KI’s collaboration with IVI increases knowledge about vaccines in low- and middle-income countries
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) will be teaming up with specialists from KI again this year for a vaccinology course aimed at healthcare professionals and researchers from around the world. The course also now forms part of doctoral education at KI.
“I’m delighted that the vaccinology course with the IVI has become an annual activity at KI,” says Professor Anna Norrby-Teglund, head of Karolinska Institutet’s Centre for Infection Medicine. “The initiative strengthens our global dedication to improving human health while offering us an opportunity for experience sharing with international experts.”
The vaccinology course is also now part of doctoral education at KI.
“I hope that the course will give participants a boost in their careers in vaccinology and inspire them to make a lasting impact on public health,” says Anh Wartel, head of the IVI’s European branch, which is located on the Solna campus.
The intensive five-day “Vaccine to vaccination: from science to society” study programme builds on the basics of vaccinology and delves deeper into the vaccine-creation process: how they are developed, tested, regulated and delivered. The course also focuses on the ultimate purpose of vaccines: vaccination.
Held in Seoul, Kigali and at KI
For the first time, this year’s course will be held at three places simultaneously: the IVI head office in Seoul; in Kigali, co-arranged by Rwanda University; and in Stockholm, co-arranged by KI on its southern campus in Flemingsberg.
This hybrid format will give the participants opportunities to meet global experts, and attend talks and quizzes, explore case studies, network and much more. All in all, the course will bring together over 200 participants from more than 80 countries. Eighteen participants are expected from KI.
“This educational programme is vital to the establishment of a global network of vaccinologists,” says Jerome Kim, director general of the IVI. “As the global threat from infectious diseases rises, we need to strengthen initiatives to make vaccines available at reasonable prices and further equip specialists with the latest knowledge in the field.”
This year’s course is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Moderna, Sanofi, Valneva, East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence, SK Bioscience, EuBiologics, Hilleman Laboratories, Karolinska Institutet and the University of Rwanda.
About the International Vaccine Institute
The IVI is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1997 at the initiative of the UN Development Programme to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health.