SZKMA Symposium 2027 · 14 March · City Hotel Ljubljana

Boštjan Koritnik is the opening host of the symposium and moderator of the afternoon panel on practitioner regulation across Europe. A graduate of the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, he has worked at the intersection of legal scholarship, publishing and public administration: since 2011 Secretary General of the Association of Jurists’ Societies of Slovenia; since 2008 as an editor of scientific journal Pravnik, and since 2015 as a member of the teaching staff at the Faculty of Law. From 2020 to 2022 he served as Slovenia's Minister of Public Administration and afterwards as the Deputy Major of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, in charge of education and digitalization. He has also written on complementary and alternative medicine in Slovenia, bringing both regulatory experience and a longstanding interest in the field to the role of host.

Ricardo Teixeira is a licensed acupuncturist, TCM specialist, and clinical physiologist based in Portugal, and the current President of the ETCMA — the umbrella body representing over 30 associations and 11,000 practitioners across Europe. He holds dual licences in cardiopneumology and neurophysiology, and serves as an ACSS Specialist in Non-Conventional Therapeutics under the Portuguese Ministry of Health. He is a professor at the Northern Health School of the Portuguese Red Cross and has taught at the Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde and institutions across Europe. A co-author of peer-reviewed research on acupuncture regulation in Portugal published in Healthcare (2023), he is also a founding member of WADO and part of the organising committee for the World Acupuncture Day at UNESCO in Paris. He has represented EFHPA at the World Health Congress and is a regular keynote speaker at international TCM conferences.

Marjan Zaletel is a Senior Counselor and neurologist specializing in vascular neurology and migraine at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. A member of the Professional Board of the Slovenian Association for Acupuncture, he is a strong advocate for acupuncture as a safe, effective complementary treatment for migraine — comparable in efficacy to medication and particularly valuable when drugs are unsuitable. His research includes comparative studies of Traditional Chinese and Western acupuncture for migraine (ICMART 2025) and the broader impact of acupuncture on migraine-related quality of life. He uniquely integrates advanced neurological research (CGRP, cerebral hemodynamics) with evidence-based acupuncture practice.

Ana Maria Varela, PhD, is co-coordinator of Portugal’s first undergraduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Escola Superior de Saúde Jean Piaget in Almada, and a practising acupuncturist and TCM herbal specialist with more than 25 years of clinical experience. She has taught at the Lisbon School of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ESMTC) since 1998. She holds a PhD in Human Motricity from the University of Lisbon and a Master’s in Clinical TCM (Herbal Medicine) and Bachelor’s in TCM from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. A pioneer of TCM education and clinical training in Portugal, she has supervised clinical internships for over 25 years and taught Basic Theory, Herbal Prescription, Research Methodology and Clinical Management. Her work addresses WHO ICD-11, the development and supervision of TCM clinical reasoning, constitutional prevention, and the evidence base of Chinese herbal medicine in contemporary health systems.

Sofie Mollekens is a Belgian physiotherapist and acupuncturist with more than 20 years of clinical experience. After graduating as a physiotherapist in 2003, she developed an interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine as she sought a broader approach to treating patients with chronic and complex conditions. She subsequently completed postgraduate training in acupuncture and has been working full-time as an acupuncturist since 2013. She is co-founder of Medihuis in Schoten, Belgium, an interdisciplinary healthcare centre founded on the principle of patient-centred collaboration. What started with three healthcare professionals nine years ago has grown into a multidisciplinary team of 37 professionals from conventional and complementary healthcare disciplines. Alongside her clinical work, Sofie serves as Chair of the Belgian Acupunctors Federation (BAF), where she advocates for high educational and professional standards, patient safety, interdisciplinary collaboration and the responsible integration of acupuncture into healthcare. Her work reflects a central belief: no single healthcare profession has all the answers, and sharing knowledge, experience and expertise across disciplines ultimately leads to better patient care.

Adrianne Waldt is a registered pain nurse and licensed acupuncturist practising within a conventional hospital in Belgium, where she focuses on personalised care and clinical research at the intersection of TCM and mainstream medicine. She holds a Master of Science and an Advanced Master in International Relations and Diplomacy, partly undertaken at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, and previously worked in international humanitarian affairs with the Red Cross, delivering guest lectures and developing training courses and publications. She is the coordinator of the MEP Interest Group on Integrative Care and Sustainable Health at EUROCAM — placing her at the centre of European parliamentary advocacy for integrative medicine. She has facilitated high-level webinars at the European Parliament on integrative oncology and mental health, and is a regular speaker at international TCM and health policy events.

Keir McNamara is an acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. A second-generation practitioner, he holds a PhD in agricultural science and qualified in acupuncture at the College of Integrative Acupuncture in Galway in 2006, later training in Tung acupuncture; he is also a former Irish international athlete with nearly three decades of experience in sports injury work. As Chairperson of the Acupuncture Council of Ireland — one of the country's longest-established professional bodies, with some 500 members — he has made statutory recognition and public confidence in the profession a central priority, arguing for acupuncture to sit alongside conventional care rather than outside it. He is currently working with the Department of Health on a proportionate, modern regulatory framework for TCM in Ireland: one that raises standards and protects patients without restricting the profession to medical practitioners alone.

Alex Jacobs is the Chief Executive Officer of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC), a position he has held since June 2024, having previously served as President and CEO of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. A practising acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist and tuina practitioner based in West Hampstead, London, he is also a clinical supervisor at City College of Acupuncture and teaches taiji, qigong and Chinese dietary therapy. His interest in Chinese medicine developed while studying Mandarin in Taiwan; he holds a BSc in Acupuncture, an MSc in Chinese Herbal Medicine and is a long-standing member of the BAcC who has contributed to professional guidelines and advocacy for the integration of traditional acupuncture into UK healthcare.

Jana Pahole is a Slovenian medical oncologist with nearly two decades of clinical experience at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, particularly in haematological oncology and palliative care. She successfully passed the ESMO Examination in Medical Oncology in 2014 and completed her national specialist examination in Medical Oncology cum laude in 2015. She is the founder of Svetlika, an independent practice combining integrative oncology, medical hypnosis and person-centred supportive care. She also works as a physician in a mobile palliative care team in Gorenjska region, maintaining a strong connection with everyday clinical practice. Medical hypnosis is a central part of her work, particularly in supporting patients with symptom management, emotional distress and coping with illness. Her approach integrates clinical experience, therapeutic communication and individualised supportive interventions. Beyond direct patient care, she is involved in patient education, health literacy initiatives and the development of accessible resources for people navigating cancer diagnosis and treatment. Her professional focus is on bringing together evidence-based oncology, the therapeutic potential of hypnosis and compassionate, individualised care.

Matthias F. Durrer is Co-President of the TCM Fachverband Schweiz, Switzerland's largest TCM professional association, a role he has held since 2022. The association, founded in 1995, represents more than 1,400 members and helped establish the federal diploma of Naturheilpraktiker with specialisation in TCM. He represents the Fachverband on the national Interprofessionalität platform alongside the FMH, family physicians, physioswiss and other major health professions. A practising dipl. Naturheilpraktiker in acupuncture/Tuina and Chinese herbal medicine based in Bern, he also teaches Emei Qigong and organises clinical immersion tours to the Yunnan Provincial Traditional Medicine Hospital.