Prof. Kirsten Maertens

Prof. Kirsten Maertens is working at the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination at the University of Antwerp where her research is focused on different aspects of vaccination in pregnancy. Her comprehensive research portfolio includes a wide spectrum of research within the maternal immunization field going from clinical trials looking at safety and immunogenicity of this vaccination strategy to research focusing on vaccine confidence.

The first pathogen she focused her research on was pertussis. But over the last years, her research also broadened up to other vaccine preventable diseases which are a target for maternal immunization like RSV, GBS and COVID-19. Prof. Maertens is also a member of the National Immunization Advisory Board in Belgium.