The Hidden Burden: Chronic Diseases & Respiratory Viruses - Keynote at the Respiratory Virus Summit 2026

Nationality: Dutch 

Position: Intensivist, Spaarne Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Senior Scientist, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Research fields: Special interest in acute care and infectious diseases

ESWI member since 2016

Marco Goeijenbier completed his Ph.D. in virology, focusing on "Haemostasis and Virus Infection," at Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2015. He currently serves as a specialist in acute internal medicine and critical care at Spaarne Hospital in Haarlem, The Netherlands. His expertise spans various aspects of infectious diseases, particularly in critical care medicine and viral infections. In addition to his clinical work, Goeijenbier holds a research position at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, where he mentors PhD students exploring critical care medicine and viral infections. His research interests focus on severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) pathogenesis, epidemiology, and their interaction with the coagulation system.

Some of Goeijenbier’s most published articles include:

1. Presence of procoagulant peripheral blood mononuclear cells in severe COVID-19 patients relate to ventilation perfusion mismatch and precede pulmonary embolism 
2.  Determinants of vaccination uptake in risk populations: A comprehensive literature review. 
3. Benefits of flu vaccination for persons with diabetes mellitus. 
4. Early Patient-Triggered Pressure Support Breathing in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19 May Be Associated with Lower Rates of Acute Kidney Injury

Dr. Goeijenbier is ESWI’s lead member and Chair in the Influenza Diabetes Community (IDC). The IDC connects leading diabetes, patient, scientific, and professional organizations around the common aim of protecting persons living with diabetes from influenza and other viral respiratory diseases like COVID-19.

Starting January 2023, Dr. Goeijenbier has taken on the role of Chair of Medical Research and Education at Spaarne Hospital. Furthermore, since January 2024, Marco is the Editor in Chief for Nature Springer Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine, and Vaccines.

Research Fields: Cardiovascular Imaging, Heart Failure, Infections effect on cardiovascular outcomes, Randomized clinical trials

Dr. Biering-Sørensen has an outstanding academic and research background. He earned his medical degree from the University of Copenhagen in 2011 and completed his Ph.D. at the same institution in 2015. He subsequently obtained a Master of Public Health from Harvard University in 2018 and a Master of Science in Clinical Trials from University of Oxford in 2023.

He is the Founding Head of the Center for Translational Cardiology and Pragmatic Randomized Trials (CTCPR), a collaborative initiative between Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev-Gentofte and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. He is also the Founding Head of the Cardiovascular Non-Invasive Imaging Research Laboratory (CIRL), an internationally recognized research center renowned for its pioneering work in cardiovascular imaging.

Together with his team at CTCPR and CIRL, comprising more than 50 affiliated researchers, Dr. Biering-Sørensen leads extensive research focused on the application of cardiovascular imaging to improve individualized risk assessment and patient care. He has also initiated and led several large-scale pragmatic randomized clinical trials leveraging Denmark’s nationwide health registries, making significant contributions to the development and implementation of pragmatic trial methodologies.

As an academic leader, Dr. Biering-Sørensen has received numerous prestigious national and international research awards in recognition of his scientific contributions. He has authored more than 550 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, and Nature Medicine. In addition, he mentors a large number of medical students, Ph.D. candidates, and postdoctoral researchers, providing guidance across a broad range of clinical research disciplines, with particular expertise in cardiovascular imaging, randomized clinical trials, heart failure, and the cardiovascular consequences of infectious diseases.