Training Doctors and Empowering Communities as AMR Guardians

Participant:

Liyana Azmi – Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) & East Asia University Network (SEAOHUN), Malaysia/Thailand

Photo Story (15 mins)

ISID/BMGF Research Grants: Updates from the First Cohort

Speakers:

Chair
Neelika – University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Oxford

Co-chair
lkin Bermudez, ISID

Speakers:

Evaluating the transmission patterns of schistosomiasis and geohelminthiasis in the Ndikinimeki district of Central-Cameroon
Bienvenu Balifeli– University Of Yaoundé I/oceac, Cameroon

Resistance and virulence factors of Salmonella spp. strains isolated from cholera endemic waters.
Boya Bawa – Laboratoire de Biologie et de Typage moléculaire en Microbiologie, Benin

Prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance among community members in rural Malawi: a cross-sectional study.
George Dalitso Limwado –Partners in Health/ Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo

Antibiogram and molecular characterization of Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among in-patients in a teaching hospital in Nigeria
Hilary Nosa Okunbor– Babcock University, Nigeria

Identifying the genetic relatedness of Carbapenem-resistant A. baumanni (CRAB) isolated from pregnant mothers, newborns and hospital environments in Bangladesh.
Kazi Injamamul Hoque– Laboratory of Food Safety and One Health, Nutrition Research Division, icddr,b, Bangladesh

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of human leptospirosis infection among agro- pastoral communities in northern Tanzania
Monica Fredrick Francis – National Public Health Laboratory, Tanzania

WHO session on optimizing diagnosis and treatment of STIs

Speakers:

Clinical management of genital discharge syndrome
Remco Peters

Current and future treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
David Lewis

Enhanced gonococcal antimicrobial resistance surveillance (EGASP) programme in South Africa
Venessa Maseko

Updates on syphilis screening, diagnosis and treatment
Remco Peters

Diagnostic testing of patients with presumptive syphilis
Mandisa Mdingi

Syphilis testing and treatment experiences in Cape Town, South Africa
Alex de Voux

Hot Topics Abstracts (O10): Hot Topics

Speakers:

Addressing the Silent Epidemic of Hepatitis B Virus: Awareness, Screening and Vaccination Efforts in Abuja, Nigeria
Ogechukwu Akabuike – Nigeria Centre For Disease Control And Prevention, Nigeria

“Injectable ARVs will give me more peace than swallowing tablets”: Women’s acceptability and attitudes towards injectable Antiretroviral therapy in prevention of HIV vertical transmission in Uganda
Deborah Ekusai-Sebatta – Makerere University, Uganda

Investigating an agnostic metagenomic virus discovery tool and evaluating the performance of Ion Torrent versus Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing
Tshegofatso Mahlangu – Stellenbosch University, South Africa

The re-emergence and evolution of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in Germany
Calvin Mehl - Friedrich-loeffler Institut, Germany

Screening for MPXV, VZV, HSV-1 and HSV-2, viruses responsible for mucocutaneous vesicular rashes, by multiplex HRM-PCR in the Democratic Republic of Congo and France
Nadège Nziza - Afyia Diagnostics, France

Identification of Novel Antigens as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Detection of Tuberculosis Directly from Patient Samples
Amit Singh - Central University Of Punjab, India

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) isolation from longitudinal samples of 11 patients to infer risk of onwards transmission
Helen Callaby - University Of Aberdeen, UK

Establishment of a clinical helpline for mpox: comparison of the 2022 and 2024 experience in the UK
Helen Callaby - University Of Aberdeen, UK

Debate: Vaccines & Compulsory Licensing

Moderator
Sasheela Ponnampalavanar - University Malaya Medical Centre, Malayisa

Vaccines & Compulsory licensing: Yes
Titiano Pinto - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Vaccines & Compulsory licensing: No
Laura Oliveira - Universidade Federal Do Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Empowering Communities to Address AMR Through Outreach and Creativity

Participant:

CAMO-Net – South Africa

Video (20 mins)

Eh!woza: informing and gathering perspectives on infectious diseases

Participant:

Anastasia Koch – Ehwoza, South Africa

Video & Presentation (45 mins)

Perceived Risk and Misconceptions Towards HIV and AIDS Among Adolescent Boys Attending Community Secondary Schools

Participant:

Edna Mandala – Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi

Presentation (15 mins)

Gesundheit für Benin – Bénin Santé

Participant:

Silvia Cvekova – “Gesundheit für Benin – Bénin Santé” Czech / Doctors of Benin

Presentation (15 mins)

Intersecting Crises: Addressing Gender-Based Violence and HIV/AIDS in Vulnerable Communities

Participant:

Callas Foundation – South Africa

Innovative Strategies to Increase TPT Uptake Among High-Risk Groups

Participant:

Candy Jacobs – TB Proof, South Africa

Presentation (15 mins)

Differentiating NTM from TBC infections in population of Southeast Asian immigrants & Protecting patients, colleagues and community when sensitive situations related to HIV misdiagnosis arise 

Participant:

Marija de La Marnierre – University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb, Croatia

Spoken Word (30 mins)

Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) through a nurse-led approach in Mukono District Hospital, Uganda

Participant:

Irene Wobusobozi – Mukono General Hospital, Uganda

Photo Story (15 mins)

HIA: Health Impact Assessment 

Participant:

EQUINET HIA – East and Southern Africa

Presentation (30 mins)

Title TBD

Participant:

Nosimilo Mlangeni – National Institute for Occupational Health, South Africa

Presentation (30 mins)

Key lessons learned from developing and implementing the national multisectoral SBC campaign addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonotic diseases in Tanzania

Participant:

Mark Lwakatare – Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs - USAID Breakthrough ACTION, Tanzania

Presentation & Live Band (25 mins & 30 mins)

Professor Michael Moore AM PhD – Chair, International Immunisation Task Force

Professor Michael Moore AM PhD is currently Chair of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) International Taskforce on Immunization as well as a number of other health networks. He is the former CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia and is a Past President of the WFPHA. Michael was Rotary International District 9705 Governor for 2020-21. He is a Distinguished Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and was formerly a teacher and consultant. Michael served four terms as an elected member of the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2001 and was Australia’s first independent Minister when he was appointed as Minister of Health and Community Care. In 2017 he was honoured by being made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

David Sinclair – Chief Executive, International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK)

David Sinclair holds the role of Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre in the UK. David has worked in policy and research on ageing and demographic change for 20 years. He holds honorary positions at UCL and Newcastle University.  He was a leading member of the SAATI (Supporting Active Ageing Through Immunisation) coalition and is a board member of the Coalition for Life Course Immunisation. He has worked as an expert for the pan-European Age Platform for 15 years and is the former Vice-Chair of the Government’s Consumer Expert Group for Digital Switchover. For ten years he chaired a London based charity (Open Age) which enables older people to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain active lifestyles and develop new and stimulating interests.

Prior to joining the ILC, David worked as Head of Policy at Help the Aged where he led a team of 8 policy advisors. David has also worked for environmental and disability organisations in policy and public affairs functions. His other experience includes working as a VSO volunteer in Romania, in Parliament for a Member of Parliament, and with backbench committees.

Professor Charles Feldman – Emeritus Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand

Professor Charles Feldman is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He was previously a Professor of Pulmonology and Chief Physician of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and the University of the Witwatersrand from 1995 to 2017. Professor Feldman’s research interest is in the field of community-acquired pneumonia, particularly pneumococcal pneumonia. He was elected as a Fellow of the European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society in recognition of his contributions to the field of respiratory medicine. In 2018 he received the Platinum Gold Medal from the South African Medical Research Council for a lifetime of research in the human health. In 2021, the University of Pretoria (UP) bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Medicine (honoris causa) on Professor Feldman for his significant contribution to the field of pneumococcal respiratory infections.

Dr. Jane Barratt – Global Advisor, International Federation on Ageing (IFA)

Dr. Jane Barratt is the Global Advisor and former Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) an international NGO with general consultative status at the United Nations and non-State actor of the World Health Organization (WHO) representing some 78 million older people in 74 countries.  In various roles her leadership continues to help drive the agenda for the world’s ageing population in many intergovernmental agendas including the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and the WHO Immunisation Agenda 2030 across sectors and disciplines.

Among her many current positions Jane is a member of the WHO World Hearing Forum, Vision Academy, Director, Baycrest Health Sciences, Co-Chair, Baycrest Academy Research and Education, Associate Scientist, Sinai Health System, Member, Co-Chair Vaccine Virtual Days 2024, WFPHA International Council for Adult Immunisation Taskforce, Member, IA2030 Strategic Priority Life course and Integration Working Group and Member of the European Interdisciplinary Council on Ageing Assembly.

