MPP’s goals and governance procedures are outlined in our Statutes, available in English and French. The duties of the Governance Board, the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) and the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), and their relationship with MPP, are described in the Medicines Patent Pool by-laws and in the EAG Terms of Reference. MPP operates in an accountable manner, in accordance with our transparency policy.
The Governance Board is MPP’s governing body and its highest authority for making decisions (see our statutes). Among its key duties are to set MPP’s policies and strategies, oversee its work plan and financial matters, and monitor and evaluate its performance.
The Governance Board recognises that its ability to formulate sound decisions for the organisation is improved by the diversity of its membership. As such, the Board is actively committed to a composition that is diverse and inclusive, including a balance of sex and gender, race, age, geographic location, skills and experience, while ensuring that each individual member is an expert in their field, committed to the public interest, and dedicated to MPP’s mission.
The Governance Board also appoints the Executive Director and Governance Board members. MPP’s Executive Director attends Governance Board meetings, but without a right to vote. Since 1 September 2017, the Chair of the Governance Board is Marie-Paule Kieny.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Marie-Paule Kieny
Chair
Marie-Paule Kieny
Chair
Dr. Kieny was appointed Assistant Director-General of the WHO in October 2010 where she led the Innovation, Information, Evidence and Research cluster until 2012, and the Health Systems and Innovation cluster until 30 June 2017. Prior to these roles, she directed the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research where her successes included the development and licensing of new vaccines for meningitis A and pandemic influenza for developing countries. In 2014-2016, Dr. Kieny led WHO’s Ebola research activities. She also conducted the organisation’s R&D response to Zika as well as the preparation of an R&D Blueprint to accelerate global preparedness for future epidemics. Before her tenure at the WHO, Dr. Kieny was Assistant Scientific Director of Transgene and Director of Research at the Institute of Virology, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM).
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
Board Member
Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
Board Member
Professor Adeyeye is the Director General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), where she is leading regulatory and administrative reforms through quality management approach. She has also inaugurated the Nigerian Herbal Medicine Product Committee (HMPC) as a means of fostering research involving herbal practitioners and academic researchers while the intellectual property is protected.
She currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) and the World Health Organization (WHO)-based Global Paediatric Regulatory Network. She represents NAFDAC on the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and has been invited to be on the WHO Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19. She is a Fellow of Nigeria Academy of Science, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, an Academic Research Fellow of American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). She is the First African Woman Fellow, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), a society where only 3% of academia receives such recognition internationally.
Professor Adeyeye is Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutics and Drug Product Evaluation at the College of Pharmacy, Roosevelt University in Schaumburg, USA. She was the founding Chair of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the same University. She was Professor of Pharmaceutics and Manufacturing for twenty-one years at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, USA. She is a Senior Fulbright Scholar and Specialist.
She earned her B.S from the University of Nigeria, and MS and PhD from the University of Georgia, USA. Her research interests include quality-by-design (QbD) early phase development and manufacturing of solid, semisolid and liquid dosage forms, including Investigation New Drug Application (IND)-based late phase manufacturing. She is an expert in research and drug development, bench-to-bedside translational research and regulatory science. She has mentored over 15 PhD and M.S candidates. She has five patents, 65 peer reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and books, and more than 140 scientific presentations.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Manica Balasegaram
Board Member
Manica Balasegaram
Board Member
Manica Balasegaram is currently Director of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Project (GARDP), a joint Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)-World Health Organization programme. He is former Executive Director of Médecins sans Frontières’ Access Campaign and Head of its Manson Unit. Before joining MSF, Manica served as Head of DNDi’s Leishmaniasis initiative. He started his career in internal and emergency medicine in the UK and in Australia, training as a medical doctor at the University of Nottingham, then joining MSF as a field physician in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Manica’s experience spans clinical and public health practice in neglected and infectious diseases, clinical trials and drug development, as well as health and access to medicine policies.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Patrizia Carlevaro
Board Member
Patrizia Carlevaro
Board Member
Patrizia Carlevaro is currently a board member of GenomSys, a start-up that she co-founded in 2016 to develop technologies to improve compression, storage and transport of genomic data. She also is a member of the Board of LFB BIOMEDICAMENTS, Florence Nightingale International Foundation and European Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. Patrizia is former Managing Director of Otsuka SA where she was responsible for subsidiary operations, and public health and advocacy projects. Patrizia worked for more than 15 years at Eli Lilly and company where she designed the first-of-its kind technology transfer partnership for two anti-tuberculosis medicines to increase production capacities in China, India, Russia and South Africa. During her time at Eli Lilly, she also worked on key disease areas such as diabetes and mental health, and established programmes for developing countries. Patrizia has several years of experience in public health policies, having worked as the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Essential Drugs Unit where she advised on disease prevention and control programmes as well as development of policies to reform healthcare systems in developing countries. Patrizia holds a doctorate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Pavia, Italy.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Peter Maybarduk
Board Member
Peter Maybarduk
Board Member
Peter Maybarduk directs Public Citizen’s access to medicines and knowledge economy group, which helps partners worldwide make medicine affordable and secure the benefits of technology and culture for all. Peter has provided technical assistance related to patents and licensing to public agencies and civil society organisations in more than three dozen countries. His work has supported major health cost savings and new state access to medicine policies, as well as helped defeat harmful proposals in legislation and trade deals. Peter and his colleagues have helped organise the global movement for COVID vaccine access and rallied support for new vaccine manufacturing funding and technology transfer. Peter studied technology law at Berkeley Law School (University of California) and anthropology at The College of William & Mary in Virginia. He is an affiliate fellow with the Information Society Program at Yale Law School. Peter founded International Professional Partnerships for Sierra Leone, a non-profit dedicated to supporting public sector development in one of the world’s least developed countries. Peter writes music, available under Creative Commons licences.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
John-Arne Røttingen
Board Member
John-Arne Røttingen
Board Member
