Dr. Vandita Kakkar is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, with over 14 years of experience in teaching and research. Her research primarily focuses on enhancing the bioavailability of phytopharmaceuticals using nanoparticle technology through oral and topical delivery routes. She is also actively involved in scaling up nanoparticle production from laboratory to pilot scale, combating antimicrobial resistance, and developing targeted drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. She has filed 8 national and 4 international patents, with 4 patents granted. Her scholarly contributions include over 70 national and international research and review publications, with an h-index of 23 and more than 3000 citations, along with 14 book chapters in reputed international publications. She has secured competitive research funding exceeding ₹2.35 crores from agencies including UGC, DST, ICMR, BIRAC, Panjab University, and the Commonwealth. With 2 years of industrial experience, she has also successfully transferred technology to Hi Tech Innovations Ltd. and serves as a consultant to several pharmaceutical companies. Recognized for her scientific contributions, Dr Kakkar has received multiple awards and accolades. Most recently, she has been included in Stanford University’s prestigious “Top 2% Scientists” global list for 2025.

Dr Bérard has cross-training in epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, and genetics from McGill University and Harvard Medical School. She is a full professor of perinatal epidemiology at the University of Montreal, Faculty of Pharmacy, and CHU Ste-Justine in Montreal, and adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, and at the Université Paris Cité, Paris, France. Dr Bérard holds a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 on Medications and Pregnancy, and the University of Montreal’s Louis-Boivin research chair on « Medications, pregnancy and lactation ». Dr Bérard is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Science, and of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology, and a voting member of the Birth Defects Research Society. Dr Bérard is the principal investigator of the Canadian Mother-Child Initiative on Drug Safety in Pregnancy (CAMCCO Research/Training/Knowledge Dissemination). She has published over 230 scientific papers, and 2 patents; she has obtained over 37 million dollars in funding from CIHR, CFI, and FRQS as principal investigator. She recently received a Most Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention for her work on antidepressants, maternal depression, and pregnancy; and a research career award from the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada. She is a member of the Agence Nationale sur la Sécurité des Médicaments in France, where she is involved in decision making regarding medication safety in pregnancy, including antidepressants.

Dr Lucie Blais holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University. She is a Full Professor and Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and International Relations at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal (UdeM). In addtion, she holds the endowment AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Chair in Respiratory Health of the Université de Montréal since 1999. Dr Lucie Blais is a researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy and at the Research Centre of the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal. She received salary awards from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) between 2001 and 2012. Her research focuses on the pharmacoepidemiology of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is funded by CIHR and FRQS. More recently, she investigated the predictive performance of machine learning methods in pharmacoepidemiology. She has authored 208 scientific publications and has supervised numerous graduate students.

Dr Pravin Potdar is a Faculty & Chairman of the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) for Research and Development at Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Education & Research Centre, Mumbai. India. He completed his PhD from Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India, in 1991 and worked in the area of cancer research for more than 35 years. Dr Pravin Potdar is a pioneer scientist in the field of cancer research & stem cell research. In June 2017, he completed 12 years of successful tenure as the Head and Chief of the Department of Molecular Medicine & Biology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai, India. At Jaslok, he has established a Molecular Diagnostics and Stem Cell Research laboratory and carried out various Research Programs in the field of cancer research, Neurological & genetic disorders, infectious diseases, Diabetic Mellitus, etc. At Jaslok, Dr Pravin Potdar has developed several innovative technologies that can help to diagnose and treat various cancers. He also carried out extensive research work in the field of stem cell research and developed several mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cell lines from various normal and tumour tissues, adipose tissue, Human placental membrane, dental pulp cells, blood cells, etc. His laboratory became a reference laboratory for several doctoral & post-doctoral students who wish to learn better technology in these fields from all over India & abroad. Dr Pravin Potdar has published almost 100 papers in the field of cancer research and stem cell research in well-known International Medical Journals. He has trained more than 1000 students all over India & abroad in the field of Molecular Medicine & Stem Cell Biology. He has held the position of Secretary for the Scientific Advisory and Ethics Committees of Jaslok Hospital for 7 years. Besides that, he is the recipient of the prestigious “National Institute of Health” (NIH), USA award and also worked as a Faculty Scientist at the World's topmost Cancer Centre, M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, USA, for almost 3 years. Dr Pravin Potdar is also a Founder Member & Ex- Vice President of “The Molecular Pathology Association of India (MPAI). I have been appointed as an Editorial Board Member & Reviewer for many National and International Journals. Due to excellent work in the field of Cancer & Stem Cells, his name was included in Marquis's “Who's Who in World” Book in 2012. In the year 2015, I was invited as a member of a delegation to visit Italian Universities working in the fields of Biotechnology, Cancer Genomics, Stem Cell Research, and Regenerative Medicine by the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce (IICC), Mumbai, India.

Dr. Nan Fang is the Chair, CEO, and Co-founder of Singleron Biotechnologies, a pioneering life science tools company specializing in single-cell multi-omics technologies. Founded in 2018, Singleron has rapidly become one of the leading single cell multi-omics solution providers and expanded its global presence with operations in Germany, the United States, China, and Singapore, offering comprehensive solutions for research, clinical applications, and drug development. Prior to founding Singleron, Dr. Fang had over ten years’ experience in product development, commercialisation, team management and corporate strategy with global biotech firms (in Germany, USA, China). Her past roles include: Deputy General Manager at Novogene (responsible for novel NGS service solutions) EY. Associate Director of Global R&D at QIAGEN in Germany, where she founded & led the product development team for the Universal NGS Market Program, and participated in business‐area management. She is inventor on more than 20 patents/patent applications. Dr. Fang holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Iowa, an MBA from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, and an Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Science & Technology of China.

Dr Barry Daly, Founder and Managing Director of ImpactfulRx, brings over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning both commercial and medical roles. From his early work as a Medical Science Liaison to leading MSL teams. Recognized internationally as a thought leader, Barry regularly speaks at global conferences, sharing insights on how medical affairs can drive value across organizations. Through ImpactfulRx, he supports Pharma and Biotech companies in building credible, compliant medical affairs capabilities — helping them deliver medical value and communicate effectively across their organisations.

Dr. S. Duraivel is a transformative academic leader and internationally acclaimed expert whose pioneering work at the intersection of pharmaceutical sciences and nursing education is shaping the future of holistic, patient-centered healthcare worldwide. Currently serving as Campus Director of Guru Nanak College, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) — a premier institution recognized as the Best Pharmacy & Nursing Paramedical and Technical Institute in the region — he leads cutting-edge programs in B.Sc. Nursing, Post Basic B.Sc. Nursing, GNM, B.Pharm, and allied health sciences, fostering real-world clinical training and interprofessional collaboration from day one.