Program

Co-chair

Egypt

Dr Magdy El Ekiaby served as a member of Egypt’s National Board of Blood Transfusion, Ministry of Health & Population since 1986 as well as a member of Executive Team, responsible for Arab Transfusion Medicine Forum. He was a member of the organizing Committee of ISBT Working Party on Transfusion Transmitted Diseases 2012 – 2020 and has chaired the Scientific Committee of the XIXth ISBT Cairo Regional Congress, Europe and East Mediterranean, 2009. He was a Board of Directors member of the World Federation of Hemophilia 2010 - 2020. Dr El Ekiaby has served the haemophilia community in Egypt since 1985, both through his profession as a haematologist and blood transfusion specialist, and as a member of the board and Vice President of the Egyptian Society of Hemophilia. Dr El Ekiaby is currently the Head of Blood Transfusion & Hemophilia Centre, Shabrawishi Hospital, a position held since 1983. Dr Magdy received World Federation of Hemophilia Inga-Marie Nielson Award for Scientific Research achievements in Melbourn 2014. He was also awarded Life Time Achievement Award from Arab Transfusion Medicine Forum in Cairo 2015. He also received WFH International Health Care Volunteer Award in Montreal, 2022.

Co-chair

U.S.A.

Dr. Glenn Pierce currently serves on the WFH as VP Medical and WFH USA Board of Directors and NHF (US) Medical and Scientific Advisory Council. He is an Entrepreneur-in-residence at Third Rock Ventures, and a biotech consultant in the gene therapy and hematological areas.

Committee member

Brazil

Dr. Ozelo is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine Department and Director of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. She received her medical degree (1994), specialist training in haematology and transfusion medicine (1994-1997), and Ph.D. (2004) at UNICAMP before undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship in David Lillicrap’s laboratory, at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, focused on gene therapy for hemophilia (2006–2009). She is also Director of the WFH International Haemophilia Training Centre (IHTC) from Hemocentro UNICAMP. In 2012, she was nominated as a member of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation Council and was member of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Haemophilia from 2012 to 2014. Dr. Ozelo is involved with several research projects, including gene therapy for haemophilia, risk factors for inhibitor development, immune tolerance induction, and the management of musculoskeletal complications of haemophilia, and inherited platelet disorders.

Committee member

Belgium

Cedric Hermans currently heads the Division of Haematology, the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Unit as well as the Hemophilia Center of the Saint-Luc University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. He was appointed Associate Professor at the Medical School of the Catholic University of Louvain in 2003, Full Professor in 2012 and Vice-Dean in 2015. Professor Hermans has (co)-authored more than 40 original articles in international journals and is a member of several scientific societies and international advisory boards and collaborative research projects. He is Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium and Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh.He was president of EAHAD and is currently member of the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Haemophilia and the Editor-in-Chief of the Haemophilia Journal. His main research interests lie in the area of haemostasis and thrombosis, especially clinical studies on the treatment modalities and the wide spectrum of complications of haemophilia in both developed and developing countries, as well as new anticoagulants and the management of thrombosis.

Committee member

Canada

A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (MD, 1996), Dr. James is a full Professor in the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University. She holds cross-appointments to the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and Pediatrics. She is the Medical Director of the Inherited Bleeding Disorders Clinic of Southeastern Ontario and its aligned Women and Bleeding Disorders Clinic. Dr. James is a Clinician Scientist with an active research program focused on the pathophysiology of inherited bleeding disorders and the clinical impact of these conditions. She has published >170 papers in her field and has held/holds multiple national and international Clinical Co-chair of the ASH ISTH NHF WFH VWD Guideline Diagnosis panel.

