Our board and staff

Our board

LISE-LOTT ERIKSSON

Lise-Lott has been Chairman of the Swedish Blood Cancer Association since 2015 and was previously Chairman of the Blood Cancer Society in Stockholm.

In the Swedish Blood Cancer Association, she is very active in policy-related issues within the Swedish cancer care area, focusing on access to new drugs for haematological disorders (especially myeloma), reimbursement, pricing and patient influence in clinical trials and health technology assessment decisions. She works actively to raise the status of expert patient advocates in Sweden.
As well as being an effective patient advocate, she has prior experience working as a physiotherapist in a variety of private healthcare settings and, since 2006, has been CEO and co-owner of LM Design to Live in AB, a family business in the construction business producing and selling individually designed site-built villas and tenant-owned apartments. Lise-Lott was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia in 2011, and her father was diagnosed with myeloma in 2009.

LISE-LOTT ERIKSSON

Lise-Lott is the MPE president since 2022.

RIIKKA-LEENA MANNINEN

Riikka-Leena is a board member of the Association of Cancer Patients in Finland (Suomen Syöpäpotilaat ry), an NGO founded in 1971. The Association coordinates cancer-specific networks, including a network for myeloma patients. Riikka-Leena is an active member, a myeloma network volunteer, and a patient advocate. The myeloma Network offers peer support and provides a way to share information and receive patient feedback. The mission of the Association is to secure equal care for cancer patients and ensure the well-being and quality of life of patients and their family members. Riikka-Leena is also a member of two Patient Advisory Boards at the Tampere University Hospital.

Riikka-Leena graduated from the University of Turku with a master’s degree in Geography. She has also studied Journalism at the University of Tampere.

RIKKA -LEENA MANNINEN

Riikka-Leena is the Secretary of MPE. She joined the Board in April 2018.

ANANDA PLATE

Ananda started getting involved in patient advocacy in 2007 after her cancer diagnosis. She became the first CEO of Myeloma Patients Europe (MPE), a position she held for a decade. She has a law degree from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and a master’s degree in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her main fields of interest are cross-border healthcare within the EU and health data protection. She has also worked at the leading Institute of Public Law (IDP Barcelona) and the European Commission (DG Health and Consumers) and collaborated with several European patient organisations. Currently, she is a member of the Ethics Committee at the Chamber of Physicians of Bavaria, Germany.

ANANDA PLATE

Ananda is Board member of MPE since March 2022.

ZVI ZILBERMAN

Zvi is a myeloma patient and an active member of the organisation AMEN (Israel). He has graduated in Computer Science from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and has a master’s in MBA with distinction from Derby University. He is a Software engineer with 25 years of experience in the fields of development, marketing, and program management in various hi-tech companies. For the last ten years, Zvi has worked for Intel Israel. He aims to improve early diagnosis of myeloma. In addition, he is willing to strengthen patient organisations across Europe by sharing knowledge and information. Zvi completed the MPE Advocate Development Program (ADP) in 2021.

ZVI ZILBERMAN

Zvi has been a board member of MPE since March 2022.

DIANE LOENING-MARTENS

Diane is a carer of a myeloma patient, her husband, and a volunteer in the AMM-Online organisation. She was vice president at Myelom Deutschland in 2020 and, along with her husband, led the myeloma support group for patients and caregivers in Hamburg. Diane is a trained nurse with special training in psychiatry and palliative care. She is also an educator for early childhood. One of Diane’s interests is working to address the needs of younger patients and improving palliative care as part of myeloma treatment. Diane completed the MPE Advocate Development Programme (ADP) in 2019.

DIANE LOENING-MARTENS

Diane is a board member since March 2022.

BARBARA LEONARDI

Barbara is a patient advocate and a member of Carita, the Polish multiple myeloma patient organisation. With diplomas in history of art and English-Polish translation, Barbara has established her professional career as a copywriter, editor and translator specialising in law, business and economy. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2019, she decided to get involved in patient advocacy. The first step was the one-year Advocacy Development Programme organised by Myeloma Patients Europe. The programme led to her becoming actively engaged with MPE projects and voicing the patients’ issues on the European level. Barbara is passionate about the patient’s role in the medical landscape and their right to clear and thorough information. She believes that an illness shouldn’t define anybody, as it is just one of many experiences in a person’s life.

BARBARA LEONARDI

Barbara is a board member of MPE since March 2022.

