017

Prof. Colm O’Mahony worked for 30 years as a consultant physician, at the Countess of Chester NHS Trust dealing with sexually transmitted infections, HIV / AIDS. He was also the Postgraduate Tutor, for 7 years.

He started out in a VD Clinic in Sir Patrick Dunn’s Hospital in Dublin, doing a session, and there – like St Paul on the road to Damascus, enlightenment. Here was just the job for your average repressed Irish Catholic. There was sex, shame, guilt, anxiety, confession, forgiveness and penance. He had found his niche!

He came to England in 1986 to explore the sexual diversity of Liverpool and finally to a consultant post in Chester in 1990. As Postgraduate Tutor he infuriated and delighted, exposing the farce of fund holding and ‘cynical’ governance. Mostly however, he showed that life without sex, love, passion and desire is no life - at all, at all.

He was elected as Chairman of the Association of GU Doctors in 2001 and to the British HIV Association executive committee in 2005.

He was the chairman of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) media group and became chair of the EADV media committee in 2009 He was the UK rep on the EADV. He was president of Chester and North Wales medical society 2013. He wrote a regular piece in the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Infections, entitled “Chester Chronicles”.

Appointed senior lecturer UOL September 2018, leading on professionalism. He was awarded Honorary Life Fellow of BASHH in 2019.

He is a staunch supporter of IUSTI, having attended and presented at many conferences.

Prof. Maciej Pastuszczak, MD, PhD, is a specialist in dermatology, venereology, and clinical immunology. He serves as the head of the Clinical Department of Dermatology at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. His scientific and clinical interests focus on the immune response in early syphilis and syphilis in pregnant patients. Prof. Pastuszczak is particularly involved in studying the immunological aspects of serofast status after treatment of early syphilis. He is the author of numerous high-impact scientific publications in this field. His key scientific achievements include demonstrating the involvement of the Th17 response in neurosyphilis and identifying the predominance of regulatory mechanisms and the induction of autoimmune phenomena in serofast status. For many years, he has been providing care and consultations for patients at an STI clinic.

Dr. Airi Põder, MD, FRCP-London

CURRENT POSITION:
Clinical Research Centre, Chief Physician, CEO, Sõbra 54, Tartu 50106

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE, MEMBERSHIP:

• International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections, Member of the Executive Committee, 2003-2021
• European Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections, Director of IUSTI-Europe, 2013-2021, Member of the Executive Committee, 2021-present
• Estonian Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections, President of IUSTI-Estonia, 1999-2024, Member of the Board, 2024-present
• Society of Estonia Dermatovenerologists, Member of the Board, 2000-2010, Member, 2018-present
• Section of Dermatovenerology European Union of Medical Specialities, Estonian Representative, 2013-present
• European Academy of Dermato-Venerology, Member, 1993-present

Medical epidemiologist, Director of the National AIDS Center, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome. Head of two Italian sentinel STI Surveillance systems, responsible for the National HIV-AIDS Surveillance system.

Focal point for STI and HIV at WHO, UNAIDS, ECDC. Past President of the Italian Society for STI (SIMaST).

Dr. Andrei Tanasov, PhD candidate at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, is focusing on the implementation of STI screening for vulnerable populations, with research interests including antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the psychosocial dimensions of STIs, and educational initiatives on sexual health. He is specializing in Dermatology and Venereology at Colentina Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, where he is actively engaged in international research projects on STI testing programs, diagnostic tools, and the burden of genital herpes. He is member of the IUSTI-Europe Communications Committee, member of the European Taskforce on STIs, and Junior Editor for the STI section of the International Journal of Dermatology.

Prof. Dr. George-Sorin Tiplica is a senior dermato-venereologist and Head of the Dermatology 2 Clinic in Colentina Clinical Hospital. He is professor of dermatology and venereology at “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Bucharest, Romania since 2009. He graduated the same School of Medicine in 1993 and was trained as dermato-venereologist in Romania.

He is interested in bacterial infections and parasitic infestations of the skin, being leading author of the European guidelines for the diagnostic and treatment of scabies, pediculosis pubis, molluscum contagiosum, and partner notification. He is Section-editor for STIs of the International Journal of Dermatology.

