EUREC Board
Our Board, composed of experienced REC members and ethics experts from across Europe, guides the strategic direction of EUREC. Their diverse perspectives ensure that we effectively address emerging challenges in research ethics and uphold the highest standards across the European research community.
Prof. Dr. Eugenijus Gefenas
Chair
Eugenijus Gefenas is the chair of EUREC. He is a professor and director of the Centre for Health Ethics, Law, and History at the Medical Faculty of Vilnius University. He was a member of the Council of Europe Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO) in 2002-2018, chairing this Committee in 2011-2012, and a member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) appointed by the President of the European Commission (2016-2021).
Prof. Dr. Maria Alexandra Ribeiro
Vice chair
Maria Ribeiro is vice chair of EUREC and has almost 18 years of experience in clinical research ethics. With a PhD in biology, physiology and biochemistry and a post-graduate degree in bioethics, she is an invited assistant professor of physiology and bioethics at the NOVA Medical School, New University of Lisbon, where she is also a member of the ethics committee. She was previously president of the portuguese national ethics committee for clinical research (CEIC). She is also a board member of the Portuguese Reproducibility Network and works as an ethics reviewer.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Lanzerath
Secretary General
Dirk Lanzerath is the Secretary General of EUREC and a Professor for Philosophy at the University of Bonn. With a rich academic background in both philosophy and biology, he is a leading expert in research ethics and integrity. Dirk is the Managing Director of the German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE) and serves on numerous ethics committees. Additionally, he is a board member of the Embassy of Good Science, where he contributes to promoting ethical practices in scientific research.
Outi Konttinen
Outi Konttinen is a member of the EUREC Board and serves as the General Secretary and Group Leader of the National Committee on Medical Research Ethics (Tukija) in Finland. With a Master of Social Sciences, specializing in Political Science and Public Health, she brings extensive expertise in research ethics and public policy. She has been a key figure in national research ethics committees since 2001. In her role, she represents Tukija and Finland in numerous EU bodies focused on the ethical conduct of clinical trials involving human medicines.
Prof. Dr. Dominique Sprumont
dominique.sprumont@vd.ch
Dominique Sprumont is a member of the EUREC Board and Professor of Law at the Institute of Health Law at the University of Neuchâtel. He is president of the Research Ethics Committee of the Canton of Vaud and a member of the Board of the Swiss Association of RECs. As a recognised expert in public health law and research ethics, he has contributed significantly to the drafting of important laws and regulations, including revisions of the Declaration of Helsinki, the Declaration of Taipei and the CIOMS 2023 International Guidelines on Good Governance for Health-Related Research Institutions. Since 2006, he has been the coordinator of TRREE (Training and Resources in Research Ethics Evaluation), which continues to promote ethical standards in health-related research.
Prof. Dr. David Townend
David Townend is Professor of Health and Life Sciences Law and Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) at The City Law School, City St George’s, University of London. He works in the Socio-legal Studies tradition, focussing on: conceptual issues of privacy, property and solidarity in law and ethics; and practical questions relating to data protection and the use of personal data in healthcare and research, and the general regulation of health research.
Prof. Dr. Elmar Doppelfeld
Honorary Chairman
Elmar Doppelfeld was a founding member of EUREC and served as chair of the network from 2012 to 2021. He is Professor of nuclear medicine and was Managing Physician of the German Medical Association from 1982 to 1988. From 1989 to 2005 he was chairman of the scientific editorial board of the German Medical Journal. In 1982, he was a founding member of the Permanent Working Party of Research Ethics Committees in Germany (AKEK) and held its chair from 1994 to 2012. Appointed in 1992 by the German Federal Minister of Justice Doppelfeld is a member of the German delegation to the “Steering Committee for Human Rights in the Fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO)”, former CDBI, and was President of this body from 2005 to 2007.