Webinar on Antimicrobial Resistance
What Patients and Healthcare Providers Can Do?

Dr. Silvia Bertagnolio is an infectious disease physician and a leading expert in antimicrobial resistance and HIV medicine. Since 2003, she has been serving at the World Health Organization in Geneva, where she currently heads the AMR Surveillance, Evidence and Laboratory Unit. Her work focuses on global AMR surveillance, diagnostics, and research initiatives aimed at combating AMR. Dr. Bertagnolio leads the Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS); the WHO AMR Diagnostic Initiative, which aims to bring diagnostics and laboratory capacity building to the center of the AMR response; and the Global AMR Research Agenda, identifying and catalyzing the implementation of research priorities to inform evidence-based policies and interventions to strengthen the AMR response. Between 2003-2021, she led the HIV Drug Resistance (HIVDR) program at WHO, developing global strategies and policies, including the first Global Action Plan on HIVDR and WHO HIV treatment guidelines, monitoring and reporting on HIVDR emergence a

Candace DeMatteis has served as the Policy Director for the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) since January 2008. PFCD is committed to both raising awareness of the human and economic toll non-communicable diseases exact and highlighting solutions that addressing these challenges equitably for all affected. As the Policy Director, Mrs. DeMatteis is responsible for monitoring and shaping health policy relating to NCD prevention and management, including many aspects of health reforms needed and their implementation relating to enhancing health across the lifespan. Mrs. DeMatteis brings more than 20 years of public policy experience to PFCD. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from North Carolina State University, and received her Juris Doctor and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also an adjunct faculty member of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte College of Health and Human Services.

Elena Moya is a patient advocate with more than two decades of experience working across education, public health, and patient-led organisations at national and European levels. She holds a degree in French Philology and a Master’s in School Leadership. After nearly twenty years in education, the sudden and tragic loss of a student to meningitis marked a turning point in her professional life and led her to dedicate her career fully to patient advocacy and disease prevention. Elena is also a meningitis survivor, having contracted the disease at the age of four. She spent ten years as Development Director at the Irene Megías Foundation Against Meningitis and later co-founded the Spanish Meningitis Association (AEM), strengthening patient representation and awareness at the national level. Since 2008, she has served as European Coordinator of Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO), supporting and coordinating patient organisations across more than twenty European countries. Elena currently serves on the boards of several leading patient and health organisations, including the Spanish Patient Forum (FEP), the Boston Scientific Foundation Europe, and the European Patients’ Forum (EPF). Through these roles, she has developed a strong, system-level understanding of the realities faced by people living with chronic and life-threatening conditions, as well as the critical yet often undervalued role of caregivers, particularly women, who disproportionately carry caregiving responsibilities across Europe. Elena is a Member of the Advisory Board of the World Patients Alliance, where she contributes her expertise on patient engagement, equity, prevention, and access to care. Her advocacy work is guided by a firm belief that health outcomes should never depend on geography, socioeconomic status, or something as arbitrary as a postal code. Her global perspective on meningitis has further reinforced her commitment to equitable access to prevention, early diagnosis, and quality care within resilient health systems. Elena travels extensively across Europe in support of patient organisations and advocacy initiatives. She has a deep appreciation for languages, music, and African dance. She is the mother of three children and honours the memory of Sofía, her daughter who passed away in infancy. Family remains central to her life, and she is driven by a clear goal: to help make meningitis a disease of the past.

Pat Merryweather-Arges brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare advocacy, with a strong focus on quality of care, patient safety, and improved health outcomes across diverse care settings. Her work has consistently centered on advancing patient-centred systems, reducing healthcare-associated infections, and promoting responsible medication use, particularly in the treatment of infectious diseases. She currently serves as Executive Director of Project Patient Care (PPC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the voices of patients, families, and caregivers. In this role, Pat works closely with healthcare providers, policymakers, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations to shape health policy, strengthen healthcare initiatives, and improve care delivery models. Prior to joining PPC, she served as Executive Director of the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization at Telligen and as Senior Vice President of the Illinois Hospital Association, where she led large-scale initiatives focused on healthcare quality and system performance. Pat is deeply engaged in leadership at the local, national, and international levels. She is Past Vice President of the Rotary International Board (2023–2024) and served as a Rotary International Board Member from 2022 to 2024. Over the years, she has held numerous leadership roles within District 6450 and the Rotary Club of Naperville, contributing to a wide range of global health and social impact initiatives. Her Rotary service includes senior leadership and advisory roles across health, patient safety, mental health, reproductive, maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene). She has also served as a Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, chaired or convened five Rotary Institutes, and led the 2018 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Chicago. Pat has supported Rotary Global Grants and international programmes in more than 18 countries, with a focus on health systems strengthening, WASH, and sustainable energy solutions. Through her career, Pat has remained committed to advancing patient safety, health equity, and collaborative, systems-based solutions that improve care for communities worldwide.