Renowned for exceptional leadership and advocacy skills her strategic vision and collaborative approach have has been recognized internationally, earning her numerous awards and accolades including a member of the WHO Health Ageing 50, being awarded the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal and the Churchill Fellowship.

Samkele Mkumbuzi

Samkele is a Research Pharmacist at the University of Cape Town Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine, with more than 3 years of experience in enhancing healthcare systems through effective medicine management & good clinical practice. Samkele holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Wits University.

Before joining the University of Cape Town, Samkele has been recognized for his strong leadership qualities whilst holding multifaceted experience in coordinating Antimicrobial Stewardship operations at hospital and district level. Samkele has served as a member of a Provincial Pharmacovigilance Committee where he contributed to the introduction of an Adverse Events Following Immunisation programme and contributed to primary and tertiary care formulary development in the public sector.

Samkele leads research projects in science communication & health education extending his expertise in Antimicrobial Stewardship through public awareness campaigns & training programs for healthcare professionals. As a Master’s in Public Health candidate, Samkele’s research interest is in optimizing the use of antibiotics by enhancing the adoption & utility of antimicrobial resistance surveillance data systems and policy implementation.

Malcolm Miller

Specialist anaesthetist, qualified at University of Cape Town in 2004., Completed my medical training at University of Stellenbosch in 1994
Sub-specialized in Critical Care at Groote Schuur Hospital in 2006 and obtained the Certificate in Critical care medicine in 2008 through the College of Medicine of South Africa.

Currently working as a senior specialist in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Groote Schuur Hospital. Past Chairperson of the Critical Care Society of South Africa, Western Cape Branch. Also, the course director of the BASIC course (a two-day course introducing doctors to caring for seriously ill patients).

Interests include Trauma, Abdominal compartment syndrome, Nutrition in critical illness and Antibiotic stewardship

Publications:
Numerous papers on Thromboelastography , Intra-abdominal hypertension and Gut dysfunction.

Research:
The role of a bio-artificial liver in a porcine model of ischaemic liver failure.
Coagulation studies using Thromboelastography

Renier Coetzee

Renier Coetzee is an associate professor at the University of the Western Cape's (UWC) School of Public Health (SOPH). His work focuses on antimicrobial stewardship, with a particular emphasis on improving antibiotic use in low- and middle-income countries, specifically in primary healthcare settings. In addition to his research, Renier is dedicated to community engagement and empowerment. He works closely with local communities to develop and implement sustainable health interventions, promoting health equity and social justice. Through his work, Renier seeks to bridge the gap between academia and community, ensuring that research is translated into meaningful action. His commitment to antimicrobial stewardship and community engagement has made a significant impact in the field, and his work continues to inspire and inform public health initiatives.

Recognized for his outstanding contributions, Renier has been honored with prestigious awards, including the University of the Western Cape Community Engagement Award and the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award from the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition to his academic and community work, he serves as the Deputy President of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa, furthering his influence in the field.

Esmita Charani

She is an honorary Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town, a visiting Researcher at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and an Adjunct Professor at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India, where she is involved in helping implement and investigate national antibiotic stewardship programmes.

After completing her post-graduate training in Cambridge University Hospitals and ten years of experience as a clinical pharmacist in hospitals, Esmita began her research career. In her academic career the focus of her research has been behaviour change interventions in the field of antimicrobial stewardship, and the application of social science research methods to develop contextually relevant solutions. She is an investigator on an NIHR Invention for Innovation award investigating the development and use of a point-of-care personalised clinical decision support tool for antimicrobial prescribing, and is co-investigator on the ESRC award: “Optimising antibiotic use along surgical pathways: addressing antimicrobial resistance and improving clinical outcomes” (in England, Scotland, Rwanda, India & South Africa; 2017-2021).

Her work in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognised through an Academy of Medical Sciences UK-India AMR Visiting Professor award. She is an expert advisor to the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association and a Global Health Fellow with the Office of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, England. She is involved in mentoring and supporting clinical pharmacists to implement antimicrobial stewardship interventions across different healthcare settings and economies. Her doctoral thesis investigated antimicrobial stewardship in India, Norway, France, Burkina Faso and England. She is also the Research Lead for Practice, Design and Engineering at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance within the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London.
Esmita completed her Masters (MPharm Hons) in Pharmacy at University College London, her MSc in Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and read for her PhD at Imperial College London.

Adrian Brink

Professor Adrian Brink is Head of the Division: Medical Microbiology, and member of the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and the National Health Laboratory Services, Groote Schuur hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Prof Brink was founding President of the Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa and is the founder and currently co-chairs the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Program (SAASP).

His is main research interests are the clinical and molecular epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections, the mechanisms of resistance as a confounder in antibiotic stewardship, the design and implementation of large-scale antibiotic stewardship, diagnostic stewardship and infection prevention and control interventions in low and middle-income countries. The current focus alsoincludes the protective, metabolic and immune functions of the gastro-intestinal and - vaginal biome Inc. the resistome and metabolome.

Dena van den Bergh

Dr Dena van den Bergh is an honorary research associate at UCT Dept. of Medicine Division of Infectious diseases and HIV and has led and published multiple large-scale collaborative AMS and IPC implementation studies across private and public sector hospitals. She has served as a healthcare executive leader with large multinational hospital and healthcare organisations in South Africa where she spearheaded large-scale change to improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes. Dena’s expertise spans a unique blend of clinical know-how, leadership competencies and a doctorate in systems engineering. In addition to her research in AMS implementation, Dena works independently with leaders, teams, and organisations to successfully implement health systems improvement co-designed with stakeholders. Her goal is to empower accomplished and emerging healthcare leaders to make a powerful impact in shaping the future of health systems globally while inspiring them to thrive in their lives and their careers.

Anastasia (Tasha) Koch

Dr Anastasia Koch co-founded Eh!woza together with conceptual artist Ed Young in 2013. The organisation operates at the intersection of public engagement, youth advocacy, science communication and skills development to merge the biology of infectious disease with its social impact.
Anastasia graduated with a PhD from the University of Cape Town in 2015 and in 2017 was awarded a Carnegie Corporation DEAL fellowship under the mentorship of Prof. Digby Warner in the MMRU lab at UCT.

In 2020, Eh!woza was awarded a Wellcome Trust Discretionary Award and was established as an independent NPO. Anastasia shifted focus to work on Eh!woza full-time while maintaining a position in the MMRU as an Honorary Lecturer. She has a strong interest in translating complex biomedical concepts into relatable media and developing collaborations that can facilitate impactful public engagement work.

Oral Abstract Presentations (O6): Outbreaks, Infectious Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology

Chair
Richard Alm

Speakers:

Estimating transmission heterogeneity and case ascertainment from variations in case counts in surveillance data
Christian Althaus – University Of Bern, Switzerland

Continental Strategic Framework to Strengthen Cross-Border Surveillance, Coordination and Information Sharing in Africa
Mallion Kangume – Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Ethiopia

“An outbreak investigation of diphtheria in Jalalabad, Sylhet, Bangladesh, in December 2023: might indicate declining immunity in late childhood.”
Mainul Hassan – Institute Of Epidemiology, Diseases Control & Research (iedcr), Bangladesh

Cholera case trends in Eastern Africa using surveillance data, 2007-2024
Joy Ebonwu – Africa CDC, Kenya

Cholera Outbreak in Chienge District, Luapula Province, Zambia- 31st May – 9th June 2023: Re-emerging threat
Tebello Kolobe – Ministry Of Health, Lesotho

A multijurisdictional healthcare-associated outbreak of Ralstonia pickettii from contaminated saline, Australia 2023
Anthea Laura Katelaris – NSW Health, Australia

Integral Scientific Advice for Outbreak Response: Lessons learned from an Avian Influenza Simulation in the Netherlands
Anja Schreijer – Pandemic And Disaster Preparedness Center, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands

A comparative analysis of the impact of climate change on emergence of infectious diseases and outbreaks in remote areas of Sindh, Pakistan
Hafsa Faruqui – Dow University Of Health Sciences, Pakistan

Oral Abstract Presentations (09): Social Context Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Infections

Speakers

Detection of COVID-19 Outbreaks with Whole Genome Sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technology in a Tertiary Centre, Malaysia
Siti Farah Alwani Mohd Nawi – Universiti Teknologi Mara (uitm), Malaysia

Social Contexts and Public Health Control: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: The TRUST Study on SARS-CoV-2 Booster Uptake in Individuals Aged 50+ in the UK
Silvia Riva – St. Mary's University, UK

Assessing inequalities in risk of invasive group A streptococcal infections according to residential setting, England 2015-2023
Theresa Lamagni – UK Health Security Agency, UK

