Nicole Ritz, MD, PhD, Paediatrican and Infectious Diseases Specialist Short biography Dr. Ritz is a paediatrican and infectious diseases specialist. She is the head of paediatrics at the Children’s Hospital in Lucerne, Switzerland and leads the Mycobacterial and Migrant Health Research Laboratory at the Department of Clinical Research the University Children's Hospital Basel, Switzerland. She trained in Switzerland, South Africa and Australia, obtained her MD at the University of Berne and her PhD at the University of Melbourne Dr. Ritz received her habilitation in paediatrics and infectious diseases in 2015. Her current research focuses on developing novel immunodiagnostic assays for children with tuberculosis and on biomarkers for the diagnosis of respiratory tract infections. The over 15 years’ experience in leading and collaborating in research studies have resulted in over 100 publications with a focus on childhood TB, migrant health, and biomarkers for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Dr. Ritz is an ESPID member since 2005 and has received an ESPID fellowship-award in 2006. She has trained young scientist in the ESPID research masterclass from 2015-2019 and organized the ESPID annual meeting 2021 as a co-chair hosted in Geneva. She has had the honour to pass the torch over land and sea to Maria Tsolia for ESPID 2022 in Athens.