Since 2021 he is the Chair of the IUSTI-Europe Council, a professional association fighting against sexually transmitted infections and HIV infection. Together with Dr. Derek Freedman from Ireland he started the “Webinar series of IUSTI-Europe” – a monthly event where is presented and discussed the hottest topics in STIs and HIV.

Barbara Van Der Pol, Ph.D., MPH is an Infectious Diseases Professor of Medicine trained as a medical laboratory scientist with a Ph.D. in Health Behavior. She is the Director of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine ID STD Clinical Research Organization and ID STD Laboratory. She has consulted with the World Health organization on projects designed to set STI research priorities through 2030; updating the WHO Laboratory Diagnostic Manual; and developing Technical Specification Standards for diagnostic assays for HIV & STI. She also serves as the Chair of the Microbiology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the US Food and Drug Administration. Her research focuses on healthcare utilization behaviors including vaccine acceptability and implementation research related to adoption of highly sensitive point of care testing in clinical settings. She is working with several developers of STI diagnostic products intended for over-the-counter use in the home and the ramifications of the control and management-shift this will necessitate. She is a co-investigator or a mentor on several studies evaluating sexual healthcare and PrEP service provision to underserved and marginalized populations.

Michael Waugh born 1943, London trained at London University, Charing Cross Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1966. He trained in dermatology at St John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin and Venereology at West London Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital Group. In 1975 he was appointed as consultant venereologist and senior lecturer to the United Leeds Teaching Hospitals and spent 29 years building the department to becoming a regional centre including HIV/AIDS. He became Secretary from 1981 and President (1989-1991) Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Diseases (MSSVD) and Secretary General 1984 and president IUVDT/IUSTI (1995-1999). He was seconded part time to AIDS Unit Department of Health UK 1992-3. He is a founder signatory of EADV 1987 and from 2006 to 2013 the Chair of its Ethics Committee. In 2023 he became the Historian for IUSTI Europe.

Dr. Winter was appointed Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV in Glasgow, UK in 1999 after completing a PhD in Infection at Birmingham University. His clinical interests are in HIV care and STI diagnostic testing. Dr Winter has long-standing involvement in digital health, leading developments of Scotland’s sexual health electronic patient record since 2008. He is an Executive Committee member of IUSTI World, a member of the European IUSTI Guidelines Group and is co-chair of the Scientific Committee for the 2026 IUSTI World/IUSTI Europe meeting in Prague.

Before Filippo Zimbile obtained a propaedeutic diploma in Industrial Engineering and Management at the University of Twente in 1989, he undertook a modest medical education during his military service, which, despite its limited scope, may still be relevant to mention here. Afterwards, he moved to Amsterdam to study Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, completing this study in 1993. After various positions at research agencies and the Government Information Service (Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst), he started working at Aidsfonds - Soa Aids Nederland in 2003 as program manager for public communication. In that role, he was ultimately responsible for the national 'Safe Sex' campaigns. After these campaigns were discontinued in 2011 due to budget cuts, he became the program manager for youth. From 2016, he was assigned part-time from Aidsfonds – Soa Aids Nederland to the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) to coordinate national eHealth activities for the 23 Sexual Health Clinics of the Municipal Health Centers and the national expertise centers active on sexual health in the Netherlands. Since 2021, Filippo has been an external PhD candidate at the Department of Health Promotion at Maastricht University. His research projects focus on eHealth and self-care within the field of public sexual health. He successfully defended his PhD thesis in April of this year.

Professor Kieron S. Leslie, MD is an internationally recognized dermatologist and Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His clinical and academic work is distinguished by a deep commitment to the care of patients with HIV-associated skin diseases and to advancing dermatologic care for underserved populations.

Trained in the United Kingdom, Dr. Leslie earned his MBBS from St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine. He completed residencies in internal medicine at the Royal Free Hospital and in dermatology at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, followed by a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Leslie directs the UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital HIV Dermatology Clinics and serves as Visiting Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His research focuses on the dermatologic manifestations of HIV, including Kaposi’s sarcoma, mpox, and complex inflammatory dermatoses. He is a leader in care delivery to LGBTQ+ communities and those affected by health disparities.