Societal values for health inequality aversion via vaccine and non-vaccine interventions in Canada – a benefit trade-off analysis
Beate Sander – University Health Network, Canada

Relative diagnostic yield of tests for disseminated tuberculosis among inpatients living with HIV
Phiona Namale – Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa

Bedside Thwaites’ score in the diagnosis, cerebro-spinal fluid biochemistry in predicting severity and outcomes of TB meningitis in Sri Lanka
Nimasha Ekanayaka - National Hospital Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

Oral Abstract Presentations (07): Parasitology & Vector-Borne Infections

Speakers:

Pushing Forward West Nile Virus Understanding: An Integrated One Health Genomic Surveillance Journey in Romagna (Italy)
Irene Zaghi – Galway University Hospital, Ireland

Bionomics of Aedes mosquito species in three eco-epidemiological settings of Cameroon and their susceptibilities profiles to insecticides
Bertille Carine Theno Djapoum – University of Yaounde I, Cameroon

The resistance status of Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Chikwawa district, Southern Malawi
Shupikai Kambiring'oma – Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Malawi

Prevalence of schistosomiasis and associated risk factors among residents of Ndikinimeki district, Central Cameroon Region
Bienvenu Balifeli – University Of Yaoundé I/oceac, Cameroon

Evaluation of real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of Strongyloides stercoralis in immunocompromised patients in North India
Abhishek Mewara - Postgraduate Institute Of Medical Education And Research, Chandigarh, India

Molecular epidemiology of urinary schistosomiasis and characterization of Human and Animal infective schistosome species in endemic areas, Ogun State, Nigeria
Sammy Sam-Wobo – Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria

Machine learning algorithm for the rapid and accurate detection of Plasmodium falciparum
Andrew Hill – Australia

Oral Abstract Presentations (05): One Health

Chair
Mohamed Sirdar - ISID, South Africa

Speakers:

Climate change-driven vector-borne diseases spread to temperate climate territories: The frying pan theory
Miguel Angel Jimenez-Clavero – Animal Health Research Center (CISA-INIA), CSIC, Spain

Plasmid profile analysis of escherichia coli isolates recovered from the beef production chain
Libby Onyeka – Michael Okpara University Of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria

Innovative methodological approach to assess dengue transmission: findings from the SERODEN study in Africa
Anna Vicco – Imperial College London, Italy

Seroprevalence of dengue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Senegal: results of the SERODEN study
Anthony Afum-adjei Awuah – Kumasi Centre For Collaborative Research In Tropical Medicine, Ghana

First seroprevalence study of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in blood donors after abrupt increase in West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND) cases in Southern Italy in 2023
Francesca Centrone – Hygiene Unit, AOUC Policlinico of Bari, Italy

Current Knowledge of Exposure to Tick-borne Pathogens among Rural Population in Cambodia
Janin Nouhin – Institut Pasteur Du Cambodge, Cambodia

Impact of the LGBT+ rights on reporting cases and deaths of Mpox globally: Relationships with the LGBT+ rights index during 2022-2024 epidemics
Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales – Faculty of Medicine, Fundacion Universitaria Autonoma de las Americas, Colombia

One Health intervention for elimination of animal to human disease transmission of Anthrax in an endemic district of Odisha: A baseline and endline study
Debaprasad Parai – ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India

Relationships between morbidity and mortality from Mpox and the human development index (HDI) globally during 2022-2024 epidemics
Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales – Faculty of Medicine, Fundacion Universitaria Autonoma de las Americas, Colombia

Unraveling Algerian bat coronaviruses: from initial detection to genome recovery and co-infection discovery
Safia Zeghbib – National Laboratory Of Virology: University Of Pécs, Hungary

Deadly dengue epidemic outbreak in Burkina Faso in 2023
Armel Poda - Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, Burkina Faso

Oral Abstract Presentations (04): Microbes, Pathogenesis & Host Immunity

Chair
Stefan Opperman (NHLS) TBC

Speakers

Evaluating the probiotic potential of Lactobacilli from yoghurts and their antagonistic activity against multidrug-resistant enteric bacteria, Yaounde, Cameroon
Rhoda Bughe – Higher Teacher Training College, University Of Yaounde, Cameroon

Spatial and temporal diversity of Simulium damnosum s.l. gut microbiota and association with Onchocerca volvulus infection in Cameroon
Arnauld Efon Ekangouo – Higher Institute for Scientific and Medical Research (ISM), Cameroon

Use of murine model to study virulence of epidemically significant Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes and to evaluate effectiveness of chemotherapy
Igor Mokrousov – St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Russia

Whole genome analysis reveals the major pathotypes and predominant antimicrobial resistance genes in Escherichia coli strains from India
Punit Kaur – All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, India

Targeting cytokine signaling in mice infected with bunyaviruses provides protection from severe disease and death
Joseph Golden – Usamriid, USA

PD-1/PD-L1 Axis Downregulation in Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Potential Mechanism Driving the Autoimmune Pathogenesis
Rasel Ahmed – International Centre For Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Bangladesh

Oral Abstract Presentations (03): Innovations in Infectious Diseases, Prevention & Control

Chair
Alison Holmes TBC

Speakers

Surveillance of H. pylori prevalence and antibiotic resistance in the urban Chinese population: a nationwide multi-center study
Liang Wang – Southern Medical University Affiliated Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, China

Effectiveness of a clinical decision support algorithm (ePOCT+) in improving quality of care for sick children in primary health facilities in Tanzania (DYNAMIC project): results from a cluster randomized trial
Caroline Enos – Nimr-mmrc, Tanzania

Prospective and End User Evaluation of an AI-based Clinical Decision Support System for Individualized Antimicrobial Stewardship
William Bolton – Imperial College London, UK

Analysing Open-source Images to Assess Face Mask Usage for Epidemiological Studies
Ashley Quigley – The Kirby Institute, Australia

Dragonfly Molecular Diagnostic Platform: A Rapid Point-of-Care Solution for Monkeypox and Skin Lesion Pathogens
Kenny Malpartida-Cardenas – Imperial College London, UK

Oral Abstract Presentations (02): HAIs, Antimicrobials & Bacteremia

Chair
Prof Neelika Malavige

Speakers

Electronic Pillbox-enabled Self-administered Therapy Versus Standard Directly Observed Therapy for Tuberculosis Medication Adherence and Treatment Outcomes in Ethiopia: a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Manyazewal Tsegahun – Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Redox-responsive peptidosomes: A promising strategy for expanding vancomycin antibiotic spectrum and efficacy against resistant bacterial infections
Calvin Omolo – United States International University-africa, Kenya

Transient Expression of Recombinant Antimicrobial Peptide Meucin18 in Nicotiana tabacum and its Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
Parthiban Subramanian – Bharathiar University, India

Integrating Deep Learning with Computational Methods for Dual Inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pantothenate Kinase and CTP Synthetase: A Novel Approach to Combat Multi-Drug Resistance
Prakash Jha – University of Delhi, India

Species distribution, antibiotic susceptibility and clinical characteristics in Enterococcal bacteremia; experience from South India
Vettakkara Kandy Muhammed Niyas – Kimshealth, Thiruvananthapuram, India

Epidemiological assessment of trends and health inequalities in rates of Group C and G Streptococcal bacteraemia in England, 2015 to 2022
Jamie Thomas Rudman – Ukhsa, UK

The hidden burden of enteric infections in British Columbia, Canada, 2005-2014
Eleni Galanis – University of British Columbia, Canada

Impact of hospital participation in national surveillance in prevention of surgical site infection, England
Theresa Lamagni – UK Health Security Agency, UK

Tracking the Evolution and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Indian Adult Populations through High-Throughput Genome Sequencing
Varun Shamanna – Central Research Laboratory, India

Improving Infection Prevention and Control Systems using Quality Improvement Initiatives in selected Health Facilities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Usen Daniel – Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health, Nigeria

Working Group (WG1): Guide to Infection Control Working Group

Participants:

Review/Update current status of Guide
Gonzalo Bearman – Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Guide materials that were published in IJID as review articles
Angela Dramowski – Stellenbosch University, South Africa

New content areas
Arifa Parker – Stellenbosch Univeristy, South Africa

Policy Discussion (PD2): Pandemic Centers

Moderator:

Paul Brown – University of the West Indies, Jamaica

Discussants:

Jide Idris – Nigeria Centre for Disease Control & Prevention, Nigeria
Mohammed Abdulaziz – Africa CDC, Ethiopia

Scientific (S9): Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Maternal Immunization: New Products and a Pathway to Introduction

Chair: 

Keith Klugman – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA

Speakers:

