P-Paths

Perinatal and Pediatric Pathways in Health and Disease

Anna Zschocke

is Consultant and Head of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. Originally from Belfast, she studied medicine at Queen’s University Belfast (N Ireland) and trained in pediatrics in Belfast, Marburg, Heidelberg (Germany), and Innsbruck. Her research focuses on food allergy prevention, oral immunotherapy, the clinical use of the basophil activation test (BAT), and mobile spirometry. She is committed to caring for children with a broad spectrum of respiratory and allergic needs—from common issues such as asthma and allergies to long-term support for rare and complex conditions, including interstitial lung disease, sleep-related breathing disorders, and home ventilation.

 

Barbara Wichert-Schmitt

is a cardiologist specializing in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) and cardio-obstetrics. She leads the ACHD and cardio-obstetric program at Kepler University Hospital in Linz, Austria. In 2020, she completed advanced clinical and research fellowships in ACHD and pregnancy-related heart disease at Toronto General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Her research focuses on maternal valvular heart disease during pregnancy, especially mitral stenosis and bioprosthetic valve patients. Dr. Wichert-Schmitt oversees clinical care, research, and training related to cardiovascular health in pregnant women with congenital heart conditions. She actively contributes to international conferences and peer-reviewed publications on cardiovascular risks in pregnancy. She is a member of the Austrian Society of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology, and related working groups on adult congenital and acquired heart disease.

Julia Upton

is Prof. in pediatrics at the University of Toronto. She is a trained internist, allergist, and immunologist, and leads the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Moreover, she is the co-director of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Program at SickKids. Dr. Upton’s clinical practice integrates cutting-edge research to improve patient outcomes, with a strong focus on immunotherapy and innovative treatment strategies. She leads multidisciplinary teams providing comprehensive care to children with complex allergic and immunological diseases. Dr. Upton is actively involved in clinical trials investigating novel therapies for food allergy and anaphylaxis, aiming to advance evidence-based approaches. She collaborates with national and international experts to promote education and awareness in pediatric allergy. Dr. Upton also contributes to academic teaching and mentoring, supporting the development of the next generation of clinicians and researchers. Her work helps bridge the gap between research and clinical care, enhancing treatment options for children living with allergies.

Zsolt Szépfalusi

is a pediatrician and head of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology, and Endocrinology at the Medical University of Vienna where he also leads a research group on pediatric allergy and respiratory medicine. His clinical expertise focuses on managing children with complex respiratory and allergic diseases. Prof. Szépfalusi has advanced the field of clinical pediatric allergology in Austria. He has authored and co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles. Prof Szépfalusi is actively involved in national and international research projects, particularly on early childhood allergy development and biomarker identification for tolerance induction. During the last decade, he was particularly interested in the prevention of respiratory allergic diseases using allergen-specific immunotherapy.

Roman Stangl

is a neonatologist specializing in the clinical care of newborns in a tertiary care center at the University Hospital of St. Pölten. He is the deputy head of neonatology. He has extensive experience managing complex neonatal cases and applies established practices to improve short- and long-term outcomes. He was responsible for implementing the delayed cord clamping process at the University Clinics St. Poelten and is coordinating student education within the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Stangl collaborates closely with obstetricians and the neonatal team to ensure safe and effective procedures. Additionally, he is centrally involved in student and fellow education at the department. He is committed to improving interdisciplinary collaboration, staff education, and clinical practice in neonatology.

Florian Singer

is a researcher at the Medical University of Graz specializing in pulmonary lung function in pediatric patients with respiratory diseases. He currently holds a tenure-track Professor position and is the deputy head of the Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Graz. The work of his research group focuses on understanding how different management strategies influence lung function, disease progression, and quality of life for individuals living with chronic respiratory disease. By investigating the physiological and functional changes in the airways, Singer aims to identify optimal monitoring approaches that improve patient outcomes. His research combines clinical data analysis and experimental studies to explore new monitoring strategies. Collaborating closely with multidisciplinary clinical teams, he contributes to developing and refining evidence-based management protocols tailored to patient needs.

Daniela Schindler

is the Managing Director of a Child Protection Center and the mother of two children. Her daughter, born in 2012, is allergy-free, while her son, born in 2015, lives with a severe peanut allergy and experienced anaphylaxis at the age of 22 months.

Motivated by her family’s personal journey, she has become an active patient representative and networker in the field of food allergies. She founded a parent network in Austria to connect families facing similar challenges, aiming to provide mutual support and practical guidance in everyday life with severe allergies.

Her motto as an “allergy mum” reflects her approach:
“Let’s help each other – because together we are stronger.”

Klara Rosta

is a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology and a reproductive medicine specialist at the Medical University of Vienna. She is the gynecological head of the interdisciplinary outpatient clinic for pre-conceptional and pregnancy counseling of women with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Her clinical and academic work is dedicated to understanding the impact of chronic and autoimmune conditions on pregnancy, with a focus on maternal and fetal complications as well as mechanisms of feto-maternal communication. She established the Austrian Registry for Rheumatic Diseases and Reproduction (RhePro Registry), creating a unique resource for epidemiological and clinical research. Her translational studies address high-risk pregnancies in women with autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders, including rheumatic and bowel diseases, as well as basic research concerning immune and vascular mechanisms during pregnancy. In the framework of the Erasmus+ project COHRICE project, Dr. Rosta lead the development of educational material addressing socioeconomic aspects of reproductive medicine in Europe.  She is the mentor of several Ph.D. students and the gynecological head of the RhePro study group. She has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and has written and edited several book chapters. Her overarching goal is to improve maternal health, pregnancy outcomes, and long-term child wellbeing in women with co-morbidities.

