Thematic sessions at ESCAIDE 2026

Thomas Hofmann is heading the Section 'Emergency Preparedness and Response' at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm. This Section also hosts the Secretariat for the EU Health Task Force, which supports countries in their national preparedness and response work. Moreover, he is member of the GOARN Steering Committee and involved in collaborations and projects with countries and national CDC’s around the world. In his capacity he has also been guiding the design and implementation of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessments (PHEPA), which became mandatory for all EU/EEA countries in 2024. 

Before he joined the Centre in 2021, he was working for WHO and the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) in various offices and functions. Besides directly supporting low- and middle-income countries with capacity building and during response operations, he was engaged in several multi-sectoral projects and processes related to preparedness planning, e.g. One Health, aviation and transport, civilmilitary collaboration, etc.

Bjørn G. Iversen, MD, MSc, PhD, is Specialty Director at Division of Infection Control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). He is a medical doctor by training from the University of Bergen and holds a PhD in communicable disease epidemiology from the University of Oslo, as well as an MSc in Communicable Disease Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 

He has more than 30 years’ experience in public health, mainly in two fields: 1. Surveillance, prevention and control of communicable diseases at NIPH; 2. Global health and international collaboration working for NIPH and the World Health Organization, and with the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) in describing and developing the roles of national public health institutes (NPHIs) on the global scene and fostering global collaborations. From 2022 he has been leading Norway’s participation in the European Partnership for Pandemic Preparedness Research – BE READY and coordinating NIPHs engagement with the EU in the field of communicable diseases.

Tonje Sande Laird, MD, PhD, is a Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). A physician by training, she combines her clinical background with more than 16 years of experience in research and public health.

Dr. Laird earned her medical degree and PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Following her doctoral research, she held post-doctoral research fellowships at the University of Edinburgh, including the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre and the UK Biobank, where she worked on epidemiological and population health studies. She later joined Public Health Scotland, contributing to both the national COVID-19 response and a respiratory infection surveillance programme. At NIPH, Dr. Laird contributes to national and European initiatives aimed at strengthening pandemic preparedness. She leads PandemiNett, Norway’s national network for pandemic research preparedness, and is actively involved in the EU-funded BeReady Partnership, one of Europe's largest collaborative initiatives in this field. Through these initiatives, she works to strengthen research preparedness, coordination, and collaboration across disciplines and countries.

Drawing on experience from clinical medicine, research, and public health, she brings a multidisciplinary perspective to strengthening preparedness and collaboration across the research and public health sectors.

Evelyn Depoortere, MD, MPH, is a medical doctor, trained in tropical medicine and international public health. She has over 20 years of experience in infectious diseases emergency preparedness and response. 

She started her career as a field epidemiologist, contributing to international epidemic investigations and response activities, and implementing operational research. She gradually moved to more European focused preparedness and response, as part of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). End of 2015, Evelyn joined the European Commission, where she continues working in the area of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response, with a focus on research policy. She currently serves as Team Leader for Public Health Emergencies Research Preparedness and Response at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD).

Charlotte Deogan, PhD, MPH, is an Expert in Communicable Disease Prevention and Control at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), specialising in the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis. She monitors progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international targets and supports EU/EEA countries through monitoring, evidence synthesis, policy development and public health guidance. Her work aims to strengthen disease prevention, testing, treatment and care, with a particular focus on health equity and access to services for people in vulnerable situations, including migrants and other underserved populations.

Before joining ECDC, Charlotte has extensive experience from the national level in Sweden and the WHO Headquarters in Geneva in the fields of public health planning and decision making, HIV/STI prevention and sexual and reproductive health. 

More information will be available soon.

Abimbola Ajomale is a Project Leader and Community Health Specialist based in Malmö, Sweden, working with Noaks Ark Mosaik to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights among migrants and underserved populations. His work centers on HIV prevention, integrated testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and Syphilis, and health education initiatives that reduce stigma and improve access to care.

Before relocating to Sweden, Abimbola trained and practiced in Nigeria as a clinician and public health practitioner, with extensive involvement in HIV care and community-based interventions, shaping his commitment to health equity and evidence-based practice.

At Noaks Ark Mosaik, Abimbola leads and contributes to EU-funded initiatives including the CORE Project, CREATE collaboration, MI-Health, and integrated testing programs, alongside a Swedish Institute-funded SI Baltic Sea seed grant strengthening cross-border community health approaches between Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Sweden.

At ESCAIDE 2026, Abimbola will present on community-based HIV and STI prevention, testing, and care support for migrants through outreach and partnerships, drawing on frontline experience to highlight practical models for reaching underserved populations across Europe from a Swedish model through the NoaksArk Mosaik approach.

Margarida Torres, MD, is an Infectious Diseases physician with a certified competency in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) from the Portuguese Medical Council (2025), and a European Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control (2026). She also has a particular interest and experience in tuberculosis (TB), and infections in immunocompromised patients.

For the past three years, she has been a member of the Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship team at ULS São José, a tertiary healthcare institution in Lisbon, where she contributes to AMS activities, including antimicrobial prescription review and case discussion, development of local guidelines, epidemiological surveillance, outbreak prevention and response, and healthcare professional training.

Additionally, she provides clinical care at CDP Dr. Ribeiro Sanches, a reference centre for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of TB, including MDR-TB and other difficult-to-treat forms of the disease. She is involved in national and international research collaborations, scientific projects, and professional working groups in the fields of AMS, IPC, TB, and infection in solid organ transplant. She is a member of the team implementing Saúde + Perto, a collaborative programme between the Portuguese League Against AIDS and CDP Dr. Ribeiro Sanches, supporting access to healthcare for vulnerable populations.

