# European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases

The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) is a non-profit medical association registered in Germany that focuses on paediatric infectious diseases. Since its founding in 1983, it has grown to include over 2000 members. The majority (75% in 2024) were from Europe, the reminder from Asia, Americas, Oceania and Africa. ESPID forms the basis for clinicians and scientists interested in all aspects of infectious diseases in children and their prevention. The society is engaged in a number of activities including the organization of multicentre trials, international exchange of paediatric infectious disease fellows, educational activities, and an annual scientific conference.

## Mission

ESPID promotes "excellence in paediatric infectious diseases."

## Activities

ESPID offers several grants and fellowship awards to facilitate information exchange, education, and research in the field of paediatric infectious diseases. The exact scope of each of these awards varies. The Small Grant Award and the Young Investigator Award fund individual research projects. The former focuses on projects designed to acquire preliminary data, while the latter funds researchers under 40 years of age. ESPID also supports research through its Collaborative Research Meeting Scheme, which funds projects conducted by members of more than one European nation. ESPID funds two sets of fellowship awards. The ESPID Fellowships Awards provide funding for basic research or clinical research.
More recently further awards have been introduced to its members and the full list of awards available are:
* Fellowship Award
* General Travel Award
* Postgraduate Teaching Visits to Resource Poor Countries
* Small Grant Award
* Training Course and Workshop Award
* Clinical Training Fellowship
* Young Investigator Award
* Collaborative Research Meeting Award
* ESPID Annual Meeting Travel Award
* Research Training Fellowship
* ESPID/INOPSU Infection Surveillance Research Grant
* ESPID-PIDJ Award
* ESPID Supported Speaker Award
The criteria for each award is reviewed regularly and further updated information can be found at www.espid.org/awards.aspx?Group=awards
The association also supports projects designed to educate medical professionals. It funds training sessions for clinical trainees and continuing medical education for qualified physicians with its Training Course and Workshop Award. Additionally, the ESPID Postgraduate Teaching Visits to Resource Poor Countries encourages members to teach paediatric infectious disease techniques in countries with low or lower-middle income.
The ESPID Annual Meeting, held every year since 1983, consists of various workshops, lectures, and symposia to help healthcare professionals learn the latest scientific information about the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of paediatric infectious diseases. The meeting is organized jointly with the ESPID Foundation. ESPID also hosts regional training sessions and educational workshops in various European countries. ESPID Travel awards are available to allow members to travel both to the Annual Meeting and to relevant scientific congresses in general, ESPID Lectures and presentations are often recorded by ESPID for use on the association's website. The site currently has presentations available for members

## Publications

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal is the official journal of ESPID. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal is published monthly and offers original studies and case reports, peer reviews of articles, different perspectives on pediatric practices, and updated information on drugs, treatments, and diseases. It is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

## Governance

The current ESPID Board consists of the following members:
President: Emmanouil Galanakis, Term of office 2022 - 2025
President-Elect: Adilia Warris, Term of office 2024 - 2025
Secretary: Oana Falup-Pecurariu, Term of office 2022 - 2025
Treasurer: Cihan Papan, Term of office 2023 - 2026
Board Member: Vana Spoulou, Term of office 2022 - 2025
Board Member: Simon Drysdale, Term of office: 2024 - 2027
Board Member: Olaf Neth, Term of office 2023 - 2026
Young ESPID Representative: Eleni Vergadi, Term of office 2023 - 2026
Young ESPID Representative: Danilo Buonsenso, Term of office 2024 - 2027
The current ESPID committees consist of the following members:
Committee for Scientific Affairs & Awards (CSAA)
Committee Chair: Lilliam Ambroggio, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member - Board Representative: Simon Drysdale, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Richard Malley, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Bridget Freyne, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Patrick Meyer Sauteur, Term of office 2023-2026
Young ESPID Representative: Jonathan Sturgeon, Term of office 2022-2025
Young ESPID Representative: Samuel Rhedin, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee for Research (CfR)
Committee Chair: Ulrich von Both, Term of office 2023-2024
Committee Member - Board Representative: Vana Spoulou, Term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member: Flor Munoz-Rivas, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Marieke Emonts, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: David Burgner, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Jethro Herberg, Term of office 2023-2026
Young ESPID Representative: Annalie Shears, Term of office 2024-2027
Young Espid Representative: Ourania Kolliniati, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee for Education (CfE)
Committee Chair: Michael Buettcher, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member - Board Representative: Olaf Neth, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Sarah Prentice, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Anu Goenku, Term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member: Petra Zimmerman, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Ilias Iosifidis, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Despoina Gkentzi, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Ceri Evans, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Karen McCarthy, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Anna Stanzelova, Term of office 2023-2026
Young ESPID Representative: Jorge Rodrigues, Term of office 2023-2026
Young ESPID Representative: Petar Velikov, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee for Sustainability & Green Practices (CfS&GP)
Committee Chair: Pablo Rojo, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member - Board Representative: Simon Drysdale, Term of office 2024-2027
Committee Member: Ina Beeretz, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Christina Karastathi, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee Member: Maria Kourti, Term of office 2023-2026
Young ESPID Representative: Nina Schobi, Term of office 2023-2026
Committee for Guidelines (CfG)
Committee Chair: Nigel Curtis, term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member - Board Representative: Oana Falup-Pecurariu, term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member: Amanda Gwee, term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member: John Kopsidas, term of office 2022-2025
Committee Member: Edward Purssell, term of office 2022-2025
Young ESPID Representative: Deirdre Foley, term of office 2022-2025