Ekaterine Ruadze, MD, MSc, PMP, is a doctor of preventive medicine with a master's degree in epidemiology, and project management. At present, she is involved in research activities related to environmental health. She has experience in conducting qualitative as well as quantitative studies. She is a supervisor for the MediPIet (Mediterranean Field epidemiology training program) program in Georgia and is a lecturer in epidemiology and environmental health. Ekaterine has experience in coordinating complex research activities at the international and national level, as well as managing complex projects in the health sector, since 2008.
Giovanni Leonardi is an environmental epidemiologist and public health specialist employed by the UK public health agency. He is an Honorary Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His role is assessing environmental hazards for their possible health effects at the population level and applying the evidence base to design environmental public health services and information systems. He holds an MD in Physiology and an MSc in Environmental Epidemiology and Policy followed by specific experience in the environmental health public sector since 1994, both as a scientist and public official. He has skills in facilitating complex coordination of inputs from specialists in a range of institutions and has worked on international projects since 1994. Themes have included air pollution effects on children, water contamination and effects on cancer, persistent organic pollutants and effects on the endocrine and immune systems, and the health effects of flooding.
Ayoub Saei (AS), Ph.D., Statistics, is a statistical methodologist with almost 30 years of experience in developing and applying statistical methods to real data. At present, he is a senior statistician at PHE/UKHSA in the UK. He shares his expertise in particular on complex statistical methods across PHE in various departments and at different locations. He collaborates with his PHE colleagues in developing various health-related projects, e.g., infections, antibiotic usages, behavior, environment, etc. Currently, he is heavily involved in COVID-19 studies, in particular vaccine on infectiveness, in the UK. He has published articles both on statistical methods and applications, in particular on public health issues and recently on COVID-19.
Dr. Lela Sturua (MD, PhD, MPH) holds more than 25 years of working experience in public health. She has been leading the Non-Communicable Disease Department at the Georgian National Center of Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) since 2010, directing and supervising NCDs, maternal and child health, reproductive health, environmental health, tobacco control and health promotion. Dr. Sturua has served as principal investigator in numerous nationwide surveys. Dr. Lela Sturua has authored and co-authored over fifty publications. She regularly serves as an expert for the WHO and other international organizations. She serves as the full Professor of the Public Health Department at the Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy.
Vladimer Getia is the head of Public Health State Programs and Regional Management Department (Immunization, Cancer Screening; Surveillance, Safe Blood, MCH, HIV, TB, Hepatitis C, Prevention of Occupational Disease; Health Promotion) of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia. He graduated from Tbilisi Technical University with a Master of Economics and passed the course of Health Administration at the University of the Health Manager Skills Enhancement. During the past 18 years, he worked at different structures of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia: Department of Health Programs; Department of Medical Insurance and Health Protection Programs; and the Financial and Economic Department. He worked on the planning and implementation, procurement and funding of health programs. Current memberships: member of ICC; member of single registration committee at the Ministry of Health (which uses the mechanisms for single import of the vaccines and medicines that are not registered in Georgia, but are registered in countries with a high level of control and are also prequalified by WHO); member of LNCT Country Core Group.
Helen Crabbe is a Senior Epidemiology Scientist in the Environmental Epidemiology Group at Public Health England’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards. She conducts epidemiological analyses of environmental exposures and effects on health including water contaminants, air pollution, land contamination, climate change and natural hazards. She develops and evaluates surveillance for environmental public health, including running the lead exposure in children surveillance system for England. She is a supervisor for the UK Field Epidemiology Training Programme and an honorary senior lecturer, fellow and researcher at several UK universities. She has a background in environmental health, environmental science and management, pollution control, GIS, spatial epidemiology, respiratory health, non-communicable diseases, EIA and HIA.
Paolo Lauriola is a Medical Doctor with post-graduate diplomas in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (Industrial Hygiene and Public Health) and Medical Statistics (Epidemiology). At present, he is the Scientific Responsible of the “Italian Network of Sentinel Physician for the Environment” (RIMSA) and the Italian representative of the International Network of Public Health and Environmental Tracking (INPHET). The main aim of this network is to “fill the gap” between science, policymakers and society. He is a member of the WHO working group “WHO Expert Working Group on air pollution and health clinical case scenarios, special focus on low‐ and middle‐income countries”.
