New Ecraid Clinical Liaison Council Chair and Vice-Chair Appointed
The Ecraid Clinical Liaison Council (ECLC) is vital for supporting Ecraid’s efforts towards building a united European front against infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. As of 14 March, the ECLC Chair Oana Săndulescu's mandate came to an end. Pontus Naucler now follows Oana as the new Chair, and Despoina Koulenti follows Pontus as Vice-Chair.
Ecraid Clinical Liaisons (ECLs) play an essential role in the collaboration between Ecraid and the hospital sites. They are knowledgable, well-connected local representatives invaluable for facilitating visibility, engagement, and overall site selection processes. They act as a bridge between the national networks and Ecraid.
Ecraid’s hospital network CLIN-Net relies on the active involvement of the ECLs to provide advice on a country’s feasibility for a study, share knowledge on country-specific regulations and potential hurdles, and propose suitable sites while helping to engage them. The ECL Council comprises of 23 key opinion leaders, stakeholders, and network members from across Europe.
ECL Chair and Vice-Chair
In April 2024, the ECL Council elected its first Chair and Vice-Chair: Prof. Oana Săndulescu (Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest; National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș”, Romania) and Assoc. Prof. Pontus Naucler (Karolinska University Hospital; Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden) respectively.
On 14 March 2026 Oana's mandate came to an end. Her work in defining and setting a strong basis of the role of ECLC Chair was extremely important. Her contribution as Chair was invaluable and we thank Oana for her dedication.
Oana is now followed by Pontus Naucler who will continue as Chair for the next two years. The new Vice-Chair is Prof. Despoina Koulenti (Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece).
Despoina Koulenti: "I am honoured to have taken on the role of Vice-Chair of the Ecraid Clinical Liaison Council and to continue my long‑standing involvement with Ecraid in a leadership capacity. As I begin this role, I am particularly struck by the breadth of expertise and commitment across the Clinical Liaison network. Working closely with the Pontus, my vision is to strengthen communication and collaboration between the Liaisons, support the continued development and long‑term sustainability of the network, and encourage shared initiatives that will further bond the Liaisons and reinforce their sense of being an integral part of the Ecraid community, while facilitating high‑quality clinical research and education."
Welcome!
We warmly welcome Despoina and Pontus in their new roles in the Ecraid Clinical Liaisons Council and wish them a pleasant and productive term!
