Program
The 6th WSC features 15 sessions across 2 days, April 22 and 23, 2026.
Session 1
The Importance of Protecting Mothers and Children from Sepsis in Low-Resource Settings
Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, President, Global Sepsis Alliance, Professor of Pediatrics and Critical Care, University of British Columbia, Canada
The Urgency of Investing in the Global Sepsis Response
Tore Lærdal, Executive Chairman of Lærdal Medical, Norway
The Sepsis Agenda from the Perspective of Medical Women
Dr. Amany Asfour, President, Medical Women‘s International Association, Egypt
Opening Session and Keynote Addresses
Moderated by:
Hon. Dr. Mariam Jashi
Global Sepsis Alliance, Georgia
Testimonial
Jennifer Epifanio, Mother of Elia Epifanio, Switzerland
Video Address for World Sepsis Day
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization, Switzerland
Opening Remarks
H.E. Mikheil Sarjveladze, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health, and Social Affairs, Georgia
Video Address
H.E. Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology, and Space of Germany and Member of the German Bundestag, Germany
Closing the Gap in Universal Access to Sepsis Care
Prof. Konrad Reinhart, Founding President, Global Sepsis Alliance, President, Sepsis Stiftung, Germany
Session 2
Maternal Sepsis: Early Recognition and Management
Moderated by:
Mercedes Bonet
World Health Organization, Switzerland
Maternal Sepsis Safety Bundle
Melissa Bauer, Duke University School of Medicine, United States
Maternal Sepsis in Rural Underserved Areas in Colombia
María Fernanda Escobar Vidarte, Fundación Valle del Lili, Colombia
Program for Improving Maternal Infection Outcomes
Luis Gadama, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi
Challenges in Recognition and Management of Maternal Sepsis in Low-Resource Settings
Anju Grewal, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, India
Session 3
Challenges and Innovations in Pediatric Sepsis
Moderated by:
Abdulelah Alhawsawi
Eastern Mediterranean Sepsis Alliance, Saudi Arabia
Digital Solutions for Sepsis in Pediatric Practice
L. Nelson Sanchez-Pinto, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, United States
Advances in Early Diagnosis of Pediatric Sepsis
Suchitra Ranjit, Apollo Children’s Hospital, India
Pediatric Sepsis – Beyond Bundles in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
John Appiah, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana
Identifying the Pathogens in Pediatric Sepsis Across the World
Teresa Kortz, University of California, San Francisco, United States
Challenges in the Post-Discharge Management of Pediatric Sepsis Survivors
Brenda Morrow, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Provision of Appropriate, Timely, and Safe Antimicrobials to Pediatric Sepsis Across the World
Natalie Schellack, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Session 4
Diagnostics and Biomarkers in Women, Children, and Neonates
Moderated by:
Ulrika Knutsson
Sepsisfonden, Sweden
EMBRACE Biomarkers for a Better Outcome
Evangelos Giamarellos-Bourboulis, European Sepsis Alliance, Greece
Diagnostic Solutions for Neonatal Sepsis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Birgitta Gleeson, FindX, Switzerland
Procalcitonin: Any Differences Between Genders?