Committee member

Lebanon

Claudia Djambas Khayat is a paediatric haematologist at “Hotel Dieu de France Saint Joseph University Hospital” Beirut since 1994 In 2024 she joined the hemostasis Unit at “Centre Universitaire Hospitalier de Lille”. She is Professor in pediatric and chief department of Pediatrics at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. Her main interest is hemostasis. In 2006 she benefits from the International Hemophilia Training Center program (IHTC) at the Royal Free Hospital in London. She obtained her master’s in clinical biology in 2007. Her research project focused on the molecular analysis of F8 Lebanese Haemophilia A patients. Since then, she conducts genetic counselling in haemophilia. She also developed, as medical advisor of the Lebanese Haemophilia Association, a three years national program for improvement of haemophilia care in Lebanon and a screening program for bleeding disorder in the Bekaa valley and Akkar region. She was in charge of the national data registry. Dr Khayat draft the first version of treatment guidelines for haemophilia in her community. She is member of the Lebanese hemophilia committee, the VWD and Rare bleeding disorders Committee of the world federation of hemophilia. She is involved in several clinical study on haemophilia, von willebrand and fibrinogen.

Committee member

U.S.A.

Barbara A Konkle, M.D. Hematologist, Washington Center for Bleeding Disorders, Director Bleeding Disorders Laboratory, Bloodworks Northwest, and Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of Washington Seattle, USA Dr. Konkle has built a career in clinical and laboratory-based research in disorders of hemostasis, including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease and in mentoring trainees and junior faculty in these areas. She has a long-standing interest in the genetics of bleeding disorders, including hemophilia. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Hemophilia and Co-Chairs the Steering Committee for the WFH Gene Therapy Registry. She has decades of experience in the diagnosis of bleeding disorders and led the US ‘My Life Our Future’ project which genotyped over 11,000 patients and potential genetic carriers of hemophilia. She also researches outcomes in hemophilia and von Willebrand disease and trials of new therapies for bleeding disorders. She has published extensively in these areas.

Committee member

South Africa

Johnny Mahlangu is a Professor in Haematology and Head of Department of Molecualr Medicine and Haematology in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service. He is also a Consultant Clinical Haematologist in Charge of the Haematology at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Director of the International Haemophilia Training Centre in Johannesburg. Johnny received his undergraduate and postgraduate training in science and medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand with haematology specialist and clinical haematology sub-specialist qualifications through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. He has published manyand presented over 500 abstracts, plenaries and key-note addresses at national and international meetings. His main area of research is novel therapies in bleeding disorders in which he has served as Principal Investigator for many international multicentre studies. Prof Mahlangu is current President of the College of Pathologists in South Africa and Chair of the South African Medical Research Council Board and Chair of the International Society on Haemostasis and thrombosis scientific and standardization Committee on Factor VIII, FIX and rare bleeding disorders.

Committee member

Italy

Maria Elisa Mancuso (MD, PhD) is an Hematologist and works as a Senior Hematology Consultant at the Center for Thrombosis and Hemorrhagic Diseases of IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano, Milan, Italy and she is Adjunct Clinical Professor at Humanitas University. She obtained a post-degree in Clinical and Experimental Hematology and a PhD in Clinical Methodology. She is involved in clinical research and has published several original articles in peer-reviewed journals as The Lancet, Blood, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Haematologica, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, British Journal of Haematology and Haemophilia. She is reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and member of the Editorial Board of JTH. She is a member of several scientific societies (ISTH, WFH, ASH, EAHAD, SISET, AICE), medical member of the Inhibitor Working Group of the European Hemophilia Consortium and co-chair of the ADVANCE Study Group. She has acted as co-chair of the Scientific and Standardization Subcommittee of ISTH on FVIII, FIX and rare bleeding disorders. She has been involved as principal and co-investigator in several clinical trials, and she takes care of both children and adults with hemophilia with a specific scientific interest in novel therapies, prophylaxis, inhibitors, and chronic hepatitis C.

Committee member

Japan

Tadashi Matsushita is a Professor in the department of Transfusion Medicine at Nagoya University Hospital and the deputy hospital director in charge of hospital quality improvement. Professor Matsushita graudauted from Nagoya University, Japan in 1985 with a Doctor of Medicine and he further completed a PhD in Internal Medicine and Thrombosis/Hemostasis in 1992.
Professor Matsushita clinical work in coagulation disorders has been focused on the management of ~400 hemophilia and von Willebrand disease patients. Professor Matsushita is a member of the hemophilia Scientific and Standardisation Committee (SCC) of Japanese Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (JSTH). With his team he released national practice guideline of hemophilia care for the first time in Japan. Based on his role as a key council member of JSTH, he has been involved in the construction of the network of all Japanese hemophilia treaters and development of a hemophilia education system.