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Heather Zar – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Group B Streptococcus (GBS)
Ziyaad Dangor – University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Maternal Immunization Readiness Network for Africa and Asia
Michelle Groome – University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
Hellen Barsosio – Kenya Medical Research Institute, South Africa

Scientific (S8): Perspectives from ISID Emerging Leaders – AMR Under One Health

Chair: 

Fatima Aziz – University of Karachi, Pakistan

Co-Chair: 

Elita Jauneikaite – Imperial College London, UK

Speakers:

Surveillance of AMR in One Health
Elita Jauneikaite – Imperial College London, UK

The intersection of the social determinants of health and climate change with AMR
Vrinda Nampoothiri – Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, India

Emerging technologies
Laura Oliveira – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Scientific (S22): Antimicrobials and Vaccines – Equitable Global Access

Chair:
Helena Maltezou – National Public Health Organization, Greece (TBC)

Speakers:

Why Equity Matters for the Global South
Fatima Hassan – Health Justice Initiative (HJI), South Africa

Global production and supply through the lens of common pool resources
Tom Ashfield – The Sign Post, UK

Accelerating access to antibiotics – a model to address existing and new antibiotics
Kim Faure – Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP), South Africa

Plenary (P1): The Polycrisis and Policy Failure: a Perfect Storm for AMR

Chair:

Paul Tambyah – Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

Speaker:

Sabiha Essack – South African Research Chair in Antibiotic Resistance & One Health & Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, South Africa

Plenary (P2): Tuberculosis

Chair:

Jaffar Al-Tawfiq – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia

Speaker:

Alex Pym – Wellcome Trust, UK

Plenary (P3): Updates on AMR

Chair:

Alison Holmes – University of Liverpool, UK

Speaker:

Anna Levin – University of São Paulo, Brazil

Workshop (W4): The Pharmacist’s Role in the Infectious Diseases Team

Facilitators:

Oluchi Mbamalu – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Angeliki Messina – Netcare Group, South Africa
Debra Goff – The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, USA

Workshop (W3): Clinical Microbiology – the Future is Here

Facilitators:

Adrian Brink – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Margaret Ip – Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Yahaya Mohammed – Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria

Workshop (W2): AMR Stewardship – What the ID Professional Needs to Know!

Facilitators:

Afreenish Amir – National Institute of Health, Pakistan
Esmita Charani – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Sasheela Ponnampalavanar – University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia

Workshop (W1): Epidemiologic Intelligence and Forecasting Approaches

Facilitators:

Rokhaya Diagne – Afyasense, Senegal
Auss Abbood – Robert Koch Institute, Germany
Jake Hightower – Ruvos, USA

Meet-the-Expert (M5): Urinary Tract Infections

Experts:

Sally Roberts – Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora, New Zealand
Paul Tambyah – National University Hospital, Singapore

Meet-the-Expert (M4): Surgical Infections and Antibiotic Use

Experts:

Sasheela Ponnampalavanar – University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia
Bruce Biccard – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Plenary (P4): Research from Africa for Africa: Global Health Solutions from African Researchers

Speaker:

Tumani Corrah – Africa Research Excellence Fund, Gambia

Scientific (S21): Current Updates in Tuberculosis

Chair:

Sean Wasserman – University of London, UK

Co-Chair:
Dr Stefan Opperman

Speakers:
Optimising therapy for TB meningitis
Sean Wasserman – University of London, UK

Host macrophage diversity as a driver of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection outcome
Henry Mwandumba – Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme, Malawi

Better and shorter treatments for tuberculosis: an advancing frontier
Graeme Meintjes – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S20): Point of Care Testing

Chair:

Adeeba Kamarulzaman – Monash University, Malaysia

Speakers:

Innovative Molecular Diagnostics: Revolutionizing Infectious Disease Detection and Combating Antimicrobial Resistance
Jesus Rodriguez Manzano – Centre for Antimicrobial Optimisation (CAMO), UK

Latest advances on POCTs for STIs
Yuka Manabe – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA

Human Helminth Infections: Improving Diagnostics for Control and Elimination Programs
Sitara Swarna Rao – The Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, India

Scientific (S19): Hepatitis B and C – Global Opportunities

Speakers:

The pathway to Viral Hepatitis Elimination – Where are we in Africa?
Wendy Spearman – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S18): Biomedical Interventions on STI Prevention

Speakers:

Chair
David Lewis - University of Sydney

Co chair
Jaffar Al-Tawfiq - Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare

Prevention of Haemophilus ducreyi infections: one organism, two stories
Stan Spinola – Indiana University School Of Medicine, USA

Advances in biomedical prevention for STIs
Sinead Delany-Moretlwe – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Scientific (S17): Hospital-Acquired Infections – How Much Can We Prevent

Chair:

Gonzalo Bearman – Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Co Chair
Jaffar Al-Tawfiq – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia

Speakers:

Leadership in Healthcare Epidemiology and Medicine: A football (Soccer) Enthusiasts Perspective
Gonzalo Bearman – Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Striving for Zero: Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) - A Target, Vision, or Philosophy
Jaffar Al-Tawfiq – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia

Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections: Strategies for Prevention
Tari Papavarnavas – University of Cape Town, South Africa - pop up wrong on website

Scientific (S16): Pediatric infectious diseases - Challenges and Opportunities

Chair: 

Helena Maltezou – National Public Health Organization, Greece

Co Chair
Asha Bowen – Telethon Kids Institute, Australia

Speakers:

Involving children in platform trials for infectious diseases across the life course: SNAP and STRAP Trials
Asha Bowen – Telethon Kids Institute, Australia

Advances in vaccine-preventable diseases
Helena Maltezou – National Public Health Organization, Greece

Closing the equity gap – opportunities and challenges in unlocking the value of immunising children
Rudzani Muloiwa – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S14): Best of HIV-ID Joint Meeting: From Kenya to South Africa

Chair:

Connie Walyaro – International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), Kenya

Speakers:

Introduction/Overview of the joint HIV/ID conference
Walter Jaoko – University of Nairobi, Kenya

Key Findings from the Joint HIV/ID Conference 2023, Kenya
Loice Ombajo – National University of Singapore, Singapore

Lessons learnt from the joint ID/HIV conference
Laz Momanyi – National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP), Kenya

Panel Discussion
Jeanette Dawa, Barbara Mambo, Felix Riung, Loice Ombajo, Laz Momanyi

Closing Comments
Walter Jaoko

Scientific (S15): Clinical Management of Hard-to-Treat Infections

Chair:

Paul Tambyah – National University Hospital, Singapore

Co Chair
George Varghese Mannil – Christian Medical College, India

Speakers:

Persistent challenges in advanced HIV disease management in the era of antiretroviral therapy
Henry Mwandumba – Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme, Malawi

Challenges in Managing Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections
George Varghese – Christian Medical College, India

The Infection Dilemma: Clinical Insights into Hard-to-Treat Infection
Sipho Dlamini – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S13): Respiratory Infections

Chair: 

Jaffar Al-Tawfiq – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia

Speakers:

Respiratory Tract Infections at Mass Gatherings
Jaffar Al-Tawfiq – Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia

Antiviral Therapeutics Discovery for Enterovirus D68
Justin Chu – National University of Singapore, Singapore

Advances in prevention of RSV in infants
Heather Zar – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S12): Interacting with the Online World: Misinformation & Vaccine Confidence

Co-Chair
Venessa Carter TBC

Speakers:

Empowering healthcare workers to counter misinformation and rebuild vaccine confidence
Johanna (Hannelie) Meyer – Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, South Africa

Africa CDC role and interventions to improve vaccine confidence in Africa
Mohammed Abdulaziz – Africa CDC, Ethiopia

Waves of online misinformation erode the shores of vaccine confidence
Elizabeth Oduwole – Vaccines for Africa (VACFA), South Africa

Scientific (S11): Equity in AMR

Chair:

Esmita Charani – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Speakers:

Power and representation in global health research and infectious diseases
Sipho Dlamini – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Gender and antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control practices
Vrinda Nampoothiri – Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, India

Science communication and community engagement in AMR and the need for co-design
Anastasia Koch – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Closing Remarks

Plenary (P6): Rights, Equity and the Path to Ending AIDS

Chair:

Sally Roberts – Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora, New Zealand

Speaker:

Adeeba Kamarulzaman – Monash University, Malaysia

Policy Discussion (PD4): Advancing Clinical Trials

Moderator:

George Varghese – Christian Medical College, India

Discussants:

Adebola Olayinka – Infection Control African Network, Nigeria
Mo Yin – National University of Singapore, Singapore
Asha Bowen – Telethon Kids Institute, Australia

Scientific (S28): New Targets and Approaches to Vaccines

Chair:

Robert Heyderman – University College London, UK

Speakers:

