Article written by Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis, PentaTr@ining delegate, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. It is taken from the Penta 2025 Annual Report.
I joined my first PentaTr@ining shortly after completing my PhD in the United Kingdom and returning to Indonesia. Although I had already trained as a paediatric infectious diseases specialist, I felt a strong need for a structured refresher – one that was both clinically rigorous and globally relevant. The first programme I joined was the HIV and other Congenital Infections training in 2024. Its hybrid format, delivered over approximately six months, immediately appealed to me, as it allowed me to engage meaningfully alongside my clinical and academic responsibilities.
What stood out most was that the training went far beyond a conventional ‘update course’. It offered a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of paediatric HIV and congenital infections, with well-designed, accessible materials, that made complex topics easier to grasp. The balance between scientific depth, clinical relevance, and learner-centred delivery was truly impressive!
I further deepened my engagement by attending the face-to-face workshop in Manila in 2025, focused on paediatric HIV and the global Triple Elimination Initiative. Working alongside the Penta faculty and local experts highlighted the importance of understanding country-specific challenges, and codeveloping contextsensitive solutions. This experience reinforced my belief that sustainable progress in paediatric infectious diseases requires genuine partnership, local ownership, and capacity strengthening.
My engagement with Penta also extended to the in-person ‘Infection and Prevention Control in Paediatric Settings’ course in Athens, which demonstrated how high-quality, interactive training can translate directly into improved patient care and safer healthcare systems.
Looking ahead, I see enormous potential for Universitas Sumatera Utara and Penta to continue working together to build a better future for children and young people living with infectious diseases, particularly in Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asian region. Through joint training programmes, I hope this collaboration will serve not only as a platform for knowledge transfer, but also as a catalyst for empowering local paediatricians and trainees to adapt global and regional best practices into locally led innovations with lasting impact.