Meet the plenary speakers

Dr. Pikka Jokelainen
DVM, PhD, Adj. prof (zoonotic parasitology)

Affiliation: Infectious Disease Preparedness, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

Title of the talk: Parasites from One Health point of view

Dr. Pikka Jokelainen (DVM, PhD, Adj. Prof.) is Head of Section and leads the Secretariat for Infectious Disease Preparedness at Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark. Her professional interests include One Health, endemic and emerging zoonoses, preparedness for infectious threats, international cross-sectoral collaborations, and science-policy interfaces. Dr. Jokelainen has published over 100 scientific publications. She is Editor of Parasite Epidemiology and Control, Associate Editor of Epidemiology and Infection, and Section Editor of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Dr. Jokelainen is a Member of the Project Management Team of One Health European Joint Programme, the Science Officer of ESCMID Study Group for Public Health Microbiology, the Chair of Finnish Epidemiology Society, the President of Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology, and the President of World Federation of Parasitologists.

Twitter: @PikkaJokelainen
Mastodon: @PikkaJokelainen@mastodon.nu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pikka

Prof. Urmas Saarma 

Affiliation: Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia

Title of the talk: Major parasitic zoonoses of the past: new insights with modern methods

Prof. Urmas Saarma is currently working as a professor and group leader at the Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu. His research is focused on studies of past and contemporary mammalian populations and on zoonotic pathogens disseminated by mammals.

Dr. Lena Hulden

Affiliation: PhD, Associate professor, applied zoology , University of Helsinki, Finland

Title of the talk: The Northern range of malaria

Lena Hulden, born in 1956 Lohja, Finland, living in Estonia since 2016, currently working with a book about mosquitoes for children and with ectoparasites on raccoon dogs, foxes and jackals. PhD in Finnish and Scandinavian history in 1996, University of Helsinki, PhD in Forest ecology (vector biology) in 2009, University of Helsinki. She has 11 monographs, 60 scientific papers, 60 popular papers and 30 reviews.

Dr. Adriano Casulli

Affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy

Title of the talk: Understanding transmission risk and unveiling the public health impact of CE and AE in Europe

Dr. Adriano Casulli is the Director of the “WHO Collaborating Centre for the Epidemiology, Detection and Control of Cystic and Alveolar Echinococcosis“, member of the “European Union Reference Laboratory for Parasites” and Research Director at the “Department of Infectious diseases, Italian NIH” (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy). He is a scientist and an advocate in the field of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) with a focus on molecular and clinical epidemiology, anthelmintic drugs, and biomarker discovery on cystic and alveolar echinococcosis. He is co-author of more than 130 scientific publications, evaluator for international research projects and member of the Editorial board of scientific journals. He is the Coordinator of several granted international collaborative projects for a total budget of around 10 million euro. Dr. Adriano Casulli is data passionate.

Prof. Tomáš Scholz

Affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Title of the talk: Gaps in parasitological research in the molecular & omics era

Prof. Tomáš Scholz is Head of the Laboratory of Helminthology and former Director of the Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic (2002–2012). His professional interests include helminthology, fish parasitology and fish-borne parasitic diseases, especially systematics, phylogeny and life cycles of tapeworms (Cestoda) and other parasitic flatworms (Neodermata).