Professor John-Arne Røttingen is Ambassador for Global Health at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway. He is Visiting Fellow of Practice at Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University. He was the founding Chief Executive Officer of CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; and has been the Chief Executive of the Research Council of Norway; Executive Director of Infection Control and Environmental Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health; founding Chief Executive of the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services; Professor of Health Policy at the Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo; and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He received his MD and PhD from the University of Oslo, an MSc from Oxford University and an MPA from Harvard University.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Maximiliano Santa Cruz
Board Member
Maximiliano Santa Cruz
Board Member
Maximiliano Santa Cruz is the founder of Santa Cruz IP, a consultancy which advises on the design of intellectual property (IP) strategies, innovation, and technology transfer. He was the CEO of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI), the Chilean patent and trademark office, for nine years (2009-2018). At INAPI, Santa Cruz was also one of the founders and promoters of PROSUR, an initiative comprising 13 Latin American IP offices, the most advanced and broad instance of integration in the field. He is also a consultant with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the European Union’s IP Office (EUIPO), the World Bank, and with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He chaired the WIPO Standing Committee on Patents and the Working Group of the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and he is member of the Board of The Lens. Maximiliano is a lawyer from Universidad de Chile and LLM from the University of San Francisco, CA, US.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Sasha Volgina
Board Member
Sasha Volgina
Board Member
Sasha Volgina became interested in HIV activism and advocacy after receiving HIV+ diagnosis in 2000: she was one of the co-founders of FrontAIDS, the first treatment advocacy group in Russia, and co-founded Svecha, one of the first community-based organisations. In 2009-2010, she co-founded the first All-Russian Women Network “E.V.A.” and was co-founder of the “Patients in Control” Treatment Access Movement, which received Red Ribbon Award for advocacy campaign against ARV stock outs in 2011. Since 2013, Sasha have worked in the East Europe & Central Asia Union of People Living with HIV Secretariat, based in Kiev, Ukraine, as the Senior Advocacy Officer. She is creating and implementing programs that enable dialogue between PLHIV, health professionals, governments, pharmaceutical companies and international organisations in the EECA region. Sasha focuses on mobilising the regional PLHIV community to be involved as much as possible into access to treatment and human rights advocacy on the regional level and in their countries, developing capacity and expertise of community in treatment literacy, IP issues, negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, human rights violations, stigma and discrimination resistance. Since 2015, she has been working in the All-Ukrainian Network of PLHIV as International Relations Advisor – responsible for international work, representation and partnership development of the organisation. Sasha is a former member of the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS PCB and currently serves as an acting member of the Communities Delegations of both the Global Fund and UNITAID boards. Now Sasha is working for GNP+, based in Netherlands, as program manager.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Philippe Duneton
Founder and principal funder, Non-voting participant, Unitaid
Philippe Duneton
Founder and principal funder, Non-voting participant, Unitaid
Dr Duneton has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases and public health. As Executive Director, he has led Unitaid’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a vital role as the co-lead of the therapeutics arm of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Previously, he was a practicing infectious diseases doctor at Hospital ‘La Pitié Salpétrière’ in Paris and was twice advisor to the French Ministry of Health. He was the head of the Mission against HIV/AIDS and harm reduction for the largest health trust in Paris and led the French regulatory agency for medicines and health products. He also chaired the Board of the European Medicines Agency. Unitaid founded the Medicines Patent Pool in 2010 and continues to be its principal funder.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Mariangela Batista Galvão Simão
Non-voting participant, World Health Organization
Mariangela Batista Galvão Simão
Non-voting participant, World Health Organization
Dr. Mariângela Simão joined the World Health Organization (WHO) in November 2017, as part of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General’s leadership team.
She previously worked for UNAIDS since September 2010 and prior to that, she worked for the Ministry of Health in Brazil as the Director of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/ AIDS and Viral Hepatitis department.
She worked in the Brazilian public health system since 1982, from the primary health care level to a series of managerial positions throughout the years. As a public health professional, at municipal, state and national levels, she played an active role in the decentralisation of the national health system, acquiring an extensive experience in health system strengthening. She has also served on the boards of a number of organisations and government committees related to public health and HIV.
Heading the National Sexually Transmitted Diseases/HIV/AIDS Department (including Viral Hepatitis from 2009), she had the responsibility of overseeing and implementing the national Sexually Transmitted Diseases/AIDS/Viral Hepatitis policies, including universal and free of charge access to treatment, care and comprehensive prevention programs.
Dr. Simão attended medical school in Brazil, with degrees in Paediatrics and Public Health, and a MSc. in Mother and Child Health in the UK.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Amy Dietterich
Non-voting participant, World Intellectual Property Organization
Amy Dietterich
Non-voting participant, World Intellectual Property Organization
Amy Dietterich is the Director of the Global Challenges Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In this role, she covers Intellectual Property (IP)-related global policy issues in the areas of Global Health, Climate Change, and Food Security.
Amy has twenty years of experience in the fields of public health, water & sanitation, and governance, spanning community-based organisations, international NGOs, global health partnerships, and United Nations institutions. Prior to joining WIPO in 2018, she worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to ensure stronger community engagement in health systems governance and service delivery, and with the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF to support parliamentary oversight of development cooperation and financing. Amy also previously served as Special Advisor to the Civil Society Representative on the Gavi Alliance Board, simultaneously coordinating the Gavi CSO Constituency and Gavi CSO Steering Committee.
Ms. Dietterich earned her academic qualifications in Public Health, Biology, and French from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Bucknell University in 2005 and 2000 respectively.
Governance & Team » Governance Board
Antony Scott Taubman
Non-voting participant, World Trade Organization
Antony Scott Taubman
Non-voting participant, World Trade Organization
Antony Taubman has served since 2009 as Director of the WTO’s Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division, with responsibility for a wide range of WTO activities in these fields including coordination on the intersections between public health, trade policy and the intellectual property system, with a particular focus on the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2002 to 2009, he directed the Global Intellectual Property Issues Division of WIPO (including the Traditional Knowledge Division and Life Sciences Program), covering IP and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore, the life sciences, and related global issues including public health and climate, the environment, climate change, human rights, food security, bioethics and indigenous issues. An earlier appointment at WIPO covered development cooperation in Asia and the Pacific, redesign of the program and budget, and policy development.
