EMEA - HAE International (HAEi)

The EMEA region covers countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

On this page, you will find information relevant to the region, such as information about regional conferences, countries in the region, contact information for HAEi regional advocacy, link to the regional website, and more.

Our regional conferences in the EMEA region:

2025 HAEi Regional Conference EMEA

700 HAEi friends, including patients, caregivers, youngsters, HAE physicians/scientists, and industry supporters from countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, came together in Rome, Italy, for the 2025 HAEi Regional Conference EMEA from 10 to 12 October 2025.

We encourage you to explore the conference coverage and discover how the collective efforts of our community can transform challenges into real progress by sharpening advocacy efforts, raising awareness, and expanding access to medicines across the EMEA region and beyond.

The conference write-up was featured in the December issue of Global Perspectives 2025, and you can find the full conference coverage here.

Diamond Supporter:
BioCryst

Gold Supporters:
CSL Behring
Pharming
Takeda

Silver Supporters:
Astria
Intellia
KalVista
Otsuka
Pharvaris

2023 HAEi Regional Conference EMEA

Around 650 HAE patients, caregivers, board members, and leadership of the HAEi Member Organizations from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa participated in this regional conference together with healthcare professionals and industry representatives.

Highlights of the conference:

>> Successful 2023 HAEi Regional Conference EMEA
>> EMEA 2023 – Let’s Take Action
>> Patient and Caregiver Track
>> Youngsters’ Track
>> Scientific Track
>> Scientific Poster session
>> Introduction to HAE: 10 Things Patients Need to Know
>> Topics Raised by EMEA Member Organizations
>> The Latest Developments in HAE Science and Therapies
>> Q&A Expert Panel Discussion

Diamond Sponsor:
BioCryst
Takeda

Gold Sponsors:
CSL Behring
Pharming

Basic Sponsor:
Astria
BioMarin
Intellia
Ionis
KalVista
Pharvaris

HAEi’s Regional Advocacy in EMEA

Jørn Schultz-Boysen
Nordics
j.schultz-boysen@haei.org
Jørn Schultz-Boysen serves as HAEi’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for day-to-day operational, managerial, and financial matters. Jørn joined the Board in 2012 and has also served as HAEi’s Executive Project Manager. He is a co-founder of HAE Scandinavia where he serves as the Vice President. Before joining HAEi, he held executive-level positions in a variety of companies with global operations.
Michal Rutkowski
Central Eastern Europe and Middle East
m.rutkowski@haei.org
Michal Rutkowski serves as the HAEi’s Vice President of the Board and Director, Regional Advocacy Program. Michal is responsible for guiding, managing, and implementing the strategic direction of HAEi’s Regional Patient Advocate Program. He works closely with HAEi’s Executive Vice President of Global Advocacy, and Coordinator, Global Advocacy and ACARE. Michal is also the Regional Patient Advocate for Central Eastern Europe and Middle East. He founded HAE Poland in 2005 and continues to serve as its President. In addition to fulfilling his HAEi responsibilities, Michal remains active in his architectural profession.
Patricia Karani
Sub Sahara Africa
p.karani@haei.org
Patricia Karani is the Regional Patient Advocate for Sub Sahara Africa and the President of HAE Kenya. Patricia was appointed as Regional Patient Advocate in 2017. Her advocacy efforts include facilitating the sharing of ideas and knowledge amongst HAE patients, doctors, and other health care professionals throughout Sub Sahara Africa. Before joining HAEi, Patricia held a position of Human Resource Manager and Personal Assistant to the managing director of a large local corporation with over 100 employees nationwide.
Natasa Angjeleska
South Eastern Europe
n.angjeleska@haei.org
Natasa Angjeleska serves as the Regional Patient Advocate for HAEi in South Eastern Europe. She focuses her efforts on raising public awareness for HAE and educating patients and medical staff about HAE in South Eastern European countries. Natasa is an active member of the North Macedonia HAE organization and focuses her advocacy activities on improving the quality of life for patients in all areas: Health, education, employment, and social services. Her professional experience includes working on education and children’s rights. In addition, Natasa is assistant professor at a private university in North Macedonia’s capital city, Skopje.
Maria Ferron
Mediterranean, North Africa, Benelux, and British Isles
m.ferron@haei.org
Maria Ferron joined HAEi in 2016 as the Regional Patient Advocate representing the Mediterranean and North African countries, Benelux, and British Isles. Maria has been a member of the Spanish HAE organization since its 1999 inception and became its secretary in 2018. Maria holds a Master´s in Finance, and currently works in an accounting, labor, and legal management firm.
Fanny Schappler
Central and South Asia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Israel
f.schappler@haei.org
Since September 2024, Fanny Schappler has served as HAEi’s Regional Patient Advocate and is responsible for Central and South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and Israel. Based in Singapore, Fanny has been dedicated to advocacy since 2021, following her career in the pharmaceutical industry. With over 13 years of experience in medical affairs, scientific communications, and clinical trial management, she is deeply committed to improving healthcare access for underserved communities worldwide. Fanny believes that healthcare should be a universal right, regardless of one’s place of birth or residence.

Country pages for each country in the region

Albania
Albania
Algeria
Algeria
Armenia
Armenia
Austria
Austria
Bahrain
Bahrain
Belarus
Belarus
Belgium
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Comoros
Comoros
Croatia
Croatia
Cyprus
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Denmark
Denmark
Egypt
Egypt
Estonia
Estonia
Finland
Finland
France
France
Georgia
Georgia
Germany
Germany
Greece
Greece
Hungary
Hungary
Iceland
Iceland
Iran
Iran
Iraq
Iraq
Ireland
Ireland
Israel
Israel
Italy
Italy
Jordan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kenya
Kosovo
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kuwait
Latvia
Latvia
Lebanon
Lebanon
Libya
Libya
Lithuania
Lithuania
Montenegro
Montenegro
Morocco
Morocco
Mozambique
Mozambique
Namibia
Namibia
Netherlands
Netherlands
Niger
Niger
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
Norway
Norway
Oman
Oman
Poland
Poland
Portugal
Portugal
Qatar
Qatar
Romania
Romania
Russia
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Africa
Spain
Spain
Sweden
Sweden
Switzerland
Switzerland
Syria
Syria
Tunisia
Tunisia
Türkiye
Türkiye
Ukraine
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe

Regional websites

With our regional websites, we want to create communities for HAE patients, carers, medical professionals, and others who would like to connect with others to learn about HAE, help educate others, and create awareness within the countries throughout the region.