Dear TBnet members,
here you can find the latest news of the TBnet
1. Reminder: monthly TBnet webinar
today, Thursday, October 28th there will be a webinar arranged by Dr Ilaria Motta. A group of experts will discuss TB comorbidities. Follow the link to join:
2. Welcome to the new Chair and thank you to Frank van Leth!
Prof Frank van Leth who has been recently appointed as the vice-director of Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute joining two academic medical centers, and the two Amsterdam universities. In connection to these new role and responsibilities, Prof van Leth has stepped down as the TBnet Chair.
We are grateful to Prof Frank van Leth for his commitment & leadership during the last four years & for the progress he secured! Prof van Leth has a great successor: Dr Liga Kuksa, the candidate for the position of the TBnet Chair was supported by the majority at the general assembly during the TBnet yearly meeting in the beginning of October.
In his speech during the meeting, Prof van Leth thanked all the members who all this year 2021 have fought both TB and COVID-19 pandemics and still found time for research. In his Twitter post (@FvLScience) Frank van Leth said: “In today's annual TBnet meeting, I said goodbye as the SC Chair. It was a pleasure serving. I wish everybody well and good luck. Welcome to Liga Kuksa as new chair. You will do well.”
Welcome Dr Kuksa, Riga East University Hospital, Latvia - our new Chair!
Dr Kuksa facts:
- the Head of MDR TB department, TB & Lung Disease Clinic, Riga East University hospital,
Latvia
- the Head of WHO Collaborating Centre for Research & Training in Management of MDR-TB
- has been involved in several international research projects
- has been WHO/Green Light committee consultant on MDR TB - Russia Federation regions
3. Preliminary plan for meetings during 2022: live and online
During next year 2022, TBnet aims to hold the key traditional events live/ hybrid. This concerns TBnet Academy (Tbilisi, Gorgia) and TBnet Annual Meeting (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in connection to ERS Congress). We really hope this will be possible and looking forward to see you all!
Additionally, same as this year, we planned a monthly webinars with alternating topics: Clinical TB, TB Research, TB Advocacy. After each webinar, we will have a drop-in time slot to discuss questions and ideas about ongoing and potential TBnet projects.
The meetings will be as usual on last Thursday of the month. Here are the dates and the preliminary schedule:
January 27 – Research Webinar - TB vaccines trials & biomarkers
February 24 - Clinical Webinar – Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
March 31 – Advocacy Webinar - public engagement in TB research
April 28 – Clinical Webinar - Journal Club/ Virtual clinic
May 26 – Research Webinar – LTBI – testing & biomarkers
June 30 – Clinical Webinar - Journal Club/ Virtual clinic
July 28 – Vacation
August 25 - Clinical Webinar - TB & Migrants
September 29 – Advocacy Webinar - public engagement in TB research (part 2)
October 27 – Clinical Webinar – Journal Club/ Virtual clinic
November 24 – Research Webinar - Modelling effects of expanding LTBI detection and treatment
December 29 – Clinical Webinar - Year in Review
