Research expertise

Raffaella Ravinetto, PharmD, PhD, has a thirty-year experience in commercial and non-commercial clinical research, humanitarian programmes, pharmaceutical policies, and research ethics review. She holds a University Master Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Torino, Italy; a Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Medical Biology from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp, Belgium; and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the KU Leuven, Belgium.

After a seven-year experience as Clinical Research Scientist in the private pharmaceutical sector, she worked as a pharmacist in humanitarian programs run by different NGOs in the Balkans and in Africa. In 2002 she joined Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), where she held different positions, focusing on access to/quality of essential medicines, while performing field assessments in Africa and Latin America. From 2006 to 2016, she was the head of the Clinical Trials Unit of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) Antwerp, the coordinator of the Switching the Poles Clinical Research Network, and the scientific coordinator of QUAMED (Quality Medicines for All).

She is currently the Head of the Public Health Department of the ITM, as well as a professor in pharmaceutical public health. She is also the chairperson of the ITM Institutional Review Board; the chairperson of the MSF Ethics Review Board; an extraordinary professor at the School of Public Health, University of Western Cape, South Africa; and a senior editor of the BMC Medical Ethics.

Her main areas of interest include pharmaceutical policies and equitable access to quality-assured health products, with a particular focus on the context of low- and middle-income countries; and research ethics, particularly in relation to resource-constrained settings and vulnerable populations. She was the president of MSF Italy from 2007 to 2011.

Teaching expertise

STUDENTS’ SUPERVISION AND/OR EVALUATION

Postgraduate Certificate students

1. Javier Utande: “Follow up of the implementation of the Charter on quality of medicines in the BeCause Health Platform”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2009-2010
2. Brecht Ingelbeen: “Progress towards introduction of rotavirus vaccination in low‐income countries in Sub Saharan Africa What are the remaining barriers?”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2010-2011
3. Leen Lacroix: “Potential impact of use of substandard and counterfeit medicines on drug resistance in developing countries”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2010-2011
4. Neus Roig Sanchis: “Freedom from pain: a global perspective of pain relief in emergency situations”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2010-2011
5. Anna Gopfauf: “Barriers to the access to anti multidrug-resistant tuberculosis medicines: a review”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2011-2012
6. Brecht Moerenhout: “Review of different strategies to improve access to medicines in developing countries”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2011-2012
7. Kerlijn Van Assche: “Diethylene glycol-related quality problems in pharmaceutical products”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2011-2012
8. Sarah Persyn: “A short overview of the main barriers to access diabetes medicines in developing countries”. Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Module for Biomedical scientists and Pharmacists. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2011-2012
9. Andrea Casale: “La legislazione farmaceutica nei paesi dell’East African Community e il suo impatto sulla qualità dei farmaci disponibili nella regione”. Postgraduate Certificate / Corso di perfezionamento in Medicina Tropicale e Salute Internazionale, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy, 2016-2017

