Dr Gilla Kaplan, Ph.D. Former Director of the Global Health Program, Tuberculosis, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 2014 to 2019. She was professor of Medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and also Head of the Laboratory of Mycobacterial Immunity and Pathogenesis at Public Health Research Institute Centre. Dr. Kaplan’s academic research has focused on understanding the cellular immune response to mycobacterial infections and informed the development of immune modulatory drugs that reduce pathogenesis and improve efficacy of treatment.
Dr Marco Cavaleri, Head of Biological Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy at The European Medicines Agency. Dr. Cavaleri is a Pharmacologist who spent several years in industry in R&D mainly in the area of anti-infectives covering different positions in preclinical and clinical development. Today is the Chair of EMA COVID Task force and responsible for EMA activities for emergent pathogens, vaccines and AMR.
Dr Herman Goossens, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Antwerp and Director of the Department of Clinical Pathology of the University Hospital, Antwerp. Dr Goossens has received several honours and awards, such as the 2020 ESCMID Award for Excellence, for his translational research and European policy work. He was elected first chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance and he was/is the coordinator of several large EU funded projects.
