Dr. Olga Konakova is Associate Professor at Hospital of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Zaporozhye State Medical University, and is also Consultant Physician at the Zaporozhye Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases. She is responsible for teaching and training of students and interns. After completing her residency in internal medicine at Zaporozhye State Medical University, Dr. Konakova practiced medicine at the Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases from 1992 to 1994. She received her PhD from O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev, in 2002. Her doctoral thesis dealt with the diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis in children. After completing, in 2011, the Advanced Vaccinology Course (ADVAC), and in 2012, the 3rd Advanced Course on Diagnostics (ACDx), organized by the Foundation Mérieux, she presented lectures and provided training to pediatricians, immunologists, and infectiologists from the Eastern region of Ukraine. Dr. Konakova’s research interests lie in respiratory infections, acute intestinal infections, infectious mononucleosis, and antimicrobial resistance. She has published more than 50 papers on these subjects. Her main objective in the GABRIEL Network is to facilitate the setting up of research projects in the Ukraine.

Having joined Zaporozhye State Medical University in 1993, Dr. Elena Ysachova is Associate Professor at the Hospital of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Zaporozhye State Medical University. She has full responsibility for the strategic planning and management of the department. She is a Consultant Physician at the Zaporozhye Regional Hospital of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Ysachova is the President of the Regional Society of Infectious Diseases, where she sets up regular conferences on the issues of infectious diseases. She also acts as Chairperson of the Pediatric Infections Division in the Public Health Department. Dr. Ysachova’s academic background includes a MBA from the Zaporozhye State Medical University (1994) and a PhD from the Crimean State Medical University (2003). Her thesis dealt with the diagnosis and treatment of Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in children. She has a strong interest in issues related to congenital viral infections, respiratory infections, and Hib-infections. Her main responsibility in the GABRIEL network is data analysis and evaluation of the ALRI and TB research programmes.

Dr. Elizabeth Silina joined the faculty of the Zaporozhye State Medical University 26 years ago as Assistant Professor at the Hospital of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. She is responsible for research conducted by students in the fields of pediatric infectious diseases. Dr. Silina is a Consultant Physician for 500 patients at the Pediatric Hospital in Zaporozhye. As a medical doctor specialized in pediatric infectious diseases, she worked for 5 years (1976-1981) in the infectious disease department of the District Hospital in the Donetsk region. Dr. Silina received her M.S. in 1988 and, in 1986, her PhD in Pediatrics from O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University in Kiev. Her thesis dealt with the pathogenesis of viral hepatitis A and B in children. She has published over 80 papers in scientific journals. Dr. Silina is a member of the Regional Society of Infectious Diseases. In the GABRIEL network she is responsible for the selection of patients and the processing of samples for the ALRI research programme.

Dr. Natalia Kolesnik is Associate Professor in the Department of Tuberculosis at Zaporozhye State Medical University. She is responsible for teaching and training of students and interns. Dr. Kolesnik is also a Consultant Physician in the Pediatric Department of the Regional TB Dispensary. After her training at Zaporozhye State Medical University, she received her MBA in 1999 and her PhD in Pediatrics in 2005. Dr. Kolesnik worked as a physician at the TB Dispensary from 1992 to 1994. Her current research deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis in children exposed to a family source of infection. Dr. Kolesnik is member of the Regional Society of Pediatricians. She was the recipient an award from the Regional Public Health Department. She is the author more than 75 scientific publications and review articles. In the GABRIEL network, she is responsible for the selection of patients and the processing of samples for the TB research programme.

Dr. Elena Zelenukhina has acted as head of the Virology laboratory of the Zaporozhye Regional Laboratory Centre of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service since 2008. She is responsible for the strategic planning and qualitative management of the laboratory, including its research activities. After graduation from the Leningrad Medical Institute of Hygiene and Sanitation in 1995, Dr. Zelenukhina worked at the District department of the Zaporozhye Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, and was in charge of services there as a sanitary inspector and bacteriologist until 2000. She was subsequently trained in virology and has received the highest level of certification as a virologist. Dr. Zelenukhina completed the advanced course, ‘PCR in diagnosis of infectious diseases’, in 2011, and is now developing tests for the diagnosis of pathogens using Real Time PCR, Multiplex PCR, ELISA automated processing, and various cell culture-based techniques.

Dr. Victoria Chaykovskaya is a virologist in the Virology laboratory of the Zaporozhye Regional Laboratory Centre of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service. She is responsible for conducting laboratory tests using viral cultures, ELISA, and RT PCR technologies. Dr. Chaykovskaya graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute in 1992, and after completing internal medicine residency in the field of microbiology and virology, she worked as a bacteriologist at the doctoral level at the Zaporozhye City Sanitary and Epidemiological Service from 1995 to 2010. In 2010, Dr. Chaykovskaya received training in virology and received the highest level of certification a virologist. She presently works in the diagnosis of influenza, and enteroviral, rotaviral, arboviral infections, as well as the monitoring of stress on the immune system in vaccine-induced infections.