Master students

1. Christophe Perrin. “Quality assurance policy for the selection of medicines in place at three major international donors: The Global Fund, The World Bank & ECHO. Their impact on the quality of medicines procured with their funds in limited resource settings”. Master in Public Health - Disease Control, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2010-2011. (Co-supervisor with Marleen Boelaert)
2. Aweke T Mahelet. “Farmaci di bassa qualita’: un’emergenza per la salute individuale e pubblica”. Corso di laurea magistrale in Farmacia. Universita’ La Sapienza, Roma, Italy, 2012
3. Clarisse Bougouma. “ Pharmacovigilance de la combinaison artesunate-amodiaquine dans le traitement du paludisme simple dans le district sanitaire de Nanoro au Burkina Faso».  Master en Santé Publique - Contrôle des Maladies, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2012-2013
4. An Wauters. « Rabies burden in endemic settings: can health systems in low-resource countries implement primary prevention to minimize morbidity and mortality in children?”. Master of Science in International Health Disease Control, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2013-2014
5. Ariadna Nebot Giralt. “Adhérence des distributeurs pharmaceutiques aux standards d’assurance qualité de l’OMS. Analyse d’un échantillon de distributeurs du secteur public et du l’aide au développement en Afrique subsaharienne et en Europe ». Master en Sciences de la Santé Publique. Politique et Management des Systèmes de Santé, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2014-2015
6. Kerlijn Van Assche. “The quality of medicines of the private pharmaceutical distributors in Sub-Saharan Africa. A secondary quantitative data analysis from a sample of private distributors”. Master of Science degree in International Health. Thesis submitted to the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 2016
7. Sonia Marra. “L’applicazione delle Linee Guida etiche per la ricercar biomedica del WHO-CIOMS durante l’epidemia di Ebola nell’Africa occidentale : sfide e lezioni per il futuro ». Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2015-2016
8. Valentina Riganti. “Universal access to innovative medicines for non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries». Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2015-2016
9. Tolotra Andriambelomiandra ANDRIAMPARANY. « Accès aux médicaments essentiels de qualité au niveau des soins de santé primaires : analyse du système pharmaceutique de Madagascar ». Master en Sciences de la Santé Publique. Politiques et Management des Systèmes de Santé. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2016-2017
10. Claudia Iobbi. “Community Engagement: an essential requirement for clinical research in low- and middle- income countries». Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2017-2018
11. Valentina Pavanati. “Poor-quality antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries». Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2017-2018
12. Eleonora Miele. “Poor-quality medicines in low- and middle-income countries. The case of antiepileptics». Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2017-2018
13. Afoumbom Mildred Tita. “Factors associated with the adherence to ethical guidelines on informed consent during clinical trials involving antimalarial drugs in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review”. Mater of Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, academic year 2019-2020. Main mentor prof. Kris Dierickx.
14. Federica Galliano. “Research & Development for Neglected Tropical Diseases: integrating innovation, regulation and global partnerships  to address health inequity”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2019-2019
15. Valeria Cozzuto. “Biobanks in the context of international medical research: challenges and ways forward. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2018-2019
16. Marta Lettieri. “A comparison of the key-elements of pharmaceutical regulatory systems across six sub-Saharan African countries”. Master in Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Florence, Italy. 2018/2019
17. Serena Frau. “Training programs to improve access to opioid analgesics for medical use: a review in Western and Central Africa’’. Master in Tropical Medicine and Global Health. University of Florence, University of Brescia and Ospedale Sacro Cuore - Don Calabria di Negrar (Verona) Italy. 2019/2020
18. Gioia Ambrosi. “The development of fexinidazole for sleeping sickness: an innovative collaboration approach to R&D”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2019-2020
19. Maria Chiara D’Alessandro. “Controlled Human Infection Challenge Studies for the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: ethical issues”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2019-2020
20. Feyissa Gowe. “Assessment of Ethiopian Local Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers and Pharmaceuticals Importers Quality Assurance System Compliance Level: A Cross- Sectional study”. Addis Ababa University. School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy 2021. (Co-adviser; prof. Ayenew Ashenef was the main supervisor).
21. Lotte Hellinckx. Master thesis proposed to achieve the degree of master in medicine "Use of fixed-dose combination in low and middle income countries". Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium, 2022. (External evaluator. Promotor: Prof. dr. Jan Jacobs)
22. Giada Refosco. “Present and future of rabies vaccination in endemic countries: achievement and challenges of clinical research”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2020-2021
23. Elisa Zeni. “THE CHALLENGES OF CONDUCTING CLINICAL RESEARCH ON NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2020-2021
24. Maud Brijs, Khane Ibrahim, Jolien Louis. Race and ethnicity in clinical trials. ‘Drug Life Cycle project”, an assignment to first year students of the Master of Drug Development at KU Leuven. (External expert. Mentors: prof Minne Casteels, Prof Peter De Witte, Ruth Storme).
25. Eugene Bangwen Ndim, « NATIONAL LABORATORY POLICIES AND AVAILABILITY OF ESSENTIAL DIAGNOSTICS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES». Master of Science in Public Health. Health Systems and Disease Control. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2022 (Co-supervisor. Main supervisor: Vera Kuhe)
26. Hashta Meyta, “REVIEW ON IMMUNIZATION FINANCING AND BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE VACCINE PROCUREMENT SYSTEM in the Context of Gavi Assistance Implementation in Indonesia”. Master of Science in Public Health. Health Systems and Disease Control. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium, 2022
27. Carlotta Perucca Orfei. “Substandard and falsified medicines and their impact on low and middle-income countries: the case of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol contaminations in pediatric cough syrups”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2021-2022
28. Giovanni Tangherlini. “The WHO Prequalification Program: impact, limitations and future perspectives”. Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci”. Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Italy, 2021-2022
29.  External evaluator of the master thesis of An Merchie, “ Ancillary care in clinical research in Low and Middle-Income Countries. A review of the Pyrapreg study in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo”. Master of Science in Global Health. University of Ghent, academic year 2022-2023.
30. External evaluator of the Master Thesis of Emilie du Toit, for the degree of Master in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven. Title: “The Registration of Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Patient Files: a Cross-sectional Survey of Obstetric Patients". Promotor prof Minne Casteels.
31. External evaluator of the Master Thesis of Evert De Vries, for the degree of Master in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven. Title: “Race and Ethnicity in Clinical Trials: Diversity is Key". Promotor prof Minne Casteels.
32. Co-supervisor of the Master thesis of Yaël Weyburg, University of Amsterdam. Title: “Good Intentions Do Not Make Good Medicines. Exploring ‘Double Standards’ and ‘Paternalism’ through norms and knowledge in the International, Dutch and Belgian humanitarian- and development sector and their Influence on awareness of risks related to quality of medicines used in humanitarian and development programs in the Global South”. Main supervisors: Branwyn Poleykett & René Gerrets, UvA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Doctoral Committees