A diplomatic career with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) concluded with service as Director, International Intellectual Property, engaged in multilateral and bilateral negotiations on IP issues, domestic policy development, regional cooperation, and TRIPS dispute settlement. Earlier service included disarmament policy and participation in the negotiations on the Chemical Weapons Convention, and postings to the Australian Embassy in Tehran as Deputy Head of Mission, and to the Hague as Alternate Representative to the Preparatory Commission for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Chair of the Expert Group on Confidentiality as a component of the system for verification of disarmament commitments.
In 2001 he joined the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture and the College of Law at the Australian National University, teaching and researching on international IP law. He has held postgraduate teaching appointments at several law schools including at the University of Melbourne, American University, the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Edinburgh, and contributes to many other educational and training programs. In 2008, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded him a Bellagio residential fellowship for his work on TRIPS and public policy issues. He has authored numerous publications on the TRIPS Agreement and international IP law and policy, and cognate policy fields such as public health, competition policy and the digital economy.
A registered patent attorney, he worked in private practice in the law of patents, trademarks and designs in Melbourne in the 1980s. His tertiary education has included computer science, mathematics, engineering, classical languages, philosophy, international relations, law and theology; he taught ancient Greek philosophy at Melbourne University.
The Expert Advisory Group (EAG) advises the Governance Board and the Executive Director on MPP’s licence negotiations, and assesses whether the terms and conditions of the proposed licence agreements meet the key requirements as set out by MPP’s Statutes.
Individual members of the EAG are also consulted by the Executive Director in their particular area of expertise that is relevant to the work of MPP.
In selecting the members of the EAG, the Governance Board has sought to bring in expertise in the following areas, while achieving an appropriate geographical and gender balance:
- Regulatory
- Intellectual property licensing and law
- Public health in developing countries/medicines policy
- Communities/non-governmental organisations
- Science/research & development
- Clinical expertise
- Business development within the pharmaceutical sector/markets/procurement
Members of the EAG act solely in their personal capacity.
The EAG reports on MPP’s licences are publicly available as stated in our transparency policy.
Access the EAG Terms of Reference.
The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), created in 2019, is composed of a pool of subject-matter experts who provide guidance and critical insights to the EAG and the Executive Director.
Discover MPP’s Scientific Advisory Panel
EAG members (A to Z)
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Peter Beyer (Chair)
World Health Organization, Geneva
Peter Beyer (Chair)
World Health Organization, Geneva
Peter Beyer, a trained lawyer, is a Senior Advisor with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva where he leads a team working on antimicrobial resistance focusing on developing global instruments and developing new antimicrobial treatments. Peter was instrumental in setting up the WHO/DNDi Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP) as well as the trilateral collaboration among the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and WHO. Previously, Peter Beyer was a Legal Advisor to the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property in Berne. He negotiated free trade agreements for the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and was responsible for the bilateral dialogue between Switzerland and China on intellectual property. Prior to joining the Swiss civil service, Peter Beyer worked with the Ecologic Institute in Berlin on environmental law and policy. Peter Beyer was a research and teaching assistant at the University of Geneva, writing his doctoral thesis on integrated pollution control in the industrial sector. He is a graduate of the Universities of Cologne and Freiburg im Breisgau and was admitted to bar in Berlin in 2001.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Zeba Aziz
Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Zeba Aziz
Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
Zeba Aziz is a medical oncologist with a busy clinical practice based in Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. She previously served as the Head of Department of Oncology and Professor at Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Currently she is Dean of Medical Oncology for the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan and is also the Program Director for the Medical Oncology Fellowship at Hameed Latif Hospital. She is currently the President of Society of Medical Oncology of Pakistan formed recently. Her international efforts include being on the steering committee for the Australian & Asia Pacific Oncology Research Development (ACORD) Workshop and being an invited panelist and speaker for multiple conferences around the world. She has made contributions to research through her 79 peer-reviewed publications on Oncology. Her specific fields of interest are malignant haematology and breast cancer.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Jennifer Cohn
Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)
Jennifer Cohn
Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)
Dr. Jennifer Cohn is an infectious disease physician with a focus on improving access to and uptake of effective health products and models of care in low- and middle-income countries. She currently serves as the global health access leader for the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), and is a clinical associate professor of Infectious Diseases and Scholar at the Center for Global Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Before joining GARDP, Jennifer served as Senior Vice President for cardiovascular health at Resolve to Save Lives, Senior Director of Innovation at the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, and as the Medical Coordinator for the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Access Campaign. Jennifer has served on international advisory groups for TB, HIV, non-communicable diseases and viral hepatitis. She has published over 80 papers in peer-reviewed medical journals. Jennifer received her MD from University of Pennsylvania, is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and earned her Masters in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Akthem Fourati
UNICEF, Denmark
Akthem Fourati
UNICEF, Denmark
Akthem Fourati, MD, is the chief of Medicines and Nutrition Centre in UNICEF Supply Division supporting the procurement of Medicines and Nutrition products for Maternal and Child Health programmes. He joined UNICEF in 2006 and has mainly worked on Immunisation, HIV/AIDS and Maternal/Child health programmes.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Jan Gheuens
Former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
Jan Gheuens
Former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
Jan Gheuens, MD, PhD, joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007. As an incoming Sr. Program Officer, Jan focused on the “new tools” to combat tuberculosis (TB) – the diagnostics with FIND, the vaccines with AERAS and the drugs with the TB Alliance.
After a temporary assignment as Interim Director for the TB Program, Jan became the Deputy Director for TB drugs in 2013. He retired from this role and the Gates Foundation in the summer of 2017. During his tenure at the foundation, Jan made a major contribution to changing the process of developing new TB drug regimens by testing new drugs in combination before they are individually approved.
Jan came to the Gates Foundation from Amgen, where he was Vice President, Global Development Operations, and R&D Japan. Prior to his 6 years at Amgen, Jan spent 10 years at Johnson and Johnson. He took on various product development, clinical development and medical affairs roles at Janssen Research Foundation and Janssen Pharmaceutica US, culminating as Vice President Medical Affairs.
