Antonella Cardone
CEO
antonella.cardone@cancerpatientseurope.org
Antonella Cardone joined CPE as CEO at the end of 2022. She is also the Patient Advocacy Expert and Advisor to the Board of Pancreatic Cancer Europe (PCE), the European Multi-Stakeholder Platform of leading and most influential groups of physicians and patients, politicians, journalists, academia, and industry on Pancreatic Cancer. She is the former Director of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC). She has 25 years of experience working for non-profits in the health, social, and employment sectors. Before ECPC, Antonella was the Executive Director of the Fit for Work Global Alliance, a multi-stakeholder coalition championing health and work policy change. She has previously served as the Director of the Global Smoke-free Partnership of the American Cancer Society, leading a movement of over 100 members to coordinate the development of smoke-free laws in 40 countries. She holds a Master’s in Science and one in Business Administration. She represented ECPC on the Board of All. Can and on the Board of Pancreatic Cancer Europe, in which she was vice-chair.
Maria Luisa Pagano
Secretariat coordinator
secretariat@cancerpatientseurope.org
Luisa has over 30 years of working experience in the non-formal education field as a trainer and youth worker, supporting the personal and professional development of young people and youth workers at national, European and international levels, working both for the European Commission and the Council of Europe. She focused her interest on supporting the development of key competencies in youth workers and young people in the frame of a lifelong learning approach and supporting adult education. Furthermore, she has over 20 years of experience in project management in the frame of the major European Commission funding programmes.
Lucia Colonna
Administration
administration@cancerpatientseurope.org
After graduation in Economics and Banking and a first work experience in business development services, since 2000 Lucia has been approaching the nonprofit sector, focusing on associations’ development and management, planning of social initiatives, and intercultural and social inclusion projects.
Chiara Mangani
Communication
info@cancerpatientseurope.org
After her studies, Chiara worked for translation, business intelligence and copywriting companies. After earning a master’s degree in media and content design (2002), she has been involved in on and offline communications with nonprofits for nearly two decades.
Anna Ripa di Meana
Operations Officer
operationofficer@cancerpatientseurope.org
Anna has accumulated more than six years of professional experience in international cooperation and social development projects. Her journey has taken her from serving as a Fundraiser, Program Associate and Officer, contributing to project proposals and grant applications. In her international missions, she successfully managed field missions, facilitated project evaluations, and provided valuable support for local development initiatives. Her dedication extends to administrative tasks, logistics management, and external coordination, strengthened by her experience working on projects funded by prominent organizations like the UNDP and the European Union. With a solid foundation in project management and a passion for international development, Anna is committed to driving positive change in her field.
Juan-Jose Ventura
Research and Patient Engagement Director
juan.ventura@cancerpatientseurope.org
Juan-Jose studied Pharmacy and obtained his PhD at the University Complutense of Madrid. He has conducted basic research in international institutions such as EMBL, HHMI, CNIO, University of Cambridge and KU Leuven. He has aimed to find target cells and molecular biomarkers that could be used for diagnosis and therapy of several cancers (Liver, Colon, Lung). After switching his career path, he moved to work as patient advocate. He has participated in more than 20 EU research projects and helped to bring the voice of patients to the latest research trends.