• External member of the Doctoral Committee of Dr. Yves Lula, Doctoral School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Antwerp (Belgium). Promoter Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Van geertruyden. Title of the Doctoral Research: “Safety of medicines used in infectious medicines (cases of antimalarials and antituberculosis agents)”. [Ongoing].
• External member of the PhD Thesis Jury of Mrs NDAGIJE Byomire Helen Ndagije, candidate for the degree of Doctor in Public Health Sciences at UC Louvain, Louvain, Belgium. Promotor: Prof. Niko SPEYBROECK Niko. Title of the Doctoral Research: “Monitoring safety of medicines in Uganda: Strategies for pharmacovigilance systems in resource-limited settings”.
• External member of the examination board for the doctoral dissertation of Sileshi Belew Yohannes, “FUNCTIONAL QUALITY OF SELECTED ANTIMALARIAL AND ANTHELMINTIC MEDICINES”, candidate for the degree of Doctor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ghent University. Administrative promoter: prof. dr. Bart De Spiegeleer. 
• Examiner of the doctoral thesis of Jingying Xu, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) of the University of London, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK. Thesis title: “A Social Constructivist Analysis of China’s Policy Responses to Substandard and Falsified Medicines (1978-2021)”. Supervisor: Dr Preslava Stoeva. Co-examiner: Professor Simon Rushton (University of Sheffield)
• Examiner of the doctoral thesis of Hye Lynn Choi, PhD candidate for the Doctoral Program (PhD) in Biomedical Sciences, Global Health Track, Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva. Thesis title: “Improving access to quality-assured and safe medicines and diagnostics for Neglected Tropical Diseases ―through coordinated procurement mechanisms and development of a strategy for regulatory pathways”. Supervisor: Professor Bettina Borisch, Institut de Santé Globale, Université de Genève
• Member of the  Doctorate Committee for the doctoral thesis of  Alex Fehr, at the Faculty of Science of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Thesis title: “The socio-cultural and ethical aspects of participation in a mass drug administration trial for malaria elimination in The Gambia: A transdisciplinary study”. Supervisors: dr. T. Zuiderent-Jerak, dr. A. Bardaji Alonso.
• Co-promoter of the doctoral research of Gwen Lemey, at the Faculteit Geneeskunde en Gezondheidswetenschappen, University of Antwerp (Belgium). Provisional title: How can a (Non-) Related Adverse Events policy improve the ancillary care approach in global health research?  The case of  DR Congo.  Main promoter Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Van geertruyden, Universiteit Antwerpen [Ongoing].
• Examiner of the doctoral thesis of Scott Kaba Matafwali, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) of the University of London, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK. Thesis title: “Innovative Private Pharmacy Distribution Channels: Implications on Medicine Quality in Zambia”. Supervisor: Dr Harparkash Kaur. Co-examiner: Professor Gerry Bloom.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

I lecture at ITM and at Belgian and international institutions, on subjects related to pharmaceutical policies, clinical research, and research ethics in low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable populations. Over the last 15 years I lectured, once or regularly, at:

ITM (https://edu.itg.be/Course/)

