Committee Members

Dr. John M. Flack is Professor and Chair of Internal Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. A nationally recognized expert in hypertension and cardiovascular disease, he holds board certifications in Internal Medicine and Clinical Hypertension. Dr. Flack has authored over 200 scientific publications, with research focusing on resistant hypertension, racial disparities in heart health, and innovative treatment approaches. He earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and completed an MPH in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. Outside of medicine, he enjoys breeding fancy guppies.

Charles Natanson is a Senior Investigator and Head of the Anesthesia Section in the Critical Care Medicine Department at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, USA. His research focuses on sepsis, blood transfusion safety, and developing therapies using animal models. He earned his BA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his MD from Columbia University. Dr. Natanson completed his medical training at New York Hospital–Cornell and UCSF. He also holds academic appointments at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, and George Washington University. A recognized leader in critical care, he received NIH’s Distinguished Clinical Teaching Award in 2020.

Elisabetta Pupillo is a senior epidemiologist and Head of Unit at the Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy. She specializes in neuroepidemiology, with a focus on neurological and neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and epilepsy. Her research involves large-scale population studies, disease registries, and outcome assessments. Dr. Pupillo has contributed to numerous international collaborative projects and scientific publications. She is actively involved in public health initiatives aimed at improving neurological care and policy. Her work integrates clinical research with epidemiological methods to support evidence-based healthcare.

Andrei-Gabriel Zanfir is a PhD student at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania. With a background in medicine, his research focuses on neuroscience and psychiatry, particularly in areas such as depression, early maladaptive schemas, and neuroimaging. He has contributed to several publications exploring the psychological and neurological aspects of mental health, including studies on adolescent depression and electroconvulsive therapy.

Asim Abbas is a PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham, UK, in the School of Computer Science. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Kyung Hee University, South Korea, and a Bachelor’s degree from Islamia University, Pakistan. His research focuses on natural language processing (NLP), clinical NLP, semantic web technologies, health informatics, and information extraction. Asim is particularly interested in the application of AI to healthcare and biomedical data.

Tania Cotardo Valcárcel is affiliated with the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. She is involved in research under the group “Factores de riesgo y de protección en salud mental” (“Risk and protection factors in mental health”). Her work includes contributions to studies and investigations on mental health, socio‐psychological evaluation, prevention, and possibly teleassistance interventions.

Prof. Kholofelo L. Matlhaba is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She holds a PhD in Health Studies, a Master of Nursing Science (MCur), and a BCur in Nursing Education and Administration. As a registered nurse and academic, her research focuses on nursing education, clinical competence of newly qualified nurses, and ethical practice in healthcare.