Core group members of ELI, 2019–2020
WHO
The core group of the European Laboratory Initiative (ELI) functions as an independent technical advisory and support group for WHO and its partners. It is hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Following a call for applications, members of the core group are selected on the basis of their technical expertise, work experience, constituency background and geographical location. The selection process is led by a committee comprising representatives of the Global Laboratory Initiative/WHO headquarters, the Stop TB Partnership and the WHO TB, HIV and Viral Hepatitis Programme of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The following members (listed in alphabetical order) have been selected for the period of 2019-2020.
Ana AVELLON, PhD
Responsible of Reference Activity and Surveillance Programmes on Viral Hepatitis
Viral Hepatitis Reference and Research Laboratory
National Center of Microbiology
Carlos III Health Institute
Madrid, Spain
Zamira BAYDULLOEVA, MD
Master in Laboratory doctor
TB Laboratory consultant Project HOPE USAID TB control program
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Vladimir CHULANOV, MD, PhD, DSc
Head, Reference Center for Viral Hepatitis,
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology,
Moscow, Russia
Daniela Maria CIIRILLO, MD PhD
Head of Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit
WHO collaborating Centre
TB Supranational Reference laboratory
San Raffaele Scientific Institute
Milano, Italy
Francis DROBNIEWSKI, MA, MB, BS, MSc, DTM&H, FRSB, FRCPath, PhD (Cantab.)
Professor of Global Health and Tuberculosis
Infectious Diseases, Dept of Medicine
Imperial College, London
United Kingdom
Consultant UK National Health Service and WHO Euro, and Former Director WHO Supranational Reference Laboratory, London, UK
Irina FELKER, MD, PhD
Executive director of NTRI- CC (123-RUS)
Novosibirsk TB Research Institute (NTRI) - WHO Collaborative Centre (CC)
Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
Sven HOFFNER, PhD
Senior Researcher, Dept of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University, California, USA
Former Director, WHO Supranational TB Reference Laboratory
Department of Microbiology, The Public Health Agency of Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden
Gulmira I. KALMAMBETOVA, MD, PhD
Laboratory Head , National Reference Laboratory, under the Ministry of Health
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Claudio U. KÖSER, BA MA PhD (Cantab)
Consultant, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Consultant, QuantuMDx Group Ldt, Newcastle (UK)
Consultant, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva (Switzerland)
Visiting Scientist, Lecturer in Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II Genetics, Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge
Research Associate, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Florian MAURER, PD Dr. med.
Group Leader Diagnostic Mycobacteriology, National and Supranational Reference Center for Mycobacteria, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center
Borstel, Germany
Stefan NIEMANN, Dipl. Biol., Dr. rer. nat.
Head Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology Group
Acting Head National Reference Center for Mycobacteria
Deputy Head Priority Area Infections
Schleswig-Holstein Excellence Chair
Visiting Professor, University of Namibia, Windhoek
Speaker Leibniz Science Campus EvoLUNG
Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center
Borstel, Germany
Ecaterina NOROC, MD, PhD student
Laboratory Coordinator for HIV and STI, National AIDS and STI Programme
Dermatology and Communicable Diseases Hospital
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Rob SCHUURMAN, PhD, MMM
Senior Clinical Microbiologist
Head of Molecular Diagnostics in Microbiology
University Medical Centre Utrecht
Utrecht, The Netherlands
Elina V. SEVASTYANOVA, D.Sc., PhD
Leading researcher, National Center of Excellence as part of the WHO TB Supranational Reference Laboratory Network, Central TB Research Institute
Moscow, Russian Federation
Natalia SHUBLADZE, MSc, PhD
Consultant, National Center of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases and the National Reference Mycobacteriology Laboratory
Tbilisi, Georgia
Daniel SIMOES, MD
Policy officer, EPI Unit - Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Member of the Board of Directors, GAT
Porto, Portugal
Alena SKRAHINA, MD, PhD
Deputy Director, Republican Research and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and Tuberculosis
Minsk, Belarus