New targets and approaches to vaccines
Mohammed Abdulaziz – Africa CDC, Ethiopia

NITAG Support Hub (NISH)- Innovative Approach to Supporting Vaccines Decision-Making in Africa
Benjamin Kagina – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S27): Dengue

Chair:

Paul Tambyah – National University Hospital, Singapore

Speakers:

Challenges in clinical management of Dengue
Priscila Rupali – Christian Medical College Vellore, India

Codon-Optimized Genome Recoding: A Genetically Stable Live Attenuated Flavivirus Vaccine
Justin Chu – National University of Singapore, Singapore

Epidemics of Dengue and Reemergence of Chikungunya in Latin America
Alfonso Javier Rodriguez-Morales – Fundacion Universitaria Autonoma de las Americas, Colombia

Oral Abstract Presentations (09)

Scientific (S26): AMR Surveillance and Diagnostics

Chair:

Connie Walyaro – International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), Kenya

Speakers:

Platform solutions for AMR: is a combined diagnostic, surveillance and therapeutic solution possible?
Tom Ashfield – The Sign Post, UK

AMR Surveillance in Africa: Are We There Yet?
Sabiha Essack – South African Research Chair in Antibiotic Resistance & One Health & Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, South Africa

CARB-X – Accelerating the Development of Novel Tools against AMR
Richard Alm – CARB-X, USA

Policy Discussion (PD3): Sources of Funding in Global Health

Moderator

TBC

Speakers

Arun Balagee - The Global Fund
Janet Midega - The Wellcome Trust, UK

Scientific (S25): AI and Infectious Diseases

Chair
Cedric Marsboom – Avia-GIS, Belgium

Co-Chair
Auss Abbood - Robert Koch Institute, Germany

Speakers:

Spatial modelling of vector-borne diseases: Where? When? How many?
Cedric Marsboom – Avia-GIS, Belgium

Application of AI in malaria detection
Rokhaya Diagne – Afyasense, Senegal

Scientific (S24): Fungal Resistance, Diagnostics, and Therapy Updates

Chair:

Afreenish Amir – National Institute of Health, Pakistan

Speakers:

Amplifying the ‘F’ word: The rise of drug-resistant fungi in Africa
Iriagbonse Osaigbovo – UBTH: University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Vaginal Candida spp. colonization, infection and drug susceptibility in adult women- a clinical study
Fingani Mphande – King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand

Emerging Antifungal resistance in Dermatophyte
Afreenish Amir, National Institute of Health, Pakistan

Oral Abstract Presentations (O8): Vaccines & Vaccine Development

Chair
Nicollette (FIDSSA) - TBC

Co chair
Helena Maltezou (ISID) - TBC

Speakers

Preclinical evaluation of a fully-human, quadrivalent-hantavirus polyclonal antibody derived from non-human source
Jay Hooper – Usamriid, USA

mRNA Nanovaccine Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Elicits Robust Immunity in Mice
Bubacarr J.B Touray – University Of Wisconsin-madison, USA

An optimized chikungunya virus trans-amplifying RNA vaccine candidate induces potent immune responses with only 1 ng of antigen encoding RNA
Christin Schmidt – Tron, Germany

Persistence of the neutralizing antibody response one year after a single injection of a new Yellow fever vaccine in adults
Emmanuel Feroldi – Sanofi, France

Profile of Protective Anti-Hbs Antibodies among Healthy Indian Children and Adults Immunized in Infancy
Sanjay Verma - PGIMER, Chandigarh, India

Scientific (S23): Neglected Infectious Diseases

Chair
Abdulrazaq G. Habib

Co Chair
Fingani Mpande Nyasulu - King Mongkuts Institute Of Technology Latkrabang

Speakers:

Speakers:

Reducing neglected zoonotic infections: One Health is essential and overcoming challenges must be a priority!
Arifa Parker – Stellenbosch Univeristy, South Africa

The impact of climate change on vector-borne neglected infectious diseases
Moses Bockarie – Njala University, Sierra Leone

Plenary (P5): Pandemic Preparedness

Chair:

Neelika Malavige – University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Speaker:

Arun Balajee – The Global Fund, United States

Meet-the-Expert (M8): Career in Public Health/Global Health

Chair
Scott Dowell - WHO, Switzerland

Experts:

Alison Holmes – University of Liverpool, UK
Adeeba Kamarulzaman – Monash University, Malaysia

Meet-the-Expert (M7): Neonatal Infections

Chair
Heather Finlayson - University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Experts:

Adrie Bekker – University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Rudzani Muloiwa – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Meet-the-Expert (M6): Meet ProMED

Chair
Richard Yapi - Cote D'Ivoire

Experts

Tin Tin Myaing - Myanmar
Natalia Pshenichnaya - Russia
Larisa Ermakova - Russia
Aisha Abubakar - Nigeria

Scientific (S10): What’s New in Mycobacteriology?

Chair: 

Afreenish Amir – National Institute of Health, Pakistan

Speakers:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission: the importance of precision
Digby Warner – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Opportunities and Challenges in Early-Stage TB Drug Discovery: Targeting DNA Replication as a Case Study
Valerie Mizrahi – University of Cape Town, South Africa

What's new in TB treatment?
Cynthia Chee – Singapore TB Control Unit, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

Scientific (S7): Rabies: Key Areas

Chair: 

Lucille Blumberg – National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa

Speakers:

Lessons learned from scaling up dog vaccination against rabies in Tanzania
Maganga Sambo – Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania

Rabies in seals in South Africa: an unprecedented event
Lesley van Helden –  Western Cape Department of Agriculture, South Africa

When seals attack: Rabies and public health
Lucille Blumberg – National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa

Scientific (S6): Global Genomic ID Surveillance and Response

Chair:

Nicholas Feasey – St Andrews University, UK

Co-Chair: 

Peter Nyasulu – Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Speakers:

Pathogen genomics in the future of Public Health: a global perspective
Josefina Campos – World Health Organisation (WHO), Argentina

Utility of environmental surveillance of pathogens in Malawi
Nicholas Feasey – St Andrews University, UK

Epidemic clones in AMR in Asia - hospital and community perspectives
Mo Yin - National University Hospital, Singapore

Scientific (S5): Enteric Infections

Chair:

Yahaya Mohammed – Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Speakers:

Rising Tide of Antibiotic Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis of Vibrio cholerae Susceptibility (2014-2024)
Yahaya Mohammed – Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Impact of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) against culture confirmed typhoid in Sindh, Pakistan
Farah Naz Qamar – Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Parasitic Diarrhoea: an Overview
John Frean – National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa

Policy Discussion (PD1): Health Systems Resilience

Moderator:

Paul Brown – University of the West Indies, Jamaica

Discussants:

Mohammed Nasir Sambo – ABU Zaria, Nigeria
Kyeng Mercy Tetuh – Africa CDC, Cameroon

Oral Abstracts Session (O1): AMR and Antimicrobial Stewardship

Chair
Richard Alm - CARB-X

Speakers

Progress on implementation of the World Health Organization global antimicrobial resistance surveillance system recommendations on antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Africa: Findings of preliminary analysis of a scoping review
Mackline Hope – Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Uganda

Genotypic diversity and antimicrobial resistance determinants in Salmonella Typhi isolated from children living in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya
Susan Kavai – Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya

The current landscape in antibiotic access and supply issues: a qualitative study with key experts and opinion leaders
Vrinda Nampoothiri – Amrita Institute Of Medical Sciences, India

Antibacterial Activity of Ceftazidime-avibactam against carbapenem-resistant non-fermenters Gram-negative bacteria: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care hospital
Farhan Rasheed – Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan

A pilot study exploring long-read nanopore metagenomics sequencing for heteroresistance detection in clinical specimens
Siphiwe Matukane – Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Assessing Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Survey of Distribution Practices in Dispensaries in Ghana
Hannah Green – New York University Abu Dhabi, USA

Mapping the implementation challenges in a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship intervention across fourteen South African neonatal units: a multi-site survey
Dena Van Den Bergh – University Of Cape Town, South Africa

Exploring challenges in implementing antimicrobial stewardship interventions across eight African nations: A multi case study
Maxencia Nabiryo - Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, Uganda

Scientific (S4): Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Wastewater Surveillance

Speakers:

Innovative Strategies for the Implementation of Sewage Surveillance in Dhaka’s converging informal sewage network
Md Ohedul Islam – University of Virginia, USA

Optimising Wastewater Sample Processing for Multiple Pathogen Detection
Shannon Fitz – Imperial College London, UK

Seasonal Patterns in Typhoid Environmental Surveillance in Ibadan, Nigeria
Aderemi Kehinde – University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Lessons learned in establishing a wastewater-based surveillance network to support infectious disease surveillance in South Africa
Sibonginkosi Maposa – National Institute For Communicable Diseases, South Africa

