ELPA Stakeholders’ meeting in Barcelona
ELPA meeting in Barcelona started on 2nd December with the Stakeholders’ meeting where ELPA Members had the possibility to hear amazing speakers presenting some key priorities for the next year.
Prof. Dr. Pere Ginès and his team from the Hospital Clínic Barcelona gave a speech about the prevalence and mortality of cirrhosis, how to fight it and identifying patients. They also presented on both medical research projects in which ELPA is involved stressing the achievements and the ongoing activities.
Ms. Katharina Ossenberg, from the ACHIEVE Coalition, presented the work of ACHIEVE in 2019. She also stressed the importance of establish collaboration with the new MEPs and the national Health Ministries. She concluded thanking ELPA. She especially emphasised the impact on social media of videos like those realised by ELPA President Marko Korenjak, former ELPA President Tatjana Reic and Dr. Lina Nerlander from ECDC. She is looking forward to collaborate with ELPA on hepatitis.
Ms. Jessica Hicks from the World Hepatitis Alliance pointed out the advocacy priorities in the field of the elimination of viral hepatitis. In 2020, The Alliance will continue its work participating at high level meeting, disseminating data, organising campaigns and strengthening patients’ voice across the globe. She also highlighted what ELPA Members can do at a national level in order to push forward the World Hepatitis Alliance mission.
Dr. Lina Nerlander from the ECDM encouraged civil society and patients organisations not only to use ECDC data in order to establish advocacy actions and help ECDC to disseminate it, but also to lobby clinical organisations to push their doctors to report new cases. Civil society and patients organisations should also lobby for better data.
Dr. Antons Mozalevskis from the WHO Europe provided some updates on viral hepatitis and plans for 2020. He presented detailed plan and activities of WHO Europe for 2020 and stress the importance of collaboration with patient associations to the hepatitis elimination goal. The overview of the activities was finished with a clear message that we need all stakeholders at the table to make any important changes in the process of elimination of hepatitis in Europe.
Ms. Greet Hendrickx from the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) started her speech talking about the VHPB mission stressing the fact that the Board is composed by hepatitis experts and it is been existing for more than 27 years.
This meeting was an incredible opportunity to exchange views identifying our future common objectives.
After the lunch, ELPA Team provided ELPA members with an overview on ELPA‘s past and future activities. Dr. Teresa Casanovas Taltavull, Coordinator of ELPA Scientific Committee, started this session introducing the whole team and illustrated all the activities of the Committee, and some of the best ELPA achievements in 2019 like: its collaboration with the European Medicine Agency (EMA) and ELPA Symposium. Then, some members of ELPA team presented on ELPA‘s activities in 2020. The Work plan, upcoming social media activities and an overview of ELPA’s involvement in European projects Horizon 2020.
Up to now ELPA has been part of three projects: Galaxy, LiverHope and Microb-Predict. Since 1st January 2020, ELPA will participate in four additional EU-funded projects: Decision, IP-Cure-B, LiverScreen and Fis-Plat (EITHealth). The total amount of these projects is 75 million euros that will be spend on highest level of liver research in Europe for the benefit of European citizens.
