Speakers
and Guests
Discover the inspiring voices helping shape the future of healthcare. Our speakers and guests bring bold ideas, deep expertise, and a shared commitment to driving change together.
Moderators
Kevin Blaser
Artistic director and performer
Faustino Blanchut
Artistic director and performer
Keynote Speakers
Piet Leroy
M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc.
Director of Pediatric Procedural Sedation unit at Maastricht University Medical Center
«They might play a major role in teaching other healthcare professionals.»
Baruch Krauss
M.D., Ed.M., F.A.A.P
Senior Associate Physician in Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School Plenary
«Trust is the cornerstone of paediatric care, yet we don’t teach it.»
Pina Marziliano
Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM)
«We can't wait to share our results of the Brainsync and Smile project at HCIM 2026.»
Solange Denervaud
Ph.D.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscientist at the Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM)
«Let's unveil how the healthcare artist's magic sparks and ignites healing processes.»
Natalie Porias
CEO at RED NOSES International
«When we meet patients with empathy, art, and humour, we awaken the courage that lives in all of us.»
Mathieu Horeau
Ph.D.
Lecturer-researcher at Accademia Dimitri
«The work of the Giggle Doctors reminds us that art has always been, among many other things, a vehicle for understanding and regulating emotions.»
Ilse Beckers
Director of CliniClowns Netherlands
«The true power in humanizing care lies in what artists, caregivers, researchers, and healthcare organizations can achieve together.»
Anthony Staines
Patient Safety Program Director at Federation of Hospitals of Canton Vaud
«Quality care is about more than illness — it’s about what matters in a patient’s life.»
Kadri Soova
Director of Mental Health Europe
«Joy heals. It restores dignity, connection and hope, the foundations of positive mental health.»
Christopher Bailey
Founding Co-director, Jameel Arts & Health Lab
«Art in healthcare opens up communication and allows people not only a new perspective, but enjoyment in the moment.»
Nicolas von der Weid
Prof. M.D.
Head of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Basel
President, Swiss Society of Pediatrics
Marine Cacioppo
M.D., Ph.D.
Physician in Physical Medicine, Pediatric Rehabilitation, and Neurorehabilitation
Cyril Sahyoun
M.D. PD.
Senior Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician
«Let's make emotional safety a core value in pediatrics.»
Invited Speakers
Emily Bracken
CEO of Consulting at Upsall International
«Explore the trends shaping global fundraising and the best practices driving growth today.»
Susana Magalhães
Ph.D.
Head of the Unit for Responsible Conduct in Research
«Bringing narrative tools and healthcare clowning into organisations offers fresh perspectives on trust, ethics, and the human side of care.»
Kornelia Kiss
Head of Culture and Health at Culture Action Europe
«Evidence on culture's contribution to health and wellbeing now needs to be followed up on policy level - let's remove barriers, build bridges and figure out more structural ways of working together.»
Ameer Shaheed
Ph.D.
Consultant in Arts & Health
«Arts and health is not only an innovative practice, but contributes to a public health approach that combines the Good, the True and the Beautiful.»
Special Guests
Michael Christensen
aka Dr. Stubs
Pioneer of the global Healthcare Clowning movement
«Healthcare clowns transform energy. They sculpt moments; play is their medium and pure joy their creation.»
Alfonso Novo
Documentary photographer and Board member of the Theodora Foundation Spain
«Accompanying these exceptional artists in hospitals has revealed realities that are not always visible from the outside: the fragility and strength of patients, and the importance of bringing light to places of worry and pain.»