Does wastewater surveillance have a role in vaccine-preventable disease control? A comparison of clinical and wastewater surveillance data for hepatitis A, E, measles
Kerrigan McCarthy – National Institute For Communicable Diseases, South Africa

Normalization of wastewater-based epidemiology data for pathogen surveillance: a case study of campus-wide SARS-CoV-2 surveillance at a South African university
Rianita Van Onselen – South African Medical Research Council, South Africa

Gut Inflammatory Proteins Associated with Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Can Be Measured in Wastewater
Jeffrey Donowitz – University of Virginia, USA

Scientific (S3): HIV - Hot Topics

Chair:

Adeeba Kamarulzaman – Monash University, Malaysia

Speakers:

Prevention and treatment of HIV: recent advances and ongoing challenges
Graeme Meintjes – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Advanced HIV as a Neglected Disease
Joe Jarvis – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK

HIV vaccines: strategies to achieve this?
Glenda Gray – South African Medical Research Council, South Africa

Scientific (S2): ID in Special Situations/Contexts

Chair:

Helena Maltezou – National Public Health Organization, Athens, Greece

Co-Chair: 

Abdulrazaq G. Habib – Bayero University, Nigeria

Speakers:

Challenges and prospects of managing infectious diseases among pastoral and migrant populations
Abdulrazaq G. Habib – Bayero University Kano, Nigeria

Emerging infections in children
Helena Maltezou – National Public Health Organization, Athens, Greece

Lessons from genomic surveillance of neonatal sepsis in Malawi
Nicholas Feasey – St Andrews University, UK

Meet-the-Expert (M3): Meet the Editors

Experts:

Lucille Blumberg – National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa
Eskild Petersen – Aarhus University, Denmark
Moses Bockarie – Njala University, Sierra Leone

Meet-the-Expert (M2): Infections in Immunocompromised

Experts:

Tan Ban Hock – Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
Sipho Dlamini – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Meet-the-Expert (M1): Lab Biosafety and Biosecurity

Experts:

Mona El-Shokry – Ain Shams University, Egypt
Selisha Naidoo – University of Cape Town, South Africa

Scientific (S1): One Health: Surveillance

Chair:

Lucille Blumberg – National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa

Speakers:

One-Health surveillance of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Europe: Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) as a case study
Annapaola Rizzoli – Edmund Mach Foundation, Italy

Never say never: One Health in Africa
Wolfgang Preiser – Stellenbosch University, South Africa

A Living Laboratory to operationalize One Health Surveillance of climate related emerging zoonoses
Alessandra Scagliarini - University of Bologna, Italy

Jake Hightower

Jake serves as the Data Science Manager for Ruvos, a company specializing in cloud-based data transfer and analytics. The Data Science team unites expertise in computer science, statistics, and AI/ML infrastructure with deep knowledge of the fields of public health and epidemiology to create products and services that help public health agencies. His main interest is advanced modeling, forecasting, and simulation of infectious diseases but enjoys building anything that bridges quality analytics to better serve the global community.

Sasheela Ponnampalavanar

Dr Sasheela Ponnampalavanar (MBBS, MMed, DTM&H) is a Consultant Infectious Disease Physician at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Professor of Medicine at University Malaya, Malaysia. She heads the hospital Infection Control Department and chairs the Antimicrobial Stewardship(AMS) Committee. She was awarded the 2020/2021 Fulbright scholarship, and was attached to the Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control Department at the John Hopkins Hospital.

As a Committee Member of The Malaysian National Antimicrobial Resistance Committee and Technical Working Group for The National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) since 2017, she is involved in the development and implementation of national guidelines and training modules related to AMR, AMS and infection prevention and control (IPC).

Her main interest are in AMS , IPC, AMR and healthcare environment hygiene (HEH). She is involved in several local and international research collaborations and published in peer reviewed journals.

Esmita Charani

She is an honorary Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town, a visiting Researcher at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, and an Adjunct Professor at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India, where she is involved in helping implement and investigate national antibiotic stewardship programmes.

After completing her post-graduate training in Cambridge University Hospitals and ten years of experience as a clinical pharmacist in hospitals, Esmita began her research career. In her academic career the focus of her research has been behaviour change interventions in the field of antimicrobial stewardship, and the application of social science research methods to develop contextually relevant solutions. She is an investigator on an NIHR Invention for Innovation award investigating the development and use of a point-of-care personalised clinical decision support tool for antimicrobial prescribing, and is co-investigator on the ESRC award: “Optimising antibiotic use along surgical pathways: addressing antimicrobial resistance and improving clinical outcomes” (in England, Scotland, Rwanda, India & South Africa; 2017-2021).

Her work in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognised through an Academy of Medical Sciences UK-India AMR Visiting Professor award. She is an expert advisor to the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association and a Global Health Fellow with the Office of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, England. She is involved in mentoring and supporting clinical pharmacists to implement antimicrobial stewardship interventions across different healthcare settings and economies. Her doctoral thesis investigated antimicrobial stewardship in India, Norway, France, Burkina Faso and England. She is also the Research Lead for Practice, Design and Engineering at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance within the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London.

Esmita completed her Masters (MPharm Hons) in Pharmacy at University College London, her MSc in Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and read for her PhD at Imperial College London.

Mohammed Yahaya

Dr. Mohammed Yahaya is an Associate Professor (Reader) and Consultant Clinical Microbiologist affiliated with the Usmanu Danfodiyo University and Teaching Hospital in Sokoto, Nigeria. He previously served as the Head of Department for both institutions (2018-2022).
Dr. Yahaya boasts of over 17 years of experience tackling infectious disease outbreaks and control. He has significantly contributed to national efforts in polio eradication, routine immunization, antimicrobial resistance prevention, cholera control, HIV/AIDS management, and most recently, the COVID-19 response. Notably, he led the team that identified Dengue fever and West Nile Virus in Sokoto in 2016.
A prolific researcher, Dr. Yahaya has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented at several conferences. He is actively involved in teaching and mentoring medical students and postgraduate trainees.
Dr. Yahaya is a respected member of the Nigerian medical community, having won several grants and holding fellowships with National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Physicians.

Margaret Ip

BM (Soton), MSc, DTM&H, FRCPath, FRCP(Lond & Glasg), FRCPA, FHKCPath, FHKAM(Pathology)

Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Microbiology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
Honorary Consultant, Dept of Microbiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong.

Margaret Ip is Professor and Chairman at the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Microbiology at the New Territories East Cluster of Hospitals of Hospital Authority of Hong Kong. She has over 25 years’ experience in the treatment and laboratory diagnoses of infections. Her research interests focus on molecular epidemiology of drug-resistant pathogens, inc. MRSA, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae and other multidrug-resistant organisms. She works on new diagnostic tools, microbial genomics and metagenomics and has published over 300 international peer-reviewed papers and 5 book chapters, inc in Lancet, Nat Comm, Clin infect Dis amongst others. She serves as an Advisor and Member of Scientific Committees on antimicrobial resistance and infection control and in Expert groups on GBS with WHO and FAO.

Adrian Brink

Professor Adrian Brink is Head of the Division: Medical Microbiology, and member of the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and the National Health Laboratory Services, Groote Schuur hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Prof Brink was founding President of the Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of Southern Africa and is the founder and currently co-chairs the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Program (SAASP).

His is main research interests are the clinical and molecular epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections, the mechanisms of resistance as a confounder in antibiotic stewardship, the design and implementation of large-scale antibiotic stewardship, diagnostic stewardship and infection prevention and control interventions in low and middle-income countries. The current focus alsoincludes the protective, metabolic and immune functions of the gastro-intestinal and - vaginal biome Inc. the resistome and metabolome.

Dr Oluchi Mbamalu

Dr Oluchi Mbamalu is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town. She is a pharmacist with undergraduate (BPharm) and postgraduate degrees (MPharm, PhD) in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her experiences span academia, research and pharmacy practice across different sectors in two different regions. She has mentored students in academia, research and pharmacy practice.

Oluchi has a keen interest in wider stakeholder engagement for improved infection care, with a focus on understanding and addressing barriers to patient and community engagement and awareness of infection risks, especially antimicrobial resistant infection risks. This interest has seen her involved in patient- and community-centred infection care initiatives, where she highlights the position of the pharmacist in such engagement. She is the lead investigator on a project to explore and advance patient and public/community engagement in infection care, funded by the National Research Foundation.

