Previous Speakers for ADN’s Special Sessions


10 July 2025 – Disaster Loss and Damage from the Perspective of Future Leaders

156. Mr. Eduardo Cardoso Eduardo Co-founder of ‘SAFER ODISHA ‘

155. Mr. Yunes Abou El Wafa Yunes , Co-founder of ‘SAFER ODISHA’

154. Mr. Asad Tahir Jappa, President of the Sustainable Leadership forum.

153. Miss. Prarthona Datta, ADN’s Junior Champion

152. Mr. Arkoneil Ghosh , ADN’s Junior Champion


28 March 2025 – Localised Impact of Microplastics on Youth Health and Environmental Injustice

151. Ms. Samsita Mohapatra, Co-founder of Climate Warrior Network, and Founder of Gift Crop

150. Mr. Ranjan Panda ,Convener of Water Initiatives (WI) and Mentor of “Youth4Water India”

149. Ms. Giulia Cristiana , Founder and Vice-President of the Sustainable Leadership Forum.

26 March 2025 – UNOCHA HNPW : Anticipatory Action to avoid deaths in urban areas

148. Ms Pauliina Eskola, Director of Rescue Services, Accident Prevention and International Cooperation, Department for Rescue Services, Ministry of the Interior, Finland

147. Mr. Prof. Jörg Szarzynski Head, United Nations Global Mountain Safeguard (GLOMOS) and Professor, United Nations University UNU)

146. Ms. Wilhelmina Welsch, Humanitarian Data Expert, Switzerland)

145 Ms. Cecilia Schmölzer, Technical Manager, Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Context, IFRC

144. Mr. Luca Rossi, Senior Coordinator, Early Warning for All – UNDRR

143 Mr. Olafur Loftsson, Senior Project Manager, Volcano Response and Preparedness, Department for Civil Protection, Iceland

142. Mr. Malte Schönefeld , Municipalities Crisis Resilience – Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany)

141. Mr. Prof. Alois Hirschmugl , Technical Director of D.M.A.T. Consulting KG)

22 March 2025 – UNOCHA HNPW : Why do so many people die in disasters and how can we reduce them?

140. Brig Gen(ret) Professor Alois Hirschmugl, Technical Director of DMAT Consulting KG, Austria

Professor Nibedita S. Ray-Bennett, Professor of Risk Management and Founding President of ADN, University of Leicester, UK.

139. Mr. James Brown, Director of JBCS and Associates Limited

138. Dr Winifred Ekezie, Co-Director of Centre for Health and Society, Aston University, UK

22 March 2025 – Strategies to Reduce Snakebite Deaths

137. Chloe Vasquez, Health economist, Watson Snakebite Research Fellow, and ADN Future Leader

136. Dr. Dayal Bandhu Majumdar,Senior Medical Officer at CNMC&H, WB State Resource Person for Snakebite Training and a Technical Advisor for ICMR.

134. Dr. Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Scientist-E in Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata

133. Dr. Saswata Banerjee, Head of Medical Affairs for Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, and Wound Care at BSV Limited

132. Mr. Umar Abdullahi, IAD4AD Global Campaign Coordinator

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett Associate Professor in Risk Management at the University of Leicester’s School of Business. Co-Founding President and Convenor of the Avoidable Deaths Network

131. Dr. Manish Ranjan, Vice President – Corporate at Arbro Pharmaceuticals Private Limited and Auriga Research Private Limited

130. Dr. Badal Kumar Sahu, Assistant Professor in the Department of General Medicine at NRSMCH, Kolkata

129. Mr. Snehendu Koner, Clinical Operations Lead at Auriga Research (Arbro Pharma Group), India

128. Priyanka Kadam, founder of Snakebite Healing & Education Society (SHE-INDIA.ORG)

21 March 2025 – UNOCHA HNPW : Debate on the scope of social media during crisis communication

Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Associate Professor in Disaster Mitigation and Safety Education at Kansai University’s Graduate School of Societal Safety Sciences in Japan and Co-Founding President of the Avoidable Deaths Network.

