- September 24
- 17:10-18:10
- A new era in RSV prevention - impact on child health
- Heather Zar
- South Africa
Prof. Heather Zar
South Africa
Heather Zar is Professor & Chair, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Director of the SA-MRC Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town. A global expert in childhood respiratory diseases, she’s built a strong clinical translational research program in some of the most deprived communities, with a strong focus on childhood pneumonia. She established an African birth cohort enabling study of the epidemiology, determinants and long term impact of early life exposures including pneumonia. She participated in several studies of RSV prevention in infants. She chaired the WHO Technical Advisory committee on new RSV preventive interventions. She is past-President of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of the Pan African Thoracic Society, and served as an advisor to WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation. She received the World Lung Health award from the American Thoracic Society, the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Laureate for Africa and Arabia, the SA-MRC Platinum medal for contributions over a lifetime, the European Respiratory Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the Barney Graham award for contributions on RSV. She is passionate about reducing global health inequities and ensuring access to effective interventions for all children.
- September 25
- 11:00-12:00
- The threat of vaping in youth
- Thomas Ferkol
- USA
Dr. Thomas Ferkol
USA
Dr. Ferkol is a pediatric pulmonologist with over thirty years of experience, who has special expertise in suppurative lung diseases, like cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. An American Lung Association Edward Livingston Trudeau Scholar and recipient of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation LeRoy Matthew’s Physician-Scientist Award and PCF Foundation Golden Cilium Award, his research has largely focused of genetic and molecular factors that contribute to chronic airway infection, inflammation, and epithelial injury, with nearly thirty-years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health. He currently co-leads the Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium, an established, multicenter collaborative that is defining the genetics, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of inherited, suppurative lung diseases. He has served on numerous international review groups and study sections, and written or co-authored over 200 original articles, scholarly reviews, and book chapters. Finally, Dr. Ferkol is a past-president of the American Thoracic Society, an international professional organization of over 15,000 members worldwide, only the second pediatrician to serve in this capacity during the 120-year history of the organization.
- 17:45-18:45
- Vaccination hesitancy
- Emmanouil Galanakis
- Greece
Emmanouil Galanakis
Greece
Emmanouil Galanakis is a Professor of Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the University of Crete, serving as the Head of the Paediatric Infectious Disease Unit at Heraklion University General Hospital. He holds degrees in Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology, along with PhDs in Social Paediatrics and Ethics. Since 1990, he has practiced Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases, with experience as a Fellow and Visiting Faculty internationally. He is a Board Member of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) and the Hellenic Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases. His research interests include infectious diseases and paediatrics, focusing on areas like vaccination ethics and vaccine-preventable diseases. He has published in international journals. Prof. Galanakis is also involved in Bioethics, particularly in vaccination ethics and end-of-life decisions in infancy, and teaches Medical Ethics at the University of Crete.
- September 26
- 11:00-12:00
- Susceptibility to infection over last 30 years
- Mike Levin
- UK
Dr. Mike Levin
UK
Michael Levin MBE PhD FRCPCH FMedSci is Professor of Paediatrics and International Child Health at Imperial College London. He works as a paediatric infectious diseases consultant and has led research focused on the diagnosis and treatment of a range of childhood infections including meningococcal disease, tuberculosis, bacterial sepsis and Kawasaki disease. He led the EU funded PERFORM study investigating the application of RNA transcriptomics to improve diagnosis of childhood infection. He also led the NIH funded study Validation of Biomarkers of Pediatric TB and further development for use in diagnosis of childhood TB.
In 2020 he was awarded €22.5 million EU funding to develop a rapid test for serious illnesses – the DIAMONDS project (Diagnosis and Management of Febrile Illness using RNA Personalised Molecular Signature Diagnosis)
Professor Levin received an MBE for his services to infectious disease, critical care and research in paediatrics in the Queen’s New Year’s honour list in 2017.
