Raffaella Ravinetto holds a Pharmacy Master Degree, a Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Medical Biology from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from KU Leuven.

After being a clinical researcher in the private pharmaceutical sector, she worked in humanitarian programs in the Balkans and Africa. In 2002, she joined Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), where she followed various dossiers on access to/quality of essential medicines, while performing several field assessments in Africa and Latin America. Since 2006 to 2016, she was the head of the Clinical Trials Unit at ITM, as well as the coordinator of the Switching the Poles Clinical Research Network and the scientific coordinator of QUAMED, a network that promotes evidence-based strategies for universal access to quality-ensured medicines.

She is currently a senior researcher at the ITM Public Health Department, in charge of a portfolio of research, policy support, networking and advocacy on medicines in low- and middle-income countries, and of a North-South network on research standards and ethics in low- and middle-income countries.

She is the chairperson of the ITM Institutional Review Board.

She was president of the Italian branch of MSF (2007-2011). She’s the chairperson of MSF Ethics Review Board, and an ethical advisor to some EU-funded research projects.

Regularly teaching within and outside ITM on subjects related to access to quality medicines and clinical research in developing countries.

Coaching master students:

• 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-promoter)

• Aweke Tadesse Mahelet. “Farmaci di bassa qualita’: un’emergenza per la salute individuale e pubblica”. Corso di laurea magistrale in Farmacia. Universita’ La Sapienza, Roma, Italy, 2011-2012 (co-promoter)

• 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 (promoter)

• 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 (promoter)

• 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 (promoter)

• 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 (promoter)

• 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

• 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 
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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.
• 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
• 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
• 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