127. Dr. Athar Mansoor, University of Cambridge, UK

126. Mr. Asad Tahir Jappa, Founder and President, Sustainable Leadership forum.

19 March 2025 – UNOCHA HNPW : Impact of Climate-Related Disasters on Early Marriage and Reproductive Health in Bangladesh

125. Dr Te Klangboonkron, Project Coordinator, Avoidable Deaths Network, University of Leicester, UK.

124. Dr. Monjur Hossain, Directorate General of Family Planning

123. Dr. Fariha Haseen, Associate Professor of Public Health and Informatics, Department of Public Health and Informatics

17 March 2025 – UNOCHA HNPW:
Land-Based Approaches to Address Human-Induced Disaster Adaptation

122. Barsha Kairy, University of Regina, Canada

121. Dr. Rajmoni Singha, Assistant Professor at the North South University, Dhaka Bangladesh

120. Dr. John Acharibasam, Mount Royal University, Canada

119. Dr. Arifatul Kibria, Associate Professor, American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Bangladesh.

118. Dr. Ranjan Datta, Canada Research Chair in Community Disaster Research, Indigenous Studies, Department of Humanities, Mount Royal University, AB, Canada

13 March 2025 – Release of the ADN Junior Champion Magazine, Volume 3: Children and Younths’ Experiences of Disasters in Malawi.

117. Ms. Faith Mtambwe, Youth writer

116. Ms. Tapiwa Mkwezalamba, Youth writer

115. Ms Prarthona Datta, ADN’s Junior Champions Magazine

114, Ms. Anushka Konar , ADN’s Junior Champions Magazine.

113. Mr. Abdullahi O. Umar, IAD4AD Global Campaign Coordinator

112. Dr. Jean Kayira , Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

12 March 2025 –  Drowning (Submersion) related injuries

111. Cdr. Vishwanath Rajan, Critical Care Paramedic and a faculty member at the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine (CoROM)

110. Dr. Nikhil Paul, Founder and Medical Director of Outdoor Medics and  the Regional Coordinator (India) for ADN

24 January 2025 – Role of Emergency Medicine in Reducing Avoidable Deaths

109. Dr. Santosh Pandey, Senior Consultant and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, New Delhi

108. Dr. Nikhil Paul ,Founder and Medical Director of Outdoor Medics and  the Regional Coordinator (India) for ADN

11 October 2024 – Future Leaders Tackling ‘Wicked Problems’ to Reduce Avoidable Deaths

107. Ms. Anushka Konar contributes her voice and creativity to ADN’s Junior Champions Magazine.

106. Mr. Arkoneil Ghosh, ADN’s Junior Champion, raising awareness about preventable deaths.

105. Ms. Lauren MacLeod, ADN’s Research Administrator and Activity Coordinator since 2021

104. Mr. Yunes Abou El Wafa, co-leader of ‘SAFER ODISHA – Securing Agriculture from Environmental Risks’.

103. Mr. Eduardo Cardoso, co-leader of ‘SAFER ODISHA – Securing Agriculture from Environmental Risks’,

102. Mr. Aditya Anurag Nanda, Entrepreneur dedicated to promoting millets as a solution for food security.  

101. Mr. Asad Tahir Jappa, Founder and President of the Sustainable Leadership forum.

100. Ms. Giulia Crisitiana, Founder and Vice-President of the Sustainable Leadership Forum

12 March 2024  – Celebrating Outstanding Contributions and Future Leaders

99. Professor Vinor Sharma, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Shiv Nadar University (SNU).g

25 January 2024  – Burn Deaths and Burn Injury are Avoidable

98. Ms. Danielle Antonellis, Founder and Executive Director of Kindling

97. Dr. Tanveer Ahmed, Bangladesh trained Plastic Surgeon and an Associate Professor in the ‘Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh

96. Ms. Shobha Chamania Ms. Shobha is presently a senior surgeon attached to the Choithram Hospital and research centre, Indore, India

95. Dr. Jonathan Bayou , Research assistant professor in Nursing and a clinical academic Nurse specialising in burn, plastics and reconstructive surgical nursing and sub-specialising in geriatrics, pain management, palliative/ end of life care

94. Ms. Ziphilly Chiumia Sichinga, Senior Nursing Officer at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi with 8 years experience in burn care

17 January 2024  – Snakebite Deaths Are Avoidable: Awareness Raising Webinar for The Art of Living Volunteers

93. Col. Sanjay Srivastava , Chairman of the Climate Resilient Observing-Systems Promotion Council (CROPC)

92. Dr. Amarendra Mohapatra , Scientist G and Head of Epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) in Odisha

91. Dr. Pratyush Mohapatra ,Scientist-E and Officer-in-Charge at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita , Associate Professor in Disaster Mitigation and Safety Education at Kansai University’s Graduate School of Societal Safety Sciences in Japan and Co-Founding President of the Avoidable Deaths Network.

