Introducing TEDDY’s Chair and Renewed Board Members
The TEDDY – European Network of Excellence for Paediatric Clinical Research is proud to announce the appointment of Donato Bonifazi as its new Chair, alongside its Board of Directors. This marks a significant step in strengthening TEDDY’s mission to promote high-quality paediatric research and meaningful engagement of children and young people across Europe.
Donato Bonifazi, an economist with extensive experience in European Project Management and Clinical Research, serves as the TEDDY Network’s representative in the Coordinating Group of the European Network of Paediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency (Enpr-EMA), and in the Advisory Group of the Accelerating Clinical Trials in the European Union (ACT EU) Multi‑Stakeholder Platform (MSP).
Donato Bonifazi served as Chief Executive Officer of the Consorzio per Valutazioni Biologiche e Farmacologiche (CVBF), a non-profit research consortium with more than 25 years’ experience acting as Sponsor or Partner/CRO in health and pharmaceutical studies, and acted as Trial Leader and Coordinator of the EU-funded DEferiprone Evaluation in Paediatrics (DEEP) project, involving 32 clinical centres across Europe and the Mediterranean.
Donato Bonifazi is also a member of the International Children’s Advisory Network (iCAN) Advisory Board, of the of the European Paediatric Transnational Research Infrastructure (EPTRI AISBL) Board of Directors,, of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Working Group on Young People Engagement, of the European CRO Federation (EUCROF) Paediatric Working Group, of the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice (EFCGP) Paediatric Medicines Working Group, and of the Italian Association of CROs (AICRO) Board of Directors. Donato Bonifazi is the Chair of the TEDDY Network Working Group on Children Engagement and Advocacy, and is actively involved in European projects aimed at advancing paediatric and rare disease research, including ERAMET, ERDERA, INVENTS, and OrphaDev4Kids, where he also act as the Coordinator.
Through these roles, he actively promotes multi-stakeholder collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, paediatric and orphan medicines development, multinational clinical research, and the meaningful involvement of children and young patients in health policies, research and innovation.
Renewed Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has been renewed: several members have been confirmed for a new term, while new professionals have joined. We are pleased to welcome Inês Alves, Madlen Gazarian, and Suja Somanadhan, whose expertise and vision bring significant value to the TEDDY Network. With this renewal, the Board is ready to further strengthen its commitment and lead the Network through the upcoming challenges with excellence.
TEDDY’s Board of Directors for the upcoming term includes:
- Aida Loshaj Shala – Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Prishtina, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Off-Label Uses Mitigation, Paediatric Research Methodologies, Children Engagement and Advocacy, and Health Data & Real-World Evidence.
- Eleonora Passeri – Neuroscientist, patient advocacy expert, and founder of Rare Special Powers, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Children Engagement and Advocacy. She is also Chapter Leader of KIDS Umbria, one of TEDDY KIDS Network.
- Florentia Kaguelidou – Paediatrician and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Paris Cité University, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Off-Label Uses Mitigation, Paediatric Research Methodologies, and Health Data & Real-World Evidence.
- Fiona Rako – Kids representative and active member of the KIDS Albania chapter since its establishment.
- Giorgio Reggiardo – Biostatistics Head at TEDDY and Coordinator of the Working Group on Paediatric Research Methodologies, specialising in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical trial design, and Bayesian inference.
- Inês Alves – Founder and President of ANDO Portugal, a TEDDY Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG), and Chapter Leader of the ANDO Portugal YPAG, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Children Engagement and Advocacy.
- Madlen Gazarian – Honorary Professor in Medicine & Health at the University of New South Wales and a paediatric clinical pharmacologist, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Off-Label Uses Mitigation and Health Data & Real-World Evidence.
- Oscar Della Pasqua – Legal representative of TEDDY Stichting, and Chair in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at University College London and Senior Director of Clinical Pharmacology Modelling and Simulation at GlaxoSmithKline, with extensive expertise in biomarkers, disease modelling, and clinical trial design methodology.
- Piotr Socha – Paediatrician and gastroenterology specialist at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute, Head of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Ward, and Deputy Director for Research and Education, actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Children Engagement and Advocacy.
- Suja Somanadhan – Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Associate Professor of Paediatric Nursing at University College Dublin. She co-leads the All-Ireland Rare Diseases Interdisciplinary Research Network (RAiN Ireland), a TEDDY Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG), and serves as Chapter Leader of RAiN Ireland YPAG within TEDDY KIDS Network. She is actively involved in TEDDY working groups on Children Engagement and Advocacy.
The TEDDY Network also expresses its sincere appreciation to Mariagrazia Felisi, for her leadership and dedication during her Chairmanship. Under her leadership, TEDDY Network has seen the development of numerous initiatives to promote paediatric research and an overall strengthening of its activities. Mariagrazia Felisi will continue to work closely with TEDDY Network’s leadership in her role as Past President.
With this renewed leadership, TEDDY Network continues to reinforce its mission of promoting collaboration, scientific excellence, and meaningful involvement of children and young people in paediatric research across Europe.