Meet the speakers

Assoc Prof Dr Adli Ali heads the clinical immunology services and serves as the main research coordinator in the newly established UKM Specialist Children’s Hospital. His clinical work focuses on care for patients with primary and secondary immunodysregulation disorders, autoimmune, allergy diseases, emerging infectious diseases and vaccinology.

Roberta Anido de Pena has been the Founder and President of the Association for Assistance to Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency (A.A.P.I.D.P.) since 2005, and the Founder and President of the Argentine Federation of Rare Diseases (FADEPOF) since 2020.  

Dr Anne Kasyoka Barasa is a Consultant Pathologist and Lecturer at the University of Nairobi Faculty of Health Sciences, where she serves as the Head of the Unit of Immunology within the Department of Human Pathology.

Dr Barmettler is an Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Program in Primary and Secondary Immune Deficiency. Dr Barmettler has clinical and research expertise in primary and secondary immunodeficiency and is also highly involved in quality improvement and education.

He received his MD, PhD and had his training in Paediatrics and in Paediatric Rheumatology in Italy. After spending 2 years at the NIH, he worked in Pavia, Italy, at the Department of Paediatrics.

Prof Behsaien is an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca. She heads the Clinical Immunology Unit within the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology at A. Harouchi Children’s Hospital, Ibn Rochd University Hospital.

Claire is a Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Gene Therapy at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, leading the stem cell gene therapy programme. She oversees gene therapy trials for immune deficiencies, haematological, and metabolic disorders, focusing on developing novel treatments for immune disorders. Claire has extensive experience in leading first-in-human clinical trials and translating research into clinical practice. As an attending physician, she manages patients with immunodeficiencies, including stem cell transplants, with a particular interest in HLH disorders. Claire is an elected board member of the European and American Societies of Gene and Cell Therapy, holds an honorary position at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and co-founded the AGORA Foundation to improve access to gene therapies for ultra-rare diseases.

Siobhan Burns is the Professor of Translational Immunology at University College London. She is a clinical academic with an interest in primary immunodeficiency disorders (PID). Originally trained in paediatric immunology, she worked at UCL Institute of Child Health
and Great Ormond Street Hospital before moving to the Institute of Immunity and Transplantation and the Adult Clinical Immunology department at the Royal Free Hospital, London.

Daniele Canarutto is a Pediatrician at San Raffaele Hospital Pediatric Immunohematology Unit directed by Prof. Alessandro Aiuti and Research Fellow at San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Prof. Luigi Naldini’s lab.  

Emily Carne is the Consultant Nurse in Immunology & Allergy Service for Wales in Cardiff.  She has worked as the lead nurse in the service since 2001, completed her immunology MSc in 2006, advanced nurse practitioner qualification in 2007 and independent prescribing qualification in 2019.  

Dr Thanyavi Chinsuwan is an early career researcher at Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, where he also works as a Lecturer at the Department of Microbiology. He obtained his doctorate from Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan. His doctoral thesis focused on engineering CAR-T cells with piggyBac transposon system and testing the cellular product against solid tumours.

MD, PhD, assistant professor Daan Caudri is currently working as Pediatric Pulmonologist and Director at LungAnalysis laboratory, department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology at the Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Dr Caudri obtained a MSc in Clinical Epidemiology and his Medical Degree in 2007 at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He received a Dutch NWO-Toptalent grant for his PhD research on childhood asthma. He completed his Pediatrics training in 2015, and his fellowship in Pediatric Respiratory and Sleep Medicine in 2018 (Perth Children’s Hospital Western Australia). 

Marina Cavazzana is a full Professor in Hematology at Paris-Cité University, the head of the Biotherapy Department at Necker Enfants Malades children’s hospital, and the coordinator of the Biotherapy Clinical Investigation Center at the Imagine Institute (Paris, France). Her basic and clinical research work and clinical activities are dedicated to the development and implementation of innovative treatments for monogenic disorders.

Antonio Condino-Neto, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, FCIS, is a distinguished physician and immunologist with a strong academic background, holding a PhD in Pharmacology and a Master’s in Immunology.

Prof Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles MD PhD is the David S. Gottesman Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.  She is a graduate of Duke University, received her MD from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and her PhD from New York University School of Medicine.  

