World Arthritis Day Webinar | Session 1

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania;Sf Maria Clinical Hospital Bucharest, Romania;Daniela Opriș-Belinski, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest and Head of the Internal Medicine II Department at Sfânta Maria Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. She has extensive clinical, teaching, and research experience in immune-mediated rheumatic diseases, with particular interests in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s disease, systemic sclerosis, and systemic vasculitis. Dr. Opriș-Belinski is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, clinical research, and national and international scientific collaborations. She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and regularly contributes to scientific meetings as a speaker and moderator, as well as to international journals as a reviewer and editor. Her main professional interests include multisystem involvement in rheumatic diseases, personalized therapeutic strategies, comorbidity management, and multidisciplinary approaches to improving patient outcomes.

Research and Development, Orion Pharma, Orion Corporation, Finland;Ari-Pekka Koivisto, PhD, is the Principal Scientist in Pain Therapy at Orion Pharma, Finland, with over 30 years of experience in pharmacology, physiology, neuroscience, and translational drug discovery. He earned his MSc in Animal Physiology from the University of Turku, Finland and his PhD from Stockholm University, Sweden. Since joining Orion Pharma in 1999, Dr. Koivisto has contributed to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, with a focus on chronic pain, ion channel pharmacology, and sensory neuron biology. His research integrates preclinical pharmacology, physiological mechanisms, translational science, and human genetics to advance the understanding and treatment of pain disorders. In addition to his industrial research career, Dr. Koivisto is actively involved in scientific publishing, peer review, grant evaluation, and academic supervision. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, patents, book chapters, and invited presentations, and is internationally recognized for his expertise in pain mechanisms and translational neuroscience.

University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Romania;Codrina Ancuța, MD, PhD is a Professor of Rheumatology at “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași, Consultant in Rheumatology, and Head of the 2nd Rheumatology Department at the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital of Iași, Romania. An established academic rheumatologist with more than two decades of clinical, teaching, and research experience, Professor Ancuța has developed recognized expertise across rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s disease, and other immune-mediated rheumatic disorders. She coordinates EUSTAR Center 162 in Iași, contributing to international collaborative research in systemic sclerosis and connective tissue diseases. Her research portfolio includes participation as a principal investigator or study team member in more than 90 randomized controlled clinical trials, with particular focus on advanced therapies, therapeutic sequencing, difficult-to-treat disease, biomarkers, and personalized treatment strategies. She is the author of numerous ISI-indexed publications and is actively involved in translating emerging scientific evidence into contemporary clinical practice. Professor Ancuța is frequently invited as a speaker, expert lecturer, scientific advisor, and faculty member at national and international congresses, symposia, and educational programs. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to academic leadership, collaborative research, innovation, and excellence in patient-centered rheumatology.