Widely published, Dr. Leslie has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including contributions to the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet HIV. He has received numerous honors, including the UCSF Medical Student Teaching Award and multiple NIH and industry-funded research grants.

Dr. Leslie is a frequent keynote speaker at international dermatology conferences and an active member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the British Association of Dermatologists, and the International Society of Dermatology.

As a passionate educator and mentor, Dr. Leslie is committed to training the next generation of dermatologists and advancing global equity in skin health through research, advocacy, and international collaboration.

Centre of Excellence for Health, Immunity and Infections (CHIP)

Caecilie B. Kahama, MSc is a project coordinator at CHIP at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. In this role, she coordinates the EuroTEST Initiative, including the European Testing Week and the European Test Finder, and support the Western-Eastern European Partnership Initiative (WEEPI) on HIV, viral hepatitis, and TB.

With over 20 years of experience in international public health and advocacy, Cæcilie has a strong background in coordinating cross-border initiatives aimed at improving access to testing and care for key infectious diseases. Prior to joining CHIP, she served in several roles at the Danish AIDS Foundation, including as International Programme Consultant and Coordinator of Aidsnet, the Danish NGO Network on AIDS and Development.

Her work focuses on building partnerships across sectors and regions to promote earlier diagnosis and better health outcomes through evidence-based policies and community-driven action.

Claudia Estcourt is Professor of Sexual Health & HIV at Glasgow Caledonian University, Honorary Professor at University College London, Consultant Physician in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Honorary Consultant Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Her research addresses three major public health priorities: 1). Self-managed, digital healthcare, focussing on development and evaluation of complex online clinical care pathways within sexual health & HIV medicine (sequencedigital.org.uk), aiming to develop the evidence base for the design and implementation of online care sexual health care for underserved groups 2). Preventing transmission of STIs and reducing undiagnosed HIV by increasing effectiveness of partner notification strategies by developing tailored interventions for those at highest risk (lustrum.org.uk), 3) HIV PrEP public health programmes, implementation, clinical service development, evaluation and monitoring, including developing and evaluating an online PrEP clinic for Scotland.

Kit was Director of Melbourne Sexual Health centre until February 2025. His research interests include the control of sexually transmitted infections at a population level.

Stichting Choices Support Center
European Testing Week Working Group member

For over 30 years, Jason Farrell has developed and managed healthcare and prevention services for drug users, sex workers, and people living with HIV, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. From 1993 to 2008, he was the founding director of Positive Health Project, the first low-threshold, multi-service needle exchange and medical clinic for drug users in the U.S. and pioneered integrated care by co-locating medical and dental services within a harm reduction program.

Jason also consulted for the CDC’s Diffusion of Evidence-Based Interventions (DEBI) team, revising behaviour change materials, training community organisations, and providing technical assistance to HIV prevention programs, with a focus on marginalized groups including MSM drug users and transgender individuals.

In Europe, he served as Project Officer for the EU HCV and Drug Use Initiative with the Correlation European Harm Reduction Network, and as an expert advisor to the ECDC and EUDA. He is currently a member of the European HIV/HCV Testing Week Working Group.

Now based in Amsterdam, Jason is the founder/director of Choices Support Center, which offers psychological support and risk reduction services to LGBTQ+ individuals, including asylum seekers facing stress, trauma, and insecurity during long asylum processes.

Georgian Harm Reduction Network, Georgia
European Testing Week Working Group member

Maka Gogia is a Programme Director of harm reduction program in Georgia. She has a higher medical education and Master’s degree in Public Health. Besides programme management, she is a technical advisor, trainer and consultant of HIV/HCV community organisations in Georgia. During the last 10 years, she has been engaged in advocating for better accessibility to HIV, HCV, TB and STI services for key affected populations. Maka is also a member of European AIDS Treatment Group and is involved in HIV/HCV ECAB groups, HIV policy working group and women working groups.

Born and lives in Moscow, Russia.
Graduated from Moscow University of Medicine in 1977.
Chief Researcher, Moscow Scientific and Practical Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology.
Member of AAD and EADV. IUSTI-World Senior Counsellor, member of Editorial Board of IUSTI-Europe Guidelines. President of Guild of Specialists in STI «USTI-Ru». National representative from Russian Federation at IUSTI, Honorary Member of Hungarian STD Society.
Main areas of research: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of STD, Viral Sexually Transmitted Infections, Clinical Trials in STD. Published around 300 papers, primarily in Russian journals.