Andrew Spiegel has nearly two decades of experience in the patient advocacy arena. Spiegel co-founded the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, now the leading US based national patient advocacy organization dedicated to colon cancer. Mr. Spiegel, an attorney, besides being a co-founder of the organization and longtime board member of the Alliance became CEO in January of 2008 and he ran the CCA for nearly 5 years, before undertaking his next venture, the Global Colon Cancer Association (GCCA). Currently, Spiegel is co-founder and executive director of the GCCA, an international patient advocacy organization. This organization is an international community of nearly 50 colon cancer patient advocacy organizations and stakeholders dedicated to end the worldwide suffering of the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths. In addition to his work in the colon cancer community, Spiegelis an active advocate for health care policies both in the US and now worldwide. He is a co-founder and currently serves on the steering committee of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM). He is on the Board of Directors, and in December 2014 was elected to Chair, of the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC),a founding member of the Coalition to Increase Clinical Trial Participation. In addition to his work in the colon cancer community, Spiegelis an active advocate for health care policies both in the US and now worldwide. He is a co-founder and currently serves on the steering committee of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM). He is on the Board of Directors, and in December 2014 was elected to Chair, of the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC),a founding member of the Coalition to Increase Clinical Trial Participation. Spiegel is a 1986 graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in English and Philosophy. He is a 1989 graduate of the Widener University School of Law. After working for a Philadelphia litigation firm, Spiegel opened his own law firm in 1995.

Hussain Jafri is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Patients Alliance (WPA) which is the largest umbrella organization working across all disease areas. He also serves as a Assistant Professor at the Institute of Patient Safety Research, University of Kalisz, Poland, where he advances academic work in patient safety and healthcare quality. He serves on the WHO Civil Society Commission Steering Committee, strengthening engagement between WHO and civil society worldwide. He is also a member of the Advisory Group for WHO’s Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS) program, where he previously served as Vice Chair. At the national level, Hussain founded the Pakistan Patient Safety Initiative and was appointed by the Government of Punjab as Provincial Focal Person on Patient Safety and Quality, where he led the development of provincial healthcare policies and services. He also established Alzheimer’s Pakistan, the country’s first national association for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, inspired by his experience as a caregiver for his grandfather. With over three decades of advocacy, Hussain has worked extensively with governments, patient groups, and international organizations. He is a member of the Person and Family-Centred Advisory Council (PFCAC) of ISQua and serves on the taskforce of the Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy (GAPPA). An accomplished speaker, Hussain has addressed international conferences on patient safety, caregiving, person-centred healthcare, and advocacy. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and holds a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, with research focused on the prevention of genetic disorders. He also served as Director General of the Punjab Thalassemia & Other Genetic Disorders Prevention & Research Institute.

Regina Mariam Namata Kamoga is an Executive Director, for Community Health and Information Network (CHAIN) for Uganda,an organization that promotes the empowerment of people living with,and affected by,HIV and AIDS and non-communicable diseases. Ms. Kamoga works on patients’rights, particularly the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS,TB, malaria and non-communicable diseases, and capacity building for NGOs and community based organizations on governance and policy issues,health literacy and access. Ms. Kamoga’s work involves building and strengthening networks in collaboration with other organizations at the international, national and community level to address issues of patient safety and patient-centered healthcare.

Helen Haskell is president of the US nonprofit patient organizations Mothers Against Medical Error and Consumers Advancing Patient Safety. She is an Institute for Healthcare Improvement senior fellow and a board member of the Patient Safety Action Network and the International Society for Rapid Response Systems. She is a recently retired board member of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and a previous chair of the WHO Patients for Patient Safety Advisory Group and the Patient Engagement Committee of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine. She works with the World Health Organization on patient safety and patient engagement and with SIDM, AHRQ and others on diagnostic issues. Helen’s goal since the medical error death of her young son Lewis has been to enhance the patient contribution to safety and quality in healthcare. She has written or co-authored dozens of articles, book chapters, and educational materials on patient engagement in safety, quality, and diagnosis, including a co-edited textbook of case studies from the patient perspective. Her son Lewis’s story has been featured in educational programs and videos including Transparent Health’s full-length Lewis Blackman Story. Helen holds a bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies from Duke University and a master’s degree in Anthropology from Rice University in the United States.