Turning regulation into leadership: Europe’s path to healthcare AI excellence

Ricardo Baptista Leite is the CEO of Health AI – The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health, a nonprofit dedicated to helping countries develop regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence in health care. He is also the founder and president of the UNITE Global Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, which connects policymakers from 110 countries. Ricardo is a city councillor in Sintra and previously served four terms as a member of Parliament in Portugal, where he contributed to the health and foreign affairs committees. Committed to community service, Ricardo volunteered as a medical doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic at his hometown hospital in Portugal and joined a humanitarian mission at the Lviv Regional Hospital in Ukraine during the first summer of the war. He was recognised in 2015 by Friends of Europe as a European Young Leader (EYL40), a programme highlighting emerging leaders shaping Europe’s future.

Elina Drakvik works on Sitra’s Health Data 2030 project and is part of the coordination team of Towards European Health Data Space Joint Action (TEHDAS). Her job involves promoting the secondary use of health data in Finland and Europe, and collaborating with international health ecosystems and organisations. Drakvik has over ten years of experience in European collaborations in the field of health research. She has worked as a project manager and work package leader in various EU-funded research projects in Finland and Sweden, and she has experience in research funding and international co-operation. Drakvik’s professional interests include societal impact, participation and agency, and systemic change towards sustainable development, where health and well-being are understood in a broad sense. In addition to her position at Sitra, Elina is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki.

Afua van Haasteren is Director of Health Policy and External Affairs at Roche Diagnostics. She leads Data & Digital Policy, shaping government and regulatory approaches to improve patient access to Roche’s digital, data, and AI-driven health solutions. Van Haasteren brings over a decade of experience across philanthropy, academia and industry and represents Roche Diagnostics in medtech and industry associations, including MedTech Europe and Digital Europe. She also co-chairs the Digital Health Working Group at the G20 & G7 Health and Development Partnership, providing insights into legislation such as the EU AI Act.

Marco Marsella is Director for Digital, EU4Health and Health Systems Modernisation at the European Commission’s DG SANTE. He leads Europe’s digital health agenda, overseeing the European Health Data Space Regulation, the Health Technology Assessment Regulation, the EU4Health programme and initiatives to modernise health systems across the EU. Marsella has a long track record in digital transformation and health policy, having shaped the Web Accessibility Directive, digital inclusion policies and EU COVID-19 tools, including contact-tracing apps and the EU COVID Certificate. He has also supported large-scale genomic and imaging data initiatives such as “1 Million Genomes” and “European Cancer Images,” promoting health innovation with citizens at the centre.

Tamsin Rose is a facilitator who was until recently a senior fellow for health at Friends of Europe. Having studied international relations, she has 25 years of experience working across the European continent from Ireland to Mongolia. A natural communicator, Tamsin has been a radio reporter, worked on press for the EU Delegation in Moscow and is currently a member of the external speaker team for the European Commission Directorate-General for Communication, describing how the EU works and key policies to visitor groups from around the world. Since 2002, she has specialised in public health and public participation issues, serving as the Secretary General of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), and providing strategic advice for health groups on how to engage successfully with the EU.

András Tivadar Kulja is a surgeon and digital-health expert who was elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 on the ticket of Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party. With 360,000 followers on TikTok, he has Hungary’s most widely-viewed health-education channel. Kulja used his high social media profile to counter disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired to enter politics after attending an opposition rally in April 2024, Kulja gave up his hospital posts to speak freely about Hungary’s healthcare problems. He is a Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Climate, and Food Safety and a member of the Committee on Public Health, where he advocates for a stronger EU role in promoting healthcare reform.