Claire-Anne Siegrist

Former Executive Director of ADVAC
Emeritus Professor of Vaccinology, Director of the Center for Vaccinology, University and University Hospitals of Geneva
Switzerland

Claire-Anne Siegrist is now emeritus Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). After her MD graduation at the University of Geneva, she trained in the INSERM-CNRS Immunology Center of Marseille-Luminy, France, where she studied the mechanisms of antigen presentation to the immune system and obtained an Advanced Diploma in Immunology from Aix-Marseille II University. After her return to Geneva, Dr Siegrist continued her immunology studies on the regulation of MHC molecules and their influence on immune responses.

In 1994, Dr Siegrist initiated a new research group on Vaccinology and Neonatal Immunology. She was nominated as Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Geneva in 1999 and subsequently as Director of the Center for Vaccinology of the University Hospitals. Prof. Siegrist was nominated in 2002 at the Swiss Academy of Medicine, and in 2004 at the Swiss National Research Foundation. In 2005, she received the Bill Marshall Award from the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, in 2017 the Nessim Habiff Global Prize and in 2018 the ESPID Best Educational Award.

Professor Siegrist has served as an expert in Vaccinology on numerous national and international Advisory Committees. She was the President of the Swiss Advisory Committee for Immunizations (CFV/EKIF, 2004- 2014), a member of the UK Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI, 2008-2016) and of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE, 2010-2016). She has contributed to a large number of original scientific publications in the field of vaccine immunology - including Chapter 2 of the Vaccine Book !

Prof. Siegrist is an outstanding teacher on vaccine immunology and/or vaccine safety issues, being widely appreciated for her capacity of making complex issues appear crystal-clear. Prof. Siegrist is also directly involved in multiple activities aiming at improving training and information of health professionals on vaccine related issues, including the setting up of InfoVac (www.infovac.ch), a network for the information of health professionals on all issues regarding immunization. The quality and the objectivity of her engagement for the promotion of evidence-based vaccinology is recognized and appreciated worldwide.