Prof. Nicola Principi received his degree in Medicine and Surgery in 1963 followed by a post-graduate degree in Paediatrics in 1965 from the University of Milan, Milan, Italy. Having won a National Competition to qualify for a Chair of Pediatrics in 1979, he was appointed Professor of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan, a position he still holds today. In 2000 he became Director of the Pediatrics Department of the University of Milan. Dr. Principi's research interests include the study of developmental pharmacology, nutrition, nephrology, and pediatric infectious diseases, particularly respiratory tract infections, vaccines, and HIV infection. Dr. Principi has served on several national and international committees and advisory boards including the National AlDS Commission. In 1998 he founded the Italian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, of which he was the first President (1998–2002) and the Vice-President until 2008. Dr. Principi is the author and co-author of more than 1500 articles published in renowned scientific journals, conference proceedings, and books. Until 1996 he served as Editor-in-Chief for the Italian Journal of Paediatrics and in 1997 he founded the Italian Journal of Pediatric infectious diseases, of which he still is the Editor-in-Chief today.

Kyriakoula Petropulacos has been a General Director of Personal Care, Health, and Welfare of the Emilia Romagna Region since 2015. From 2012 to 2015, she was the General Director of the AOU of Modena where she also held the position of Health Director from 2005 to 2007. From 2009 to 2012, she was General Director of the Forlì AUSL and from 2008 to 2009 of the Modena AUSL. From 2001 to 2007, she was Head of the Hospital Services of the General Directorate of Health and Social Policies of Emilia Romagna. From 1998 to 2001, she was Head of the Hospital Services of the Regional Health Department of the Emilia Romagna Region. She obtained a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Modena and specializations in Ophthalmology, Hygiene, and Preventive Medicine.

Prof. Susanna Esposito is a Full Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Parma, in addition to holding the role of Director of the Pediatric Clinic of the Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital. After graduating with honors in Medicine and Surgery, she continued her studies with specializations in Pediatrics (1999) and Infectious Diseases (2006). Her research field deals with pediatric infectious pathology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various pediatric diseases in the fields of infectious disease, pulmonology, allergology, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition, rare diseases, and ENT. She has more than 950 publications in international journals and various articles in national newspapers. In 2012, she identified two new enteroviruses, C-117 and C-118. She is the coordinator of the vaccine study group (EVASG) of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. During her career, she has received several awards: the Amici di Milano Award as the best scientific researcher in 2004, the Ambassador Award for research abroad in the media field awarded by the Honorable Maurizio Lupi in 2011, and the certificate of merit for commitment and professionalism demonstrated for the health of the child in 2014 (Associazione Amici del Policlinico and Mangiagalli).