Barts Health NHS Trust / QMUL

Dr Agrawal has designed, funded, and implemented studies on myelodysplastic syndromes, invasive aspergillosis, and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. His current activities in the field of invasive fungal disease are: Laboratory and clinical studies to improve the diagnosis of IFD in high-risk haematology patients. Developing clinical guidelines and integrated care pathways for managing IFD. Promoting best practice and highlighting new developments through educational meetings, e.g. the Fungal Update meeting (www.fungalupdate.org). Member of the fungal guideline group of ECIL and an author of the ECIL-6 update. Member of the fungal subgroup of government committee on antimicrobial resistance, ESPAUR. Member of the NHS England Antifungal Stewardship programme group. Reviewer for NICE.

CECAD Cologne / University Hospital Cologne

Oliver Cornely is Director & Chair of Translational Research at the CECAD Institute of the University of Cologne, and Scientific Director of the Center for Clinical Trials. Clinically, he serves as Infectious Diseases Consultant at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany. He is board certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases, haematology, oncology, and emergency medicine, and holds degrees in medical mycology and travel medicine.

Barts Health NHS Trust

Dr. Bapat is currently working as a research fellow at Queen Mary University of London focussing on the challenges of antimicrobial stewardship within the inpatient haemato-oncology population at Barts Health NHS Trust. He is a specialty registrar in infectious diseases and medical microbiology and his main areas of clinical interest are antimicrobial stewardship for oncology inpatients, management of febrile neutropenia and invasive fungal disease (aspergillosis and mucormycosis).

Medical ICU, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium / Associate Professor, University Leuven, Belgium

Professor Joost Wauters (°1972, MD, PhD) studied civil engineering and medicine, and specialized in internal medicine, emergency and intensive care medicine. Since 2011, he is ICU physician and full staff member at the Medical ICU of the University Hospitals Leuven and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Leuven (Belgium). His main research activities are about severe infections in critically ill patients and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of antimicrobials in ICU. As a research team leader on viral-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA/CAPA), he is international speaker and PI of several international multicenter studies and he is member of several (inter)national scientific ICU and ID societies.  

The Lundquist Institute at Harbor UCLA Medical Center- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Ibrahim received his Ph.D. in Microbial Physiology from Loughborough University of Technology, UK and completed post-doctoral training in Infectious Diseases in the laboratory at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His studies focus on researching the molecular pathogenesis of fungal and bacterial infections as it relates to adhesin, invasion and toxin-mediated host cell damage. The goal of his research is to develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies including vaccines and antibodies targeting multidrug resistant infections. Dr. Ibrahim laboratory is also heavily invested in the development of several new antifungal agents.

University of Exeter Center for Medical Mycology

Hugh Gifford is an Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine trainee currently “Out of Programme for Research” (OOPR) via an MRC-funded MRes-PhD scholarship in Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology at the University of Exeter. Working with supervisors Rhys Farrer, Johanna Rhodes (Imperial) and Duncan Wilson, his PhD is titled “Determining the origins of Candida auris through epidemiological, ecological and experimental methods.”

The University of Manchester

Chris Eades is a Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Senior Registrar in Infectious diseases at The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). He qualified from Imperial College London in 2009, then undertook post-graduate training in general (internal) medicine, HIV, infectious diseases and medical microbiology on the pan-London rotation. He is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists. He came to Manchester in 2019 to complete an MD(Res) examining the phenomenology of anti-fungal use in haemato-oncology, alongside clinical work in infectious diseases. He has established a link service between Infectious Diseases and the haemato-oncology Unit at MFT, working alongside microbiology to improve care- quality for this vulnerable patient population. His clinical interests are grounded in infections in immunocompromised patients, and particularly those in patients with haematological malignancy, and HIV

NHS Mycology Reference Centre, The University of Manchester

Malcolm Richardson is Director of the NHS Mycology Reference Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK (awarded the status of a European Confederation of Medical Mycology Centre of Excellence in Clinical and Laboratory Mycology and Clinical Studies, January 2017), and has an affiliate appointment at the University of Manchester as Professor of Medical Mycology. His clinical and laboratory investigations over 45 years have focused on the diagnosis, pathogenicity, and epidemiology of superficial and systemic fungal infections. More recently he has applied his diagnostic interests to investigating the impact of indoor moulds on human health. He has published over 450 original articles, books, book chapters and reviews. Professional duties have included being Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in Microbiology (2008-2014), and acting as an advisor to the World Health Organisation, and the European Food Safety Authority. Malcolm Richardson was President of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) (2015-2018) and was recently elected as a Fellow of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology Academy. Malcolm Richardson is an enthusiastic teacher and is closely involved with the University of Manchester undergraduate and postgraduate educational programmes.

Public Health Wales Mycology Reference Laboratory

Lewis White leads the Public Health Wales Mycology Reference Laboratory and is a fellow of the European Confederation of Medical Mycologists and Royal College of Pathologists. He leads the laboratory working party of the Fungal PCR initiative, is Meeting Secretary for the British Society for Medical Mycology and is also the Vice President/Treasurer of the Welsh Microbiological Association. He has published extensively in the field of diagnostic mycology, and is co-author of the recently revised EORTC-MSG definitions for invasive fungal disease. He regularly presents at international mycology and microbiology conferences.  

