Dr. Bedirhan Üstün is the coordinator of the Classification, Terminology and Standards Unit based at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland). As a physician and psychiatrist, Dr. Üstün has worked in the WHO since 1990. He first started in the area of Mental Health, and moved on to Evidence Cluster and managing international networks on Classification and Evaluation of Health and Disability, Mental Health Epidemiology, and Primary Care applications of classification and training programs. He has also carried out large-scale epidemiological surveys. Dr. Üstün is currently responsible for the WHO-FIC Network in which the Catalan Department of Health has participated since 2011 in the area of Disease Classification. He has authored 6 books and more than 200 scientific publications. He has been awarded as a Distinguished Fellow by the American Psychiatric Association and Honorary Fellow by the Royal College of Psychiatrists of the United Kingdom.

Montserrat Antonin is directress of the Gimbernat University School of Nursing in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona). She is a nurse and doctor of Anthropology of Medicine from the Rovira i Virgili University, and gained her Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration and Management at Barcelona University. At the present time, Dr. Antonin is teaching coordinator on the University Master’s Degree in Information and Knowledge Management in the area of Health (MUGICAS), organised by the Gimbernat University School and the Parc Taulí University and Health Corporation, both attached to Barcelona Autonomous University. She also teaches on the subject of ”Culture, Society and Health” on the Nursing degree study plan.

Dr. Denis O’Mahony is a geriatric consultant at Cork University Hospital and at St. Finbarr’s Hospital, also in Cork (Ireland). A doctor in Medicine, O’Mahony has had an outstanding career in the academic area and in fact is head teacher of medicine at University College Cork. The work he has done in his speciality has been awarded by the Irish Gerontological Society and the British Geriatrics Society, as well as other institutions. In recent scientific articles he has published, Dr. O’Mahony deals with the challenges of optimisation of pharmaceutical therapy amongst the elderly in Ireland and around Europe.

Ricard Bernat has been the director of Information Systems in the Dexeus Women’s Health Centre (Barcelona) since the year 2000. What’s more, he is a member of the Technical Committee of Electronic Medical Records of the centre and a member of Health Level Seven (HL7), Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) and the Spanish Society of Health Informatics (SEIS). He is now working on introducing an integration system based on the use of standards such as HL7 or DICOM, and the adoption of SNOMED as reference medical terminology.

Carmela Fortuny has been the general manageress of the Catalan Institute of Healthcare and Social Services (Institut Català d’Assistència i Serveis Socials - ICASS), inside the Department of Social Welfare and Family since 2011. Up to now, she was Deputy Mayoress and councillor of Citizenship Services in Sant Cugat del Vallès Town Hall, and held the portfolio of Social Policies, Public Health, the Elderly, the Disabled, Family and Infancy. Fortuny has a degree in Education Sciences (UAB), an executive Masters Degree in Public Administration (ESADE), in Integral Health Service Management (ESADE) and Speech Therapy (UAB). She had previously held the post of coordinator and directress of the Corporació Fisiogestió, a company which provides physical rehabilitation, home help and speech therapy services, in addition to working as an educator and speech therapist in private and public centres.

A Graduate in Medicine and Surgery (UB), specialised in internal medicine and diploma in Hospital Management by ESADE, Dr. Josep Manuel Picas is president of the European Association of Healthcare IT Managers (HITM), with its headquarters in Brussels. Amongst other positions of responsibility in Barcelona hospitals and the Catalan Institute of Health, he was director of Information Systems and ICT at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau from 2008 to 2012. At the present time, Dr. Picas is starting an ambitious collaboration project between health providers, the pharmaceutical industry and technology companies.

Doctor in Medicine (UB) having graduated in Medicine and Surgery (UAB) and with a master’s degree in Healthcare Institution Management (UAB), Dr. Joan Escarrabill is the Evaluation director of the Agency of Information, Evaluation and Quality in Health (AIAQS). He is currently also the director of the Steering Plan of Diseases of the Respiratory Apparatus of the Government of Catalonia Health Department. Specialised in pneumology, Dr. Escarrabill has been responsible for the Respiratory UFIS, head of section of the Pneumology Service, and assistant medical director responsible for Urgent Attention and Management Assistant at Bellvitge University Hospital. He has also been responsible for the Innovation Area of the Health Studies Institute.

Julien Venne is the director of the Centre e-Santé, a French institution created in 2010 by Toulouse University Hospital. Qualified in Territorial Policy Engineering by the University of Toulouse 1, before becoming director of the Centre e-Santé, Venne worked in the airspace cluster AsTech Paris Region and in the Technopole – Castres-Mazamet European Centre of Companies and Innovation. During his professional work in this last technology park, he began to become involved in different subjects of the Centre e-Santé. The aim of this organisation of the Midi-Pyrénées region is to become a catalyst and benchmark producer of eHealth services in France.

Ginés Alarcón is one of the most authoritative voices of the telecommunications sector. An industrial engineer from the UPC, he is president of CTecno, the Foundation of the Catalonia Technological Circle, and also chairman of the Nae consultancy. His professional career has always been related to ICT and his posts of responsibility have included managing director of T-Systems Iberia, vice-chairman of the Lavinia group and general manager of Colt Telecom in Barcelona. He is currently director-general of the Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation, which amongst other things encourages different programs such as that of the Competence Centres. These programmes are intended to develop innovative projects that create industrial activity and foster the use of mobile technologies and applications in different sectors, including mHealth.

Dr. Josep Maria Piqué is the general manager of the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. With a medical degree and doctorate from Barcelona University, he began his career as an assistant doctor of the Gastroenterology Department, which is his speciality. He has headed the service and has been medical director and assistant director of the Hospital Clínic. What's more, his prolific scientific production must be highlighted with over 300 original articles. Dr. Piqué chairs the Spanish Gastroenterology Foundation and is also the president of the MIHealthForum Scientific Committee, which will be held on the coming 24 and 25 May at Fira de Barcelona.

Dr. Josep Ramon Llopart graduated in medicine from Barcelona university, was awarded his doctorate by the la Laguna University and specialised in General Surgery and Surgery of the Digestive Apparatus. He had been Medical Director and Director of Planning and Resources for Badalona Healthcare Services (BSA), and is now the Assistant Director. In his work, Dr. Llopart has supervised the creation and development of the shared electronic medical record and the digitalisation of the radiology services of the hospital in the Barcelona region.

Dr. Josep Antoni Pujante is Director of International Relations and Co-operation of Health Department. A neurosurgeon, humanist, writer and climber, Dr. Pujante has a degree in medicine from Barcelona University and a doctorate in International Relations from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is also doctor honoris causa in several universities, an academic of the Royal Academy of Medicine and Honorary Ambassador of the International Parliament. He completed his training in business management at the IESE, ESADE and EADA business schools and at California State University. Dr. Pujante has held senior management positions in public and private bodies of the Catalan health sector, and has been director of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and Secretary-General of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS).