Raffaella Ravinetto

Raffaella Ravinetto is a Professor and Head of the Department of Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium. She holds a PharmD and PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Her roles include chairing ITM’s Institutional Review Board, MSF’s Ethics Review Board, and serving as an extraordinary professor at the University of Western Cape, South Africa. She has extensive experience in pharmaceutical policies, equitable access to medicines, and research ethics in low- and middle-income countries. Her career spans humanitarian work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), leadership in clinical trials and global health initiatives, and advocacy for quality-assured health products.

Education:

• University Master Degree in Pharmacy, University of Torino, Italy (1986–1991)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Medical Biology, ITM Antwerp, Belgium (2001–2002)
• PhD in Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium (2012–2016)

Research Interests: Focuses on pharmaceutical policies, access to quality medicines, research ethics in vulnerable populations, and global health equity. Her work addresses challenges in low-resource settings, including substandard medicines, ethical clinical trials, and health system strengthening.

Teaching and Mentorship: Lecturer at ITM and international institutions, supervising over 30 postgraduate and doctoral students. Co-developed courses on pharmaceutical policies and ethics. Organized training programs in Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and ethics review capacities in Africa.

Grants and Projects: Leads initiatives such as the ConPharm project on antibiotic resilience in Syria and the SECRET project enhancing ethics review in Uganda and Ethiopia. Collaborates on WHO prequalification programs and quality assurance strategies.

Lab/Teams: Involved in QUAMED (Quality Medicines for All), Switching the Poles Network, and the WHO Prequalification Program. Active in global health partnerships to improve medicine quality and access.