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett Associate Professor in Risk Management at the University of Leicester’s School of Business. Co-Founding President and Convenor of the Avoidable Deaths Network.

90. Dr. Stephen Samuel, Senior Vice President of Clinical Medicine at Ophirex, Inc.

89. Ms. Lauren MacLeod, Activity Coordinator and Volunteer at the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) India Hub and Orissa State Volunteers and Social Workers Association (OSVSWA)

7 July 2023- Reducing Avoidable Baby and Women’s Deaths Through Improved Rights and Ecosystem for Breastfeeding

88. Dr Julie Smith is an Honorary Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the Research School of Population Health, ANU

87. Alessandro Iellamos, senior emergency nutrition adviser for Family Health International 360 (Fhi360)

86. Andini Pramono , International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

The chairs of the session were Dr Nimra Iqbal Choudhary and Ms Nimisha Goswami.

The session was facilitated by Ms Eilidh Thorburn and Dr Sari Andajani.

The Webinar series Chairperson was Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett


31 May 2023 – Stories of Resource Scarcity, Security and Sustainability of South Asian Women 

85. Prof. Deepthi Wickramasinghe, Senior Professor in Zoology and Environment Sciences at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

84. Ms. Vihanga Amarakoon , Assistant Lecturer in Zoology and Environment Sciences, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

83. Ms. Ashmita Thapa Magar Master of Disaster Management student at BRAC University, Bangladesh.

82. Ms Debaleena Roy Project Associate at the South Asia Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (SAADRI), headquartered at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India.

81. Ms Damithri Chathumani , PhD candidate at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand

The chairs of the session were Dr Nimra Iqbal Choudhary and Ms Nimisha Goswami. The session was moderated by Dr Inshah Malik.

The Webinar series Chairperson was Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett


13 March 2023- Launch of a Global Campaign: International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths (IAD4AD)

80. Professor Rajib Shaw  is a professor in Graduate School of Media and Governance in Keio University’s Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC).

8 March 2023- Between Hope and Fear: Afghan Women and Girls in Political Transition

79, Niamatullah Zafary, PhD candidate. 2021-22 Chevening scholar and Sussex graduate, Former human development coordinator at UNDP

78. Dr Ritu Mahendru , Executive Director of Vashi Impact Group

77. Fakhria Naistani , psychologist and former senior Project assistant for psychosocial reintegration at IOM-UN

76. Wajiha Timori , admitted lawyer and former legal advisor to Afghanistan Central Bank

75. Sania Amin Taheri is a senior compliance Officer at the Afghanistan Central Bank and a proud graduate of a Master in International Relations.

74. Professor Heiko Balzter , Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures at the University of Leicester

Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett , Associate Professor in Risk Management at the University of Leicester

The session was chaired by Dr Inshah Malik and Dr Ayse Yildiz (School of Business, University of Leicester).


19 January 2023- Building Capacity of Health Journalists on Reporting Disasters Triggered by Natural Hazards and Human Activities

73. Prof. Dr Mohammad Wasay, Secretary Karachi Chapter, Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS)

72. Mr Waqar Bhatti, Special Correspondent Health The News International and Geo News

Prof. Dr. Nibedita S. Ray Bennett, Associate Professor in Risk Management University of Leicester

Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Associate Professor at the University of Kansai, Founding President of the ADN

71. Dr. Aditya Gosh, University of Leicester Teaching fellow in Environmental Geography

70. Dr Nimra Choudhary,  Avoidable Death Network (ADN), UK, Auckland University of Technology

The workshop was co-organised by Co-organized by International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), Sindh Innovation Research, and Education Network (SIREN), Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS, Sindh Chapter), and Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) 


7 December 2022 – Neglected Areas of Disaster Loss and Damage

69. Dr Anil Gupta – Director of Projects and Centre of Excellence, Head of Division and e-learning & Media Portfolio, International Cooperation, Technical Advisory & Consultancy Services as Full Professor of India’s National Institute of Disaster Management

68. RT Honourable Shawn Edward – Minister of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training at the Government of Saint Lucia

67. Dr. Golam Rasul – Professor, Department of Economics at International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka

66. Mr. Samuel Akera – Senior Resilience Advisor at UNDP Ethiopia

65. Mr. Rahul Sengupta – Programme Management Officer at UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Bonn

The session was chaired by Dr. Yazidhi Bamutaze , Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita and Mr. Julian Coetzee.


