Ron Dagan is Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. He founded the Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit at Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva and served as its director from 1987 to 2014. Prof. Dagan has served on the National Advisory Committee on Infectious Diseases and Immunization since 1991 and has been a member of the Nationwide Working Group on Corona Vaccines since 2020. He has earned international recognition for his research, focusing largely on the development on vaccine-preventable diseases.

Joycelyn is the first paediatric infectious disease specialist to practice in Ghana after completing her training in 2019. She had her medical training in Ghana and proceeded to Cape Town for a 2-year sub-speciality in Paediatric Infectious Diseases. She also obtained an MPhil in paediatric infectious disease from the University of Cape Town with a distinction in her dissertation. Her main objectives after the training were to initiate an antibiotic stewardship program in her hospital, strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) in Ghana and improve HIV management in children in Ghana, particularly in the area of testing and treatment. She works at the Department of Child Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Ghana as a consultant paediatrician and a lecturer with the University of Ghana Medical School. She heads the paediatric HIV and TB clinics at KBTH. She is the chairperson of the IPC committee at KBTH and recently led a team to produce antibiotic prescribing guidelines for her department as the initial step towards antimicrobial stewardship. She expects governments in LMIC to invest in IPC programs, as COVID-19 revealed poor practices. They should, in addition, prioritise paediatric HIV and TB programs.

Dr Agustín de Colsa holds several positions at the National Institute of Pediatrics (INP) in Mexico City, including physician in the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, researcher in the molecular microbiology laboratory and as an infectious disease consultant in the intensive care unit. Dr de Colsa also holds teaching roles at the INP, including Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectiology and Post-graduate Pediatric Medicine. Dr de Colsa is a member of editorial committee and head of the molecular microbiology section for the Journal of Infectious Diseases in Pediatrics. He is also a member of several societies and associations including the Mexican Society of Pediatrics, the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and the Mexican Association of Pediatric Infectiology.

Ronald de Groot (1948, Rotterdam, the Netherlands) studied Medicine at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (MD, 197 ), followed by a residency in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Surgery as a preparation for a 2½ year period as Senior Medical Officer in St. Louis Hospital, Zonkwa, Nigeria. He subsequently did his pediatric residency (1979-1983) in the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam under the supervision of Professor Henk Visser and became chief resident from 1983 to 1985. In 1985 he went to the United States, where he was accepted for a research fellowship (1985-1988) in paediatric infectious diseases at the University of Washington, Seattle, under the supervision of Professor Arnold Smith. In the summer of 1988 he returned to the Erasmus University in Rotterdam where he initiated a programme in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology in the Sophia Children’s Hospital. In 1991 he defended his PhD thesis entitled “Antibiotic Resistance in Haemophilus influenzae”. In 1998, Ronald became head of the PID training programme and Professor in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology in the Sophia Children’s Hospital/Erasmus University Medical Centre. During his tenure in Rotterdam he was involved in a large number of activities including a membership of the Board of Molecular Medicine (MOLMED), the largest research school in the Netherlands, treasurer of the Board of the Dutch Society of Infectious Diseases, secretary of Dutch Federation of Medical Societies and the director of a vaccine company, Vaxinostics, part of the Erasmus MC Holding. Ronald is one of the founding members of the Dutch Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases as well as the Society’s first chairman, from 1994 – 1998. As an active member of ESPID since 1990,Ronald has been involved in many activities of the Society in the fields of research, teaching, education, training and organization of PID in Europe. May 1st 2005, he was appointed chair of the Department of Paediatrics of the University Medical Centre Nijmegen as well as Professor of Paediatrics at the Radboud University Nijmegen. Ronald’s research activities over the years have covered several themes including the study of respiratory tract infections, the molecular pathogenesis of infections by S. pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis, clinical and pharmacological studies in children with HIV, clinical and translational research in children with immunodeficiencies, vaccine studies and studies on viral host response interactions. Ronald is a member of a large number of national and international societies. He was chairman of the Pediatric Association of The Netherlands (1998 – 2004). He also was a member of the Health Council of the Netherlands(2000-2014) and the Dutch Central Committee on Research involving Human Subjects(2009-2017), both Crown appointments. He is the recipient of the 2008 Bill Marshall Award of ESPID. In 2011, he received the prestigious Edgar Doncker Prize for Paediatrics in recognition of his substantial contributions in the field of Paediatrics and in particular in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology nationally and internationally. From 2013 until 2016 Ronald was President of the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Since 2015 is Ronald member of the Board of the World Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and also treasurer and chairman of the WSPID Foundation. Ronald is an honorary member of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of America. Ronald is currently emeritus Professor of Pediatrics (since 2013) with an appointment until March 1 2021 at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen. He is still actively involved in a large number of international projects including a Horizon 2020 project “PERFORM” and an IMI project in which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is involved, entitled PERISCOPE. Ronald has been thesis supervisor of more than 45 PhD students and is currently still actively involved in the thesis of 7 PhD students. He is (co)author of approximately 300 English language peer-reviewed papers, 50 national (Dutch) publications and numerous contributions to books. Ronald currently has a position as Professor emeritus in the Radboud University Medical Center. He is not involved any more in clinical activities . He is president of the foundation “Vaccinology Masterclass organizing postgraduate training in vaccinology, treasurer of the WSPID and involved in multiple charity organizations.

Dr. Rik L. de Swart graduated as biologist in 1990, obtained his PhD in 1995 and established his own research group at the department of Viroscience at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. Since May 2021 he is employed as virologist at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in Lelystad (0.8 FTE), but also remains affiliated with Erasmus MC (0.2 FTE). His studies at Erasmus MC focus on dissecting the pathogenesis of measles virus, respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus, with particular attention to interactions between these viruses and the host immune system. A recurring research theme of his group is the identification of correlates of protection or disease. He uses recombinant viruses expressing fluorescent reporter proteins in vitro (in cell culture models) and in vivo (in animal models) to identify infected cells with high sensitivity. His group identified the main target cells of measles virus during the early and late stages of disease. In addition, a model was developed that can explain the measles paradox: the virus simultaneously induces immune activation and immune suppression. His research group showed that measles virus preferentially infects and depletes memory cells of the immune system, leading to "Immune amnesia".

Dr Isabelle Dewandel, Paediatrician and research clinician - MD, BSc (Biomedical Sciences): Isabelle Dewandel is a paediatrician with a keen interest in paediatric infectious diseases, mainly tuberculosis/HIV and respiratory infections. She joined the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa in 2020 to be part of the paediatric platform with main focus on paediatric tuberculosis, lung health and COVID-19 research within a high TB/HIV burden setting.

Dr Gurdeep Singh Dhooria (Professor of Pediatrics) is working as Consultant Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics since 2007. He is sincere and dedicated to his work and patient care. His main area of interest is Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Pediatric Nephrology and was instrumental in establishing Pediatric nephrology services in DMC. Dr Gurdeep was awarded visiting fellowship in Pediatric infectious diseases by Royal college of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), London UK. He has done Pediatric Nephrology fellowship from St Johns Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. He has many international and national publications including chapters in books and has presented papers in international and national conferences particularly related to Pediatric Nephrology and Pediatric Infectious diseases. He is a master trainer of "Asthma training" and "Tuberculosis" modules of IAP. Dr Gurdeep is also PALS instructor and holds BLS and other workshops for medicos in Punjab. He is also life member of different international societies.

Pediatric Infectious Disease and Tropical and Travel Medicine Specialist with public health and outbreak management experience at the local and international level. Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary and Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

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