Lateefa Jamal Abdulla Al Marzooqi is a pharmacovigilance leader and regulatory pharmacist based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She currently serves as Section Head of Pharmacovigilance and Drug Education at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, where she leads strategic initiatives to strengthen medication safety and pharmacovigilance systems across the emirate.

With extensive expertise in drug safety surveillance, Lateefa oversees the monitoring and regulatory assessment of adverse drug reactions, adverse events following immunization, medication errors, and medical device vigilance reports. She has played a pivotal role in shaping Abu Dhabi’s pharmacovigilance ecosystem, including establishing the Abu Dhabi Pharmacovigilance Network (ADPVN) and leading the development of key regulatory policies related to safety alerts, recalls, and vigilance reporting standards.

Lateefa also led the establishment and management of a 24/7 Poison and Drug Information Service in Abu Dhabi and supervised national vaccine safety surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic through the creation of a dedicated AEFI call center . Her work focuses on strengthening data-driven safety monitoring systems and integrating digital reporting tools to enhance regulatory decision-making and patient safety outcomes.

She holds, bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Dubai Pharmacy College and postgraduate diplomas in Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Research, Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance from the Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences in Toronto, Canada, she was a fellow in ISMP Canada , hold Johns Hopkins Patient Safety Certificate Program and master certificate in healthcare management and services.

Lateefa is actively engaged in international medication safety collaborations and contributes to global pharmacovigilance discussions with regulatory and patient safety networks.

Dr. Reem Al-Essa has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Regulations, MBA General and Strategic Management, MSc in PV and Pharmacoepidemiology, MSc Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics and BSc. Pharmacy (Honours), with a long and diversified experience in both government and private sectors in Kuwait.

She started her career in Kuwait Ministry of Health, Drug and Food Control, Pharmaceutical and Herbal Medicines Registration and Control Administration, holding the position of Drug Registration Superintendent. She was appointed in the position of Coordination and Development Superintendent at the Pharmaceutical Services Administration and then became the Director of Drug Inspection Administration (DIA) in addition to holding her role as a Pharmacovigilance Superintendent in Kuwait Office for Pharmacovigilance Surveillance (KOPS).

Aisha Mohamed is a Pharmacist and Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). She manages critical portfolios across pharmacovigilance and market compliance, specializing in the assessment of pharmaceutical applications and the development of national regulatory frameworks and compliance standards.

Dr. Uchenna Elemuwa is the Director of Pharmacovigilance at Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). In her role, she oversees the implementation of the National Pharmacovigilance Policy, coordinating medicine safety activities in Nigeria. Dr. Elemuwa obtained a Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacotherapy from the University of Benin. She earned her Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) from the University of Jos. She holds a Master’s Degrees in Clinical Pharmacy and Bio-pharmacy, and Industrial Labour and Relations. She is a fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.

Under her leadership, NAFDAC’s Pharmacovigilance Directorate has strengthened national systems for monitoring adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). Dr. Elemuwa also leads collaborations with international partners, including the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, a WHO Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring. She has been instrumental in expanding pharmacovigilance outreach through zonal centers in tertiary hospitals across Nigeria and training healthcare providers on medicine safety practices.

Dr. Elemuwa was the Chairperson Expert Working Group (EWG) on Clinical Trial, Pharmacovigilance, and Medicine Safety for the ECOWAS Medicine Regulatory Harmonisation Programme from 2016 to 2022. She is the current Chairperson for the EWG on Pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring from 2023 to date, and the Lead for the African Union Smart Safety Surveillance (AU 3S) Project in Nigeria. She is a Member of the National Coordinating Committee of the National Expert Committee on Adverse Events following Immunization (AEFI) Causality Assessment in Nigeria. She also leads the Saving Lives and Livelihood Pharmacovigilance Project sponsored by Mastercard through the African Centre for Disease Control.

She is instrumental to Nigeria achieving Maturity Level 3 during the WHO Global Benchmarking Assessment covering the Pharmacovigilance indicators.

Dr. Rehab Abdelkarim Mashaal is the Manager of the Pharmacovigilance Training Unit at the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), with over seven years of experience in regulatory pharmacovigilance and national capacity building within the pharmaceutical sector.

She leads the design and implementation of competency-based training programs for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals, aimed at strengthening compliance with pharmacovigilance regulations and enhancing drug safety practices. She has played a key role in advancing national training initiatives, including managing Egypt’s National Pharmacy Internship Program, which trained over 7,000 students with a 98% success rate.

In addition to her leadership role, she contributes to pharmacovigilance operations, including handling regulatory complaints and supporting risk management planning.

She has also delivered international training programs across the Middle East and Africa. Dr. Rehab holds an MBA, a Diploma in Pharmacovigilance, and is a certified Trainer of Trainers (TOT), with a strong interest in digital transformation and AI applications in pharmacovigilance.

Dr. Raghda has rich experience in Pharmacovigilance and Patient Safety since 2011 when she starts establishment new pharmacovigilance system in Middle East and North Africa at Eli-Lilly from scratch.

she was working hand by hand with regulatory authority bodies within Middle East and North Africa region to implement and execute Arab Guidelines for Pharmacovigilance GVP first version.

She has several senior regional roles in multinational companies like Eli Lilly, Shire and now Takeda where she got diversified experience in Patient Safety in different geographical regions including not only Middle East and Africa but also some European countries like Greece, Portugal, Israel, Spain and Italy by which has been exposed to different experience that she builds on her area of expertise in Middle East and Africa region.

Dr. Raghda has passionate to Promote for Patient Safety in general and to optimize patient Safety awareness in specific within all health community sectors.

She is active member in different regional PV associations, and she is active moderators for DIA forums and different Global Pharmacovigilance events.

Swathi Anipeddi is a Senior Pharmacovigilance Manager at Novo Nordisk, with over 12 years of experience in global drug safety and regulatory compliance. She has supported pharmacovigilance activities across multiple regions, contributing to the implementation and maintenance of global safety standards within diverse regulatory environments.

Her experience spans Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Asia-Pacific, where she has been involved in overseeing pharmacovigilance operations across multiple countries, ensuring alignment with both global requirements and local regulations. She has worked extensively on pharmacovigilance systems oversight, vendor governance, and the management of outsourced safety activities.

Swathi has contributed to strengthening pharmacovigilance frameworks through structured oversight models, vendor lifecycle management, and support for inspection readiness and quality initiatives. She collaborates with cross-functional teams to support consistent and compliant safety processes across complex organizational settings.
She holds a Bachelor of Dental Sciences and has built her career in pharmacovigilance with a focus on operational effectiveness and regulatory compliance. Her professional interests include pharmacovigilance governance and advancing patient safety through collaborative and compliant practices.

Dr. Prerna Chanana, a physician and drug safety leader with more than 16 years of experience across clinical medicine, pharmaceutical development, and pharmacovigilance. Throughout her career, she had the privilege of supporting drug development programs from early-phase research through post-marketing surveillance, with a particular focus on oncology and innovative therapies.

Her work has centred on transforming complex safety data into actionable benefit-risk insights that inform regulatory strategy, clinical development, and ultimately patient care. Leading global safety activities across clinical programs, including signal detection and management, aggregate reporting, safety governance, and medical review, while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams and executive leadership.