Christiaan Vinkers
Chairman
Psychiatrist and full professor at the Amsterdam UMC, where he holds several key positions, including program leader of the MAPSS research program of Amsterdam Neuroscience. His journey began with degrees in Pharmacy, Medicine, and Law, culminating in a cum laude PhD focused on stress and behavior in rodents. Nationally, he is the founder of the STRESS-NL foundation, member of the KNAW ‘Raad Medische Wetenschappen’. Internationally, he is the Chair of the Resilience Network of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP). His research is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating insights from psychology, neuroscience, biology, and lived experiences with cutting-edge approaches such as big data analytics. His focus is on understanding stress and resilience in real-world and controlled settings, using daily life stress measurements and linking them to laboratory findings through consortia like DESTRESS (PI, NWO National Science Agenda) and Stress-in-Action (co-applicant, NWO-Gravitation).
Corette Ploem
Member
Prof. mr M.C. (Corrette) Ploem is for more than 30 years active in research, teaching and knowledge valorization in the field of health law. She works in the faculties of medicine and law, and she is specialized in the legal aspects of medical research and new technologies, such as genetics and whole genome analysis, AI, and so on. Among other things, she was for 12 years member of the Dutch Health Council; currently she fulfills the role of legal member of the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects, and she is editor-in-chief of the Dutch Journal of Health Law. Since 2022 she is professor on special appointment because of the Royal Dutch Medical Association on ‘Law, health care technology and medicine’ at the Law Faculty of the University of Amsterdam.
Dilge Kocabas
Member
A dedicated member of the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) for six years, she has held key leadership roles, including President (2023-2024) and now Immediate Past President. She has led initiatives on mental health, healthcare workforce challenges, violence against healthcare workers, and integrating digital health and AI into medical education. As a certified soft skills trainer, she provides training in communication, teamwork, leadership, and stress management, fostering adaptability and resilience among medical students. Additionally, she serves as a peer mentor at multiple universities, supporting students’ academic and career growth.
Liviu Moron
Member
A cybersecurity expert with over 15 years of experience across three countries, he specialises in helping public and private institutions mitigate the risks of cyberattacks.
Currently working at Cybershare, he holds advanced certifications from GIAC, including GPEN, GXPN, GAWN, and GMON, reflecting his deep expertise in the field.
Key areas of expertise include IT risk management and compliance, security testing, and raising cybersecurity awareness.
Manfred Pferzinger
Member
Deputy Academic Head and Head of the Institute for Health Management at IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, and a Research Associate at UMIT in Hall in Tyrol. With over a decade of entrepreneurial experience, his expertise spans business management, healthcare innovation, and medical standardisation. Focusing on human-centred healthcare solutions, particularly in nursing and medical practices, Manfred is a certified Design Thinking Coach dedicated to improving patient care and healthcare systems. A seasoned researcher, he has published extensively in international journals, advancing evidence-based practices in healthcare management.
Michele Calabro‘
Member
Michele is Director at EUREGHA, the European reference network for Regional and Local Health Authorities. As EUREGHA Director, he leads the work of the association’s secretariat, covering advocacy, knowledge exchange and partnerships, communication and projects. Prior to joining EUREGHA, Michele worked at the European Health Management Association at the European Patients’ Forum, and at DIGITALEUROPE. Throughout his career, Michele worked on several strategic EU-level projects including TO-REACH, DigitalHealthEurope, PERISCOPE, IN-4-AHA and BeWell.
Niek Klazinga
Member
Professor of Social Medicine at the University Medical Center/University of Amsterdam and a former strategic lead of the Health Care Quality and Outcomes program at the OECD. With over 30 years of experience in health services research and policy, he has published extensively on quality of care and health system performance. His research group is a WHO collaborating centre for quality and equity in primary healthcare. Dr. Klazinga advises organisations like WHO, the EU, and the World Bank and is a member of the Dutch Health Care Institute’s Quality Council. He has authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 43 PhD projects.
Sjaak Nouwt
Member
Legal consultant specialised in data protection and health law, serving as the director of Nouwt Consulting since 2001. He has also advised the Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG) on health law from 2009 to 2025. With over 20 years as an assistant professor at Tilburg University, he has extensive expertise in legal information technology, data protection, and health law. Dr. Nouwt chairs and serves on multiple healthcare data protection committees in the Netherlands and is a member of editorial boards for publications on data protection. He holds a PhD in privacy and IT in healthcare from Tilburg University.
Tim Mitnik
Member
Director of European Affairs at ENSA, overseeing policy and research initiatives to enhance healthcare and well-being across Europe. ENSA represents nursing students from the entire WHO Europe region, offering a platform to drive meaningful change. Additionally, as President of the Student Board of the Florence Network, efforts are focused on fostering international collaboration among future healthcare professionals. With a strong focus on building partnerships and developing sustainable healthcare strategies, this role involves connecting policymakers, researchers, and healthcare leaders to translate research into actionable solutions for well-being initiatives.