Our Mission

Meet our Team

Valeska Padovese

Founder

Medical doctor specialised in dermatology and venereology

Valeska Padovese is a medical doctor specializing in dermatology and venereology. She started her career in Italy, where she collaborated with the National Institute for Health, Migration, and Poverty. In 2003, she was directly involved in opening the Italian Dermatological Hospital in Ethiopia, which was the only hospital providing skin care in northern Ethiopia. Dr. Padovese has worked in Afghanistan and Lampedusa providing medical care for refugees and migrants and has participated in various dermatological missions in lower-income countries. Currently, she is a consultant at the Genito-Urinary (GU) Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta, the only public sexual health clinic on the island. Dr. Padovese is an Associated Editor of the British Journal of Dermatology and the President of the IUSTI Europe 2023 Congress that will be held in Malta.

Isotta Rossoni

Founder

Criminologist specialising in sexual and gender-based violence in migration and displacement

Isotta Rossoni holds an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oxford and a BA in Russian and International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. She is currently enrolled on a PhD program at Leiden Law School (NL), researching the intersections of sex work, migration and trafficking on the island of Malta. Isotta has worked as grant writer, project manager and research consultant for a number of international NGOs, including the International Rescue Committee, Transparency International Italy, Save the Children Italy, the European Network for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence (WWP EN) more. She is currently consultant on UN Women roster of experts for Ending Violence against Women and research consultant for the Council of Europe on a project on migrant integration in Italy.

William Abou Shahla

Local Coordinator - SSKAPP Project

William Abou Shahla is a medical doctor from Lebanon, holding a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Balamand, Lebanon. He pursued his medical studies at the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, and obtained his medical license to practice in Lebanon as well as in Europe in 2022. Currently, William serves as a research fellow at the Dermatology Department of the Beirut Medical Center. William has been actively involved in research and advocacy for sexual health, particularly among LGBT and vulnerable populations, through various NGOs in Lebanon. William aspires to continue his training in dermatology, with a special focus on advancing skin health initiatives on a global scale.