• Short course on  Short Course on Antiretroviral Therapy (SCART)
• Short course on Fundamentals of clinical studies: GCP & beyond (GCP)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health (TMIH)
• Tropical Medicine for Bachelors in Nursing and Midwifery (TMED)
• Master Courses
• Short course on Hospital-based Interventions to Contain Antibiotic Resistance in Low-resource Settings (AIM)
• Short course in Outbreak Investigation and Research (OIR)
• Transferrable skills school for PhD students

Outside ITM, in Belgium

• Formation COOPAMI. Gestion d’une assurance soins de santé universelle. Bruxelles, Belgium
• Internationale en Globale Ontwikkeling en Gezondheidszorg (IGOG), Universities of Antwerp and Gent, Belgium
• School of Pharmacy, undergraduate course. KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• Master in Biomedical Science. KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• Faculty of Pharmacy , formation pour “Stagiares internationals”, University of Liège, Belgium
• Course on “In-depth Health Systems Analysis", Ecole de Santé Publique, ULB, Bruxelles, Belgium  
• International summer course on Pandemic Preparedness, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Outside ITM, outside Belgium

• Short Course on Quality of Medical Products and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I contributed to the concept and design of this course.
• Short course in Pharmaceutical Policies and Management Winter School, School of Public Health, Western Cape University (South Africa). I contributed to the concept and design of this course, for both the in-person and online version.
• School of Public Health, Boston University, United States
• Antimicrobial Resistance Course - McGill Summer Institute of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Montreal, Canada
• Master en Santé Publique, Institut de sante publique, d’épidémiologie et de développement (ISPED)/Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux (France)
• Master Program in Vaccinology and Pharmaceutical Clinical Development. University of Siena, Italy
• Postgraduate Certificate / Corso di perfezionamento in Medicina Tropicale e Salute Internazionale, Università degli Studi di Brescia (Italy), which is part of TropEd
• Master di II livello in ricerca e sviluppo preclinico e clinico dei farmaci. Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy)
• Master in Conflict Management Humanitarian Action, University of Siena, Italy
• Course on Responsible Research and Innovation for PhD students, Centro Interdisciplinare Scienze per la Pace, University of Pisa, Italy
• Formation PAH, Les Pharmaciens Humantaires, Paris, France
• Cours inter-universitaire sur la “Recherche sur les politiques et systèmes de santé”, Kinshasa, DRC
• Accesso ai Farmaci nei Paesi in via di Sviluppo. Corso libero organizzato dal Corso di Laurea in Biotecnologie in collaborazione con Medici Senza Frontiere. Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy

Organization of short courses

• Between 2010 and 2016, I organized three two-week trainings in Good Clinical Practices (GCP), combining theoretical training with field practice, respectively in Burkina Faso (2010 and 2012); and  Indonesia (2016). I facilitated a similar theoretical and practical training organized by the Medical Research Council Unit in The Gambia (2013).
• In 2015, I contributed to the concept and implementation of a two-week workshop on Ethics In International Health Research, held at the ITM, Antwerp, Belgium
• In 2021, I was the co-lead, co-course developer and a member of the teaching faculty of the project “Strengthening the ethics review capacities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with focus on preparedness for research conducted in the context of outbreaks and other public health emergencies”, funded by the World Health Organization, and carried out in partnership with the University of Kinshasa and the National Ethics Committee in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Starting 2021, I am the coordinator and a member of the teaching faculty of a 3-week short course hosted at the ITM, Antwerp, on “Pharmaceutical policies in health systems” (website: https://edu.itg.be/courses/pharmaceutical-policies-in-health-systems). The course study load is equivalent to 5 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer and accumulation System credits). It targets students from high-, middle- and low-income countries working at different levels in the Ministry of Health, health programmes, regulatory agencies, NGOs, global health initiatives and other donor agencies, etc. At the end of this course, participants should be able to identify challenges in the pharmaceutical systems, framed within the broader health system; and to propose strategies for strengthening pharmaceutical systems at the different levels of intervention. Themes include: frameworks to monitor pharmaceutical systems; regulatory systems including National Medicines Regulatory Authorities, WHO policies, pharmacovigilance, post-marketing surveillance, quality assurance, substandard and falsified medicines; pharmaceutical systems financing; national and international pharmaceutical market including policies and practices for pharmaceutical supply, procurement, and pricing; intellectual property, access and innovation; medicines rational use & ethical medicines promotion; transparency and accountability; the social life of medicines.