Gonçalo Bento is a Social Worker, with a Master's degree in Social Work from ISCTE-IUL (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa). Volunteer of Liga Portuguesa Contra a SIDA, currently Manager of the project 'Interfreguesias' and since 2015 working as a Social Worker at the Psychosocial Support Center 'Espaço Liga-te'.

Throughout the last decade has developed and collaborated in several projects of this institution on health and education, in the areas of sexuality as well as in the areas of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections

More information will be available soon.

More information will be available soon.

Ulrika Björkstén is Secretary-General of Public & Science Sweden, where she works to promote dialogue between the academic society and the general public. She holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), and has worked for almost three decades as a science writer and producer, including more than ten years as Editor-in-Chief of the science newsroom at Swedish Radio. In 2023, she received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Arts at Uppsala University. 

Sébastien Français is Head of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit at the Luxembourg Health Directorate. He has extensive experience in health emergency preparedness and response, including coordination with European and international partners. He has represented Luxembourg within the EU, WHO, NATO and ECDC, and was previously seconded to the European Commission. He also contributed as an expert to the European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness, bringing a public health perspective to discussions on citizen-centered preparedness.

Stacey Vickers is a senior communications and policy professional with extensive experience in the European Commission, the British Government and the private sector. She is currently acting team leader on the Knowledge Network Team for EU Civil Protection, and was policy lead for the European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness. Stacey has also worked in BBC broadcasting and news and as an acting spokesperson for the European Commission.

Jörgen Lööf has been working with ElectriCITY in Stockholm since 2015, an innovation platform bringing together companies, academia, public authorities and citizens. His work focuses on how to get citizen engaged in practical projects in smart energy, sustainable transport and circular economy. He is involved in the Hammarby Sjöstad 2.0 initiative, where models are tested and tried for living a more sustainable life, with the aim to spread the knowledge to other city districts and countries. He also regularly shares his experience with international delegations, conferences and events.

After graduating medical school at the University of Athens, Dr Baka specialised in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Cook County Hospital and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, respectively. She worked for 16 years in public health at the National Public Health Organisation in Athens, Greece in various areas including bioterrorism, response to emerging infectious diseases and public health preparedness.

She participated in the response to multiple public health crises such as the influenza pandemic 2009, response to the increased migrant flows 2015-2017 and emergence of vector borne diseases in Greece. She has extensive experience in training health care workers and first responders for raising awareness on various emerging threats. While working at the national level, she represented Greece as an expert in various EU level activities and committees in the area of public health, as well as contributing to multiple EU-funded projects as an independent expert.

She joined ECDC in 2018 as a principal expert in the Emergency Preparedness and Response section. Her area of work is mostly around response to health threats, risk assessments and their methodology, as well as developing guidance for preparedness planning and training public health professionals.   

Arménio José Louro Liceia is an EOD and CBRN Unit Commander at the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), Portugal, where he serves as a national-level expert in explosive ordnance disposal, CBRN response, hazardous materials, and security operations. He has extensive operational and command experience, including planning and coordinating EOD, IEDD, CIED, and CBRNe responses during major public events, such as World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon.

He is also involved in international cooperation and capacity-building initiatives. He serves as an expert for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), supporting the INSSP program and the preparation of nuclear security measures and emergency response arrangements for major public events. In addition, he contributes as an ECDC CBRN and biorisk awareness and mitigation expert, providing training and facilitation for health, safety and security authorities.

Mr. Louro Liceia has participated in and contributed to several European projects and initiatives related to CBRN preparedness, cross-sectoral cooperation, radiological security, EOD and emergency response. He holds a Master of Science in Police and Homeland Security and postgraduate studies in CBRN Security Management. He is also an experienced instructor and speaker on EOD, CBRN security and emergency response.

Paul is a principal expert in preparedness at the ECDC working in Emergency Preparedness and Response. He joined in May 2017 and is actively involved in leading work on simulation exercises, as well as developing preparedness training programmes for capacity building. 

Prior to working at ECDC, Paul worked for 13 years in the Emergency Response Department of Public Health England, where his role was to prepare the health community to respond to non-routine emergencies. This included leading the simulation exercise team and he has been involved in the design and delivery of over 100 exercises to as few as 20 and as many as 5000 participants. 

In emergencies where there is a public health component, Paul has occupied various roles in the emergency response. This included, in 2014, a key role in establishing and then managing the UK’s Ebola port screening programme and in 2006 acting as liaison between government departments during the Litvinenko response. Before working in the Emergency Response Department, Paul worked for many years as a microbiologist working on bio-detection in the environment.  This led to a brief deployment to Iraq as a UN weapons inspector in March 2003. 

João Simões is a Senior Police Officer and Senior Specialist at Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), where he leads work related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRN-E) threats. He has 20 years of law-enforcement experience, eight of which working at Europol.

His work focuses mainly on supporting European law-enforcement authorities in preventing, detecting and responding to CBRNE related security threats, combining operational support, intelligence analysis, threat assessment, capacity building and international cooperation. He works closely with European and international partners across the security, public-health and scientific communities, including ECDC, the European Commission, JRC, OPCW, IAEA, INTERPOL and other specialised organisations.

João has contributed to European terrorism threat assessments and has coordinated several international initiatives addressing CBRN preparedness, emerging technologies and cross-sector cooperation. His recent work includes examining the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in the CBRN domain and strengthening cooperation between law enforcement and public-health actors in relation to biological threats.

He holds a Master’s degree in Police Sciences and Internal Security, postgraduate qualifications in Command and Leadership and in Big Data and Data Analytics, and was a 2023 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.