The 25th class of the advanced course of vaccinology
“Millions of lives have been saved thanks to vaccination, and this number will continue to rise if enough people receive proper training in the subject.”
This is the mission that ADVAC has set itself, summarized by Professor Stanley Plotkin in his speech at the evening celebrating the course’s 25th anniversary.
From left to right, Prof. Lambert, Betty Dodet and Alain Mérieux, along with Prof. Plotkin and a group of alumni connected remotely.
Alongside Professor Plotkin sat the other eminent figures behind the course, Professor Paul-Henri Lambert of the University of Geneva and Betty Dodet, formerly of the Mérieux Foundation, as well as Alain Mérieux, the Foundation’s president. Back in the 1990s, Professor Plotkin and Dr. Charles Mérieux discussed the idea of creating a course that would promote access to vaccination around the world, even in countries with limited resources, at Les Pensières. The first class took their seats in this same space in 2000.
Professor Plotkin, Professor Lambert, Betty Dodet, Dr. Claire-Anne Siegrist and Dr. Mérieux already had a clear vision at the time: to create an intensive, multidisciplinary course where scientists, public health professionals, and policy-makers from all over the world could come together to deepen their knowledge of vaccinology. The two-week course has continued to innovate over the years, welcoming high-profile speakers and developing a strong alumni network driven by the same unwavering commitment to saving lives through vaccination.
ADVAC has trained over 1,500 professionals in the last 25 years, covering more than 130 countries. As Professor Geissbuhler, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva, pointed out, many of them are now important leaders and decision-makers, including ministers of health, senior executives in the vaccine industry, heads of national immunization programs, and top-level researchers. Above all, they have become the mentors of the next generation of experts.
During the same evening of celebrations, Professor Lambert hailed the powerful impact of the course and acknowledged its success in five key areas: “Excellence, diversity, interactions, resilience, and support.”
Five key areas the 76 participants in this 25th edition were able to benefit from! The two-week course offered participants an overview of vaccinology, from immunology to vaccine development and clinical trials, while addressing the social, economic, political, and ethical issues related to vaccination. Seventy-five world-renowned experts were on hand to lead plenary sessions, group workshops and role plays, helping participants to expand their scientific background and knowledge beyond their own fields of expertise and facilitating their critical decision-making in the field.
Once again this year, the course demonstrated its remarkable capacity for bringing participants together to form a close-knit, motivated group.
The date has already been set for the next cohort in 2026!