Dr. Carlos Alberto Soratti is a medical doctor specialized in Intensive Care and Health and Social Security Systems. He served as the Secretary of Policies, Regulation, and Institutes in Argentina’s National Ministry of Health from 2006 to 2009. Currently, he is the President of INCUCAI. Since 2005, he has been the Vice President of the Ibero-American Network for Donation and Transplantation and has represented Argentina on the Intergovernmental Commission for Donation and Transplantation of the Meeting of Health Ministers of Mercosur since its creation in 2006. He is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre.
Dr. Machín is an Associate Professor (Grade 3) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay. With over 25 years of experience in the field of transplantation, his academic career is highlighted by his teaching role at various Uruguayan institutions. Additionally, he holds a diploma in multi Tissue Banking. Since 1995, Dr. Machín has been an integral part of the National Institute of Donation and Transplantation (INDR) team, where he has been involved in organ and tissue selection, procurement, and allocation. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Health and the Faculty of Medicine, he served as Transplantation Coordinator at this institution.
Board-certified physician and Doctor of Science from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Dr. Martinez is a medical researcher at the Mexican Ministry of Health and has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at the UNAM School of Medicine since 1998.
His scientific experience in the field of cell biology and molecular therapy applied to transplant processes, cryobiology, and tissue recovery has qualified him to be the founder of the first Skin and Tissue Bank of the Ministry of Health in Mexico, with ISO9000 certification of its kind. Dr. Martinez has held visiting professorships and given lectures at universities worldwide, including the Free University of the Netherlands, the University of Birmingham in Alabama, the University of Oviedo and the University of Barcelona in Spain, and Kyushu University in Japan.
As the current director of the Cryobiology Research Program at the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación, Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra (INR LGII), Dr. Martinez brings extensive experience from his previous role as the director of the National Transplant Registry at CENATRA. He now oversees the Skin and Tissue Bank at INR LGII, a leading center in Mexico for tissue banking.
Board-Certified Medical Surgeon specializing in Plastic Surgery from the National Hospital Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen. Since 2001, Dr. Melendez has been performing Pediatric Reconstructive Surgery (cleft lip and palate), both inside and outside Peru. She has completed postgraduate studies in Microsurgery, Endoscopic Surgery, Cell Therapy, and Regenerative Medicine. Dr Melendez is an associate member of the Peruvian Society of Plastic Surgery and the Peruvian Burn Society. She is also a member of the IPRAS (International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery), and the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).
Marais Steyn is a seasoned professional with a deep expertise in tissue banking and a commitment to advancing the field through innovation and ethical practices. With over three decades of experience, Marais has cultivated a career marked by significant contributions to tissue procurement, processing, and management.
Currently, Marais serves as the Production Manager at Bone SA NPC’s Vitanova Tissue Bank, a role he has held since February 2022. His responsibilities include overseeing the production processes and ensuring the highest standards in tissue quality and safety. His leadership is grounded in a robust educational background and extensive hands-on experience in the tissue banking sector. Over the years, he has held pivotal positions at Tshwane University of Technology’s Centre for Tissue Engineering and the University of Pretoria’s National Tissue Bank, where he specialized in tissue procurement, product management, and technological advancements in the field.
His educational credentials features advanced certifications from prestigious institutions such as the University of Barcelona and the National University of Singapore. Marais’s dedication to his profession is further demonstrated by his active membership in various associations, including the Asian Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banking and the South African Tissue Banking Association.
Plastic Surgeon, MBA in Business Administration with a postgraduate degree in Health. Master in Public Health, Master's in Major Burns, Diploma in Tissue Banks Currently part of the Skin and Tissue Bank of Tarapacá, Iquique, Chile, and pursuing a PhD in Surgery and Morphological Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Oftalmologa. Coordinadora del Departamento de Trasplante de Tejidos de la Asociación Brasileña de Trasplante de Órganos. Miembro del Consejo Brasileño de Oftalmología. Doctora en Oftalmología de la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais. Maestría y Becaria de la Universidad Johns Hopkins en Estados Unidos. Oftalmóloga de la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais. Médica, de la Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais.
With more than 20 years of experience in the field of tissue donation, Martin Börgel is the current President of the European Association for Tissue and Cell Banks (EATCB) and the General Secretary of the World Union of Tissue Banking Associations (WUTBA). Since 2002, Martin Börgel has been Managing Director of the German Society for Tissue Transplantation-DGFG.
Martin Börgel's professional life began with training as a pediatric nurse. He worked for two years at the St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster while simultaneously pursuing a degree in business administration with a specialization in healthcare at Osnabrück University. After receiving his diploma, he transitioned to a role as an auditor for Solidaris Unternehmensberatung Köln for several years. There, he was responsible for expert audits of the Eurotransplant and DSO foundations. This intensive experience proved invaluable, as he was involved in the restructuring and development of the German Organ Transplantation Foundation and the establishment of its subsidiary responsible for tissue donation. Ultimately, this background led him to his current position as Managing Director of Germany's largest tissue establishment, the DGFG. The DGFG facilitates half of all cornea, heart valve, blood vessel, and amniotic membrane transplants performed in Germany.
Burn Surgeon at the Dr. Thelma Rosario Children's Burn Center in Santiago de los Caballeros, a position she has held since the center's foundation. She served as the center's director from 2009 to 2023. Full member of the Dominican Academy of Medicine and the National Research Career. Secretary of the North Branch of the Dominican College of Surgeons from 2022 to 2024. She is also the Latin American representative on the Executive Committee of the International Society of Burn Injury and a member of the Prevention and Disaster Committee of the Ibero-Latin American Federation of Burns.
Dr. Quintana received her medical degree from the School of Medicine at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). She completed her general surgery residency at the Hospital Dr. Luis E. Aybar and a fellowship in burn surgery at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University. She also holds a Master's degree in Education Sciences from Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA) and is a professor at UTESA's School of Medicine. She is also a professor at the School of Medicine and a research professor at PUCMM.