Born in Coimbra in 1964 but he has always lived in Porto.

He has a medical degree.

He is doctor specialising in Internal Medicine at Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João and was Medical Director of the Hospital da Ordem da Trindade.

He was member of the Parliament (2005-2013) and member of the Parliament Committee for Health.

He was Secretary of State for Health (2008-2009) and Deputy Minister for Health (2009-2011).

He was Councillor for Porto Municipality (2013 to 2021).

He was member of the European Parliament (2019-2022) and chair of the Socialist delegation at the European Parliament since 2022.

He was High Commissioner of the National Health Convention.

Isabel Proaño Gómez is Member of the Board of the European Patients' Forum (EPF) since her election in 2022.

Ms Proaño is Director of Policy and Communications of the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA), a founding member of EPF. In her daily work, Ms Proaño brings to the EU and WHO bodies the patient priorities in the field of food and health, digitalisation, and environmental exposure. She is EFA representative to the European Medicines Agency Patients and Consumers Working Party (EMA PCWP), to the EC Stakeholder Network on Health Technology Assessment (HTA), to the Health and Emergency Response Authority Civil Society Forum (HERA CSF) and to the DG Environment Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform (ZPSP).

Prior to joining EFA in 2014, Ms Proaño worked on the humanitarian and health crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children International (SCI).

Ms Proaño holds a MA on Journalism and a MA on Political Sciences from the University Complutense in Madrid, as well as a MA on European Integration from the College of Europe in Natolin.

Margaritis Schinas took office as Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life in the Von der Leyen Commission in December 2019. In this capacity, he oversees the EU’s policies for migration, security union, social rights, skills, education, culture, youth, health and dialogue with churches, religious associations and non-confessional organisations.

Mr Schinas started his career in the European Commission in 1990. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament, from 2007 until 2009. Upon the completion of his parliamentary term of office, he returned to the European Commission and held various senior positions. In 2010, President Barroso appointed Mr Schinas as Deputy Head of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers. Later he served as Resident Director and Head of the Athens Office of the European Commission's Directorate‑General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). In 2014, President Juncker appointed Mr Schinas as the European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson.

Margaritis Schinas holds an MSc on Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics, a Diploma of Advanced European Studies on European Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a Degree in Law from the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki.