Speakers

Roberto Carlo Rossi, born in 1964, is the President of the Milan Medical Council since 2012. GP, Specialized in Cardiology at the University of Milan, at the same University he attended the Specialization Course in Management of Primary Care. He is contract professor of Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan.

In 2021 he was appointed Auditor of the FNOMCeO National College.

He has previously held the position of "expert for strategic choices relating to healthcare advertising".

He is President of the Examining Commission for the Final Examination of the course in General Medicine in the Lombardy region since 2006.

From January 2004 he is Provincial President, and since June 2007 Regional President of the S.N.A.M.I. (National Autonomous Union of Italian Doctors).

Doctor Andrea Senna graduated in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics in 1999 at the University of Milan and on 5 February 2008 obtained a PhD in Preventive Dentistry at the University of Sassari. On 11 November 2010 he obtained the title of Specialist in Dental Surgery with Honors at the University of Milan.

Since 1 January 2015 he has been President of the Dental Commission of the General Medical Council of Surgeons and Dentists of Milan and on 1 January 2018 he was elected Vice President of the said Council. Since 2021 he has been a member of the National Committee of Dentists and of the Central Committee of the FNOMCeO. In October 2023 he achieves the “Cross with Swords” of the Knightly Order pro Merito Melitensi for his efforts during Covid-19 in support of the humanitarian works of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Attilio holds a B.A. and M.A. Summa Cum Laude in Political Sciences, International Relations and European Affairs from the Catholic University of Milan. He started his career as political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in Washington D.C. He then moved to Brussels where he specialized in European Public Affairs working as an in-house lobbyist for several corporations, executive for a global industry association and strategic advisor for a Dutch lobbying firm. He is an Italian native speaker fluent in English, German and French.

Attilio also acts as Director General of WIA, a global industry association representing the interests of iodine producers, processors, formulators, distributors and end users. In this capacity he oversees the organisation’s advocacy towards international institutions and key stakeholders.

Professor Zimmermann’s research field is human nutrition with a focus on micronutrient deficiencies. His emphasis is on the health effects of iron, iodine, zinc and calcium deficiencies and the development of food-based strategies to correct them. His expertise includes trace mineral biochemistry, nanotechnology for nutrition, novel biomarkers and stable isotope techniques.

Michael Zimmerman has been a Professor of Human Nutrition at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology since 2012.

He was born in Michigan, USA, in 1958 and holds both Swiss and US citizenships.

Professor Zimmermann concluded his studies in Biological Sciences at the State University of New York, NY, USA with a B.A. in 1981. In 1988 he received his M.D. from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA and in 1994 he earned an M.Sc. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, CA USA.

From 1992-1995 he held a post-doctoral fellowship in Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of California, San Francisco.

Since 1996 he worked at ETH Zurich, first as a Senior Scientist and from 2004-2011 as a Senior Lecturer (Privatdozent). From 2006-2011 Michael Zimmermann was the Professor of Micronutrients and International Health at Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands. Since 2012, he is a Guest Professor in the Endocrinology and Diabetes Section at the University of Zurich Hospital. 

PhD Inger Aakre is a nutritionist and senior researcher at Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Bergen, Norway. She has experience with various iodine related projects, both related to iodine deficiency and excess. Currently she is partner in the EU project “EUthyroid2”( EUthyroid2)  and will be involved in the iodine awareness intervention study among young women in Norway.

Dr. Maria Andersson is senior scientist at the Nutrition Research Unit, University Children’s Hospital Zurich and lecturer at ETH Zurich. Her research interest is micronutrient malnutrition, with specific focus on iodine nutrition. Maria holds an MSc in Nutrition from the University of Stockholm (1999) and received her PhD in Human Nutrition from ETH Zurich (2010). She worked as technical officer at WHO headquarter in Geneva and as senior scientist at ETH Zurich. She is the president of the Swiss Fluoride and Iodine Commission of Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences and serves on several international technical advisory committees.

Dr. Sarah Bath is a Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Surrey. Sarah has been researching iodine nutrition in the UK since 2009 when she started her PhD on the iodine status of UK pregnant women. Through collaboration with the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), she showed that even mild-to-moderate (as opposed to severe) iodine deficiency in UK pregnant women is associated with adverse cognitive outcomes in the child. She recently held an MRC Population Health Scientist Fellowship (2013-2016) to continue iodine research in the UK.Sarah is a registered dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council and has worked as a clinical dietitian in the NHS. She therefore aims to translate research findings into practical advice and is author of a fact sheet on iodine that is published through the British Dietetic Association.

Dr Lisbeth Dahl is a nutritionist and senior researcher at Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Bergen, Norway. She is an experienced scientist with extensive expertise in various iodine related projects. At IMR, she is responsible for analysing a wide range of nutrients in various types of seafood, which are then available in the “Seafood database” (seafood data). Currently she is partner in the EU project “EUthyroid2”( EUthyroid2)  and will be involved in the iodine awareness intervention study among young women in Norway.

Ans Eilander is the Lead Scientist in micronutrients and health at the Unilever Foods Innovation Centre 'Hive' in the Netherlands. Since 2003, she has led scientific programs supporting the development of fortified products, including cooking aids fortified with iodine, iron, and zinc. Her current research focuses on micronutrients in the context of the shift to a healthier and more sustainable plant-based diets. Ans holds an MSc in Nutrition & Health and a PhD in Nutrition and Cognition from the department of Human Nutrition and Health at the Wageningen University, Netherlands.

Clare Farrand is a Public Health Nutritionist, and the Technical Officer for Nutrition within the Division of the Special initiative on NCDs and Innovation, at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.  With over 15 years of international experience in public health, Clare has focused on the primary prevention of nutrition and diet related noncommunicable diseases.

Prior to joining WHO, Clare held Senior positions at The George Institute for Global Health, where she facilitated the translation of research into evidence-based policy recommendations. Clare also worked in the UK on their successful salt reduction programme before going on to lead the international salt reduction advocacy programme at World Action on Salt and Health.

Clare currently provides technical support to Member States of the WHO European Region on a diverse range of public health initiatives. Her areas of expertise include front-of-pack labelling, salt reduction, trans fat elimination, promotion of healthy and sustainable diets, protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding, as well as the implementation of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes. Through her work, Clare aims to empower Member States to implement evidence-based policies and interventions that promote better health outcomes and contribute to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.

Joyce Greene has spent much of her career working on advocacy for improved nutrition, beginning with UNICEF’s World Summit for Children in 1990. 

With UNICEF, she has produced video and media materials for advocacy and international broadcast, and developed major audiovisual communications products. 

At UNICEF’s Nutrition Section, she developed strategies and tools to influence policymakers and the public on nutrition, including vitamin A supplementation and the global campaign to eliminate Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), and organized events recognizing international global progress with heads of state, government and celebrities. 

As part of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement communication task force of UN agencies, CSOs and donor governments, she worked to develop global strategies to build awareness of the importance of adequate nutrition.

In her role at IGN, she is passionate about the need to increase global awareness of the importance of iodine nutrition through efforts such as the recently produced WHO/IGN report on prevention and control of iodine deficiency in the WHO European Region.

Coming soon.

Linda Henderson is vice president  at Thyroid Federation International (TFI) and a former Project Manager at the Italian European Patients’ Academy (EUPATI), a consortium that helps bring together patients, academia, non-profit organisations, and regulators. As a thyroid patient advocate, she has worked and translated an educational booklet: "Mr. Iody and Little Salty – Best Friends”, aimed to inform children aged 6 to 10 on the importance of iodine and the correct use of salt. She has been actively involved in the MotherBabyIodine (MBI) project. Together with WIA, IGN, GAIN, and other organisations, she has been working on several awareness campaigns to increase awareness of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) by educating the public on the safety and efficacy of the use of iodised salt to prevent iodine deficiency, especially in women of reproductive age. At the 2nd WIA International Conference on Iodine in Food Systems and Health in November 2022 in Rotterdam, she illustrated a patient advocacy approach towards IDD.

