The Penta ID Network forms the foundation of our work in Penta. With the skills, experience and expertise of all our Network members, we develop and deliver world class research and training to drive understanding and good practice around the management of infections in pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence.
The Penta ID Network reaches almost every corner of the world, with members spanning from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe, and has grown steadily since its initial set up in Europe back in 1991. Our members are clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals, who cover a great depth and breadth of expertise in paediatric infectious diseases.
We leverage this diversity in conducting life-changing research and cutting-edge training programmes – all with the aim to improve the lives of the populations we serve, through the generation and application of new scientific knowledge.
This detailed slide set and one slider are useful resources for our members as they help to spread the word about Penta. As ambassadors and spokespersons, our members play a vital role in promoting Penta at events and speaking engagements. Please don’t hesitate to request editable versions (eg. PPT) of these resources, we’re always happy to provide them.
Penta ID Network Members around the world
Scientific working groups
Arising from our key scientific priorities, Penta’s scientific working groups have been working to lead the development of new research concepts, training programmes and activities in each of these scientific areas. Through collaborative expertise and focused effort, they ensure that Penta’s research remains at the forefront of improving maternal and child health.
Our 4 working groups are:
These are complemented by 4 additional cross-cutting working groups:
How to become a member
Are you interested in being part of the global, independent Penta ID Network?
As a member – working in maternal or paediatric infectious disease, a healthcare professional, researcher or scientist – you can contribute to achieving better outcomes for children through your combined experience, knowledge and influence.
Whether you are just starting out or are already working in maternal or paediatric infectious disease, we invite you to join our growing global Penta ID Network.
What benefits do we offer?
Our members interact by participating in online and face to face discussions and meetings, and we support them to disseminate their research and activities. Our members support us by facilitating access to clinical sites and cohorts and promoting Penta’s work externally. From support at different stages of your career to access to network and educational resources, we offer a range of benefits to our members:
- The opportunity to connect with peers and be involved in Penta activities: As a member you can access the online Penta Aperitivo series, Penta Meetings and Penta Communication channels to connect with peers across the globe. Through networking and collaboration, research teams are formed, and new ideas, proposals and research are created.
- A global platform to disseminate your research: Gathering like-minded and world-class experts, our members can discuss their ideas, share and disseminate their work utilizing our communication channels – and above all make new friends.
- Access to specialized and current information: By accessing tailored and dedicated workshops and information members will further develop their specialized knowledge.
- Access to Penta ID Network scientific working groups: Our members can connect with the Network’s scientific working groups, to take forward new research ideas or projects.
- Regular Penta communications: We keep our members up to date with new and ongoing research, Penta activities and information relevant to the paediatric ID community.
- Support for early career researchers: We are supporting researchers at different stages of their careers to develop their skills and experience. New programmes for those wishing to advance their careers will be launched soon.
Connect with us
Would you like to know more about Penta or the Penta ID Network membership?
Email or connect with a Regional Network contact point. Find their contact details below.
Africa
Eleanor Namusoke-Magongo
Team Lead for Pediatric and Adolescent HIV care and Treatment at the Ministry of Health Uganda
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Eleanor is an esteemed Paediatrician and Child Health Specialist. She specialises in creating and expanding HIV care and treatment programmes.
Eleanor is the founder of the International Paediatric HIV/AIDS Symposium for Africa (IPHASA) and the Pediatrics and Adolescent HIV Learning Collaborative for Africa (PAHLCA), which promote knowledge-sharing among healthcare professionals and stakeholders in Africa.
Currently, she is the Principal investigator and leads the establishment of the first national paediatric and adolescent HIV cohort (UPART) in Uganda. She is a member of the WHO lead HIV Drug Resistance Committee, Adolescent Service Delivery Working Group and the Child Survival Working Group. She also leads and participates in initiatives to build capacity of health care providers in implementation science research.
Her unwavering commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, especially among children and adolescents has resulted in significant progress in the field.
Europe, UK and North America
Vana Papaevangelou
Paediatric Infectious Diseases Expert, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
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As a trained paediatrician with a focus on infectious diseases, Vana has dedicated her career to clinical practice and research in tertiary teaching hospitals since 1996.
Her interests include epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases and vertical transmission of infections, and her extensive work has resulted in over 170 published papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Vana’s commitment to her field is demonstrated by her involvement in various national committees and boards, including COVID-19 response and Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board.
Asia
Tavitiya Sudjaritruk
Paediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
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Tavitiya Sudjaritruk is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
After the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program, she was awarded the Ananda Mahidol Scholarship under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King of Thailand to pursue the graduate study aboard at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, United States of America. She completed her master and doctoral degrees in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
As a physician-researcher with broad-based training in pediatrics, infectious diseases, epidemiology and public health, she has focused her research areas of interest on HIV/AIDS among pediatrics and adolescents living in resource-limited countries. She has involved as a lead investigator as well as a co-investigator in many multicenter clinical research studies, and has several publications regarding long-term, non-infectious complications (e.g., bone demineralization, non-hepatitis liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, nephropathy, and mental health disorders), common HIV opportunistic infections (e.g., tuberculosis, Talaromyces marneffei), treatment failure and second-line and third-line antiretroviral therapy, pharmacokinetic profiles of new antiretroviral drugs, vaccination and re-vaccination against important vaccine preventable diseases among children and adolescents living with HIV.
In addition to HIV/AIDS research field, her research areas of interest are focused on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, respiratory viral illnesses, vaccine-preventable diseases, and other common pediatric infectious diseases in the tropical countries, as well as vaccine and immunization in general healthy youth. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards and honors in this research field.
South America
Cristina Barroso Hofer
Professor, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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Cristina is an accomplished infectious disease specialist focusing on congenital infections research.
Having earned her MSc and PhD in infectious disease epidemiology from prestigious universities, her expertise is invaluable.
Cristina’s commitment to understanding and combating infectious diseases drives her work.