Before joining the biopharmaceutical sector he was trained as a Neurologist in his native Belgium, did a postdoctoral fellowship in the NIH Intramural Program, was awarded a Ph.D. in Neuroimmunology, and served for 7 years on the faculty at the University Hospital of Antwerp.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Manuel Gonçalves
Co-Chair of Advisory Board of Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Portugal
Manuel Gonçalves
Co-Chair of Advisory Board of Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Portugal
Manuel earned his medical degree in the Lisbon Medical School in 1977, and practiced general medicine in the Portuguese NHS until 1988. He is an elected member of the Portuguese Medical Academy and was a consultant to the General Management of the Largest Public University of Lisbon (NOVA) since 2003 and an elected member of its General Council 2008 – 2018. In June 2018 Manuel was appointed by the Ministers of Science and Technology; and Health of Portugal, member of the Committee that created the Portuguese Agency for Clinical Investigation and Biomedical Innovation – AICIB. Manuel worked in the Pharma Industry from 1984 to 2018 in Portugal France and UK. He became Vice President and General Manager of GSK’s pharmaceuticals business in Portugal in 1997. During the period 1997-2009 he was Board Member and Vice-Chairman of the Portuguese Pharma Trade Association. Manuel Gonçalves was part of the team that created ViiV Healthcare Plc in 2009 a fully dedicated HIV company. He was Executive Vice President, Head of External Affairs and Communications and a member of ViiV Executive Committee from 2009 to 2018. During his time in ViiV, Manuel and his team were responsible for developing innovative and ground-breaking partnerships with key stakeholders that enabled access to ViiV medicines in most resource poor countries. Manuel was elected Co-Chairman, of the International AIDS Society, Industry Liaison Forum in 2014, position that he occupied until February 2018.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt
Ministry of Health, Ghana
Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt
Ministry of Health, Ghana
Dr Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt is the Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Ghana. Martha is a product of KNUST Ghana, Leeds University, United Kingdom in Health Policy and GIMPA’s School of Governance and Leadership. Martha also holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from KNUST, Ghana. She serves on several national and international boards and also was a Lancet Commissioner on Essential Medicines in 2015. She is an Expert member of the World Health Organisation Expert Committee on Medicines Policy and Management. She has several publications on various topics like Universal Health Coverage, TRIPS, DOHA and Access to medicines, policy options for Ghana, Antibiotic Resistance in Ghana by Lancet Infectious Diseases among others. Martha is also a Board member for Africa Palliative Care Association. She is a fellow of West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists and Foundation fellow of Ghana College of Pharmacists. She is the chair for Ghana’s Alliance for Antimicrobial Resistance. She was an Expert member of United Nations Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. Until March 2019 Martha was the immediate Chief Pharmacist and Director of Pharmaceutical Services for Ghana.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Ellen ‘t Hoen
Global Health Law Unit of the University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands
Ellen ‘t Hoen
Global Health Law Unit of the University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands
Ellen ‘t Hoen (1960) directs Medicines Law & Policy, a group of legal and policy experts offering services to international organisations, governments and non-governmental organisations. She is a researcher affiliated with the Global Health Law Unit of the University Medical Centre Groningen. She is the former director of policy for Médecins sans Frontières’ Campaign for access to essential medicines and former Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool. She has published widely and is the author of several books. In 2017 she received the Prix Prescrire for her latest book “Private Patents and Public Health: Changing intellectual property rules for public health.” She holds a Masters in Law from the University of Amsterdam and a PhD (cum laude) from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Jordan Jarvis
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Jordan Jarvis
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Jordan Jarvis (she/her) is a health policy and systems researcher with a focus on the governance and political economy of medicines and health products, particularly for non-communicable diseases. She currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Health (Canada). Jordan earned her doctorate in public health (DrPH) from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. Previously, as the Executive Director of the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network, Jordan led advocacy focused on improving health equity and access to health products for people suffering from non-communicable diseases. She has worked and consulted for diverse global health institutions, including the World Health Organization, the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, and Amref Health Africa in Kenya. She also serves as an associate editor for BMC Globalization & Health and on WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. She completed a postgraduate research fellowship with the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, earned a MSc in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto, and a BSc (Hons.) in Biology from Western University in Canada.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Giten Khwairakpam
AmfAR’s TREAT Asia Programme
Thailand
Giten Khwairakpam
AmfAR’s TREAT Asia Programme
Thailand
Giten is currently the Community and Policy Program Manager at amfAR’s TREAT Asia programme in Bangkok, Thailand. He has been working on improving HIV and hepatitis C treatment access, advocating for price reductions, scaling up of national responses and improving regulatory uptake of direct-acting antivirals in South and South East Asia. He also serves as a trainer on viral hepatitis events with regional and national community networks.
Giten has been a member of World Health Organization’s Global Guidelines Development Group on hepatitis B and hepatitis C besides being a member of the Expert Advisory Group on hepatitis C with the Medicines Patent Pool. He also has served in different technical groups on viral hepatitis in WHO WPRO and SEARO region. He has been a resource person and keynote speaker in various national, regional and global viral hepatitis and HIV related events. He was also profiled as a Change Maker for hepatitis C by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2016.
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Deus Mubangizi
World Health Organization, Switzerland
Deus Mubangizi
World Health Organization, Switzerland
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Gugu Nolwandle Mahlangu
Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe
Gugu Nolwandle Mahlangu
Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe
Gugu Nolwandle Mahlangu is the current Director-General of the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe and a pharmacist by profession. Ms Mahlangu gained her initial professional experience in hospital pharmacy and community pharmacy management. However, most of her 30 working years has been spent in the arena of medicines regulation. She has served the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe and its predecessor, the Drugs Control Council, in various technical and managerial capacities culminating in her appointment as Director-General in 2012. Ms Mahlangu has been involved in the regulation of the professions, first as the pharmacist member of the Health Professions Council, and then as the first chairperson of the Pharmacists Council.
She is a member and past President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, former Chairperson of the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe and a former board member of the National Pharmaceutical Company. She has been actively involved in the harmonisation of regulatory activities regionally and continentally, particularly with respect to capacity development for NRAs. She is a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Evaluation, sits on a number of WHO Expert Committees and chaired the Task Team to establish the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Valérie Paris
Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS)
France
Valérie Paris
Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS)
France
Valérie Paris joined the OECD Secretariat in September 2005 to contribute to the work undertaken by the Health Division. Since then, she has contributed to several projects on health systems’ characteristics and performance, providers’ payments, pharmaceutical policies and regional variations in health care use. She co-ordinated and co-authored the OECD reports New Health Technologies – Managing Access, Value and Sustainability (2017) and Pharmaceutical Innovation and Access to Medicines (2018). She is responsible for most OECD projects related to pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Previously, she was researcher at the French Institute of Research and Information on Health Economics (IRDES), a non-for-profit organisation. She participated in research projects on pharmaceutical policies, physicians’ payment schemes, health accounts and comparative analysis of health systems. She holds a master’s degree in Economics, statistics and econometrics from the University of Paris 1-Sorbonne (1990).