Birgit Pfaller-Eiwegger

is a clinician-scientist specializing in nephrology and internal medicine with an expertise in obstetric medicine at the University Hospital of St. Pölten. She is an Assistant Professor at Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Sciences. She trained at the University Hospital in St. Poelten, the Mother Risk Program, SickKids, Toronto, and at the Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto. Her clinical expertise focuses on managing high-risk pregnancies complicated by chronic kidney disease, hypertensive disorders, obesity, and postpartum cardiovascular and renal health. In 2021, Dr. Pfaller-Eiwegger initiated the PreCareFem project at St. Pölten University Hospital to enhance postpartum care for women at increased risk of cardiovascular and kidney diseases by identifying early biomarkers and developing lifestyle interventions. She collaborates with pediatric specialists to study the health outcomes of children born to mothers with pregnancy complications. She is a member of the ESH Women in Hypertension Working Group, contributing to ongoing efforts in hypertensive disorder research. By integrating clinical practice and research, she aims to improve long-term health for mothers and their children.

Ulrike Greibich

Dr. Ulrike Greibich is trained in neonatology, pediatric recpiratory medicine and pediatric allergology. Her expertise includes neonatal intensive care, developmental-supportive care, family centered practices and neonatal resucitation. She is co-lead of the Simulation Center at the University Hospital of St. Pölten, responsible for strategic and operational leadership of high-fidelity clinical simulation training including interdisciplinary simulation- based education programs for medical staff, residents and nurses.

As pediatric pulmologist her clinical expertise includes the comprehensive care of patients with asthma, chronic cough, recurrent respiratory infections and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In the field of allergology she manages conditions such as food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and anaphylaxis with a focus on early diagnosis and eviedence-based interventions.

Thomas Eiwegger

has successfully completed training in Pediatrics, Pediatric Allergy and Pediatric Respiratory Medicine. He is the head of the Department of Pediatrics at the University Clinics St. Poelten, an associate Professor at the Karl Landsteiner University, Krems, and an associate Professor of the Department of Immunology, University of Toronto. Since he transitioned to Austria in May 2021, he has been an adjunct scientist at the Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He currently leads research groups in Toronto and Krems that focus on the mechanisms of tolerance development, in the context of atopic diseases and on novel treatment approaches to food allergy. Thomas Eiwegger published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, supervises clinical fellows, master’s and PhD students, is an associate editor of Allergy, and is on the board of the immunology section of the EAACI.

Sharon Chinthrajah

is a Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. She has a unique background as a dually trained Pulmonary/Critical Care and Allergy/Immunology physician who also has broad experience in basic and clinical research. Her research focuses on understanding of immune dysfunction and regulation in allergic disorders, particularly in how early life atopy can contribute to the allergic march and development of food allergy and asthma, and to apply these insights to develop novel therapeutics to treat these diseases. Her work within the field to date has elucidated safe and efficacious treatments for allergic patients, mechanistic insights into diagnostics and prognostics, and next generation therapies for the multi-allergic individual. Among these studies are key clinical trials such as POISED, MAP-X, and M-TAX that remain some of the largest and most rigorous clinical trials on the use of oral immunotherapy for the treatment of food allergy with and without adjuvant omalizumab. Furthermore, she designed and co-leads the ongoing OUtMATCH study, whose stage 1 results led to the FDA approval of omalizumab for the treatment of food allergy. Her work is instrumental in shaping future directions in food allergy management and immunotherapy.

Klaus Bønnelykke

is a researcher and Professor at the University of Copenhagen, specializing in pediatric respiratory diseases and immunology. He is the director of the COPSAC cohorts, which are among the most essential resources to study childhood allergy and lung diseases. His work focuses on understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing the development of asthma and allergies in early childhood. By integrating large-scale cohort studies and advanced molecular techniques, Bønnelykke aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying airway inflammation and immune responses. His research contributes to identifying early biomarkers and potential preventive strategies to reduce the burden of chronic respiratory conditions in children. His efforts help to advance personalized medicine approaches to improve respiratory health outcomes.

Angelika Berger

is Professor of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, head of the Department of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics at the Medical University of Vienna. Prof Berger was instrumental in advancing and developing the department of Neonatology, which is now one of the leading institutions worldwide in the management of very early preterm. As part of this ongoing process, Dr. Berger co-founded the Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics (CCP), an interdisciplinary center for excellence in pediatric medicine. Her clinical expertise is centered around neonatal infections, immunological immaturity, neurodevelopment of preterm infants, and patient safety in intensive care. Her research is centered around the care of extremely premature infants and neonatal infections, and she still leads a research group on infections in preterm and neonates. The work of her department has advanced the field of neonatology under her leadership.

Barbara Badinger-Sobotka

is a neonatologist and pediatric allergist at the University Hospital of St. Pölten. As the head of Neonatology at the Department of Pediatrics, she has extensive experience in the care of preterm and newborn infants. Her expertise focuses on the management of high-risk neonates and Children with respiratory and allergic disorders. In addition to her expertise in the field of neonatology, Dr. Badinger-Sobotka is a trained pediatric allergist and contributes as a staff member to the specialist outpatient clinic, where she provides care for patients with allergic diseases and preterm infants with respiratory conditions.