Positive Voice, Greece

Giorgos Keratsas studied Psychology (BSc) in Panteion University of Athens and Social Influence - Social Psychology (MSc) in the University of Amsterdam. He has volunteered in outreach activities of the Greek Association of People Living with HIV - Positive Voice since 2019. In 2021, he shortly worked as sexual health counselor at the Prevention & Sexual Health Centre “Athens Checkpoint”. Since 2022, he has been working as communications officer of Positive Voice, building or participating in the development of campaigns for the promotion of HIV testing and safer sexual practices, as well as for raising awareness against HIV-related stigma. He has been designing the communications activities of Positive Voice and Athens/Thessaloniki Checkpoint for the European Testing Week for the last three years, some of which have been featured in a number of Greek media.

Genitourinary (GU) Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta

Dr Padovese is the leading clinician at the GU clinic in Malta. Her main clinical and research interest is skin and sexual health in migrants and other vulnerable groups. She took part in numerous EU funded projects addressing sexual health needs in hard-to-reach populations, and she collaborates with WHO on implementation and evaluation of STI POCTs. Dr Padovese is ILDS Special Advisor on migrants’ health, STIs and HIV, WHO Technical Advisor for Capacity Building on Health and Migration. She is Associated Editor of the British Journal of Dermatology for the Global health and Equity section, and Associate Editor of the BMC-STI journal. In 2023 Dr Padovese was the President of IUSTI Europe Congress in Malta.

She co-founded an international NGO, Bridges2Health&Rights, operating in the broad areas of health and rights and at the intersections of disciplines such as medicine, law and criminology.

Dr Raj Patel is Consultant Physicians in STI and HIV Medicine at the Hampshire Isle of White Trust and is based in Southampton. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton. He is a Past President of IUSTI World and Lead Author of the IUSTI Europe and BASHH Guidelines on the Management of Genital Herpes and a Contributing Author the the CDC Guideline on Genital Herpes. He has been Chief investigator on many studies principally related to developing new HSV related medications and determining the limits of therapies.

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium
Co-Chair of European Testing Week Working Group

Tom Platteau is a sexologist and mental health scientist. He obtained a PhD on combination prevention for HIV. He works at the outpatient clinic of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (Belgium) as a clinician and researcher where he has been coordinating HIV/STI testing projects since 2009. These projects consist of outreach activities and online testing approaches. He is a member of EuroTEST Steering Committee since 2015 and Co-chair of European Testing Week Working Group.

HIV Outpatient Clinic at the University of Bonn, Germany
Co-Chair of EuroTEST Steering Committee

Dr. Jürgen Rockstroh is Professor of Medicine and Head of the HIV Outpatient Clinic at the University of Bonn. An active member of the HIV/AIDS treatment community, Dr Rockstroh was the Chair of the German Clinical AIDS Working Group (KAAD) from 1998 to 2007. From 2007 to 2011, he was president of the German AIDS Society. He sat on the executive committee of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) from 2000, was panel member of the EACS' medical guidelines and created the hepatitis co-infection guidelines since 2008, Chair of EACS guidelines since 2023, and became president of EACS from 2019 to 2020. Between 2011 and 2020, he was a member of the governing council of the International AIDS Society. The Federal Cross of Merit was awarded to him by the Federal Republic of Germany in 2017. In addition to his clinical practice, he is involved in HIV research, including on HIV and hepatitis co-infection.

I am specialist in Dermatology and Venereology, and the head of the venereology clinic at the Dept. of Dermatology and Venereology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. My research has been focused on genital HPV infection, and I am since 2012 an Associate professor of the Karolinska Institute.

I am a board member of the Swedish Society of venereal diseases and treasurer of the Swedish Society of Dermatology and Venereology. I am also a member of the IUSTI Europe board and treasurer since 2023. In the EADV (European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology), I am vice chair of the HPV Task Force. I am also a member of the American STD Association (ASTDA) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).