Biography

Background

Dr. Bruijning is a pediatrician and epidemiologist. She studies common childhood infections, vaccination and emerging infectious diseases including COVID-19. Her research has a strong focus on Public Health and policy. She has been PI of several large scale vaccine studies, including rotavirus, influenza, pneumococcal and COVID-19 vaccines evaluating vaccine effectiveness, immunogenicity, timing and implementation. Her scientific work has been instrumental in vaccine Advisory Statements by the Dutch Health Counsel, where served as an external advisor, in clinical guidelines and in vaccine policy decisions. She holds a cross-appointment at the RIVM Center for Infectious Disease Control, where she contributed to numerous vaccine guidelines. She has a strong interest in understanding dynamics of (emerging) infectious diseases and the role of children in transmission, for which she obtained a VENI career grant in 2015 and a VIDI career grant in 2020. She is has lead three large scale population transmission studies on COVID-19 funded by ZonMw and the European Commission.  With her VIDI career grant she is studying interactions between key respiratory viruses in children, including SARS-CoV2, and their implications for vaccination policies. She has published >80 articles including peer-reviewed papers, professional guidelines, scientific reports and publications for the lay public. She has a strong international network as evidenced by her involvement in several international emerging infections research consortia funded by the Innovative Medicine Initiative and the European Commission (ZIKAction, OneHealth-PACT, RECOVER, COVID-RED, Neo-Deco, VACCELERATE). She is a member of the COVID-19 taskforce of the Dutch Pediatric Society and of the COVID-19 scientific committee of the Federation of Medical Specialists. She served as scientific advisor on COVID-19 for the Minister of Health and of Education. She coordinates and teaches MSc courses in infectious diseases epidemiology and vaccines (Utrecht University, McGill University) and vaccinology masterclasses for healthcare professionals. She communicates actively on Twitter (@P_Bruijning) about infectious diseases and vaccines.