Confronting Inequities in STI Prevention, Diagnostics and Care
Track 1: Basic and Laboratory Science
Tania Crucitti
Chairperson, Madagascar
A clinical biologist and infectious disease researcher with work experience in clinical trials, laboratory diagnostics and biomedical research. The focus of her research is prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. She collaborates in clinical trials focused on HIV and STI prevention, conduct evaluations of novel diagnostic assays for STIs, and perform research on STI pathogens, on the genital microbiome, and on inter- and intra-microbial and host-microbial interaction.
Monica Lahra
University of New South Wales, Australia
Professor Lahra is the Senior Staff Specialist Microbiologist and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, responsible for surveillance programmes for the pathogenic Neisseria spp. nationally; and for the WHO Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) for the Western Pacific Region. This WHO CC is Australia’s National Focal Point and National Coordinating Centre for the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).
Yukari Manabe
USA/Uganda
Dr. Manabe is a Professor of Medicine, and infectious diseases clinician researcher within the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She directs the new Center for Innovative Diagnostics in Infectious Diseases, which is dedicated to accelerating frugal innovation in rapid and point-of-care infectious disease diagnostics for STIs, HIV, TB, and respiratory viruses (COVID-19, influenza).
Pascale Ondoa
Ethiopia/the Netherlands
Dr Pascale Ondoa is the Director of Science and New Initiatives of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) since 2016. She provides scientific and technical leadership to the ASLM team, with the overall goal of advancing the laboratory profession, science and practice. She particularly focuses on addressing gaps of the laboratory systems and networks in African countries.
Jo-Ann Passmore
South Africa
Jo-Ann Passmore is an Associate Professor in the Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town. She heads the Mucosal Infections Group in the Division of Medical Virology. Jo-Ann’s research focuses on the role of genital tract inflammation and cellular activation on HIV risk in women, associated most commonly with undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis.
Kate Seib
Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, QLD, Australia
Professor Kate Seib is a Research Leader and the Associate Director (Research) at the Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Australia. Her expertise is in the field of molecular microbiology, with a focus on characterising virulence mechanisms and developing vaccine antigens for human mucosal pathogens including Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Janneke van de Wijgert
Netherlands/UK
Professor in the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool and the Julius Center of the University Medical Center Utrecht. Focus for research has been prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and other STIs, including GCP-compliant clinical trials of new prevention technologies.