Dr. Katja Hora is a graduate from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and has a ‎PhD  from the University of Amsterdam. She is the research manager in  SQM’s global ‎development team.  Her objective is the development of water-soluble specialty plant ‎nutrition for maximum crop yield and quality, to grow crops with less water, prevent ‎salinity stress and increase the resilience of crops to challenging climatic conditions. ‎Translation of academic knowledge to practical advice for farmers is key. She is the co-‎author of the book “Nutrient solutions for greenhouse crops”, and of publications on ‎iodine in plant nutrition or agronomic biofortification. ‎

Dr. Izzeldin Hussein, a distinguished public health and nutrition biochemistry expert, holds a PhD and Executive MBA from the UK, and a diploma in Global Health. He advises on public health nutrition in the MENA region and coordinates for the Iodine Global Network. As a WHO and UNICEF consultant, he has shaped vital nutrition policies, promoted breastfeeding, and addressed obesity prevention. Dr. Izzeldin’s efforts in Oman include advancing food security and the green hydrogen project. He is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition and founded the Regional Iodized Salt Producers Association and he has been advancing the Iodine Nutrition program around the world . His extensive work in Ethiopian refugee camps and his numerous publications emphasize iodine nutrition. He is a member of several notable nutrition associations.

I first ventured into the domain of nutrition when I joined the department of nutrition of the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in 1997 as a consultant community physician. I was thereon deployed by the MRI to obtain my in-service training in nutrition at the University of London/Royal London hospital in the UK. There, I familiarized myself with public health and clinical nutrition and created my lifelong personal nutrition network. I thereon returned to SL and took over the position of head of the department of nutrition at MRI. In my latter capacity I spearheaded many national level surveys. The national iodine and vitamin A surveys, the post tsunami and post conflict nutritional surveys are noteworthy mentions of my work at MRI. These surveys catalyzed public policy changes resulting in the acceleration of the universal salt iodisation program, initiation of the vitamin A megadose program, and initiation of the nutrition rehabilitation program; which respectively lead to the elimination of iodine deficiency, vitamin A deficiency and reduction in SAM and MAM by 50%. I, took a brief hiatus of 5 years from MRI and joined UNICEF. While at UNICEF, I took on and succeeded at introducing the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Multiple Micronutrient Programme (MNP) and multi-sector nutrition action plan in SL. Upon my return to MRI, I challenged myself further, and set my mind to training a new generation of nutrition physicians in SL to ensure sustenance of my efforts. My aim was for these physicians to be both clinicians and researches, impacting both the curative and public health sectors. I began my propaganda to create a MSc and MD in nutrition postgraduate training programs and succeeded. There are now 150 physicians, who were trained in nutrition and worked as a mentor, embodying my vision across SL. I am a public health specialist, clinician, a researcher and an academic. I retired from the Government services on 30.06.2023 and hoping to expand my “Beating Diseases” series to help patients and public.

Prof. Dr. Festo Kavishe, currently the IGN RC for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) (2017-2024) and an Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology, has worked on the prevention and control of  IDD for over 45 years doing research; multistakeholder advocacy and communication and doing strategic programmatic planning for IDD control and prevention. He led the first National Endemic Goitre and Cretinism survey in Tanzania (1979-1982), which resulted in the development of a National IDD programme and revision of the global goitre grading classification. He is a founding Board member of ICCIDD (1985), and founder of the Tanzania National Council for the Control of IDD (NCCIDD) in 1985 which is still functional todate. He has provided leadership in the prevention and control of IDD in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region including being the first ICCIDD Regional Coordinator (1986-1994), supported the development of the national IDD programmes in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and  Zimbabwe.  He also led the development of the first USI/IDD Multipartner Regional  Coordinating Mechanisms in ESA region (1986-1996), which he helped revamp in 2019 following the Mombasa Regional Consultation and its outcome Regional Strategic Action Plan (2020-2024). Based on the experience of the USI/IDD Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM), in 2023 he facilitated expansion of the USI/IDD RCM to cover overall food fortification with SADC and ECSA-HC as co-chairs and IGN, GAIN and NI as the Secretariat, with other members being IGAD, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WFP, FFI and USAID. The Food Fortification/Universal Salt Iodation Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Eastern and Southern Africa is expected to hold its first region-wide Consultative meeting in July 2024.

Prof. Kavishe worked with UNICEF for 20 years (1993- 2013) and Government of Tanzania for 15 years (1978-1993).  Positions held at UNICEF included: Deputy Regional Director for East Asia and Pacific (2008-2013); Representative in Zimbabwe (2001-2008) and Eritrea (1999-2001); Chief of Programme in Cambodia (1996-1999); and Regional Nutrition Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa (1993-1996). With the Government of Tanzania positions held were: Managing Director of the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) (1987-1994); Director of Community Health and Nutrition/Medical Nutrition TFNC (1980-1989); and District Medical Officer (DMO) (1979-1980).

