Lode Godderis, MD, PhD, is a Full Professor of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology at KU Leuven and CEO of IDEWE, Belgium’s largest external service for prevention and protection at work. His work lies at the interface of occupational health practice, epidemiology, and public health, with a strong focus on translating research into preventive action. A central pillar of his expertise is the development and implementation of sentinel surveillance systems to detect emerging occupational and environmental health risks. Recently, he has increasingly emphasized mental health and psychosocial risks at work, promoting data-driven strategies to prevent burnout and protect workforce resilience.

Nuha El Sharif, BSc, MPH, PhD, is a Full Professor of Public Health at Al-Quds University with extensive experience in environmental and occupational health and the epidemiology of chronic diseases. Her work spans asthma, allergies, cancer, diabetes, gestational diabetes, iron deficiency, medication misuse, and lead exposure in children, with a strong interest in indoor and outdoor environmental exposures. She also brings years of expertise in mental health research among healthcare workers in Palestine, focusing on stress, depression, anxiety, and strategies to mitigate occupational burnout and promote well-being.

Aziza Menouni is an associate researcher at KU Leuven specializing in environmental and occupational health. Her research focuses on exposome-oriented approaches, human biomonitoring, oxidative stress, and epigenetic mechanisms, with particular attention to vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income settings. Her work increasingly emphasizes sentinel surveillance systems as early-warning tools for prevention and policy support and integrates biopsychosocial risks at work to understand combined effects on mental and physical health. She contributes to research capacity building and international cooperation across large EU-funded projects.

Dr. Muna Ahmead is an Associate Professor of Mental Health at Al-Quds University and coordinates the Master’s Program of Community Mental Health (Psychotherapy Track). She earned a PhD from the University of Manchester and specialized in cognitive behavioral therapy at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. She has helped create new academic tracks and organized psychotherapy training courses for mental health professionals. Her research focuses on workplace mental health, students’ mental health, and psychological challenges in conflict settings.

Kaoutar Chbihi is a PhD researcher at KU Leuven specializing in environmental and occupational health, with emphasis on exposure assessment, endocrine disruption, and epigenetic effects. She contributes to human biomonitoring and methodological advances in capturing and interpreting occupational and environmental health data. She also supports project management and capacity building through Erasmus+ and Joint Actions projects, strengthening collaboration between European and partner-country institutions.

Hani Matar is a PhD researcher in public health at Al-Quds University with over two decades of experience in health systems, health service management, and public health surveillance. He has held senior leadership roles in the Palestinian health sector and NGOs, focusing on primary health care, quality improvement, governance, and monitoring frameworks. He currently supervises primary healthcare centers under the Ministry of Health, leading data-driven needs assessments and standardized care protocols.

Shahenaz Najjar, PhD, is a health policy and public health researcher associated with KU Leuven and serves as a senior research consultant and adjunct professor in Belgium. She holds a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences specializing in healthcare management and health policy. Her work spans health policy research, health informatics, patient safety, and population health using mixed methods, with experience in diverse settings including the Middle East.

Haneen Al-Rjoob is a PhD candidate in public health at Al-Quds University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public health nutrition and a master’s degree in Food Technology and Nutrition. She has more than ten years of experience in public health nutrition in government and private sectors and is currently engaged in doctoral research emphasizing evidence generation to support public health practice, health systems, and policy.

Anke Boone, PhD, is a researcher at KU Leuven specializing in work-related mental health, psychosocial risks, and sustainable employability. Her research addresses stress, burnout, work ability, and well-being using epidemiological and longitudinal approaches. She is known for co-creation and participatory research, involving workers, employers, and policymakers to develop feasible, context-sensitive interventions and strengthen the translation of evidence into practice.