Dr Rui Pombal

Medical Advisor, IATA

Rui Pombal is IATA Medical Advisor. He has worked in aviation medicine for over twenty years as medical director for UCS – TAP Air Portugal Group Health Services, running its aeromedical centre in Lisbon, Portugal.

Rui holds a Master’s in Aviation Medicine, he is an IAASM Academician and a certified EASA and FAA medical examiner. He is former Chair of the ASMA Air Transport Medicine Committee and former President of the Portuguese Aerospace Medicine Society. Rui is now President Elect of IAMA, the International Airline Medical Association.

James Wiltshire

IATA

James Wiltshire is Assistant Director, Government and External Affairs, a position he took up in January 2019. In this role he is responsible for developing global policy for IATA across a broad range of topics. As part of his role, James works very closely with the Medical Advisor and has been at the forefront of developing IATA’s policy work on pandemic preparedness and its engagements with UN agencies such as ICAO and WHO.

Dr João Oliveira Martins

Portugal Environmental Agency

Dr Bernd Gawlik

European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre

Dr. Bernd Manfred Gawlik holds the influential position of Co-Leader at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, where he is instrumental in the Zero-Pollution for Planetary Health initiative, enhancing Better Preparedness and Response to Health Crises, and examining Global Population Dynamics. His primary role involves delivering scientific guidance to aid in the formulation, execution, and assessment of EU policies pertinent to water management.

Bernd plays a pivotal role in fostering collaborations with a diverse spectrum of stakeholders in the realm of water. He has made significant contributions to over 100 European Commission publications and reports, delving into the intricate nexus of water and its central significance in societal functions, particularly in public health. His innovative approaches have paved the way for the expansion of wastewater-based epidemiology to bolster public health surveillance, integrating this data with broader information systems that encompass demographics, migration trends, behavioral science, and health records. Presently, Bernd is actively engaged in the co-development of a sentinel surveillance system with the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health (GLOWACON). This system strategically targets the monitoring of key locations, including major airports, to enhance early detection and response to public health threats.

Dr Jason Armstrong

Boeing

Dr Jason Armstrong received a PhD in “Spaceflight Immunology” from a NASA Center in the USA in 1994. The 1990s saw Jason place payloads on 4 space shuttle flights and personally fly on the NASA “zero-g vomit comet” in a variety of circumstances for payload development. His career has had a thread of biomedical applications to spaceflight and diagnostic screening technologies for Earth related disease. Immediately following his early career NASA related work, Jason worked in the US biotech industry for a further 10 years and on returning to Australia in 2005 was CEO of a clinical diagnostic company that went public on the Australian stock exchange. He also led Med-e-Serve as CEO for 4 years which was a University of Queensland owned entity educating clinical doctors and nurses for CPD.

Since 2013 Jason has lead the Research and Technology organization for Boeing in Brisbane which includes a portfolio of mixed aerospace tehcnologies. In addition ot this R&D oversight role, he also leads Boeing’s research role globally for “Disease transmission prevention”.

Dr Maria João Martins

Lisbon Public Health Authority

Sara Barragan Montes

WHO

Sara Barragán Montes is a global health professional with graduate education in health policy, international relations, and communications, and over 10 years of experience preparing for and responding to public health and humanitarian emergencies.

She currently works as a Technical Officer on Border Health and Points of Entry at the Headquarters of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. She holds an MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; a MA in International Relations from IE University; and two bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Communications from the University Carlos III of Madrid.

Dr Rene Chan

Philippine Airlines

Dr. Rene Chan is a seasoned General Surgeon with a distinguished career spanning both the medical and aviation industries. With over two decades of service at Philippine Airlines, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Assistant Medical Director.

He holds a doctorate degree in Medicine from the University of Sto. Tomas, oldest and premier Catholic University in Asia, and has specialized knowledge in Surgery, Health Administration, and Aviation Medicine.

He is a Fellow of American College of Surgeon and finished his Masters in Business Administration-Health (MABH) at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business in 2007. Further, he was certified by the Australian Civil Aviation Medicine last 2012. His expertise has been instrumental in leading initiatives to improve worker health and productivity through preventive care, injury management, and workplace safety of Philippine Airlines.

A dedicated and results-oriented professional, Dr. Chan is passionate about advancing the field of aviation medicine. His leadership and innovative approach have contributed significantly to improving the quality of care provided to both employees and passengers, ensuring a safe and comfortable travel experience.