Prof. Kavishe holds several degrees including a Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1978);  Master of Science (MSc.) in Human Nutrition, University of London, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1982); and (iii) Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) (course work), University of Uppsala, Sweden (1993). Prof. Kavishe has also been awarded two honorary Doctor of Science degrees (Honoris Causa) (HonDSc) by the International Biographical Centre (IBC), Cambridge, England in 2016 and the Commonwealth University in 2022. He has two certificates IDD on IDD first from the University of Brussels, Belgium (1987) on Control of endemic goitre; and the second from the University of Lubeck, Germany (1991) on thyroid ultrasound for goitre measurement.

Peter Lakwijk is Treasurer of Thyroid Federation International (TFI), project leader for the MotherBabyIodine project and Work package leader in the Euthyroid2 project, 23 years volunteering as board member of patient organizations in Netherlands and Sweden and in TFI. Before retiring he was a fulltime IT-manager.

He has been a co-author of medical guidelines on thyroid diseases in the Netherlands and Sweden and on several scientific articles based on the E-MPATHY study.

Education:
Markus Lanz holds an Executive MBA and a Swiss Federal Diploma in Logistics Management, which has provided him with in-depth knowledge in the areas of business administration, logistics, supply chain management and business management.

Professional background:
He began his career as a plant manager in the manufacturing industry before gaining his first experience in logistics as head of a logistics center. His further career then took him to corporate engineering and corporate IT at an international Swiss mining and minerals group. Here he gained valuable experience in the international business environment. He then distinguished himself as a business unit manager in a large German systems and software company with global responsibility for shipping automation, before returning to his roots in logistics.
Actually, he serves as the Chief Sales Officer of InterLog Management GmbH, a company specializing in innovative logistics solutions. In this position, he is responsible for the strategic direction of sales and contributes significantly to the development and implementation of business concepts that focus on both efficiency and customer satisfaction. Under his leadership, the company has made significant progress in optimizing logistics and supply chains.

Involvement in the Kiwanis International organization:
In addition to his professional career, Markus Lanz is known for his strong community involvement. He is a distinguished past governor of the Kiwanis District of Switzerland-Liechtenstein, where he has been very active in helping children and young people. In this role, he launched numerous initiatives to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged children.
As a trustee of the Kiwanis Children's Fund, Markus Lanz continues to support projects that benefit children in need. His unwavering commitment to social justice and his efforts to effect positive change make him a respected figure within the Kiwanis community.

Personal Life:
Markus Lanz lives in Switzerland and is known for his outgoing and communicative personality. In addition to his family, he devotes his free time to various social projects and activities that promote the well-being of children.

PhD Synnøve Næss Sleire is a dietitian and a post-doctor at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway. She finished her PhD two years ago focusing on iodine status and thyroid function in pregnant women and their infants. Currently she is partner in the EU project “EUthyroid2”( EUthyroid2)  and will be involved in the iodine awareness intervention study among young women in Norway.

Adriana Nosewicz has spent more than 15 years working with European associations. Adriana is a lawyer by training and she has worked for a series of food association including European Potato Processors Association (EUPPA), International Stevia Council and Soft Drinks Europe. She is fluent in Polish, English, Italian, has good knowledge of French and a basic understanding of Dutch.

At Kellen, Adriana leads the Food Cluster in Brussels and supports colleagues in strategic direction of the associations they manage. She also works as Managing Director of the European Salt Producers’ Association (EUsalt). EUsalt represents 28 producers of crystallised and brined salt located in 19 countries from Europe and beyond. Working in close collaboration with its members, the association encourages best practices on many aspects of production, including energy and resource efficiency, food and feed and water consumption.

Dr. Elizabeth N. Pearce, MD, MSc is a Professor of Medicine and the Endocrine Fellowship Program ‎Director at Boston University School of Medicine in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and ‎Nutrition. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard and a masters’ ‎degree in epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health. She completed her ‎residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and her fellowship in ‎endocrinology at Boston University. She was the 2018-2019 President of the American Thyroid ‎Association. She serves as the Regional Coordinator for North America for the Iodine Global ‎Network. She is a Deputy Editor at the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and has ‎served in multiple additional editorial roles, including as an Associate Editor for Endocrine ‎Practice, Clinical Thyroidology, and Thyroid. She co-chaired the 2017 American Thyroid ‎Association’s Thyroid in Pregnancy Guidelines Task Force and is a member of the current task ‎force for revising that guideline. She is currently serving on a World Health Organization guideline ‎advisory panel related to assessment of iodine nutrition. Her research interests include the ‎sufficiency of dietary iodine in the U.S., thyroid function in pregnancy, the thyroid effects of ‎environmental disruptors, and the cardiovascular effects of subclinical thyroid dysfunction. Dr. ‎Pearce was the 2011 recipient of the American Thyroid Association’s Van Meter Award for ‎outstanding contributions to research on the thyroid gland and the 2018 Women in Thyroidology ‎Woman of the Year.‎

