Dr Julie Bruneau holds the Canada Research Chair in Addiction Medicine, is Professor in the Department of Family and Emergency Medicine at Université de Montréal and senior clinical scientist at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) research center. She is the principal investigor of the Quebec node of CRISM, the Canadian Research Initiative on Drug Matters. Dr Bruneau’s work centers on advancing best practices to enhance addiction care, wellbeing and prevent harms, including HIV and HCV, among people who use drugs. Her research has contributed to a better understanding of factors impeding and facilitating efforts to reduce HIV and hepatitis C transmission in this population and to the implementation and evaluation of novel interventions supporting equitable access to quality health care.

Charles is currently undertaking an MPhil, examining user perspectives of Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine within OAT. He also has a Community Engagement Coordinator role partnering in efforts towards the elimination of hepatitis C in Australia. Both are performed within the Burnet Institute, Melbourne Australia. Previously, he performed several roles within the New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme: 15 years as national lead. Since coming to Australia in 2016, he has enjoyed roles at Harm Reduction Victoria (HRVic) in Melbourne and New South Wales Users and AIDS Association (NUAA) in Sydney. Charles is committed to improving the health and well-being of PWID and advocating for the lives and human rights of people who use/ inject illicit drugs. Charles acquits his life experiences as a living and loving drug user. His career in harm reduction is his attempt to change the way the global war on drug users affects his community.

Thiago Marques Fidalgo is an Assistant Professor at Escola Paulista de Medicina – Universidade Federal de São Paulo. At this university, he coordinates the Addiction Outpatient Unit and the General Psychiatry Outpatient Unit. During the past six years, he has been mentoring MD and PhD students and leading a multi-professional healthcare team. In addition, he coordinates the university's Psychiatry Residence. He is a member of the State Board of Public Policies on Alcohol and Drugs. He is a Young Physician Leader of the National Academy of Medicine (Brazil) and Interacademy Partnership (IAP). He has already been a consultant for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes. He has more than 80 published peer-reviewed papers, mainly on stimulants use disorders and epidemiology of substance use. His h-index is currently 14.