Our staff

KATIE JOYNER

Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts from Georgetown University in Liberal Studies with a concentration in International Affairs. Katie has 15 years of experience with nonprofit organisations, specialising in development and programme management. Before joining MPE, Katie served as the Director of Development at a large New York City nonprofit supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, where she oversaw fundraising, board management, and events. Katie is originally from North Carolina, United States and is currently based in Munich, Germany.

KATIE JOYNER

Katie is co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She joined MPE in April 2020.

KATE MORGAN

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and a Master’s degree in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh. She also holds a Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute for Public Relations. Her main area of interest is health policy, specifically focusing on policies affecting drug development and access in European countries.

Kate previously worked for eight years in the Policy Team at Myeloma UK, where she was involved in influencing a range of policy and reimbursement decisions affecting myeloma patients’ access to good quality care and effective new drugs. She was involved in several patient and public advisory panels in the UK healthcare system, including for the Scottish Medicines Consortium, the drug approval body in Scotland.

She has been involved in a wide range of patient organisation networks, both nationally and internationally – most recently chairing the Blood Cancers Alliance, an information-sharing network of haematological cancer charities in the UK.

Kate currently lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland.

KATE MORGAN

Kate is co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She joined the team in September 2017.

Access and Policy

ANNE-PIERRE PICKAERT

Anne-Pierre brings 20 years of experience with a wide range of healthcare stakeholders (charity, patient organisation, governmental agency, consultancy and pharmaceutical industry). Her skills and expertise in health communication, cancer prevention and market access, combined with her personal experience as a leukaemia survivor, give her a unique perspective on patient engagement, advocacy and equal access to adequate care.

Anne-Pierre holds an MSc in Economic Evaluation for Health Technology Assessment from the University of York, an MSc in European Social Policy from the London School of Economics and a Diploma in Political Sciences from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Strasbourg. She worked as a general delegate and program manager in cancer prevention through nutrition and lifestyle (World Cancer Research Fund & Institut National du Cancer [INCa]) and market access director (Kantar Health, Lundbeck & Sanofi).

ANNE-PIERRE PICKAERT

Anne-Pierre joined in April 2020 to manage the Access to medicines Secretariat.

Medical Education and Scientific Engagement

SOLÈNE CLAVREUL

Solène holds a PhD in Neuroscience and a Master of Biology and Physiology from Sorbonne University (Paris). She studied brain development during her PhD and then worked on brain cellular diversity as a researcher at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (Germany). Early involved in education, she has been leading holiday camps for children for many years and worked in a science museum during her studies to promote science, design exhibitions and lead workshops.

Interested in science policy and particularly in the health field, she trained herself in European policy implementation, clinical data management and industrial pharma management before joining MPE.
Solène comes from France and currently lives and works in Munich, Germany. She speaks French, English and German.

SOLÈNE CLAVREUL

Solène is Head of Medical Education and Scientific Engagement. She joined the team in January 2021.

MORINE MAGURI

Morine holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies from Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. She previously worked for an NGO that focused on advocating for people with terminal and stigmatised diseases such as HIV and was also involved in providing counselling, education and support to people living in vulnerable communities.

In 2018 she moved to Germany, and since then, she has gained experience in nursing procedures related to treatment plans, medication schedules and patient assessments. Morine speaks English, German and Shona.

MORINE MAGURI

Morine joined MPE as Project Officer in December 2021.

Patient Evidence

EILIDH DUNCAN

Eilidh holds a PhD and MSc in Health Psychology and is a Chartered Health Psychologist. Her interests are in improving experiences of healthcare and in translating evidence into clinical practice. Eilidh is also interested in improving experiences of trial participation.

Before joining MPE, she spent 13 years working in a Scottish Government funded health services research unit tasked with improving health care for the people of Scotland, the UK and beyond. Eilidh led multidisciplinary, international research projects into improving experiences of healthcare. She also co-led the initiation of a behavioural science approach to trial methodology within the Clinical Trials Unit to reduce research waste and maximise trial efficiency. She has a mixed-methods research background and expertise in health psychology, behavioural science and participatory methods. She is passionate about doing work that has a real impact on improving outcomes and experiences for patients. Eilidh is currently based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

EILIDH DUNCAN

Eilidh joined MPE in February 2023 as the Head of Patient Research.