Duke University School of Medicine

Dr. Thuy Le is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of the Clinical Core of the Duke Center for AIDS Research. She leads an international research program in Southeast Asia to develop novel diagnostic and treatment strategies for AIDS-associated mycoses, with a focus on talararomycosis, histoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis. She is a leader in both the HIV and Mycology fields. She is a member of multiple WHO Guidelines Committees on HIV and HIV-associated mycoses, NIH/CDC/HIVMA/IDSA Guidelines Committee on Opportunistic Infections, and European Confederation of Medical Mycology Guidelines for Endemic Mycoses. She is a Deputy Editor of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and an Associate Editor of Medical Mycology.  

King’s College Hospital, London

“Dr Mehra completed his post-graduate specialist Haematology training at world renowned Kings College Hospital, London, where he has been working for past few years as a core member of a busy Stem Cell Transplant & Cellular therapy unit, while pursuing his MD (res) Degree with Kings College London University in developing novel diagnostic biomarkers for invasive fungal disease (aspergillosis) in immunocompromised Haemato-oncology patients. He has been instrumental in leading a large single centre NRCN badged prospective study on Invasive Fungal disease and has a good track record for his involvement in Clinical Trials, as National Lead/Chief Investigator and Principal Investigator of various infection and transplant related ATMP and Non-ATMP Clinical Trials in the UK. He has regularly presented in key regional, national and international meetings as invited Speaker as well as Faculty member in field of Mycology and Stem Cell Transplantation. He is an active Member of EBMT Autoimmune and Infectious disease working party, EORTC advisory group on Infections and Leukaemia and ECIL taskforce. Dr Mehra’s main research interests are in infections of immunocompromised hosts, graft versus host disease, transplantation of autoimmune diseases including cellular therapy strategies; and have helped develop exciting collaborations in Infection research & education within and outside Kings Health Partners with bench to bed translation opportunities. He has published regularly on his disease specific research interests in high impact clinical and scientific journals and holds research grants with Wellcome Trust and Gilead Academic fellowship.”

MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter

Elaine Bignell is a Co-Director (Research) for the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter whose work addresses the mechanistic basis of lung diseases caused by the major mould pathogen of humans, Aspergillus fumigatus. Elaine’s research seeks a mechanistic understanding of fungal lung disease with a view to developing novel diagnostics and antifungal therapies. Her approach integrates infection models that transcend multiple experimental scales to address disease outcomes at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ and whole animal levels. Most recently, via iterative MRC funding awards Elaine has applied a systems level approach to define pathogenicity in Aspergillus fumigatus, and is now developing inhibitors of fungal pH signalling as novel antifungal drugs, and studying secreted fungal proteins as novel vaccine candidates and diagnostic tools. Elaine has lead infection studies that, to date, have involved 5 distinct murine models of infection and have analysed more than 800 A. fumigatus gene products for their role in pathogenicity. Her work has identified critical roles for iron acquisition, alkaline tolerance, amino acid biosynthesis, and calcium signalling in A. fumigatus pathogenesis and refuted roles for oligopeptide synthesis, phosphate metabolism and several fungal proteases in fatal disease. Her major contributions have included pioneering work on the role of Aspergillus pH sensing in pathogenicity, most notably the discovery of a pH-responsive molecular switch required for Aspergillus pathogenicity, chemical inhibitors of which are now the focus of BBSRC-funded drug discovery research.

MRC Centre for Medical Mycology

Professor Adilia Warris is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist with a specific interest in medical mycology. She is co-director of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter. She holds an honorary position in paediatric infectious diseases at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Prof Warris’ research profile has a strong translational focus and specific areas of interest include antifungal resistance and host-fungus interactions in specific patient populations. She chairs the European Paediatric Mycology Network (EPMyN) and leads the Fungal Infection Working Group of PENTA Child Health Research.

University of Manchester

Norman van Rhijn got his Biology undergraduate from Leiden University where he found his passion for fungi. He moved to Manchester for his Masters and PhD in Medical Mycology. Following his PhD, he got interested in climate change and how it affects fungi. He is currently working on a Wellcome Trust funded collaborative grant finding the link between fitness and antifungal resistance in the environment and clinic.

St George’s University of London / MRC Centre for Medical Mycology

Tom Harrison is Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medicine, Deputy Director of the Institute for Infection and Immunity, and Lead for the Centre of Global Health, at St George’s University of London. He is also Professor of Medical Mycology at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, and Honorary Consultant at St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He leads a clinical research programme on the prevention and treatment of cryptococcal meningitis with colleagues from St George’s, and in collaboration with the London and Liverpool Schools of Tropical Medicine, and colleagues across study sites in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Barts Health NHS Trust

Jonathan Lambourne is consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology at Barts Health NHS, London UK. He undertook medical training at Cambridge and University College London, and his specialist training in Dublin and London. He completed a PhD at St George’s University of London, investigating immune determinants of susceptibility to invasive Aspergillosis and Staphylococcus aureus infection. His main clinical interest is infections in patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiency and the application of diagnostic techniques in this challenging patient population.

Mayo Clinic

Dr Vergidis is an Infectious Disease specialist with expertise in infections in the immunocompromised host. He is the Chair of the Hematology-Oncology Infectious Disease Service at Mayo Clinic. He is the site principal investigator for clinical trials on novel antifungal medications and has been participating in national and international registries on fungal infections.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dr. M. Mansour Ceesay is a Consultant Haematologist at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Following basic medical training, he did an MSc in Communicable Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine before pursuing general medical training and gaining Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, London. He then pursued specialist training in Haematology and gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists and the GMC Specialist Registration. He completed a three-year research programme on the diagnosis and management of invasive fungal diseases in haematology patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and intensive chemotherapy and awarded MD (Research) by King’s College London. He is a member of a number of professional bodies including the European Haematology Association (EHA) working party on Infections in Haematology.  

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