Debra Goff

Professor of Pharmacy Practice The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
Infectious Diseases Specialist, Global Antibiotic Stewardship
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Dr. Goff is an Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist, Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Antibiotic Stewardship Ambassador for The Ohio State University (OSU) Global One Health Institute in Columbus Ohio, USA. She is an awarding winning global “change maker” in infectious diseases. Dr. Goff is one of twenty-five global health experts selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to implement antibiotic stewardship programs in low middle-income countries. Dr. Goff is the Program Director for the Train the Trainer Antibiotic Stewardship Mentoring Program founded in 2012 with South African pharmacists and physicians. Her program continues to expand to include neonatal ASP and other countries including Lebanon and six Latin American countries in collaboration with country experts and neonatal experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio. She uses X (Twitter) (@idpharmd) to connect with her 10,000 followers. She has 150 publications and 50 grants.

Angeliki Messina

Angeliki Messina is the Head: Digital Clinical Pharmacy of the Netcare Group. Her qualifications include, a B.Pharm (with distinction) and M.Pharm both from the University of the Witwatersrand. Angeliki obtained advanced certification in antibiotic stewardship through the Making a Difference in Infectious Diseases organisation (USA). During her time at Netcare she has co-designed, implemented and managed the Groups’ Antibiotic Stewardship program and is the pharmacy stream lead for the design and implementation of the organisations electronic medical record. Additionally, Angeliki has designed, implemented, and managed three antimicrobial stewardship mobile applications for Netcare hospitals. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications in peer reviewed international academic journals on various successful prospective audit and feedback stewardship initiatives for improvement. Her work has been acknowledged via the receipt of numerous awards including the Discovery Healthcare quality award, the Best Care Always Health systems Improvement Award and the FIDSSA Young Investigator Award.

Asha Bowen

Professor Asha Bowen is a clinician scientist working across the Perth Children’s Hospital as a paediatric infectious disease specialist and the Telethon Kids Institute as Head of the Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Team. Asha and her team recently launched the second edition of the National Healthy Skin Guideline to guide clinicians in the recognition and evidence-based treatment of skin infections. Asha has more than 10 years’ experience leading infectious diseases research and investigator-initiated clinical trials focused on issues significant to Aboriginal child health and ARF prevention.

Yenew Kebede Tebeje

Dr Yenew Kebede Tebeje is a medical microbiologist and public health expert with 20 years of clinical, teaching, laboratory science, research, capacity building, and programme design and management experience. His achievements include building laboratory systems in low-income countries, human resource capacity development, and development of policy frameworks and guidelines that impact laboratory programmes in Africa. Dr Tebeje currently serves as Head of Division of Laboratory Systems at Africa CDC where he leads programmes to strengthen public health laboratory systems and networks in Africa. In this capacity, he coordinates the establishment and strengthening of regional integrated surveillance and laboratory networks, creation of frameworks for cross-border specimen transportation, geo-mapping of laboratory functions, implementation of biosafety and biosecurity standards, use of point of care technologies and connected diagnostics to strengthen surveillance at community level, and implementation of laboratory quality management systems. He also leads initiatives by Africa CDC and partners to advance the use of laboratory diagnostics for universal health coverage and implementation of health security in Africa. Before joining Africa CDC, Dr Tebeje worked for more than 12 years as Technical Officer and later as Branch Chief for Laboratory at the US CDC in Ethiopia, where he provided strategic leadership for one of the most successful laboratory systems development programmes of the US CDC. Dr Tebeje worked as assistant lecturer, lecturer and later as assistant professor at Gondar College of Medical Science, University of Gondar. He was recognized several times for his outstanding contributions, including the Mission Honor Award, Meritorious Honor Award and US CDC Center for Global Health Director’s Award. He has written lecture notes on microbiology, immunology and parasitology and authored and co-authored more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Tebeje holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Gondar College of Medical Sciences, a master’s degree in medical microbiology from Addis Ababa University, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Gondar.

Auss Abbood

Auss Abbood is a data scientist at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s national public health institute, and holds a master's degree in cognitive science from the University of Osnabrück. Passionate about public health surveillance, he has made significant contributions to German surveillance activities, most notably by developing a system to monitor intensive care unit capacity during the pandemic. His expertise has also contributed to the assessment of foreign public health threats, providing critical analysis for the implementation of travel restrictions.

Since his master's degree, he has been fascinated by the use of natural language processing to improve surveillance, which has led to innovative projects aimed at improving event-based surveillance. He is currently cooperating with the WHO Pandemic Hub, where he and his team are applying AI methods to improve signal detection with the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system

Rokhaya Diagne

Rokhaya Diagne is a student of Computer Science in Senegal with a fervent passion for leveraging technology to address pressing global health challenges. With a major focus on health applied to technology, she has actively engaged in projects aimed at enhancing disease detection and management. Rokhaya's professional journey includes groundbreaking work in malaria classification using innovative digital microscopy and contributions to underwater species classification for environmental conservation efforts. Her commitment to excellence and innovation has earned her recognition, including prestigious awards and participation in renowned conferences

Richard Alm

Richard joined CARB-X following almost 20 years in large pharma Infection R&D teams followed by 4 years at a small antibacterial biotech company where he supported the progression of small molecule compounds from discovery through to late-stage clinical development and registration. He obtained his PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Adelaide, and prior to joining industry he had two post-doctoral positions in the AMR area, one in Australia and one in Canada. He currently serves as the Chief Scientist at CARB-X, a global non-profit organization that supports a diverse and innovative pipeline of traditional and non-traditional products to prevent, diagnose, and treat infections caused by drug-resistant bacterial pathogens.

Douglas Scarsi

Douglas Scarsi is a seasoned professional serving as the Senior Director, Client Services at Hybrid Healthcare Communications. Joining Hybrid in 2011, Douglas brought with him a wealth of experience and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. Over the past 12 years, he has played a pivotal role in collaborating with numerous clients, overseeing projects ranging from conventions to state-of-the-art digital engagement assets.

His dedication to client success, coupled with his ability to navigate complex projects with finesse, exemplifies his leadership within the healthcare communications industry. His relentless pursuit of innovation continues to drive positive outcomes for his clients.

Stefan Kaufmann

Research of Stefan Kaufmann focuses on infection biology. He combines basic research and clinical studies for better understanding of protection and pathology of intracellular bacterial infections and for the rational design of novel intervention measures against diseases caused by these pathogens. His research led to the characterization of biosignatures for prediction of active tuberculosis and a novel tuberculosis vaccine which is in several phase III trials for safety and protective efficacy.

Stefan Kaufmann is Founding Director Emeritus of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, Emeritus Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, and Senior Professor at the Charité University Clinics in Berlin, Germany as well as Faculty Fellow of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, USA.

He published > 1000 publications mostly in high-ranking journals with > 100,000 citations and is amongst the 0.01% most cited scientists of ca. 7 million scientists in 22 major scientific fields globally. He has received numerous prizes and awards and was President of the German Society for Immunology, the European Federation of Immunological Societies and the International Union of Immunological Societies. He was member of numerous international advisory boards and committees, including World Health Summit, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), TB Alliance and European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP).

Kyeng Mercy Tetuh

Kyeng Mercy Tetuh is an Epidemiologist with over ten years of experience in strengthening health systems to detect and respond promptly to public health threats. She currently leads the Epidemic intelligence unit of Africa CDC. The unit supports the establishment of early warning systems which involves digitalizing EBS processes, strengthening EBS workforce, developing EBS standards and procedures, and establishing Epidemic intelligence networks at national, regional and continental levels to foster early detection and information exchange using the all hazard multisectoral approach. Prior to joining Africa CDC, Kyeng served as the Executive Director of Value Health Africa where she developed and coordinated projects on early detection and reporting of national priority diseases.

Mercy holds a Master's in Public Health and Epidemiology and PHDc in Tropical and infectious disease at the school of health sciences in the University of Nairobi

Tumani Corrah

Professor Sir Tumani Corrah is Emeritus director of the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia @The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is Founder and President of the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF). Established 9 years ago, AREF focusses on the continent’s emerging health researchers, providing them with the knowledge and essential skills to a successful research career in Africa. Research that will impact on policies to improve health and save lives in Africa and the rest of the world. To date AREF has impacted on the scientific careers of over 650 health researchers from 41 African countries.

Anna Levin

Anna Levin is an Associate Professor at the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Disease of The Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) and the coordinator of the Group of Hospital Infection Control in the Hospital das Clinicas of FMUSP.

Anna’s research expertise includes therapy for resistant infections, interventions to reduce healthcare associated infections, and optimising antimicrobial prescribing practices.

Alex Pym

With an extensive background in molecular microbiology and translational medicine, Alex leads Wellcome’s work on infectious disease, supporting research into ways to reduce the risks and impacts of infectious disease globally.