14 November 2022 – Raising Awareness on Intercultural Understanding of the Environment

This session was moderated by Dr. Christian Morgner, Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries, Management School at the University of Sheffield.


17 October 2022 – Building Climate Resilient Healthcare Infrastructure: Post Disaster Scenario in Pakistan

64. Dr. Bilal Anwar, CEO of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund

63. Dr. Mohammad Wasay, Secretary of Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) Karachi Chapter

62. Professor Michael Petterson, Geoscientist at Auckland University of Technology

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Founder of ADN

61. Dr. Ghazna Khalid, Technocrat, Social Activist and Gynaecologist

The session was chaired by Dr. Nimra Iqbal Choudhary, Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Dr. Mohammad Wasay and Dr. Humaira Zafar


13 October 2022 – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: Early Warning and Early Action for All

60. Professor Michael Petterson, Geoscientist at Auckland University of Technology

59. Mr. Sheikh Khairul Rahaman, Anticipation Delegate at German Red Cross

The session was chaired by Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita. Housekeeping was done by Mr. Julian Coetzee


30 September 2022 – International Snakebite Awareness Day: Challenges and Opportunities to Reduce Avoidable Snakebite Deaths in Odisha/ India

58. Dr. Amarendra Mohapatra, Medical Anthropologist within the Head Epidemiology Division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Bhubaneswar

57. Dr. Nishant Saxena, Scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, India (ICMR-NIRTH Jabalpur)

56. Mr. Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary at Snake Helpline

55. Dr. Sudipta Ranjan Singh, Additional Professor at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar

54. Dr. Surajit Giri, Consultant Anaesthesiologist at Demow Rural Community Health Centre

53. Dr. Matthew Lewin, Chief Scientific Officer at Ophirex and Dr. Stephen Samuel, Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Ophirex

52. Ms. Nimisha Goswami, Future Leader at ADN

51. Master Arkoneil Ghosh, Junior Champion at ADN

The session was chaired by Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Mr. Dillip Pattanaik, Dr. Ambika Prasad Nanda and Dr. Madhulika Sahoo.


25 July 2022 – World Drowning Prevention Day: The Future of Drowning Risk in the Context of COVID-19 and Climate Change

50. Dr. Aminur Rahman, Director of the International Drowning Research Centre – Bangladesh, which is part of the Centre for Injury Prevention, Health Development and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB)

49. Dr. Colleen Saunders, Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine at the University of Cape Town in South Africa

48. Dr. Olive Kobusingye, Accident & Emergency Surgeon and Injury Epidemiologist and Senior Research Fellow at Makerere University School of Public Health

47. Ms. Racheal Nantume, Master of Science in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management student at the University of Leicester

46. Master Arkoneil Ghosh, ADN Intern and Junior Champion

45. Ms. Judith Omasete, WASH Consultant and Community Conversation Officer at the Norwich City Council

44. Mr. Tom Mecrow, Senior International Evidence Manger at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

This session was chaired by Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Presidents of ADN. 


04 May 2022 – Avoidable Deaths: Anticipatory Framework to Reduce Disaster Deaths at the UNOCHA Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Founding President of the ADN presented on the ‘Avoidable Deaths Framework’. 

43. Mr. Sheikh Khairul Rahaman, Forecast-based Financing Project Delegate at the German Red Cross

42. Dr. Ambika Prasad Nanda, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel

41. Dr. Albrecht Beck, President of Prepared International

40. Professor Norio Okada, Emiratus Professor at Kyoto University

The session was chaired by Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita (Kansai University and the Avoidable Deaths Network).


25 March 2022 – Exclusion and Avoidable Disaster Deaths

39. Mr. Ryan Joseph Figueiredo, Founder and Executive Director of Equal Asia Foundation

38. Dr. Madhulika Sahoo, Assistant Professor at the Department of Anthropology at Kalahandi University in India

37. Mr. Daniel Mendez, Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean at ADN

36. Ms. Denise Robateau, Education Officer and Emergency Relief Point at UNICEF Belize

35. Ms. Aditi Ghosh, former Deputy Humanitarian Director at IPPF Humanitarian Hub in Bangkok


28 January 2022 –Reducing Avoidable Disaster Deaths through Effective Mitigation and Response

34. Professor Mehdi Zaré from the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) and the Department of Basic Science at the Academy of Sciences in Tehran, Iran

33. Dr. Mohammad Reza Nikoo from the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the Sultan Qaboos University, Oman and a Member of the Iranian Federation of Young Elite  

32. Ms. Sanam Moghimi from the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering within the Structural Engineering Department at the LNEC, Lisbon 

31. Mr. Mostafa Mohaghegh from UNESCAP

It was organised by the Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN) in collaboration with the University of Tehran. Dr. Khadije Norouzi Khatiri and Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett chaired the Special Session.