Dr Azeem Ali

Emirates

Dr Ariel Motta

Air Jet (Brazil)

Dr Vânia Melhado

Azul Airlines

Vania Elizabeth Ramos Melhado : M.D, MSc, PhD, Post-Doctorate Improvement Science- IHI-USA. Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Aerospace Medicine Specialist.

Professor of Faculty Medical Sciences Santa Casa Sao Paulo, Professor of Paulist Faculty of Health Sciences, Sao Paulo- Brazil.

Coordinator of the Lato Sensu Graduate Program Aerospace Medicine of Paulist Faculty of Health Sciences, Sao Paulo-Brazil

Supervisor  of the Medical Residency Program of Aerospace Medicine of Prevent Senior Teaching and Research Institute, Sao Paulo- Brazil

Aerospace Medical Doctor Advisor of  Azul Linhas Aéreas.

 Sênior Aviation Doctor USA-FAA, Transport Canada, Europe.

Vânia Elizabeth Ramos Melhado

Address to access this CV: https://lattes.cnpq.br/9482608644429787

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/vania-melhado-228b369b?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Tel.: 55 11 996380197

Dr David Powell

Former Medical Advisor, IATA

Dr Ries Simons

Senior Consultant Aerospace Medicine

Ries Simons, MD is senior consultant in Aerospace Medicine. He has worked as General Practitioner and Medical Officer in Zambia and Chad. From 1985 to 2023, he was Senior Research Physician at the National Aeromedical Institute and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). He is chairman of the Advisory Board of the European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), chair of the ESAM-Academy, member of the Air Transport Medicine Committee of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and member of the Founding Board of the European Pilot Peer Support Initiative (EPPSI). In 2019 he was the leading investigator in the EASA-study of age limitations for commercial Air Transport Pilots and he is currently involved in several EASA projects concerning Mental Health (MESAFE) and Cardiology (PACE).

Expertise and current research includes 1) risk assessment of mental and cardiovascular incapacitation of pilots; 2) medical and human factor issues of professionals in safety sensitive jobs;  3) fatigue risk management  for safety-sensitive operations; 4) mental health and its effects on performance of aviators, ATCOs, and astronauts; 5) effects of alcohol, drugs, and medication on operator alertness and performance. Ries authored many scientific articles and book chapters.

Dr Catarina Cunha

Centre for Aviation Psychology, Portugal

Catarina Cunha is a Clinical Psychologist from Porto, Portugal. Besides her clinical practice, she has worked in Aviation since 2015, starting by helping fearful passengers. But since 2020, she’s been involved in setting up and managing Pilot Peer Support Programmes for various airlines in Portugal, with the Center for Aviation Psychology.

She is a certified Aviation Psychologist by the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP). Throughout the pandemic, she supported portuguese Cabin Crew in a crisis hotline. And she has been a guest expert lecturer, on Mental Health in Aviation, for the past couple of years in the Initial Human Factors in Flight Safety Course, provided by EAAP. ´

Dr Brent Blue

FAA Senior AME/HIMS

Dr. Brent Blue is the Medical Director of Oxygen To Go which provides oxygen services and pre board clearance reviews for passengers requiring oxygen on board commercial airlines.  OTG has never had an aircraft diversion for a passenger it has cleared in 19 years. 

Dr. Blue is Board Certified in both Emergency Medicine and Family Practice and is based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA.  He is a FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner with HIMS certification and holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with over 10,000 hours flight time.

He is on the Board of the Pilot Mental Health Campaign and recently on the expert panel for the US National Transportation Safety Board’s Navigating Mental Health In Aviation safety summit.  Dr. Blue is a medical consultant for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and a columnist for their AOPA Pilot magazine. He frequently lectures and writes on aviation related hypoxia and carbon monoxide poisoning and has testified before the US Congress on aviation matters.

Dr Justin Devlin

MedAire

Dr. Devlin is the Medical Director for Aviation Services for MedAire based in Phoenix, AZ, and is responsible for providing oversight and leadership in the delivery of medical services for Aviation clients. 

Dr. Devlin was an Emergency Medicine physician providing MedLink ground to air medical support until officially joining International SOS in 2018. He transitioned from International SOS to MedAire in 2019 where he was functioning as Medical Case Lead, serving as the primary escalation point and providing oversight for all MedAire platform assistance cases.

Dr. Devlin also contributes significantly to the medical team education agenda, and he has recent assumed the position of Medical Director for MedAire’s Aviation Services.  