Alex joined Wellcome from Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where he led the discovery and development of new drugs for tuberculosis (TB) and related diseases. Alexander spent his early career working as a doctor in rural South Africa, where he led the district TB control program. After working on some of the first HIV clinical trials of HAART in London he completed a PhD in Molecular Microbiology at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, supported by a Wellcome Research Fellowship. He went on to spend over a decade in South Africa working initially on clinical drug development at the South African Medical Research Council, before leading a translational research group at AHRI.

William Wint

Dr. William Wint's expertise spans from ecological entomology in the '70s to tropical and temperate community ecology in the '80s to environmental resource assessment (i.e., flying around Africa in small airplanes counting animals) in the '80s and '90s to spatial analysis, spatial data management, and vector, host, and disease risk modeling in more recent times. More specifically, his current activities focus on mosquito, tick, sandfly, and biting midge-borne diseases in Europe and the rest of the Old World and Bovine TB in the UK. As Managing Director of a small consultancy (Environmental Research Group Oxford Limited) and a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Dr. Wint has a foot in the commercial and academic sectors and does his best to promote communication between the two.

Sean Wasserman

Sean Wasserman is a clinical academic with training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He has an active program of clinical research on treatment optimization for tuberculosis, HIV, and associated opportunistic infections. His research aims to address clinically significant questions through translational studies, emphasizing reducing the infection burden in underserved populations. Sean has spent most of his career in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing specialist training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he undertook a PhD in the clinical pharmacology of linezolid for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Sean recently took up a position at St George’s, University of London, as a Reader in Infectious Diseases at the Institute for Infection and Immunity.

Sean maintains an adjunct appointment as Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town, where he is a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa). He also holds honorary appointments as an Associate Professor at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, and as an International Fellow at the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University. Sean was a pharmacologist on the ACTG Tuberculosis Transformative Science Group from 2019 to 2023 and is a member of the NIH-CDC-HIVMA/IDSA Guidelines Committee for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV.

Constance Walyaro

Constance Georgina Walyaro is a Global Public Health Specialist with considerable experience in Antimicrobial/Antibiotic Resistance (AMR/ABR), Primary Health Care (PHC), and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). She’s the Executive Director of Talk AB[M]R - Talking Resistance and a Thematic Expert for SDGs Goals 1, 3, 5, and 13 for the UN Global Partnership for SDGs - Legal-and-Economic-Empowerment-Network. She’s been involved in developing and domesticating the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR and helped push for greater emphasis on AMR/ABR in SDG3. She’s provided technical support to FAO/WHO Codex Coordinating Committee Africa, the Regional Meeting on Global Health Diplomacy in East and Southern Africa (ESA), for the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community, and the Regional Network for Equity in Health ESA, in preparation for World Health Assembly. She’s also supported the Governments of Ghana, Thailand, the UK, Wellcome Trust/Fleming Fund, WHO, OIE, FAO, and others in developing and implementing the Ghana Declaration Call to Action on AMR. Additionally, Connie also helped establish ReAct Africa, served as its Communication Coordinator for Africa, championed AMR/ABR action and awareness as Co-Chair of the Advocacy and Awareness subcommittee of the National Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee (NASAC) - Ministry of Health KE, and further in collaborations with CDDEP-GARP (Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership) ‘State of the Worlds Antibiotics’ and others.

George Varghese

George M. Varghese is a renowned clinician, teacher, and researcher with over two decades of experience in infectious diseases and tropical medicine. He is a Professor at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. He has extensive training in infectious diseases and tropical medicine from various centers of excellence, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Wayne State University, USA. Dr. Varghese is an expert in infectious diseases and global health, serving on national and international committees, including the Trustee of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, UK, and the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society president. He has contributed to several research areas in infectious diseases and global health, including rickettsial infections, tuberculosis, rabies, melioidosis, and emerging and drug-resistant infections.

Dr. Varghese's recent work includes the INTREST trial, showing the combination therapy of intravenous doxycycline and azithromycin is superior to either drug used alone for severe scrub typhus treatment. This new evidence published in NEJM is expected to save numerous lives. Dr. Varghese has established successful collaborations with leading international experts in rickettsial infections, antimicrobial resistance, and other tropical infections. He has received multiple honors, including the Guerrant International Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the MG Alexander Award in Tropical Medicine from the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society. His contributions have helped establish the specialty of Infectious Diseases in India, where he is widely regarded as a pioneer. Dr. Varghese has published numerous papers in national and international journals and helped improve the understanding and management of infectious diseases, benefiting patients and communities in India and beyond.

Rachel Thomson

Professor Rachel Thomson MBBS Grad Dip (Clin Epi) PhD FRACP. Dr Rachel Thomson is a Thoracic Physician and Lead of the Bronchiectasis and Mycobacterial Diseases Research Group at the Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation, University of Queensland. She conducts specialized mycobacterial clinics at Greenslopes Private, Prince Charles, and Princess Alexandra Hospitals. She has an international reputation for her research into lung disease due to nontuberculous mycobacteria, currently focussing on immunological and environmental aspects of susceptibility to NTM infection, characteristics of the lung microbiome in NTM, and improving treatment outcomes.

Annapaola Rizzoli

Annapaola Rizzoli is a PhD DVM working in the field of health and environment from the One Health perspective. Her primary scientific interest and expertise are in the field of ecology, epidemiology, and risk assessment of emerging vector-borne and zoonotic infectious diseases driven by global changes.

Natalia Pshenichnaya

Natalia Pshenichnaya graduated from medical university in 1991 and finished her internship in infectious diseases in 1993. In 1996, she received her Ph.D. In 2006, she received her D.Sci. in infectious diseases, and in 2011, she became a diploma Professor in infectious diseases. From 1996 to 2019, Natalia worked as an assistant professor, associate Professor Professor, and head of the Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology department at the Rostov State Medical University. From 2011 to 2012, she acted as the WHO project officer for "Climate Change and Health" in WHO CO in Russia. From 2019 to 2020, she worked at the National Medical Research Center of Phthisiopulmonology and Infectious Diseases as the Head of the International Department in Moscow, Russia.

Since June 2020, she has been working as Deputy Director of the clinic and analytic work at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of The Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) in Moscow, Russia. She is also a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute and an infectious diseases consultant at the Infectious Diseases Hospital #2 in Moscow.

Since 2004, she has been a ProMED-mail RUS moderator for the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Since 2007, she has been involved in WHO activity as a short-term consultant (Influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Infections, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, IHR, IPC, COVID-19). Since 2017, she has acted as Associate Editor of the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials and since 2019 - a Russian Academy of Science expert. Natalia was a member of the WHO-China joint technical mission to China to support response operation for the COVID-19 outbreak February 2020, Russian military-medical humanitarian mission on COVID-19 in Bergamo (Lombardia province), Italy, 22 March-10 April 2020; WHO GOARN technical and assessment mission on COVID-19 and WHO IPC and clinical management mission on COVID-19 in Tajikistan (May-September 2020), Rospotrebnadzor technical and consultative missions on COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan (July and August 2020), South Africa (December 2021), typhoid fever in Republic of Congo (August, 2023).

Natalia's areas of scientific interest are influenza and other acute respiratory infections, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, West Nile Fever, other zoonotic diseases, acute diarrhea, infectious diseases in travelers, viral hepatitis, etc.

David Patterson

Professor Patterson directs ADVANCE-ID (ADVANcing Clinical Evidence for Infectious Diseases) at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. ADVANCE-ID is a clinical trials network comprising more than 40 hospitals across Asia. This network is jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and several Singaporean institutions to conduct clinically essential trials in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) field. The network comprises trials of antibiotics, diagnostics, and prevention strategies. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and has more than 500 peer-reviewed publications, predominantly in AMR. His research focuses on the molecular and clinical epidemiology of infections with antibiotic-resistant organisms, intending to translate knowledge into optimal prevention and treatment of these infections. Multi-country clinical trials are the primary component of his research portfolio and the predominant focus of ADVANCE-ID.

Eskild Petersen

Professor Petersen of Aarhus University, Denmark, is the longest-serving Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID) since its inception in 1996. He has been instrumental in bringing each author's research to scientific publication. Editors like Professor Petersen are curators of scholarship (Franco et al., 2018). The essential components of journal publishing are the technical tasks of handling submitted manuscripts, coordinating reviews, and managing a data repository for the scientific community (Marcovitch, 2008). As a curator, Professor Petersen has applied these editing skills to translate the research submitted to the journal for the intellectual consumption of readers, which for the IJID means practitioners and academics in infectious diseases in both clinical and public health fields. When we reflect on editorship, Professor Petersen's contributions are testimony to the importance of "human-ware" in medical publishing, which cannot be replaced by the ever-expanding application of automated editing software and hardware even in this era of open-access publishing.