Pierdomenico Perata is Professor of plant physiology at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa (Italy). He previously worked at the universities of Pisa (1991-1999), Bari (1999-2000) and Modena (2000-2004) and in Japan, at Nagoya University (1996-1997). In 1994 he received the „FESPB Award“, which is awarded by the Federation of European Societies of Plant Physiology (FESPB) Congress for excellence in scientific achievements. His publication record includes papers in the most important plant science journals, including Nature, Nature Communications, Plos Biology, Nature Plants, The Plant Cell, The Plant Journal, Plant Physiology, Trends in Plant Science and many others, which received over 6000 citations. His research interests include plant stress physiology, plant hormone physiology, and sugar sensing and signalling.

Arnold Timmer, MSc in Nutrition, has 30 years of experience in the field of nutrition and micronutrients.

He provided leadership in areas of food fortification, home fortification, the positioning of nutrition in the development agenda, the scaling up of nutrition programs in countries, and in food systems.

He has been working with the Iodine Global Network since 2019 as Senior Adviser and as member of the core team he focuses on supporting IGN efforts in Asia, the Middle East and Africa specifically. He further contributes to the advancement of the equity and sustainability of iodine programs.

Prior to 2019, he worked with UNICEF, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, WHO, CDC US, MSF, Terre des Hommes, and UNHCR.

Henry Völzke is professor for clinical-epidemiological research and head of the ICM – SHIP/ Clinical-Epidemiological Research department at the University Medicine Greifswald with professional background of certificated internist.

He has been involved in research projects funded by European Union, the German Research Foundation and numerous other public and private funding bodies and is member of several large national and international research consortia.

His broad research interests cover common, population-relevant diseases including thyroid and other endocrine disorders, cardiovascular, metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases. In PubMed he is listed with more than 1000 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

He is PI of the Studies of Health in Pomerania, Scientific Director of the German National Cohort as well as Co-PI of the GANI_MED project and the Greifswald site of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research.

He coordinated the EU funded EUthyroid and currently leads the EUthyroid2 consortium.

Henry Völzke is past president of the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi) e.V, member of the Arbeitskreis Jodmangel and the German representative in the Iodine Global Network (IGN).

Dr. Petra Klassen Wigger is the global R&D Scientific Advisor for Nutrition and Health. She holds a PhD ‎in Nutrition from the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. After five years of research activities in ‎Guatemala she joined Nestlé working in different functions, first at Nestlé Research and consequently ‎in the Nestlé Nutrition Institute. During her time as Medical & Scientific Affairs Manager at the Nestlé ‎Nutrition Institute she strengthened the institute’s contribution to the nutrition communication for ‎healthcare professionals through peer reviewed publications, accredited e-learning and trainings. She ‎also co-chaired the Health & Wellness pillar of the Consumer Goods Forum and, in this role, delivered a ‎sharper strategy for the pillar.  As scientific advisor she has been scoping untapped opportunities in ‎relevant consumer trends and built a strong foundation for the Nestlé for Healthier Kids program to ‎establish healthier eating habits. She is currently working on various projects related to nutrition and ‎health such as tackling undernutrition through micronutrient fortification.

Nutritionist, expertise in public nutrition program management,

Associate Professor of Nutrition ‎at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima,

Honorary  member of the Peruvian College ‎of Nutritionist,

Co-founder and former Deputy Director of the National Program for iodine ‎deficiency disorders PRONABCE,1988-1992, National Advisor 1993-2000,

Consultant for UNICEF-‎Peru in the child development program with enphasis in micronutrients program 2000-2006,

Active member of Iodine Global Network (IGN), and  focal point peru, 2006-2016,

Regional Coordinator  for IGN South America,2018- to the present.‎