Currently, Professor Matsushita is a principal investigator/study coordinator in multiple clinical trials of novel recombinant coagulation factors and non-factor therapies for hemophilia. For many years, he also served as the president of Japanese Society of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy (JSTMCT) and of JSTH in which he is ready to contribute to the promotion of the field of thrombosis hemostasis in East Asia.

Committee member

U.S.A.

Dr. Sidonio graduated from UAB medical school, completed his pediatric residency at the University of Louisville and completed his fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh where he also obtained his Masters in Clinical Investigation. Dr. Sidonio has been the Director of Hemostasis and Thrombosis Clinical Operations at Emory University since 2014. Dr. Sidonio has studies focusing on quality of life and menstrual bleeding treatment in hemophilia carriers and women with low VWF and is the lead co-PI of the MOTIVATE ITI Study, Wilate prophylaxis study series, FEIBA SAFE study and VWD Prophylaxis Network study. He is a HFA medical advisor, medical advisor for FWGBD, ATHN chair and Chair of Women’s Health issues in ISTH SSC.

Committee member

India

Alok Srivastava, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, FRCP
St. John’s Research Institute & St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, India
Alok Srivastava is Professor-Research and Head, Haematology Research Unit, St. John’s Research Institute and Senior Consultant, Department of Clinical Haematology in the St. John’s Medical College Hospital at Bengaluru, India.

Prof. Srivastava has been involved with the management of patients with bleeding disorders for over 30 years. His recent focus has been on novel therapies including gene therapy for hemophilia.
Prof. Srivastava is President of the Indian Association for Haemophilia & Allied Disorders. He is also the Chairman of the Association for Haemophilia & Allied Disorders – Asia-Pacific. He was the chair of the FVIII/IX subcommittee of the SSC of the ISTH from 2006-2010 and currently serves on the SSC Gene Therapy steering committee. He is a member of the board of the WFH and was the WFH Vice-President (Medical) from 2012-2014. He has led the writing group for all three editions of the WFH guidelines for the management of hemophilia.

Committee member

United Kindgom

Coming soon!

Chair

Argentina

She is a physiotherapist, with more than 20 years of experience in the management of children and adults with haemophilia. She works at the Haemophilia Foundation of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is an international Training Center for Latin America, declared by the World Federation and it is a National Center of patient referral. She is a Vice- chair of the WFH MSK Committee. She is part of the staff of the Rehabilitation Service of the Juan A. Fernandez Hospital, a National Center specialized in the area of Orthopaedics and Traumatology.

Vice-chair

U.S.A.

Cindy Bailey PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, ATC is the Manager at the Los Angeles Lifespan Orthopaedic Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) and Physical Therapy.
She is a past Assistant Professor of clinical practice in the dept.s of biokinesiology and physical therapy at the University of Southern California & Mt. St. Marys physical therapy doctorate programs. Her post graduate work included an advanced residency at Kaiser West Los Angeles in manual orthopaedic physical therapy and a post doctoral fellowship at USCs Keck school of medicine in medical educ. teaching and learning. With her Certified Athletic Training and physical therapy sports specialty backgrounds she is an invited speaker and provider at multiple conferences and events such as the Pan Am Games, several U.S. Olympic teams, Israeli Macabbi Games, the World Ice Skating Championships and collegiate ice hockey. She is also one of the worlds leading instructors in kinesiology, leuko and sports taping strategies. Dr. Bailey, as a co-lead author, wrote the USA Guideline for use of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS) in the HTC and as co-author has published articles on MSKUS in the journals Haemophilia and The Journal of Ultrasonic Medicine. In 2021 she was named as the NHF Physical Therapist of the year and has been chosen as the provider representative for the NHF conference for 2022 and 2023. Dr. Bailey’s current committee positions are with the Western States PT coordinating committee, NHF PT working group, Indiana Partners Program PT education, and she was elected to the World Federation of Hemophilia Musculoskeletal executive committee. She is also a co-facilitator of international bi-monthly musculoskeletal ultrasound rounds for the purpose of provider education and collaboration.

