Professor in Pediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases at Utrecht University Medical Centre and Chief Scientific Officer at the Institute of Public Health and the Environment, THE NETHERLANDS

Lieke (Elisabeth A.M.) Sanders (1959) is paediatrician and professor in Immunology and Infectious Diseases. From 1993 onwards, she worked as clinician-immunologist at the University Hospital for Children in Utrecht treating patients with primary immunodeficiency disease and recurrent infections.

From 2009-2014, she was Director Research and Education of the University Hospital for Children. In 2015, she took up a position as Chief Scientific Officer at the Public Health Institute, (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM) with special attention for the themes of immunology, vaccinology and infectious diseases. Next to this position, she works as professor at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. She has a long-standing interest in the immunology and epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases, efficacy, effectiveness and impact of vaccinations, with a special focus on pneumococcal vaccinations. Other topics in her research are the prevention of respiratory tract infections and the role of the respiratory microbiome in health and disease. Amongst others, she has been member of the Dutch National Health Council. At present, she participates in the WHO SAGE working group on pneumococcal vaccinations. Lieke Sanders has authored >300 peer reviewed international publications (H-index 50 [scopus]), >9.000 citations (Research Gate)) and supervised 40 PhD students.