Miguel Escobar
Miguel Escobar is tenured Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and the McGovern Medical School in Houston, Texas. He is also the Director of the Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center, the Clinical Research Center at the University and the Medication, Therapy and Wellness Center at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. Dr Escobar received his MD from the Universidad Libre in Cali, Colombia and did his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Connecticut and fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Dr Escobar has been involved in many clinical studies, resulting in a range of publications and is a member of several professional organisations. He is a member of the World Federation of Hemophilia Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific and Standardization Subcommittee on FVIII/FIX & rare coagulation disorders for the ISTH. His main research interest is in haemophilia, congenital and acquired inhibitors and other coagulation deficiencies.
Patrick James Lynch
Patrick James Lynch is a filmmaker, content producer, and the Founder/CEO of Believe Limited. Producing credits include the films Bombardier Blood (EP: Alex Borstein), My Beautiful Stutter (EP: Paul Rudd), sometimes, i think about dying (Sundance Film Festival), Let’s Talk (with Mental Health Matters Too), and Elsewhere (Winner: HRIFF Best Picture); the web series Stop The Bleeding! (12 seasons and counting); podcasts on hemophilia, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, pain, clinical research, and more through BloodStream Media, and he’s produced event programs like Speak Up, Speak Out: Cystinosis and Me; Urea Cycle Disorder: Undefined; Breaking Through: Hemophilia The Musical, the Teen Impact Awards, and TheScienceFair.org. Founding Board President of Entertainment 2 Affect Change (501c3). Awards: Hemophilia Federation of America Health & Wellness (2013), National Hemophilia Foundation Meritorious Service (2014), NORD Rare Impact (2020). World Federation of Hemophilia Congress Speaker (2016, 2018, 2022). Media coverage: BBC, Buzzfeed, Deadline, Fox News, HuffPo, Variety, VICE, and beyond. Patrick lives with severe hemophilia A and dedicates his work in rare disease to the memory of his late brother, Adam. Catch Patrick multiples times a month on BloodStream Podcast.
Nathan Connell
Dr. Nathan Connell is Chief of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Vice Chair of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Associate Director of the Boston Hemophilia Center, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His clinical practice focuses on inherited bleeding disorders and he researches cost-effective strategies for the diagnosis and management of hematologic diseases. A graduate of Cornell University, the University of Miami School of Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health, he completed an internal medicine residency and a hematology/oncology fellowship at Brown University. In addition to his work defining the field of systems-based hematology, he co-chaired the ASH ISTH NHF WFH Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of von Willebrand disease.
Dawn Rotellini
Dawn has been a leader in the bleeding disorders community for many years. As a parent of a son with hemophilia, she founded the Rocky Mountain Hemophilia & Bleeding Disorders Association in Bozeman, Montana, served as its Executive Director, and began their Family Camp. After moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she served as a board member for the Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania for six years and then as Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter. She has been with the National Hemophilia Foundation for 14 years and serves as Chief Operating Officer. Dawn serves on the Board of Directors for the World Federation of Hemophilia and World Federation of Hemophilia USA. Dawn proudly chairs the Women and Girls with Bleeding Disorders and the Hemophilia Organization Twin Committees for WFH. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University in Bozeman.
Salome Mekhuzla
Salome Mekhuzla, WFH Director, Global Development leads a team responsible for implementing various healthcare development, capacity-building and advocacy programs around the globe. Originally from the country of Georgia, her prior experience while working with European and US-based international NGOs on civil society development, advocacy and inter-ethnic relations in the South Caucasus region serves her well in her current role. She holds a MSocSc degree in Transformation in South Caucasus from Tbilisi State University, Center for Social Sciences and a MSc in Nationalism Studies from the University of Edinburgh.
Emna Gouider
Dr Emna Gouider is currently a professor of Hematology in the medical university of Tunis El Manar In Tunisia. She is the head of the hemophilia center in Aziza Othmana Hospital in Tunis, which has more than 700 people with bleeding disorders. She has more than 10 years of experience with low dose prophylaxis for treatment of PWH. She is a medical member of the WFH board, and she is involved in several WFH committees. She also has been involved in the Tunisian Association of Hemophilia as a member responsible for medical and scientific affairs since 2001, and organized and conducted several nurse, lab, patient, and musculoskeletal workshops. Improvement of care and quality of life of PWH in her country is one of her main goals.
Ekawat Suwantaroj
Ekawat Suwantaroj (45), Bangkok, Thailand I was diagnosed with severe Hemophilia A when I was just four months old. I am a Graphic Designer and owner of a graphic designs company in Bangkok. I have been a part of the Thai Hemophilia Society for 20 years. Currently, I am Vice President of the Thai Hemophilia Patient Club and Committee member of the National Hemophilia Foundation of Thailand. Moreover, I have been working with other chronic diseases to set-up a patient group such as the Thai Rare Disease Foundation. I have also joined several international workshops with the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) and I volunteer as a co-option committee of World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). Present: – Co-option committee of World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) – Vice President of Thai Hemophilia Patient Club (THPC) – Committee of National Hemophilia Foundation of Thailand – Vice President of Healthy Forum (Chronic diseases group) – Committee of Asean Hemophilia Networks (AHN)
Cesar Garrido (Chair)
President
World Federation of Hemophilia
Cesar Garrido was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He has two sons, one of whom has hemophilia A, which was the impetus for him becoming a committed member of the bleeding disorders community—a commitment which began over two decades ago.
In 1996, Garrido became a member of the Venezuelan Association for Hemophilia (AVH). He has held a number of roles in that organization, including being a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer and Project Manager. At the AVH, he has been key member of several endeavours, including the creation of new diagnostic laboratories in Venezuela, and campaigns for testing and diagnosis of people with hemophilia (PWH) in Venezuela and Latin America. He was also part of national programs which increased access to factor, developed outreach and identification campaigns, increased access to education, and set up regional medical workshops for PWH.
At the international level, Garrido was an Advisory Board member of the International Alliance Patient Organization (IAPO) and has been a member of HERO (Haemophilia Experiences, Results and Opportunities) since 2010. He was also a development manager for a strategic alliance of 27 countries from the Americas—called the Coalition of the Americas (CoA)— that was set up to influence public policies.
The WFH has been a big part of Cesar Garrido’s life since 1999. He was a member of the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2010 and was most recently lay member from 2014 until his election as President in 2020. He has held a number of important roles at the WFH, including chair of the Accreditation Committee, chair of the Hemophilia Organization Twinnings (HOT) Committee, co-chair of Capacity Building Committee, national member organization (NMO) Vice President, and member of the President’s Strategic Council.
Cheikh T. NIANG
Cheikh T. NIANG is the WFH Western Africa Regional Manager since 2021 and is based in Dakar, Senegal. He is a medical doctor with a master’s degree in public health and has over 15 years experience in various health development programs : Health systems strengthening, Sexual and reproductive health, governance, M and E, Health insurance and nutrition. He worked with Senegal MoH and other international development agencies and NGOs. He loves to contribute to improvement of patient care and wellbeing.
Guadalupe Lagrada
Guada initially joined the WFH in 2020 as the Regional Manager, Southeast Asia and Western Pacific, and is currently, the sector Head, Regional Development within the WFH Global Development department.
Guada has about 30 years of experience in national and international non-for profit sector with focus on civil society capacity building and organizational development programs. Before joining the WFH, she has managed regional programs with reputable international organizations such as Save the Children and Amnesty international, as well as the USAID’s Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) project under Pact, Inc., among others.
Guada also holds a Master’s degree in Community Development and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