Governance & Team » Expert Advisory Group
Fatima Suleman
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Fatima Suleman
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Fatima Suleman is a Professor in the School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Professor, and former Prince Claus Chair of Development and Equity: Affordable (Bio)Therapeutics for Public Health (until September 2018) at Utrecht University. She is a Fulbright Alumnus (Fulbright Scholar 2002-2004). She has received numerous grants from the National Research Foundation, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Medical Research Council and the National Institute of Health. She has been appointed by the Minister of Health to serve on the National Pricing Committee (2010-current) and is currently the Chair of the Pricing Committee. She was appointed on the World Health Organization Pricing Policy Guideline Committee (2011-2012); Rapporteur for the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines for 2017 and 2019 and appointed as Chair of the WHO informal advisory group on Availability and Affordability of Cancer Medicines for 2018. She also has collaborations with the Oslo Cochrane Centre, in the field of pharmaceutical policy. She has been appointed to the World Health Organization’s Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Evaluation (2017 – 2021), and as a council Member for the African Forum on Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) PI Council from 2016 to date. She is currently an expert member of the Guideline Development Group for updating WHO Guideline on Country Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies for 2019-2020.
MPP Staff (A to Z)
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Landry Bertaux
Biologic Health Products Expert
Landry Bertaux
Biologic Health Products Expert
Landry Bertaux joined the Medicines Patent Pool in February 2022 as Biologic Health Products Expert within the newly created Technology Transfer Unit. Before joining MPP, Landry worked for 17 years at Sanofi Pasteur in Formulation and Drug Substance Process Development before leading the CMC activities (Manufacturing, Testing and associated Regulatory and Quality) for New Vaccines in Development. Landry holds a Master of Science in Biotechnology from the European High School of Biotechnology (Germany, Switzerland, France) and a Master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Strasbourg University (France).
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Tiwadayo Braimoh
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Tiwadayo Braimoh
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Tiwadayo Braimoh joined the Medicines Patent Pool in February 2021 as Policy and Advocacy Manager. After 9 years of working in sales, marketing and business development in the pharmaceutical industry, Tiwadayo joined Clinton Health Access Initiative in 2013 where he held several positions in Nigeria and Rwanda, mainly focusing on access and health policy. His last position was as Senior Technical Advisor for Health Financing at the Ministry of Health, Rwanda. At MPP, he works on the policy aspects of COVID-19 with a focus on Africa. Tiwadayo holds a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He is also a Pharmacist and Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Esteban Burrone
Head of Policy and Advocacy
Esteban Burrone
Head of Policy and Advocacy
Esteban Burrone is our Head of Policy. Esteban has been with us since we were established, in 2010, and oversees our partnerships with a wide range of external organisations. These include governments, intergovernmental organisations, civil society and community-based organisations. He is part of our senior management team and has overall responsibility for our Patents and Licences Database MedsPaL and for the annual Prioritisation report. Esteban has more than 15 years of experience working in the field of innovation, IP rights and access to medicines with a focus on developing countries. Esteban holds a Master of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, a Master in Business Administration from the International University in Geneva and a Master in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Marco Casalini
Business Development Manager
Marco Casalini
Business Development Manager
Marco Casalini joined the Medicines Patent Pool as Business Development Manager in June 2021, bringing professional experience in the healthcare industry, mainly working in the Alliance Management & Licensing department at the Menarini Group and in the Management Consulting division at Accenture, where he gained experience in IN & OUT-licensing and management of key partnerships.
Marco holds a master’s degree in Management from Bocconi University in Milan (Italy) and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Perugia (Italy).
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Aditi Das
Business Development Manager, Technical and Regulatory Affairs
Aditi Das
Business Development Manager, Technical and Regulatory Affairs
Aditi Das joined the Medicines Patent Pool in January 2021 as Business Development Manager, Technical and Regulatory Affairs, at the Indian Liaison Office in Mumbai. Aditi supports the Business Development team with respect to the technical and regulatory aspects of drug product development. Aditi has a rich experience of 18 years in diverse areas of drug product development including formulation and process development, technology transfer and Quality by Design across several organisations including Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, Novartis, and Zydus Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining MPP, Aditi was heading the Centre of Excellence for topical products for Zydus Pharmaceuticals. Aditi holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Banaras Hindu University, India.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Meghmala Das
Business Development Manager
Meghmala Das
Business Development Manager
Meghmala Das is a Business Development Manager and joined the Medicines Patent Pool in October 2017. At MPP, she is responsible for alliance and partnership management in addition to analysing data for monitoring progress of projects. She brings a wealth of experience in data analysis and project management to this role having worked previously at Axtria in pharmaceutical analytics and the economics affairs department of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Meghmala holds a bachelor’s degree in business studies and a master’s degree in business economics, both from the University of Delhi.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Ruth Foley
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
Ruth Foley
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
Ruth Foley joined MPP as Monitoring and Evaluation Manager in June 2021. She brings with her 19 years of experience in the NGO sector, with specific expertise in monitoring, evaluation and strategy development as well as in advocacy on human rights, gender equality and HIV. Previous employers include the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Ruth holds a Master in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute in Geneva and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Lobna Gaayeb
Long-Acting Technologies Project Manager
Lobna Gaayeb
Long-Acting Technologies Project Manager
Lobna Gaayeb joined the Medicines Patent Pool in November 2019 as Long-Acting Technologies Project Manager. She supports the establishment of a long-acting technologies access hub, by bringing in her experience in scientific projects coordination acquired at the Institut Pasteur, where she managed for five years a 22-countries One Health Network of national laboratories, academia and public health institutions. Her previous work includes infectious diseases-related research and capacity building in low- and middle-income countries.