10 December 2021 – Symposium on Integrating Disaster Risk Management with Emergency Services and Defence to Reduce Avoidable Disaster Deaths

Session 1: Inaugural Session

30. Ms. Mami Mizutori, Head of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

29. Mr. Shawn Edward, Minister of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training in St. Lucia

28. Dr. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj, an Independent Defence Analyst and Attorney at Law in Trinidad and Tobago

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett, Associate Professor in Risk Management at the University of Leicester and Founding President of the ADN

27. Professor Alois Hirschmugl, Technical Director of Disaster Management Advice and Training (DMAT) Consulting KG

The Inaugural Session was moderated by Mr. Krishna Clarke and Dr. Albrecht Beck.

Session 2: Emergency Services

26. Commissioner Edvin Martin, Second Vice President of the ACCP, Grenada

25. Mr. Errol Maynard, Chief Fire Officer of the Barbados Fire Service and President of the Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs

24. Mr. Octavio Restrepo Calderon, President and Director of the Caribbean Urban Search and Rescue, Curacao

The Emergency Services session’s discussants were Mr. David Wales, Mr. Daniel Cossio and Dr. Christian Morgner.

Session 3: Defence Services

23. Lt. Col. Tony Cheales, Commanding Officer within the Ministry of Defence, UK

22. Ms. Keisha Linton, Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance Officer at the Regional Security Systems (RSS) Headquarters

21. Major Rene Savelsbergh, Dutch Civil-Military Advisor for the Caribbean Region based at the Naval Headquarters in Curacao .

20. Major Rogelio Pop, SO2 G3 Principal Staff Officer within the Defence Force, Belize

19. Ms. Priya Thirumur, Charitable Director and International Project Manager of K1 Britannia Foundation

The Defence Services session discussants were Dr. Albrecht Beck, Professor Alois Hirschmugl and Mr. Daniel Mendez.

Session 4: Closing Session

18. Ms. Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

17. Mr. Paul Saunders, Operations Officer (Environmental Sustainability) in the Caribbean Development Bank

16. Mr. Ronald Jackson, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction & Recovery Team for Building Resilience in the United Development Programme (UNDP) in Geneva

The Closing Session was moderated by Dr. Albrecht Beck, Professor Alois Hirschmugl and Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett.


16 June 2021 – Reducing Deaths and Injuries from Residential Fire through Human Perspective

15. Dr Christian Morgner, the University of Sheffield

14. Gill Kernick, JMJ Associate

13. Mr Phil Murphy, High-Rise Residential Building Fire Safety Management advisor

This was an open session facilitated by Shared Aim


7 May 2021 – Special Session on Let’s Talk About Silent Deaths

12. Mr. Hari Krishna, UNDP

11. Mr. Ashis Biswas, Tagore Society for Rural Development


4 March 2021 – Special Session on Disaster Risk Management – Discourses from Asia and Latin America

Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita, Kansai University

10. Dr. Holmes Páez . Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

9. Dr. Richard Kotter, Northumbria University


5 February 2021 – Special Session on Responding to Domestic Fires and Coastal Flooding: Lessons from UK, India and Cambodia

Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett,University of Leicester

8. Mr. David Wales, SharedAim

7. Dr. Amaka Adekoya

6. Mrs Denise Corsel, University of Leicester


4 December 2020 – Special Session on Let’s Talk About Avoidable Deaths: Views from Multiple Sectors

5. Professor Prabhat Jha, the University of Toronto and the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s Hospital

4. Mr. Gowri Shankar, Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE), and Kalinga Foundation

3. Mr. Gatkuoth Simon Kai, African Union Commission

2. Ms. Ashley Wolfington, the International Planned Parenthood Federation

1. Dr. Afsana Alamgir Khan, the National Malaria Elimination and Aedes Transmission Disease Control Program, Bangladesh