Dr Dalm is a renowned physician and researcher specialising in clinical immunology and primary immunodeficiency (PID) at Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam. With over 10 years of experience, he focuses on identifying genetic defects underlying PIDs to develop targeted treatments.

Věra Franková obtained her PhD in molecular biology and genetics from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Charles University in 2002, following three years of research at the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tübingen, Germany.

Whitney Ayoub Goulstone is currently the Executive Director for Immunity Canada, formerly the Canadian Immunodeficiencies Patient Organization. A rare disease patient herself, she has been working in advocacy and health for over a decade.

Dr Halliday is a clinician scientist with an interest in immune regulation and liver disease. His research work includes exploration of regulatory T cell biology in the human liver and clinical outcomes for patients with immune mediated liver diseases.

Dr Leif Hanitsch studied Medicine in Berlin (Germany) and Immunology in Oxford (UK). For his medical dissertation he stayed at the Rockefeller University (USA) in Michel Nussenzweig’s lab of Molecular Immunology.   

Prof Ayal Hendel is a leading researcher in genome editing and gene therapy at BarIlan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. He earned his PhD from the Weizmann
Institute of Science and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University, where he contributed to early advances in CRISPR Genome Editing.

Steven M Holland, M.D., is the Director of the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to becoming Director, DIR, NIAID, Dr. Holland served NIAID as Chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases (LCID). Dr Holland continues to lead a program in NIAID as chief of its Immunopathogenesis Section in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology.

Dr Jolles is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist and Honorary Professor at the University Hospital of Wales and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales. He is Clinical Lead in the Immunodeficiency Centre of Wales and Co-Director of the Hub Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory of Wales and Adult Clinical Lead of the SWAN (Syndrome Without A Name) clinic.

Prof Jettanong Klaewsongkram is a Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Chulalongkorn University. His research focuses on drug allergy, severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), and immune dysfunction in immunodeficient patients.

Dr Maaike Kusters is a Consultant Paediatric Immunologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) since 2018, where she specializes in caring for children with complex inborn errors of immunity. She serves as Honorary Associate Professor at UCL Institute of Child Health and Innovation Officer at DRIVE Innovation Unit, GOSH. As elected Treasurer of the European Society for Primary Immunodeficiencies (ESID) 2024-2028, she maintains vital connections within the global immunodeficiency community.

As Head of the LETIS laboratory he is dedicated to pioneering research in regenerative medicine and organ transplantation. His academic journey commenced in Amsterdam, where he studied Biology at the University of Amsterdam and completed his PhD in Immunology at the VU in 1998. With over 240
international peer-reviewed publications, he has garnered numerous national and international scientific awards including the ILTS Basic Science Award.

Pamela Lee is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
Honorary Consultant, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, at the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.

Dr Lionakis is a physician-scientist and Chief of NIAID’s Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology. His bench-to-bedside research program investigates the genetic and immune defects of human susceptibility to fungi and the cellular and molecular factors that regulate antifungal immunity. His laboratory has defined precise genetic, biochemical, immunologic, and cellular disease mechanisms that have led to targeted immunotherapies. He has identified interferon-gammopathy as the driver of mucosal candidiasis and multiorgan autoimmunity in APECED and impaired microglial-neutrophil crosstalk as the driver of brain candidiasis in CARD9 deficiency.

Dr David Lowe completed specialist clinical training in Infectious Diseases in London and undertook a PhD in Immunology (predominantly looking at neutrophil function) in the UK and Cape Town, South Africa.

Vice-President of INGID and a member since 2019, Patricia Luck is a Registered Nurse, MScN, and PhD candidate. She works as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) at the University Children’s Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, specializing in immunology.  

Dr Nizar Mahlaoui is a paediatrician specialising in immuno-haematology at Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital in Paris, France. He manages the French National Reference Center for Children and Adults with Primary Immune Deficiencies. He trained under the supervision of Prof Alain Fischer and Jean-Laurent Casanova, giants in the field of PID. He has a particular interest in epidemiology of PID and natural history studies of PIDs.

Cynthia is a Projects, Energy, and Infrastructure lawyer at IKM Advocates and the Chairperson and Founder of PIDs Kenya, a registered NGO that supports individuals and families affected by primary immunodeficiencies in Kenya. She is also a rising star in her field, having been ranked IFLR1000, and is a writer for the World Bank’s Public Private Partnerships blog.