Lobna is Veterinarian by training. She holds a Masters in Biology and a PhD in Clinical Research, Technological Innovation and Public Health. She loves working in multicultural environments. Her native languages are Spanish, Arabic and French, and she speaks fluently English and Italian.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Charles Gore
Executive Director
Charles Gore
Executive Director
Charles Gore is the Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool. He took up the post in July 2018 following a career in patient representation and public health advocacy. In a short period of time, he has advanced the work of MPP in HIV and viral hepatitis and led the organisation’s strategy for expanding its mandate into essential medicines and COVID-19 treatments as well as the licensing of technology with an initial focus on COVID-19 vaccines and pandemic preparedness.
He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1995 and cirrhosis in 1998. In 2000 he set up The Hepatitis C Trust in the UK which he ran for 18 years. In 2002 he was treated and cured of the virus. He helped create the European Liver Patients Association and was its first President in 2004. In 2007 he organised a meeting of hepatitis patient organisations from around the world to agree on co-ordinated global action. From this emerged the decision to hold an annual World Hepatitis Day and to create a new NGO, the World Hepatitis Alliance, of which Charles was the President from 2007 until the end of 2017. As a result of advocacy by the Alliance and its members, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted successive viral hepatitis resolutions in 2010, 2014 and 2016, making World Hepatitis Day an official day, celebrated on 28 July every year, and endorsing the first Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis with the goal of eliminating hepatitis B and C by 2030.
In addition to direct advocacy with over 50 Ministries of Health, Charles has led on advising countries on finding sustainable domestic financing for hepatitis programmes, including health system elements such as infection control and blood and injection safety. Charles also sits on a number of national and international advisory bodies, including the WHO Director-General’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Committee for Viral Hepatitis and has been a member of all the WHO guideline development groups on testing and treating viral hepatitis.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Ike James
Head of Technology Transfer
Ike James
Head of Technology Transfer
Ike James joined MPP in March 2022 as Head of Technology Transfer within the newly created Technology Transfer Unit. He is part of our Senior Management Team and has the overall responsibility for overseeing MPPs work in technology transfer, local production in low- and middle-income countries and its role in the ACT-A/COVAX Manufacturing Workforce. Ike has held technical leadership positions at Biovac, Aspen Pharmacare, and Lonza prior to starting at MPP, culminating in approximately 16 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He has focused on the product development, technology transfer, and process validation of small molecules and biological products, together with the operationalisation of new state of the art manufacturing facilities, ensuring the successful commercial launch thereof and compliance to quality and regulatory requirements. Ike holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Muriel Lacombe
Finance and Administration Manager
Muriel Lacombe
Finance and Administration Manager
Muriel Lacombe joined the Medicines Patent Pool as Finance and Administration Manager in September 2018. Muriel works with the CFO and Head of Human resources, looking after the overall budget of the organisation and ensuring compliance with internal control systems. Muriel brings almost 10 years of experience in accounting, reporting and project management having served as Senior Financial Accountant for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and several companies in the private sector, in charge of bookkeeping, audits and reporting. Muriel holds a diploma of business administration from the Business School Nicolas-Bouvier as well as a master’s degree in management and business studies from the University of Geneva.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Nicola Loffredi
Business Development Manager
Nicola Loffredi
Business Development Manager
Nicola Loffredi joined the Medicines Patent Pool a Business Development Manager in September 2019 where he is responsible for the MPP’s pediatric product development portfolio. He has worked and lived in countries such as Italy, Panama, Monte Carlo, the United States and the United Kingdom during his career in the pharmaceutical and contract clinical research industry. Nicola holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Georgetown University in Washington D.C (USA) and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Brighton in England.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Amina Maillard
Patent Information Manager
Amina Maillard
Patent Information Manager
Amina Maillard joined the Medicines Patent Pool in September 2018 as Patent Information Manager. Part of the Policy and Advocacy team, she manages our Patents and Licences Database MedsPaL and performs patent searches and analyses. Amina, a registered Swiss and European Patent Attorney, brings to the organisation her broad experience as a patent specialist in the private sector, particularly in the field of biopharmaceuticals. Her experience extends from prior-art searching, performing patentability studies, patent drafting and prosecution, handling of patent and trademark portfolios to the management of intellectual property databases and systems. Before joining MPP, Amina worked for five years for two small companies active in the field of mechanics (medical devices, optics, security printing) after having worked for 14 years in the Intellectual of Property Department of the pharmaceutical company Merck-Serono S.A, based in Geneva. Amina holds a master’s degree in biology from the University of Geneva.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Mila Maistat
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Mila Maistat
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Mila Maistat joined the Medicines Patent Pool in May 2017 as Policy and Advocacy Manager, bringing more than 15 years of policy and advocacy experience in HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis to the organisation. She was most recently Senior Program Advisor with the Alliance for Public Health (International HIV/AIDS Alliance) where she led policy and policy activities to support the scale-up of hepatitis C diagnostics and treatment in Ukraine and other countries. Mila is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategy and Technical Advisory Group on viral hepatitis and the WHO guidelines’ development and peer-review groups as well as a member of the Lancet Commission on Accelerating the Elimination of Viral hepatitis. She also chaired the Hepatitis C Group for Unitaid’s non-governmental organisation (NGO) delegation and continues to serve as a member of the HIV in Europe Steering Committee. Mila was recognised by the Economist as one of the leading voices for advocacy to increase access to affordable diagnostics and treatment of viral hepatitis. Mila holds a master’s degree in English and German from Gogol State University and a master’s degree in Social Sciences and Technologies (Sociology, Public Relations) from the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. She speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English and German.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Gelise McCullough
Head of Communications
Gelise McCullough
Head of Communications
Gelise McCullough joined the Medicines Patent Pool in January 2020 as Head of Communications. Gelise is a public health professional with 20 years of experience. She has come from Unitaid where she worked for nearly 12 years in programme management and communication on range of innovative grants including intellectual property. She is dedicated to access to treatment and has worked with a wide range of partners, international, government and civil society, to ensure quality, adapted and affordable medicines and diagnostics are made available to those who need it most. She enjoys fostering partnerships and engaging stakeholders towards a common goal. Gelise has worked in communication roles with a number of International Organisations: United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF. Gelise holds a Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she specialised in health promotion. Her first degree was in Communications.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Hannah Moak