Evdoxia Kyriazopoulou, University of Athens, Greece
Predictive Gene Signatures to Identify Neonates Who Develop Sepsis
Amy H. Lee, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Molecular Diagnostics in Child Infections
Chiara Medici, St. Andrea Hospital La Spezia, Italy
Session 5
Neonatal Sepsis: Early Recognition, Diagnostics, and Outcomes
Moderated by:
Padmini Srikantiah
Gates Foundation, United States
Management of Neonatal Sepsis: Perspectives from India
Jeeva Sankar, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Neonatal Sepsis and AMR
Angela Dramowski, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa
Determining the Most Effective Treatment for Neonatal Sepsis in LMICs – the NeoSep Trial
Julia Bielicki, University Basel, Switzerland
Prognostic Biomarkers to Risk Stratify Sick Neonates and Improve Their Management and Survival
Quique Bassat, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain
The Difficulty in Finding a Universal Definition of Neonatal Sepsis
Eleanor Molloy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Session 6
Sepsis in Women: Epidemiology and Disparities
Moderated by:
Nveed Chaudhary
The Jibraan Chaudhary Sepsis Research Foundation, United Kingdom
Testimonial – Cancer and Sepsis Survivor
Ilse Malfait, Sepsis Survivor, Belgium
Gender and Sepsis Mortality: Review of the Conflicting Evidence
Mohsen Naghavi, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, United States
Gender-Related Psychosocial Outcomes Among Sepsis Survivors
Carolin Fleischmann-Struzek, Jena University Hospital, Germany
Sepsis Mortality: Challenges and Realities in LMICs
Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, Union for International Cancer Control, Nigeria
Sex-Related Differences in Antimicrobial Dosing for Sepsis
Helena Barrasa, Araba University Hospital, Spain
– Overnight Break –
Session 7
AMR and Sepsis Strategies in Different Resource Contexts
Moderated by:
Justin Green
Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership, Switzerland
Strengthening Global Stewardship Frameworks for Sepsis and AMR
Deborah Tong, World Health Organization, Switzerland
CAN-POP-AMR: Canadian Prospective Observational Study of Pediatric Antimicrobial Resistance Infections
Manish Sadarangani, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Canada
Neonatal and Pediatric Sepsis: Microbiological Insights, Diagnostic Innovations, and AMR Challenges
Sie Meng Lee, International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, The Netherlands
Challenges and Prospects to Antimicrobial Stewardship in Resource-Limited Settings
Ivalda Benigna Macicame, Health Surveys and Observation Division, National Institute of Health, Mozambique
Gaps and Strategies for Adult Sepsis Management in Low-Resource Settings: Global Expert Consensus
Sheila Myatra, Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance, India
Session 8
Panel: Voices of Women, Children, and Families – Advocacy, Policy, and Awareness
Moderated by:
Ally Hossain
New Zealand Sepsis Trust, New Zealand
Panel Discussion
Malebona Precious Matsoso, Director, Health Regulatory Science Platform; Co-Chair, WHO Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) on the Pandemic Agreement, South Africa
Hon. Dr. Éctor Jaime Ramírez Barba, Member of Parliament; UNITE Chapter Chair for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico
Hon. Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO, Global Sepsis Alliance, Former Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs, Georgia
Garrett Wallace Brown, Co-Lead, University of Leeds Health Theme, and Chief Editor, Oxford Dictionary of Politics and International Relations, United Kingdom
Marianne Haverkamp, Co-Chair, Global Sepsis Survivor and Family Committee, Spain
Duncan Brown, Co-Chair, Global Sepsis Survivor and Family Committee, Australia
Session 9
Immunization and Other Prevention Strategies for Women and Children
Moderated by:
Fouzia Shafique
UNICEF, United States
Trained Immunity for Infection Prevention
Mihai Netea, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Developing Maternal Vaccine Strategies for Low- and Middle-Income Countries
David Goldfarb, University of British Columbia, Canada
The Importance of BCG Vaccination
Christine Stabell Benn, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Immunoglobulin Preparations: Treatment or Prevention?
