Speakers

Boris Šťastný is a Czech politician, physician, and healthcare and social services manager, and the founder of the largest network of facilities caring for the elderly and people with Alzheimer’s disease in the Czech Republic. In the public sector, he has previously served as an advisor to the President of the Czech Republic, a member of parliament, a local councilor, and a healthcare expert; among other things, he became known as a longtime advocate for the protection of non-smokers and the sponsor of the legislative amendment that introduced mandatory electronic prescriptions (eRecept) in the Czech Republic. As a legislator, he contributed to the creation and amendments of a number of healthcare reform laws, such as the Act on Health Services, the Act on Specific Health Services, the Act on Public Health Insurance, the Act on the Protection of Health from the Harmful Effects of Addictive Substances, and the Act on Medicines. In October 2022, the President of the Republic awarded him the Medal of Merit, First Class.

Dr. Pavel Bém is a Czech politician, psychiatrist, and former Mayor of Prague, as well as a former Member of Parliament. He served on the National Drug Commission and advised the Prime Minister on drug issues. He specialized in psychiatry and dedicated his career to drug abuse prevention, treatment, and policy. As one of the founders of Czech drug policy, he helped shape public health–oriented approaches across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond. A former Czech “Drug Tsar,” he has worked with the EU, UN, WHO, and other international bodies. He was twice elected Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. In Czechia, he introduced the Czech medical cannabis law. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

Linda Montanari is a health sociologist. After 7 years working in the Italian drug addiction services, in 2000 she moved to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) as a principal scientist. At EUDA she coordinates the areas of drugs and: prison, mental comorbidity, and gender. She has coordinated the 2015 EMCDDA report on comorbidity, 2021 report on prison and drugs and she set up the European Drugs and Gender Group aiming at systematic inclusion of a gender perspective in the drug field in Europe.

Jindřich Vobořil is the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies. He is also the former Czech National Drug Coordinator, and now he is advisor to National Drug Policy Coordinator. His work focuses on addictions and policy recommendations, aiming to develop and implement effective strategies for addiction prevention and treatment. Vobořil has extensive experience in creating comprehensive drug policies and advocating for evidence-based approaches to address substance use issues. His expertise and dedication have significantly contributed to shaping national and international drug policies, promoting healthier communities, and supporting individuals affected by addiction.

Dr. Protopopová, Ph.D. serves as the National Coordinator for Mental Health, Vice‑Chair of the Government Council for Mental Health, and Head of the Mental Health Policy Department at the Office of the Government. In these roles, she focuses on the strategic development of public policies, the implementation of modern community‑based care models, and the strengthening of prevention efforts across age groups. Her mandate emphasizes building mental resilience among children and young people, integrating mental health support within the education system, and modernizing the entire mental health care framework. Since 2016, she has been actively involved in the Mental Health Care Reform in the Czech Republic, contributing to the development of conceptual materials, analyses, and proposals for systemic changes. She has served as a project administrator for mental health reform projects at the Ministry of Health and previously worked as a specialist consultant for the Minister of Finance on reform matters. She is a psychiatrist, and before joining the Office of the Government, she was deeply engaged in clinical and research work. Beginning in 2015, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Her research focused on physical health in patients with schizophrenia, and she completed research fellowships and had work experience in Belgium, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States, experiences that significantly enriched her professional orientation toward integrating modern medicine with psychosocial approaches.

Prof. Jiří Horáček graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Plzeň in 1991, earned his PhD in 2002, became Associate Professor of Psychiatry in 2004, and was appointed Professor in 2009. He specializes in psychiatry and psychotherapy, with training in dynamic psychotherapy. His research focuses on functional brain imaging, the neurobiology of schizophrenia and depression, the mechanisms of action of antipsychotics and psychedelics, and modeling of neural activity. He serves as Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and leads the Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he was appointed Director in September 2025. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific publications, with key contributions on auditory hallucinations, the relationship between mood, insulin sensitivity and serotonin activity, and the neurobiology of schizophrenia and psychedelic mechanisms.

Ladislav Kážmér is a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health. His work focuses on the study of legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco, as well as gambling. Dr. Kážmér is dedicated to understanding the patterns and impacts of these behaviors and developing effective strategies to mitigate their negative effects. His research contributes to the creation of evidence-based policies and interventions aimed at reducing harm and improving public health outcomes related to legal substance use and gambling.