Business Development Manager, In-licensing
Hannah Moak
Business Development Manager, In-licensing
Hannah Moak joined the Medicines Patent Pool as Business Development Manager in April 2017 where she is responsible for the MPP’s in-licensing efforts. To this role, Hannah brings private sector experience in corporate strategy, alliance management, project management, marketing, and health education, most recently working at Vanda Pharmaceuticals. She has interned for the World Health Organization, the Atlanta Center for Medical Research and the National Institutes for Health and has co-authored research articles in the Journal of American Association of Animal Laboratory Science. Hannah is an Executive MBA candidate at the University of Geneva and holds a Masters degree in Public Health from George Washington University, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University, USA.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Abhijeet More
Business Development - Alliance Manager
Abhijeet More
Business Development - Alliance Manager
Abhijeet More joined the Medicines Patent Pool in October 2021 as Business Development – Alliance Manager at the Indian Liaison Office. Abhijeet is responsible for managing alliances with generic manufacturers (MPP licensees) and ensuring the fulfilment of contractual obligations. Abhijeet comes with 16 years of experience in international business development and sales in the pharmaceutical industry and medical devices in Europe and Africa, having worked for companies such as Cipla and Ipca laboratories in business development, and Meril Life Sciences in sales. Abhijeet has expertise in business development, forming and managing alliances between pharmaceutical distributors for commercialisation of products in Africa. Abhijeet holds a Post Graduation in Foreign Trade Management from MVIRDC, World Trade Centre, Mumbai and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Sébastien Morin
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Sébastien Morin
Policy and Advocacy Manager
Sébastien Morin joined the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) in May 2019 as Policy and Advocacy Manager, bringing more than six years of policy and advocacy experience in HIV and viral hepatitis to the organisation. He was since 2013 a Research Officer in the HIV Programmes and Advocacy Department of the International AIDS Society (IAS), where he led the work of the Industry Liaison Forum on paediatric HIV and regulatory affairs, as well as the efforts of the HIV Co-Infections and Co-Morbidities initiative in the areas of viral hepatitis (mostly hepatitis C) and tuberculosis.
Sébastien is author of several peer-reviewed and other publications on paediatric drug formulations, hepatitis C, people who inject drugs, regulatory affairs and treatment access, in addition to the scientific articles originating from his basic research work on antibiotic resistance and HIV infection.
Sébastien holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Laval University (Québec, Canada) and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Basel (Basel, Switzerland); he speaks French, English and Spanish.
At MPP, Sébastien’s work in the policy space covers various disease areas (including HIV and TB) and geographies (with a focus on the Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean regions). Sébastien is also involved in the paediatric space, contributing to the Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations (GAP-f).
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Monica Moschioni
Project Manager
Monica Moschioni
Project Manager
Monica Moschioni joined MPP in March 2022 as Project Manager within the newly created Technology Transfer Unit. Before joining MPP, Monica worked for six years at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on two multi-country MDR-TB Phase III clinical trials sponsored by MSF (TB-PRACTECAL and endTB) as Country Coordinator and Trial Manager. Before MSF, Monica worked for 15 years at Novartis Vaccines and GSK Vaccines in the Research and Development Department leading vaccine coverage evaluation projects in high -, low- and middle-income countriesfor vaccines in early or late development phase. Monica holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Bologna University (Italy), a Master in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK) and a Master of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Padova (Italy).
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Rajesh Murthy
Head of Alliance Management and Indian Operations
Rajesh Murthy
Head of Alliance Management and Indian Operations
Rajesh Murthy is associated with the Medicines Patent Pool’s Liaison Office in India since 2017. Rajesh brings more than 15 years of academic and pharmaceutical industry experience in R&D and project management. In his current role as the Head of Alliance Management and Indian Operations, Rajesh is responsible for overseeing all activities after the signing of the MPP licence with patent holders and generic manufacturers. He plays a pivotal role in managing these relationships with the goal of ensuring MPP’s licensed products are accessible to the patients in need in the LMICs. Rajesh holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, USA.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Kim Mwamelo
Scientific Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases
Kim Mwamelo
Scientific Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases
Kim joined the Medicines Patent Pool in September 2021 as Scientific Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases. She has extensive experience working in public health, research, and health systems strengthening in developing contexts. She brings a strong understanding of challenges and opportunities for uptake of medicines for non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries, invaluable for the selection of candidates for in-licensing. Before joining MPP, Kim has held positions with Embassy of Ireland/Irish Aid in Tanzania, ICAP at Columbia University in Tanzania; the National Institute for Medical Research and at the Ifakara Health Institute. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from Dartmouth College, USA, and is a medical doctor.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Sandra Nobre
Head of Business Development
Sandra Nobre
Head of Business Development
Sandra Nobre joined the Medicines Patent Pool in October 2018 as Head of Business Development. Sandra has had a successful career within the pharmaceutical industry over the past 17 years and in her previous position as the Senior Director of Global Business Development at pharmaceutical company Takeda. Sandra enjoys working internationally and integrates well with multicultural and multinational companies. She also has a deep knowledge of the global health care ecosystem. Sandra earned a Master of Science in Chemistry from Universidade de Coimbra, a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Instituto Superior Técnico (both in Portugal), and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Business Development from Université de Genève.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Nataliya Omelchuk
Associate Counsel
Nataliya Omelchuk
Associate Counsel
Nataliya Omelchuk joined the Medicines Patent Pool in September 2020 within the legal team as Associate Counsel, to work on negotiations and drafting of licensing agreements, as well as on a variety of MPP legal matters. Nataliya brings to MPP as a lawyer an extensive industry and non-for profit experience. As of lately, she was contributing to access to safe and affordable medicines for neglected diseases at Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in Geneva. Nataliya has received a law degree from the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine, a Master degree from University of Toulouse, France and an LL.M in International Arbitration Law from the University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Chan Park
General Counsel
Chan Park
General Counsel