Abílio Leite

Animas - Assistance Dogs Association

• Married, two children, owner of two dogs;
• Assistance Dog Instructor
• Specialist in Animal-Assisted Services
• Master’s Degree in Public Administration – University of Aveiro
• Master in Public Administration – University Católica
• Degree in Agronomic Engineering – University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

President of the ÂNIMAS

Catarina Cascais

Animas - Assistance Dogs Association

·         Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Fernando Pessoa University;

·         Specialist in Animal-Assisted Interventions

·         Vice-President of the ÂNIMAS 

Dr Isaac Bogoch

University Health Network, Toronto

Christian Pastrana

Aeromexico

Orlando Mata

Aeromexico

Professor Jorge Atouguia

Lisbon Nova University Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Institute

Dr Yun Young Choi

Korean Air

Dr. Yun Young Choi is currently the Head of the Aviation Health & Medical Center at Korean Air, boasting over 20 years of outstanding experience in the field of aviation health care. With over 15 years of experience at Korean Air since joining in 2000, she has played pivotal roles in aviation health management and patient passenger air transportation.

Since assuming her leadership position in 2015, she oversees aviation health policy formulation and employee health management within the Aviation Health & Medical Center. Holding a Ph.D. in Nursing and a Master’s in Public Health, she is an associate fellow and fellow of AsMA and KAsMA.

Notably, she spearheaded the establishment of a system for reporting the decrease in medical fitness of license holders for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of the Republic of Korea, earning her the prestigious Minister’s Award in 2023.

Dr Dayana Tinoco

Aeromexico

Dr Kimmo Ketola

Finnair

Kimmo Ketola, M.D., is a specialist in Occupational Medicine and Aeromedical Examiner (AME1) certified by CAA Finland. He has previously worked as Chief OHS Physician of a large chain of medical centres (Diacor Health Services) and as Chief OHS Physician of a large construction corporation after which he took his present position as Medical Director of Finnair in April 2012. He currently works as Medical Director and Chief Occupational Health Physician at Finnair managing the provision of occupational health care for Finnair Group employees.

He is member of Finnair’s HR Leadership Team and Well-being Steering Group and also Accountable Manager of Finnair Aeromedical Centre and Medical Advisor for Nordic Regional Airlines and Finnish Aviation Academy.

Dr Elisabete Santos

UCS - TAP Group Health Services

Dr Michel Klerlein

Air France

Dr Jorge Jacinto

Alcoitão Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Centre

Dr TJ Doyle

Medical Director, Stat MD

TJ Doyle MD MPH is the Medical Director for UPMC Communications and Aviation Consultation. He is also the Medical Director for the STAT-MD Ground Based Airline Medical Support Service.

Dr. Doyle has been providing Airline Medical Consultation services for 16 years. He is also one of the Medical Directors for the STAT MedEvac critical care helicopter service. This service provides rotary wing transport services to 8 US states using 17 base sites. Dr. Doyle is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Subspecialty Board Certified in Emergency Medical Services.

Dr. Doyle is a member of the Airlines Medical Director’s Association and the Aerospace Medical Association. Dr. Doyle is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine.

Dr Justin Flatt

Company Medical Director, Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Justin has worked in aviation medicine for over 21 years, including as an AME at the UK CAA Aeromedical Centre and a CAA Medical Assessor. 

He has also previously flown commercially as a short-haul airline pilot, while working part-time as an independent AME. In 2015, Justin entered the world of airline medicine, working first for Virgin Atlantic before joining British Airways as an Occupational Physician. He has now returned to Virgin Atlantic as the Company Medical Director. He also continues to practice as an independent AME for the UK CAA and FAA.

Dr Vincent Feuillie

Medical Advisor, Air France

He is certified in aeronautical medicine and occupational health, approved aeromedical examiner (AME) by the EASA (DGAC, Ministry of Transport) and for Transport Canada.

He is a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group, member of the IAASM Council, President of the French Society of Aerospace Medicine SOFRAMAS, President of the International Airline Medical Association, EASA representative on the Technical Committee for Flight Standards, Co -President of the Organizing Committee ICAM Lisbon 2024. Member of the Executive Committee of ESAM, Member of the Medical Council of the French CAA (DGAC).

He teaches aeronautical medicine at the University of Paris Sorbonne and at the University of Descartes, the University of Anger, the University of Nancy, the University of Aix en Provence, the ESAM Academy.