Prof Monia Ouederni is the head of the Department of Pediatrics: Immunopathology, hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at the National Bone Marrow Transplant Center, Tunis, and Head of the Pediatric section in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia. She is an expert in the diagnosis and management of primary immune deficiencies. She was qualified in medicine from the University of Monastir, Tunisia.

Professor Paolo Palma is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and Head of the Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology Unit at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS in Rome, Italy. He also holds a Full Professorship in Immunology at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. His research focuses on pediatric infectious diseases and primary immunodeficiencies, with a particular emphasis on systems immunology and vaccine responsiveness in early life.

Martine Pergent is currently the President of IPOPI and was elected in October 2018 after serving eight years as IPOPI Vice-President. She has wide experience in patient advocacy and is particularly committed to raising awareness on PIDs as rare conditions, improving access to early and accurate diagnosis and personalised treatment, encouraging, and supporting the creation of new patient organisations, especially committed to low- and middle-income countries.

Johan Prevot has worked in the healthcare sector for 20 years in the field of patient advocacy and health policy. Johan Prevot is the Executive Director of the International Patient Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI).

Dr. Rohit Rajput is a distinguished resident doctor in the Department of Biochemistry at F.H. Medical College and Hospital, India. He holds MBBS degree from Uttar Pradesh University of
Medical Sciences, India.  

Prof Sanchez-Ramon is an Associate Professor of Immunology at the Complutense University of Madrid School of Medicine, also serving as the Head of the Immunology Department at the Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos. Her research is centred on Neuroimmunology and Immunoregulation. Additionally, she has been elected as the President-Elect of the Spanish Society of Immunology, demonstrating their commitment to advancing immunological research and healthcare practices in Spain.

Nicholas L Rider is a board-certified clinical immunologist and clinical informaticist. He has longstanding expertise in the clinical management of patients with complex immunologic disease and in clinical data science approaches for optimizing patient care.

Ines Serra currently holds a position as Assistant Professor in the Neuroscience Department of the Erasmus Medical Center. After studying Pharmaceutical Sciences in Portugal and Spain, and doing her in PhD in Neuropharmacology in the UK, she moved to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, where she now works in the group of Dr. Aleksandra Badura investigating neurodevelopmental disorders.  

Tracy Shaw, PhD is a distinguished business growth strategist with expertise spanning financial services and healthcare, currently leading client engagement strategy for Equitable.

Dimas Sugiharto helps facilitate discussions about Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) in Indonesia among patients and healthcare professionals.

Prof Singh is a distinguished paediatric leader, heading the Paediatrics Department and Paediatric Allergy/Immunology Unit at PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Carsten Speckmann is senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of the Albert Ludwig University Freiburg, Germany. He works as consultant for Pediatric Immunology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) at the Freiburg University Medical Center’s Department for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI). His research group has a focus on natural history studies for inborn errors of immunity (IEI) treatable by HSCT and/or targeted therapies.

Before her present involvement with patient rights and advocacy, she was a graduate of Political Science and Communication from the West University of Timisoara and she had a marketing manager position in a local company. In 2012, her daughter Maia (now 14 years old) was diagnosed with a primary immune deficiency. Since then, she started reading a lot about PIDs, found out about the existence of IPOPI and ARPID and got more and more involved with the Romanian patient organization.

Prof Tangye studies the biology of human immune cells in health and disease, aiming to understand how defects in single genes – inborn errors of immunity – result in various immune diseases. His research outcomes include elucidating critical roles for specific genes in the generation and function of human memory B cells and CD4+ T cells in response to infection and/or vaccination, and anti-viral immunity mediated by CD8 + T cells.

James Stacey Taylor is a Professor of Philosophy at The College of New Jersey. He has single-authored over 100 academic articles and book chapters. He is the author of five books, the most recent of which is Bloody Bioethics: Why prohibiting donor compensation harms patients and wrongs donors (Routledge, 2022).  

Martin Zach is a philosopher of science working on conceptual issues in immunology, especially how current knowledge is transforming our understanding of the immune system. His recent publications include work on immune metaphors and frameworks (Bio & Phil), asymptomatic infections (PhilMed), and the concept of antibodies (Immunol Rev).