Antigone Kotsaki, University of Athens, Greece
Session 10
Health Systems, Quality of Care, and Equity: Women and Children in Low‑ and Middle-Income Countries
Moderated by:
Imrana Malik
Global Sepsis Alliance, United States
High-Quality Health Systems for Women's Health: Time for a Revolution
Angela Caswell, Women’s Wellness of Southern Delaware, United States
Social Determinants of Women’s Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Razaz Abualhamyel, Dr. Sulaiman AL Habib Medical Group, Saudi Arabia
Safety Standards for Immunocompromised Patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Abdulqadir Nashwan, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar
Quality Newborn Care to Improve Sepsis Outcomes
Naomi Spotswood, Burnet Institute, Australia
Keynote: Antimicrobial Resistance and Neonatal Sepsis: Pragmatic Solutions for Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Sick Kids Hospital, Canada
Session 11
Technological Innovations for Neonatal, Pediatric, and Women’s Sepsis Care
Moderated by:
Wiltrud Abels
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Seeing Sepsis Before It Strikes: Continuous Temperature Monitoring in Oncology — Results from Roswell Park Cancer Center’s Ellis Medicine
Tallat Mahmood, Ellis Medicine Roswell Park Cancer Center, United States
From Vital Signs to Algorithms: AI-Enabled EW & Triage for Neonatal & Pediatric Sepsis in Low-Resource Settings
Juliet Kwadzodeh, West Africa Postgraduate College Nursing & Midwifery, Ghana
AI-Based Predictive Models for Pediatric Sepsis in Emergency Care
Elizabeth R. Alpern, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, United States
Tele-Simulation for Training Healthcare Providers in Resource-Restrained Settings in the Treatment of Pediatric Shock
Vanessa C. Denny, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
Tele-ICU System From Japan - Toward Improving Sepsis Treatment in Pediatric and Obstetric Fields
Shunsuke Takagi, Yokohama City University, Japan
Session 12
Survivorship, Long‑Term Outcomes, and Rehabilitation in Children and Women
Moderated by:
Zahra Hoodbhoy
The Aga Khan University, India
Beyond Survival: Long-Term Outcomes After Maternal and Neonatal Sepsis
Brea Kunstler, Sepsis Survivor, Australia
Not Fully Recovered: Post-Sepsis Care for Children and Families
Kristine Russell, Sepsis Canada, Canada
Sex and Gender Differences in Long-Term Outcomes After Sepsis
Hallie Prescott, University of Michigan, United States
Improving Screening for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Sepsis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Jerry Zimmerman, Seattle Children’s Hospital, United States
The Brain in Pediatric Sepsis: How Neurologic Dysfunction Shapes Outcomes
Alicia Alcamo, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
Session 13
Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care Pathways in Mother‑Child Settings
Moderated by:
Ron Daniels
Global Sepsis Alliance, United Kingdom
What Is the ECO Continuum? The Importance of Effective Integration to Address Sepsis
Teri Reynolds, World Health Organization, Switzerland
Discussion by the panelists
Implementing Effective Community-to-Hospital Pathways in Maternal Sepsis
David Lissauer, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Building Reliable End-to-End Healthcare for Children with Sepsis
Andrew Argent, African Sepsis Alliance, South Africa
Why Did Ethiopia Decide to Lead the Effort for the World Health Assembly Resolution on Integrated Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care and on the Upcoming Global Strategy on Eco?
Alegnta Gebreyesus Guntie, Permanent Mission of Ethiopia to the UN Office in Geneva, Ethiopia
How Does Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) Support ECO?
Tim Baker, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Sustainable Capacity-Building for First-Contact Acute Care: The WHO Basic Emergency Care Programme
Melissa Campos, World Health Organization, Mexico
Session 14
Therapeutic Advances for Sepsis with Focus on Age/Gender‑Specific Management Aspects
Moderated by:
Antonio Artigas
Global Sepsis Alliance, Spain
Sex and Gender as Biologic Variables in Sepsis
Marlies Ostermann, Guy’s and St. Thomas NHS Foundation, United Kingdom
Specificities of Sepsis in Elderly Critical Care Patients
Bertrand Guidet, Saint-Antoine Hospital, France
Immunesupression in Sepsis
Adrian Ceccato, Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute, Spain
The Importance of Biological Variables in Sepsis in Children
Vanessa Lanziotti, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Immune Differences and Response to Sepsis in Women
Alison Fox-Robichaud, Global Sepsis Alliance, Canada
Session 15
Protecting Women and Children in Health Emergencies and Humanitarian Crises
Moderated by:
Eleanor Nwadinobi
Medical Women’s International Association, Nigeria
Addressing Maternal and Newborn Sepsis in Yemen
Afrah Thabet, UNPFA Yemen, Yemen
Advancing Maternal Sepsis Diagnosis in Malawi: Evidence from Clinical Research
Yamikani Rose Chimwaza, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme, Malawi
Every Hour Counts: Strengthening Early Newborn Sepsis Care in a Sudanese Teaching Hospital During Humanitarian Crisis - Experience from Sudan
Mohammed Elfatih Ahmed, Al Ribat University Hospital, Sudan
Closing Remarks
Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, Global Sepsis Alliance, Canada
Preparation to Provide Care in Humanitarian Crises to Ensure Best Outcomes
Hans-Jörg Lang, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Germany