Ľubomír Okruhlica graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava in 1976, later obtaining specialist qualifications in psychiatry and a PhD-equivalent (Candidate of Sciences) in 1988. He gained international experience as a psychiatrist-consultant in Zambia (1989–1993), including leading the Department of Psychiatry in Lusaka and contributing to the implementation of ICD-10 under African conditions, while also serving as a UN volunteer specialist. Since 1996, he has been Director of the Centre for Treatment of Drug Dependencies in Bratislava and, since 1997, Principal Specialist for drug addiction at the Slovak Ministry of Health. He played a key role in transforming the centre into a modern, multimodal addiction treatment facility, introducing detoxification, substitution, and maintenance programmes, and establishing both an Institute for Drug Dependencies and a toxicological laboratory. He is also the founder of the DROG-STOP Foundation and an active contributor to international professional cooperation in the field of addiction treatment.

Aileen O'Gorman has over 25 years’ experience in drugs research, education and advocacy in the UK, Ireland, and internationally. Her research explores the intersection of social inequalities and mental ill health with drug-related harms, and the impact of drug and social policies on communities of place. Her work is conducted collaboratively with people who use drugs, civil society organisations, policy makers, practitioners, service providers and researchers across disciplines and aims to impact on social and drug policy and practice. Current research focuses on drug-related deaths – developing a social autopsy methodology and a social determinants framework to assess the social, structural, and systemic factors contributing to deaths. She is Vice President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP), leads an EU network on the Social and Structural Determinants of Drug-Related Deaths, and lectures on the Contemporary Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) programme at UWS.

Casian Stan is a specialist physician in Anesthesia and Intensive Care, now training in Addiction Medicine. He works at ARAS (Asociația Română Anti-SIDA), a leading Romanian NGO in community-based addiction and HIV services, where he is part of the opioid agonist treatment programme. His work with ARAS has also included street outreach and harm reduction in vulnerable communities in Bucharest: syringe exchange, basic medical care, and counselling.  He also practises as a psychotherapist within integrated, multidisciplinary addiction treatment programmes. Trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and Motivational Interviewing, he is a member of the Romanian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (ARPP). He conducts doctoral research examining stigma in addictions at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest.

Prof. Dr. Wim van den Brink is Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam and former Director of the Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research. A leading figure in addiction medicine, he has authored over 600 scientific publications on epidemiology, neurobiology, pharmacological and psychosocial treatments of substance use disorders. He is a past president of the European Association of Addiction Psychiatry and recipient of several prestigious awards, including the European Addiction Research Award (2017).

Kamila Zvolská graduated in General Medicine from the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, where she also completed her doctoral studies in Preventive Medicine. Her dissertation focused on Cardiovascular Diseases and Smoking – Tobacco Dependence Treatment and Cardiovascular Risk. She works as a physician at the Third Department of Internal Medicine and at the Tobacco Dependence Centre of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and the General University Hospital in Prague. In 2025, she obtained her specialization in Internal Medicine. She is also a member of the executive committee of the Society for the Treatment of Tobacco Dependence.

Krzysztof Landa is physician, entrepreneur and civil servant. Active as an entrepreneur, he founded and managed businesses in the field of health and pharmaceuticals. He then entered the Polish Ministry of Health as Deputy Minister of Health, where his responsibility included drug policy, mapping of health needs, and the reimbursement and price of medical devices and health procedures. Moreover, he is the President of the Ukrainian Society of Evidence Based Health Care and the Founder of Watch Health Care Foundation.

Ganna Dovbakh is a Ukrainian human rights activist, social psychologist, and Executive Director of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA), based in Vilnius, Lithuania. EHRA unites over 280 organisations and activists from 28 countries across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, advocating for progressive, human rights-based drug policy, sustainable funding, and quality harm reduction services for people who use drugs. With over 25 years of experience, Ganna is a recognised regional expert in community strengthening, capacity building, and health and social programme development for key populations — including people who use drugs, LGBTQI communities, sex workers, and people living with HIV. She holds an MA in Social Psychology and an MA in Cultural Studies. Her current research focus is the integration of comprehensive addiction care — bridging harm reduction and mental health services — and she has coordinated expert assessments of opportunities for optimal access to mental health care for people who use drugs in the CEECA region.

Bernhard Rupp is the Head of the Health Policy Department at the Chamber of Workers and Employees for Lower Austria. His expertise includes the study and regulation of licit drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. Rupp has been instrumental in developing policies aimed at reducing the public health impact of these substances. His work involves collaborating with various stakeholders to promote healthier lifestyles and improve public health outcomes. He holds a prominent position within the organization and actively participates in public health discussions and initiatives at both regional and national levels.

Michal Mojto has been serving for a third parliamentary term as accredited assistant and advisor in the European Parliament, where he has gained extensive experience working across a wide range of policy areas, including health and the environment. He currently serves as the chief advisor to the entire Slovak government delegation primarily thanks to his seniority and extensive experience. Mojto also possesses significant professional and political expertise in the fields of healthcare and environmental policy at the national level. Among other activities, he regularly participates in WHO meetings as part of the official Slovak delegation alongside representatives of ministries.