Member-at-large

Italy

Christian Carulli works as an Associate Professor at Orthopaedic Clinic, University of Florence.
President of the Degree Course of Nursing, University of Florence
Medical School, University of Rome – “Tor Vergata”, degree as MD on 2000, July 27th with a research on the influence of post-traumatic occult injuries of the knee after ACL ruptures
Specialty of Hand Surgery, University of Florence, degree on June 2003, with a research on suspension arthroplasty in thumb arthritis
Specialty of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University of Florence, degree on October 2008, with a research on total knee arthroplasty with mobile bearing and rotating platform. Grant by the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SIOT) in 2007
Visiting Observer at Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA in 2009 (Host: Dr. Robert L. Buly)
Degree in Master in Bone metabolism pathology in 2011, University of Florence, Florence
Degree of Basic Life Support on December 2000
Degree of Advanced Trauma Life Support on June 2002.
Responsible of the Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Clinical Pathway on the management of haemorrhagic diseases, Careggi University Hospital
Author and Editor of the book "The management of haemophilic arthropathy" - Bentham Science Publisher. 2017 - ISSN: 2468-6662; ISBN-13: 978-1681083544

Secretary

India

Rohini Akash Dange HOD physiotheray & Rehab Sahyadri Speciality Hospital, Pune, India 25 years of experience in clinical practice & teaching.
Worked in a charitable hospital for 7 years.
National Haemophilia Update, faculty member Member at Large, WFH Committee Member 2018 Several Published Papers in Haemophilia Fellowship in Haemophilia & related Surgery Milan, Italy. MSK, WFH, Secretary 2021 Developed independent Rehab in-patient ward, & developing various haemophilia units in the country. Have been actively working with Workshops, speaker & chair in WFH committee & sessions.
Keen interest in Rehab treatment measures, prevention medicine, awareness and training programs. Vision is to make health care industry recognize that physiotherapy is an essential core health service that is well positioned to play an active role in transforming the Indian health system from illness focus to viable & relevant health system through best practices that incorporate knowledge generation, synthesis & adoption.

Junior Vice-chair

Macedonia

Born in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia were graduated at Medical faculty, University "St Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje in January 2003. Successfully finished specialization studies in orthopaedic surgery in 2008 and ever since has the title orthopaedic surgeon. He is permanent employee of University Clinic for Orthopaedic Surgery at Clinical Centre in Skopje, Macedonia as a director of the OR Department.
During his education process he has been an active participant in many domestic and international congresses, symposia, educative courses and projects.
Main everyday interests are adult reconstructive surgeries of the hip and knee.
He is one of the founders of the national multidisciplinary haemophilia treatment centre and has done many major surgical interventions in haemophilia patients.
Dr. Gavrilovski is also a member of many domestic and International associations (MAOT, EFORT, AAOS, WFH) and current Board member of the Musculoskeletal Committee of World Federation of Haemophilia as Junior Vice-chair.

Chair

Tunisia

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 an experience of more than 15 years 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 workshops, lab workshop, patients workshop and musculoskeletal workshop. Improvement of care and quality of life of PWH in her country is one of her main goals.

Committee member

Nigeria

Committee member

Saudi Arabia

Pediatric Dentistry Consultant at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Chairman of the Saudi Board of Pediatric Dentistry Scientific Council, and Dentistry Department Coordinator at King Fahad National Center for Children’s Cancer. Member of the national committee for management of bleeding disorders. Member of the dental committee of the world federation of hemophilia. A lifelong learner and educator passionate about bringing international standards and innovation to KFSH&RC and nationally. Currently co-chairs the dental department research and staff Development committees, transformation committee, evidence based medical guidellines, and is Joint Scientist in the Cell Therapy & Immunobiology Department.