Chan Park is the Medicines Patent Pool’s General Counsel. He has been with MPP since it was established in 2010, overseeing all legal matters of the organisation. As General Counsel, Chan forms a vital part of our negotiation team, and has successfully negotiated and drafted our licensing agreements. Before joining MPP, Chan was a member of the team at Unitaid that conceptualised and established our organisation. An attorney by training, Chan practised IP law with US firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, and served as Senior Technical and Policy Advisor for the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS unit in India. He has consulted for a number of international organisations, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization and Unitaid, on a range of issues related to IP and access to medicines. Chan received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, USA and his Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law, USA.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Manuele Piccolis
Scientific Manager: Infectious Diseases
Manuele Piccolis
Scientific Manager: Infectious Diseases
Manuele Piccolis joined the Medicines Patent Pool as Scientific Manager for Infectious Diseases in March 2020. He holds a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Geneva and he has an extensive experience in metabolism. Before joining MPP, Manuele worked at the Gladstone Institutes (CA), Harvard HSPH (MA), EPFL (CH). More recently he was responsible for the clinical evaluation of Rapid Diagnostic Test for infectious diseases in LMIC. In MPP, he joined the Business Development team bringing his scientific expertise in the evaluation of treatments that are candidates for in-licensing.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Maneesha Ranaut
Project Manager
Maneesha Ranaut
Project Manager
Maneesha Ranaut started working with the Medicines Patent Pool in February 2019 as an Executive Assistant at the Indian Liaison Office. She was then promoted to the position of Project Manager-Business Development in July 2021. Maneesha manages the internal relationships for the MPP Business Development Team and aids the out-licensing management activities. Before joining MPP, she was associated with Wilhelm Fricke as an Executive Assistant and Logistics Manager. Her previous employment with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts provided her with valuable hospitality experience. Maneesha graduated from the University of Himachal Pradesh in India with a Bachelor’s degree in Science.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Giulia Segafredo
Access Manager
Giulia Segafredo
Access Manager
Giulia joined the Medicines Patent Pool in June 2020 as Scientific Manager for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). She is part of the Policy and Advocacy team and she is in charge of supporting the selection of treatment candidates for the expansion of the in-licensing activities in the WHO Essential Medicine List. She spent the first seven years of her career working in the pharmaceutical industry following medical affairs and drug development activities. In the past five years, she worked at a non-governmental organisation focused on health system strengthening in sub-saharan Africa, in charge of various public health projects on the field. She is bringing to MPP her knowledge of profit, not-for-profit and academic sectors both in developed and developing countries and her experience of health systems in low resource settings in order to support the effort of selecting the right candidates for in-licensing.
Giulia holds a master degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technologies, a PhD in Epidemiology and is a registered Pharmacist.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Zongyuan Tang
Patent Information Officer
Zongyuan Tang
Patent Information Officer
Zongyuan Tang joined the Medicines Patent Pool in December 2021 as Patent Information Officer. A member of the Policy and Advocacy team, she supports the Patent Information Manager, and is responsible for medicines, vaccines, patents data entry and management, collecting information on pharmaceutical test data exclusivity, preparing listings of patents and patents applications and contributing to the further development of MedsPal and VaxPal databases. Prior to joining MPP, Zongyuan worked for the World Intellectual Property Organization for two years and a half in the Madrid Information System Division, Madrid Registry, Brands and Designs Sector, based in Geneva. Zongyuan holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and a double bachelors’ degree in Business Administration and Management from the Webster University of Geneva.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Sophie Thievenaz
Communications Manager
Sophie Thievenaz
Communications Manager
Sophie Thievenaz is our Communications Manager since October 2016, managing online communications, visual identity and branding, as well as events and publications. She also works closely with the Head of Communications to implement our communications strategy. Sophie acted as Head of Communications a.i. from June-December 2019. Sophie comes with a wealth of communications and advocacy experience, having served as Communications Officer for the Sanitation and Water for All Global Partnership, hosted by UNICEF in Geneva. Here, Sophie managed the organisation’s web and social media presence, publications and events. She also worked as the Communications and Campaign Coordinator for Yfoundations, a non-profit organisation working to address youth homelessness in Sydney, Australia, and for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Annecy, France. Sophie has a master’s degree in political science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques d’Aix-en-Provence and a postgraduate diploma in corporate social responsibility from the London Metropolitan Business School, UK.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Agnese Tonnina
Grants and Operations Manager
Agnese Tonnina
Grants and Operations Manager
Agnese joined the Medicines Patent Pool as Grants and Operations Manager in November 2020. She supports the Head of Strategy, Operations and Resource Mobilisation in ensuring the smooth running of the day-to-day operations of the organisation and the efficient management of grants and donor relations. Agnese is genuinely committed to work for organisations that ensure access to equal opportunities for all. She has worked in the non-profit sector for nearly 8 years as Programme Finance Associate, Afghanistan for the International Development Law Organization, as Project Officer, Somalia for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and most recently as Officer, Operational efficiency at the Global Fund. She holds a Master of Science degree in International Management from King’s College, London and a Bachelor of Arts from John Cabot University in Rome.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Priyanka Vagal
Office Assistant
Priyanka Vagal
Office Assistant
Priyanka Vagal joined the Medicines Patent Pool in October 2021 as Office Assistant, bringing more than nine years of experience working in the healthcare industry to the organisation. She is responsible for providing support to, and facilitating the smooth running of the India office through the maintenance of various administrative tasks, and the coordination with the Finance Department and Office Manager in MPP’s Geneva office. Prior to joining us, Priyanka worked in assistant roles for organisations such as Hopscotch Heath PVT Ltd, Reach therapy Center for Children, and Fortis hospital. Priyanka graduated in Home Science from SNDT University Mumbai, India.
Governance & Team » MPP Staff
Ashok Valechha
Business Development - Alliance Manager
Ashok Valechha
Business Development - Alliance Manager
Ashok Valechha joined MPP in March 2022 as Business Development – Alliance Manager at the Indian Liaison Office. At MPP, he is responsible for alliance management with generic manufacturers (MPP licensees). Ashok comes with 15 years of rich experience in pharma industry with a knowledge of generic pharmaceutical product development, project management and business development, having worked for companies such as Famy Care & Zydus Cadila. Prior to joining MPP, he was heading the Project Management function at Bliss GVS Pharma Ltd. Ashok holds a Bachelor’s in pharmacy and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Mumbai University.