Ladislav Csémy was former Head of the Center for Addiction Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Institute of Mental Health and the President of the Institute for Mental Health and Addiction Studies. His work focuses on the epidemiology and clinical research of licit drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. Dr. Csémy is dedicated to understanding the patterns and impacts of substance use and developing strategies to reduce associated harms. His leadership in both research and harm reduction initiatives plays a crucial role in improving public health policies and practices related to licit drug use.

Jana Michailidu is an Assistant Professor at University of Chemistry and Technology Prague. With a focus on public health and policy, her expertise lies in the regulation of psychoactive substances, harm reduction strategies, and the development of comprehensive drug policies. She has been involved in legislative efforts, particularly in relation to psychomodulatory substances, decriminalization of cannabis, working towards innovative frameworks that balance regulation with public health considerations.

Dr. Fabian Pitter Steinmetz studied process engineering at the Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld (Germany) and toxicology at the Athlone Institute of Technology (Ireland). After gaining experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, he obtained a PhD in predictive toxicology from Liverpool John Moores University (UK). He works at the international consultancy Delphic HSE since early 2016, interrupted by a post-doc at Merck KGaA in the area of drug design. Steinmetz has (co-)authored over 250 safety assessments, expert opinions, scientific articles and book chapters. Furthermore, he is a registered/certified toxicologist in UK, EU and USA. Since March 2026 he is chairman of the Schildower Kreis, Germany's biggest, interdisciplinary expert group on drugs and drug policy.

Jakub Popík is a human rights officer, PhD student at the Institute of Sociology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, drug policy advisor and director of the Harm Reduction Institute. In his work, he seeks to improve communication and cooperation between entities tasked with the protection of human rights, whether from the media, non-profit, state, or private sector, in order to eliminate all forms of prejudice from society.

Zuzana is recovery coach, somatic therapist, and lecturer specializing in addiction and trauma. As a board member of the Union of People with Lived Experience of Addiction, Zuzana Nott has long focused on addiction, trauma, and the philosophy of harm reduction in both personal and societal contexts. In her work, she combines professional expertise with her own lived experience of heroin addiction and subsequent recovery. Today, she uses this experience as part of providing sensitive and authentic support to others. Her approach is grounded in the perspective that recovery is a deeply relational and body-based process. It is based on trauma-informed practice and an understanding of the nervous system, viewing addiction as an adaptive response to life experiences rather than a moral failure. She is also one of the founding members of the Union of People with Lived Experience of Addiction, where she contributes to the destigmatization of addiction, the involvement of peers, and the strengthening of the voices of people with lived experience of addiction in both professional and public debate.

Tomáš Sadílek has an extensive experience working for the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic in the field of legal and illegal drugs. He represented the Czech Republic in drug-related meetings in the United Nations institutions in Vienna and New York and in meetings in the EU area, Eastern Partnership countries area, and the US.

Helena Gherasim is a member of the Czech Government Council for Drug Policy Coordination a psychologist and a psychotherapist. She is currently a Head of the Association of Providers of Addiction Services (APAS), an association of NGOs providing services for persons threatened by addictive behaviours, an umbrella organisation bringing together 35 organisations in the Czech Republic.

Michael Fanta is the Chief Analyst at the Center for Economic and Market Analysis and a researcher at the Anglo-American University in Prague. He focuses on the economics of network industries, shadow economy, alcohol consumption and regulation, addictive behaviour, and analysis of unintended consequences of regulation and taxation. His work contribute to developing strategies and policies that aim to better inform consumers and mitigate the risks associated with these substances.

Aleš Kuda is a psychologist, psychotherapist and addictologist. He has been working in the field of addictology for more than 30 years. His experience is primarily in the treatment and after-treatment of addictive behavior. He works in therapeutic communities and founded the first after-treatment center in the Czech Republic. He is as an affiliate instructor at the 1st Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, Center for Addictology, and he founded and currently serves as director of the Origanum Institute, a facility focused on addiction treatment and mental health care.

Jan Šulc is co-founder of the the National Council for People with Experiences of Addiction (NCPEA), a recovery coach, mentor and lecturer. He co-authored the basic definition of involving people with experience (PEA) in care within the framework of the Recommended Practices in Clinical Addictology. He focuses on coordinating the active participation of PEA in the creation of rational drug policy, destigmatization and development of non-instructive preventive activities of ex-users in cooperation with certified services. He is a leading figure in the NCPEA, which brings the evaluated voice of experience to experts, the system and the public.