Ilaria Capua

She is currently Director of  the Virology Department and of the National, FAO/ OIE  Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease (ND) and  of the Collaborating Centre for Diseases at the Human-Animal Interface at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro (Italy). During her career as a veterinary virologist she has been nominated OIE and FAO expert for AI and ND. She has been involved in managing several AI outbreaks on a global scale, and in particular her group has supported African and Middle Eastern  countries affected by the H5N1 crisis. From 1997 to  date she has been invited to give over 70 lectures as an international expert and as a guest lecturer at training courses in Europe, the US, Central and South America, Africa Australia  and Asia. She has been awarded the Houghton Lecture award in 2005 and  the Promed 2006 Award. In 2007 she was among the winners of the Scientific American 50 prize and in 2008 Seed's Revolutionary Mind, for leadership in policy for promoting sharing of information at an international level. From 1990 to date she has authored over 300  publications, predominantly on viral diseases of animals  and zoonotic diseases  including papers published in international refereed journals,  papers and abstracts published in the proceedings of conferences, guest editorials, reviews, chapters of books and has co-authored  two text books  on avian influenza. Her lab is currently coordinating 2 EU - funded projects,  is a partner of additional 5  EU projects  and is a WP leader in the EU Network of  Excellence EPIZONE. Her group is involved in international activities funded by FAO and other international organisations.

From animal to pandemic influenza: challenges and opportunities