SILEN TEN SELDAM

SILENE TEN SELDAM

Silene holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Stirling and an MSc in Mental health in Children and Young People from the University of Edinburgh. She has experience in conducting qualitative research through a placement at the University of Stirling’s Careers and Employability Service and quantitative research experience, using both primary and secondary data, through her degree research projects. Silene also has experience in supporting individuals with mental health difficulties through voluntary roles during her time at university, such as Nightline, and healthcare experience through her role as a care and support worker for individuals with learning difficulties and complex needs. Silene is big on advocating for inclusivity and supporting vulnerable populations and is therefore enthusiastic about filling research gaps by expanding on current research to improve the understanding of myeloma patient experience and quality of life. Silene speaks English, French, German and Dutch and is currently based in Edinburgh.

SILENE TEN SELDAM

Silene joined MPE in October 2021 as Research Assistant.

Member and Patient Community Programmes

LINDA CHRISTOPHER

Linda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and a Master’s in Medical and Psychiatric Social work from the University of Madras, India. She has vast experience in leading, managing, teaching and training in the Social (non-profit) and Educational sectors.

Her area of expertise in the past has been working with and for victims and survivors of domestic violence and abuse. Her passion and interest are to connect with vulnerable individuals/communities, be the change and make a difference for them to have holistic development. Linda comes from India and currently lives and works in Munich, Germany. She speaks English, Tamil and conversational German.

LINDA CHRISTOPHER

Linda joined the MPE team as Project Manager in September 2021.

Communications

ANA VALLEJO

She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Communication from the University Antonio de Nebrija in Madrid and a Master’s degree in Digital Communications Strategies from the Complutense University of Madrid.

Ana worked as a journalist in weekly newspapers specialising in health and consumer health monthly magazines. She has been involved in different patient advocacy groups, first as a volunteer and later on within the communications department. Since 2014, Ana has worked as a PR and press consultant in the health department of an international PR agency, developing communication strategies for prominent pharmaceutical companies.

Ana has been involved in producing two books focused on patients with cancer as a co-writer and editorial coordinator. She speaks Spanish and English.

ANA VALLEJO

Ana is Head of Communications. She joined MPE in September 2016.

Patricia Matamoros

PATRICIA MATAMOROS

Patricia holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Advertising Communications from the University Carlos III of Madrid. Patricia has experience in TV news production and social media management. She previously worked at a news station in Gainesville, Florida, USA managing the social media department. She speaks Spanish and English and is originally from Managua, Nicaragua. She is currently based in Madrid, Spain.

PATRICIA MATAMOROS

Patricia joined the MPE team as Communications Officer in September 2021.

Finance and Operations

INGRID JENISCH

She holds a degree from the advanced technical college in Ulm, Germany, and has an apprenticeship as an electrical engineering assistant.

Ingrid has broad experience in large, medium-sized and start-up companies. She worked as a referent and assistant to Executive Boards. In this role, she was responsible for the board-, management- and finance reporting and controlling. She has proficient expertise in project and programme management and implementation of administrative processes as well as in marketing and public relations.

In the health area, she worked for the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project EUPATI. The European Patients’ Academy. This is a pan-European project implemented as a public-private partnership by a collaborative multi-stakeholder consortium from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, not-for-profit, and patient organisations. As Finance and Reporting Officer, she supported the EUPATI Director in preparing reports for IMI and the international consortium members. Financial monitoring, control and analysis were part of her responsibility. Ingrid is based in Munich, Germany.

INGRID JENISCH

Ingrid joined the MPE team as Finance and Reporting Officer in August 2018.

RIIKA LEMPIAINEN

Riika holds a Master’s degree in History and Economics from the University of Tampere. She has nearly 20 years of experience in finance, HR and general management in both international corporations and the non-profit sector. Most recently she worked for a Brussels-based European association advocating for informal carers where she was responsible for their finance, HR and member administration. Her areas of expertise cover business planning, reporting, controlling and analyses, financial project management including EU Grant administration, corporate and association governance, and contract management.

Riika speaks English, French and Finnish, as well as some German and Swedish. She is based in the Frankfurt region in Germany.

RIIKA LEMPIAINEN

Riika joined the MPE team as Finance Officer in January 2023.

VALENTINA CHRISTODOULIDOU

Valentina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Cyprus and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the University of Sussex. Valentina has experience working as an HR Research Officer in a multinational HR organization. She has also worked for one of the largest trade unions in Cyprus, representing workers across all sectors. She speaks Greek and English and is originally from Cyprus. She is currently based in Munich, Germany.

VALENTINA CHRISTODOULIDOU

Valentina joined the MPE team as Operations Officer in September 2021.

About MPE

MPE overview
Our members
Our board and staff
Medical Advisory Commitee
Our funding
Get involved
Become a member

Subscribe to

our newsletter!

Subscribe here