- 17:45 -18:45
- Sleep health as a human right
- Lauren Hale
- USA
Prof. Lauren Hale
USA
Dr. Lauren Hale (Professor of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University; Core Faculty, Program in Public Health; PhD, Princeton University) studies the social patterning of sleep and how it contributes to growing inequalities in health and well-being. With funding from NICHD, NIDDK, NHLBI, and NIA, she analyzes demographic, behavioral, and neighborhood data from large-scale studies to understand how they relate to sleep and well-being in children, adolescents, adults, and aging populations. Dr. Hale has published over 90 published peer-reviewed articles in Sleep, Sleep Health, Sleep Medicine Reviews, Pediatrics, JAMA Pediatrics, among numerous other peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hale also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Sleep Foundation and is the Editor-in-Chief of Sleep Health.
- September 27
- 11:00-12:00
- Overcoming the treatment gap in paediatric obesity
- Antje Körner
- Germany
Dr. Antje Körner
Germany
Antje joined Helmholtz Munich in 2023 as the Head of the Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Research Group at HI-MAG in Leipzig and was appointed as Professor of Metabolic Research at the Medical Faculty of the Leipzig University.
Her research focuses on the origin and mechanisms of childhood obesity with special emphasis on development of early metabolic comorbidities and adipose tissue function, employing a translational approach that combines experimental, clinical, and genetic studies.
She started research in medical school in Leipzig, and continued at the Diabetes Research Institute Düsseldorf and the National Institutes of Health Bethesda. After residency and subspecialization in pediatrics at the University Childrens Hospital in Leipzig, and still working consultant in pediatric endocrinology for >15 years, she has been heading the Pediatric Research Unit since 2008 and was appointed Professor of Pediatric Research (2010, tenured 2016) at Leipzig University. She has established unique pediatric cohorts and is head of LIFE Child.
She is member of the board of directors of the German Center of Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) and Co-Chair of the Excellence Cluster Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM).
Her research focuses on the origin, mechanisms and consequences of childhood obesity following a holistic translational approach integrating experimental science, epidemiologic, genetic and clinical approaches. Her scientific achievements include the identification of early childhood as critical window for sustained obesity, rethinking diagnostic criteria for prediction of future dysglycemia in children and identification of a new monogenic obesity trait. It is her ambition to overcome the treatment gap in pediatric obesity through risk-profiling and understanding of mechanisms.
Our Plenary Speakers include distinguished experts who will share valuable insights in different subfields of paediatrics and neonatal medicine. Below, you can explore their session titles and bios to learn more about the unique perspectives they bring to the EAPS congress.
24 September 2026
A New Era in RSV Prevention - Impact on Child Health (17:10-18:10)
Heather Zar, South Africa
Heather Zar
South Africa
Heather Zar is Professor & Chair, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and Director of the SA-MRC Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town. A global expert in childhood respiratory diseases, she’s built a strong clinical translational research program in some of the most deprived communities, with a strong focus on childhood pneumonia. She established an African birth cohort enabling study of the epidemiology, determinants and long term impact of early life exposures including pneumonia. She participated in several studies of RSV prevention in infants. She chaired the WHO Technical Advisory committee on new RSV preventive interventions. She is past-President of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of the Pan African Thoracic Society, and served as an advisor to WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation. She received the World Lung Health award from the American Thoracic Society, the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Laureate for Africa and Arabia, the SA-MRC Platinum medal for contributions over a lifetime, the European Respiratory Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the Barney Graham award for contributions on RSV. She is passionate about reducing global health inequities and ensuring access to effective interventions for all children.
25 September 2026
The Threat of Vaping in Youth (11:00-12:00)
Thomas Ferkol, USA
Thomas Ferkol
USA
Dr. Ferkol is a pediatric pulmonologist with over thirty years of experience, who has special expertise in suppurative lung diseases, like cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. An American Lung Association Edward Livingston Trudeau Scholar and recipient of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation LeRoy Matthew’s Physician-Scientist Award and PCF Foundation Golden Cilium Award, his research has largely focused of genetic and molecular factors that contribute to chronic airway infection, inflammation, and epithelial injury, with nearly thirty-years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health. He currently co-leads the Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium, an established, multicenter collaborative that is defining the genetics, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of inherited, suppurative lung diseases. He has served on numerous international review groups and study sections, and written or co-authored over 200 original articles, scholarly reviews, and book chapters. Finally, Dr. Ferkol is a past-president of the American Thoracic Society, an international professional organization of over 15,000 members worldwide, only the second pediatrician to serve in this capacity during the 120-year history of the organization.
