Dr Raffaella Ravinetto, PharmD, PhD, with long term experience in commercial and non-commercial clinical research, humanitarian organizations, and research ethics review, 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.

Following experience as Clinical Research Scientist in the private pharmaceutical sector, she worked as a pharmacist in emergency and development 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 essential medicines and on quality of medicines, while performing regular field assessments, mainly 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, as well as the coordinator of the Switching the Poles Clinical Research Network, and the scientific coordinator of QUAMED (Quality Medicines for All).  

She is currently a senior researcher and policy advisor at the Public Health Department of the ITM, in charge of a portfolio of research, policy support, networking, education and advocacy 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 Cape Town, South Africa; and an associated editor of BMC Medical Ethics.

Her main areas of interest include pharmaceutical policies and access to quality-assured medicines, 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 president of MSF Italy from 2007 to 2011. 

I am regularly teaching within and outside ITM on subjects related to access to quality medicines and clinical research in developing countries. Furthermore, between 2010 and 20116, I organized three two-week trainings in Good Clinical Practices (GCP),  in Burkina Faso and  Indonesia; and I facilitated a similar t training organized by the Medical Research Council Unit in The Gambia. In 2015, I contributed to the conceptualization and implementation of the two-week workshop Ethics In International Health Researchat  ITM; 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”. 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). 

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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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).
• 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)
• 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
• 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
• 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).
• 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)
• 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
• PhD juries
• 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)