Committee member

New Zealand

Karl is the current Vice Chair and acting Treasurer of Haemophillia New Zealand. He has severe Haemophilia A and has been involved in the Haemophilia community from a young age. He is a graduate of the SURO and AFFIRM programmes as well as a 2010 WFH Youth Fellow. In 2012 he founded and chaired New Zealand's national Youth Committee and has held numerous roles within HNZ. Karl is currently supporting an NMO Twinning between New Zealand and Fiji. Karl works as an Operations Manager, in Christchurch in New Zealand where he lives with his wife Lisa and his two children Leah and Lachlan.

Committee member

Mauritius

In addition to being a founding member of the Haemophilia Association of Mauritius, Tatiana sits on its Executive Committee and has been the Secretary since its humble beginnings back in 2009. As a member of the bleeding disorders community (her daughter suffers from severe Factor VII deficiency) she has and remains dedicated to improving the care, treatment and management of haemophilia and other bleeding disorders throughout Mauritius. She has been actively involved in the life of the Association and has extensive experience in advocating with Government and large private corporations ensuring the Associations objectives are met and treatment is available to all.

Committee member

Canada

Erica has been working the area of inherited bleeding disorder for the past 20 years out of BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver Canada. She is currently an active member of the World Federation of Hemophilia Nursing Committee and is has served on the executive of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Hemophilia Care in the past. She is an active member of the Blood Safety and Supply Committee of the Canadian Hemophilia Society and has participated as nursing representation on many provincial and national initiatives over the years in the area of inherited bleeding disorders. Erica has authored numerous posters and papers and enjoys speaking and networking with colleagues in her field. She recently became adjunct faculty for the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University and is looking forward to sharing experience and support to their nursing program.

Committee member

Argentina

Silvina Graña is a Psychologist, with a specialization in Clinical Psychology. She has worked at the Foundation of Hemophilia in Argentina with children, teenagers and their families since 1994. She has been coordinating workshops and meetings with teenagers and their families at the Foundation and its branches for 30 years.
She leads the Ibero-American Psychosocial group and is the chair of the WFH Psychosocial Committee.
She has been a speaker and facilitator of workshops since 2001 in Latin-American countries and a reviewer of the Haemophilia journal since 2018.
Silvina is the head of the Accompanying Parents Program, a volunteer group of parents with children with hemophilia. She has written a booklet for schools with this group. In addition, she is the author of “Let me tell you a Story”, a collection of books for children related to hemophilia and comprehensive care, and “My special friend, Pancho”, a video for teenagers. She writes articles regularly in the magazine Conocernos, a publication of the Fundacion de la Hemofilia Argentina.
Her working field includes:Individual and family psychotherapy, Follow-up for families, Assistance to hospitalized patients, School advice, Preventive and psycho-educational programs, Outings, Camps and Women support groups.

Committee member

Canada

Since 2017, Mathieu has been on the board of directors of the Canadian Hemophilia Society's Quebec Chapter, of which he was president from 2020-2024. He was on the board of directors of the national Canadian Hemophilia Society from 2017 to 2019 and was vice-president of this board from 2018-2019. He has sat on the board of directors of the World Federation of Hemophilia since 2024 and on the Coalition of the America's Lead Advisory Committee of the Americas. He is a proud member of the WFH PACT Advocacy Academy faculty group since its inception in 2021 and participates as one of the advocacy academy's mentors. Professionally, Mathieu works at the Centre for Excellence of Partnerships with Patients and the Public at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center since 2016, where he focuses on virtual health tools and co-producing healthcare with patients and caregivers. He is a fellow of the 2017-2018 International AFFIRM Program. Mathieu Jackson has Hemophilia B severe.

Committee member

United Kingdom

William McKeown is a patient with Severe Haemophilia A from Bangor, Northern Ireland. William is an active patient advocate with several groups including Haemophilia NI, the UK Hameophilia Society and the European Hameophilia Consortium. William graduated from Queen's University Belfast in 2014 and obtained membership to the Royal College of Physicians in 2017. Currently William works as a physician specialising in Stroke and Care of the Elderly medicine and is based at Antrim Area Hospital. William has a particular interest in successful ageing in bleeding disorders.

Committee member

U.S.A.

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 Bleeding Disorders Foundation (formerly named National Hemophilia Foundation) for 15 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.