Moderators: Vassiliki Toumpoulidou
Panelists: Ricardo Fernandes
Innovative Medicines in Neonates and Children: Difficulties and Challenges
Nikolaos Karantaglis
Education, Harmonization of Legislation and Regulations, Ethical/Legal Issues
Ilias Iosifides
Network of Pediatric Research Centers in Europe with Diverse Areas of Expertise and National Hubs
Emmanouel Roilides
The Role of the Greek Node and HELPNet
Maria Kourti
Nikolaos Karantaglis is a Greek pediatrician and public health specialist based in Thessaloniki, where he has run a private pediatric practice since 2009. He is currently a Medical Expert in the European Digital Vaccination Card (EUVAC) project and an ECDC EPIET fellow (2025 cohort). He holds a specialty in Public Health and an MSc in Health Services Management, graduating first in his class. He completed pediatric training at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with additional studies at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina. His interests focus on pediatric pulmonology, vaccination, and public health. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and delivered lectures at national and international conferences. He is actively involved in professional organizations and public health initiatives, including vaccination awareness campaigns
Elias Iosifidis is Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the 3rd Department of Pediatrics, Hippokration Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, directed by Professor Charalampos Antachopoulos, where he coordinates clinical studies, including multinational pediatric trials.
His work focuses on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), infection prevention and control (IPC), and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), with emphasis on the optimal use of newer antimicrobials in neonates and children.
He has received training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, contributing to European initiatives on AMR and HAI surveillance.
He is actively involved in European research networks, including conect4children (c4c), and contributes to activities of European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, with a strong international research footprint and contributions in antimicrobial resistance and pediatric infectious diseases. He also serves on the board of the Pediatric Society of Northern Greece.
Emmanuel Roilides, MD, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics-Infectious Diseases in Aristotle University School of Medicine at Hippokration General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece. He is Fellow of European Confederation of Medical Mycology as well as of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, member of the Steering Committee of European Paediatric Mycology Network (EPMyN) and PENTA Fungal Group. His research focuses on serious infections, most importantly invasive fungal infections, in neonates and children. He is the author of >750 peer reviewed articles and book chapters with >20,000 citations. He has been co-ordinator or partner in several multicentre or multinational studies. He leads the national hub of conect4children, a European network of pediatric centers of excellence for clinical studies.
Dr. Maria Kourti is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics-Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She is also a board-certified Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialist, with extensive clinical and academic experience in the management of infections in immunocompromised children. Her work focuses mainly on infections in children with malignancies and hematopoietic cell transplantation, antifungal stewardship, and supportive care in pediatric oncology. She also serves as National Coordinator for the Greek Supportive Care Group and is actively involved in international collaborative research initiatives and has participated as investigator or sub-investigator in numerous international clinical trials.
Dr. Kourti is highly active in the international scientific community. She is a member of leading organizations such as ESPID, SIOPE, SIOP, ESCMID, and European research networks, including conect4children (c4c). She serves in multiple leadership roles, including General Secretary of the Hellenic Society for Social Pediatrics and Health Promotion, board member of National Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Society and standing member of the EURO Regional Advisory Committee of the St. Jude Global Alliance.
She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications indexed in PubMed and has delivered over 100 presentations at national and international conferences. Her work focuses on advancing clinical care and improving outcomes for vulnerable pediatric populations through research, education, and global collaboration.