Advisory Board

An advisory board is a team of external experts who help guide the project by sharing their knowledge, advice, and expertise. This group strengthens the project’s strategy, supports ethical and equity considerations, offers an independent perspective, and provides constructive feedback.

The members of the advisory board of HPV-FASTER-Implement

HPV FASTER Implement - advisory board

Paolo Giorgi Rossi, Victoria Charlton, Eduardo Franco

MSc, PhD Victoria Charlton

Dr. Victoria Charlton is a Doctor of Public Policy and Ethics (PhD, King's College London) and a Visiting Fellow at LSE Health. She currently works as an independent researcher and advisor specialising in bioethics and healthcare priority-setting. Previously, she held senior policy roles, including Head of Policy at the Academy of Medical Sciences and Specialist to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. Her work focuses on ensuring that health policy and funding decisions for innovative medical treatments are transparently and ethically justified. She is also a qualified Chartered Accountant with strategic experience in the life sciences sector.

Link to institutional profile.

Relevant area of expertise: Dr. Charlton specialises in the ethical justification of HPV prevention strategies, specifically examining how Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and policy decisions impact the funding, prioritisation, and societal acceptance of screening and vaccination programs.

Other relevant links: ORCiD | ResearchGate | LinkedIn

MSc, PhD Paolo Giorgi Rossi

Dr. Paolo Giorgi Rossi is the Director of the Epidemiology Service at the Reggio Emilia Local Health Authority and Research Hospital (AUSL – IRCCS). He is a leading expert in the evaluation of public health interventions, with a primary focus on organized cancer screening programs for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancers. He has served as the President of the Italian Cervical Cancer Screening Group and is a key contributor to the development of European cancer screening guidelines. His extensive research involves large-scale trials assessing the implementation and efficacy of vaccination and molecular-based screening protocols across Europe.

Link to institutional profile

Relevant area of expertise: He co-led Italy’s transition to HPV-DNA primary screening and is well established in research on self-sampling (home collection) and triage protocols designed to increase participation and screening accuracy among underserved and marginalized populations. He has been also a Working Group member of the European Commission Initiatives on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) and is a Colorectal Cancer (ECICC).

Other relevant links: ORCiD | ResearchGate

O.C., BSc, MPH, DrPH, PhD (Hon), FRSC, FCAHS Eduardo L. Franco

Prof. Eduardo Franco is a Distinguished James McGill Professor at McGill University and a world-renowned authority on the molecular epidemiology and prevention of HPV-associated diseases. He served as the Interim Associate Dean and Director of the School of Population and Global Health, and chaired McGill’s Department of Oncology for over a decade. His landmark research since 1985 was foundational in establishing HPV as a necessary cause of cervical cancer, directly influencing global vaccination and screening modernizations. An Officer of the Order of Canada and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, his work spans over 630 scientific articles and multiple lifetime achievement awards. He is the President-Elect (2024–27) of the International Epidemiological Association and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.