Vaccination Hesitancy (17:45-18:45)
Emmanouil Galanakis, Greece
Emmanouil Galanakis
Greece
Emmanouil Galanakis is a Professor of Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the University of Crete, serving as the Head of the Paediatric Infectious Disease Unit at Heraklion University General Hospital. He holds degrees in Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology, along with PhDs in Social Paediatrics and Ethics. Since 1990, he has practiced Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases, with experience as a Fellow and Visiting Faculty internationally. He is a Board Member of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) and the Hellenic Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases. His research interests include infectious diseases and paediatrics, focusing on areas like vaccination ethics and vaccine-preventable diseases. He has published in international journals. Prof. Galanakis is also involved in Bioethics, particularly in vaccination ethics and end-of-life decisions in infancy, and teaches Medical Ethics at the University of Crete.
26 September 2026
Susceptibility to Infection Over Last 30 Years (11:00-12:00)
Mike Levin, UK
Mike Levin
UK
Michael Levin MBE PhD FRCPCH FMedSci is Professor of Paediatrics and International Child Health at Imperial College London. He works as a paediatric infectious diseases consultant and has led research focused on the diagnosis and treatment of a range of childhood infections including meningococcal disease, tuberculosis, bacterial sepsis and Kawasaki disease. He led the EU funded PERFORM study investigating the application of RNA transcriptomics to improve diagnosis of childhood infection. He also led the NIH funded study Validation of Biomarkers of Pediatric TB and further development for use in diagnosis of childhood TB.
In 2020 he was awarded €22.5 million EU funding to develop a rapid test for serious illnesses – the DIAMONDS project (Diagnosis and Management of Febrile Illness using RNA Personalised Molecular Signature Diagnosis)
Professor Levin received an MBE for his services to infectious disease, critical care and research in paediatrics in the Queen’s New Year’s honour list in 2017.
Sleep Health as a Human Right (17:45-18:45)
Lauren Hale, USA
Lauren Hale
USA
Dr. Lauren Hale (Professor of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University; Core Faculty, Program in Public Health; PhD, Princeton University) studies the social patterning of sleep and how it contributes to growing inequalities in health and well-being. With funding from NICHD, NIDDK, NHLBI, and NIA, she analyzes demographic, behavioral, and neighborhood data from large-scale studies to understand how they relate to sleep and well-being in children, adolescents, adults, and aging populations. Dr. Hale has published over 90 published peer-reviewed articles in Sleep, Sleep Health, Sleep Medicine Reviews, Pediatrics, JAMA Pediatrics, among numerous other peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hale also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Sleep Foundation and is the Editor-in-Chief of Sleep Health.
27 September 2026
Overcoming the Treatment Gap in Paediatric Obesity
Antje Körner, Germany
Antje Körner
Germany
Antje joined Helmholtz Munich in 2023 as the Head of the Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Research Group at HI-MAG in Leipzig and was appointed as Professor of Metabolic Research at the Medical Faculty of the Leipzig University.
Her research focuses on the origin and mechanisms of childhood obesity with special emphasis on development of early metabolic comorbidities and adipose tissue function, employing a translational approach that combines experimental, clinical, and genetic studies.
She started research in medical school in Leipzig, and continued at the Diabetes Research Institute Düsseldorf and the National Institutes of Health Bethesda. After residency and subspecialization in pediatrics at the University Childrens Hospital in Leipzig, and still working consultant in pediatric endocrinology for >15 years, she has been heading the Pediatric Research Unit since 2008 and was appointed Professor of Pediatric Research (2010, tenured 2016) at Leipzig University. She has established unique pediatric cohorts and is head of LIFE Child.
She is member of the board of directors of the German Center of Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) and Co-Chair of the Excellence Cluster Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM).
Her research focuses on the origin, mechanisms and consequences of childhood obesity following a holistic translational approach integrating experimental science, epidemiologic, genetic and clinical approaches. Her scientific achievements include the identification of early childhood as critical window for sustained obesity, rethinking diagnostic criteria for prediction of future dysglycemia in children and identification of a new monogenic obesity trait. It is her ambition to overcome the treatment gap in pediatric obesity through risk-profiling and understanding of mechanisms.
Explore the preliminary congress programme to discover the session types and formats you can expect at EAPS 2026, and get ready for an unforgettable experience in Athens!