Burden of disease - A focus on acute respiratory viruses in older adults

Nationality: Italian

Position: Research Director, CNR Ageing Branch, Neuroscience Institute, Padova (Italy)

Research Fields: Clinical epidemiology and geriatrics. Main focus on lifelong approach to healthy ageing

ESWI member since 2022

Dr. Stefania Maggi received her degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Padua, Italy in 1983. She also attended the Graduate School of Geriatrics and Gerontology from the same University until 1987 and in 1988 she received her Master in Public Health from John Hopkins University in Baltimore (USA). Dr. Maggi also holds a PhD in Clinical Pathophysiology from the University of Padua, which she received in 2000.

Dr. Maggi has a specific interest in the epidemiology of ageing and in the analysis of factors promoting health ageing in a lifelong approach. From 1983-1985, Dr. Maggi worked as an attending physician at the Internal Medicine Department for the University Hospital in Padua before she spent the years of 1988-1989 as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), for the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland (USA). From 1989-1993, she worked as the Coordinator for the WHO Program on Ageing, before she moved on to work as a researcher in the Ageing branch at the Institute of Neuroscience, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR), Padua. Dr. Maggi worked as a researcher from 1993-2007 before becoming Research Director for the same branch and institute, in 2007, a position she currently holds. In this position, she coordinates several national and international research projects on nutrition, vaccines and lifestyle as key factors for promoting healthy ageing. Dr. Maggi is also an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Schools of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Padua, which she has been since 2000.

Moreover, Dr. Maggi is the Editor in Chief of “Ageing Clinical and Experimental Research” (Springer) and has more than 800 publications, both in peer-reviewed journals and many book chapters.

Dr. Kirsty Short is an NHMRC research fellow and head of the viral pathogenesis lab at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland.



Dr. Short and her group focus on reducing the severity of emerging respiratory viral infections. Their group performs a large amount of research on the role of chronic metabolic conditions (namely diabetes and obesity) in severe viral infections. Their work also includes a focus on avian influenza (‘bird flu’) in the context of pandemic preparedness.



Their group also works with SARS-CoV-2 with a particular focus on the role of children in disease transmission, the development of novel therapies and reducing disease severity in patients living with diabetes and obesity.

Through her leadership at the International Federation on Ageing Dr Barratt strives to influence and help shape policies that impact older people of today and future generations.



Maintaining and building organisational relationships is viewed by Jane as the most critical task in influencing change. She has committed across her career to effectively connect experts from the United Nations, World Health Organization (WHO), government, industry, NGOs and academia to advance critical policy portfolios through the lens of older people.



Jane has an acute sense of organizational management, staff development and the analysis of operations leading to improvements in policies, programs and client outcomes across sectors and disciplines. Her attention to detail is not only a hallmark of her work and career but intensely frustrating at times to her staff and extended network!



Among her many honors Dr Barratt is a Churchill Fellow, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in Canada in recognition of her commitment and passion to enhance the understanding of issues relating to ageing and engaging in dialogue with governments and the private sector to improve the quality of life of older people.



She is a strong and passionate contributor to international dialogue on tough age-related policy issues that impact the lives and human rights of older people. As international speaker and facilitator of some repute, Jane has been known to deliver thought provoking sessions that call on audiences to take action.



Dr Barratt represents the IFA at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, is directly responsible for the formal relations with the Ageing and Life Course Department, WHO and holds executive and board positions on ministerial, government and NGOs and on occasions coordinates and leads international research efforts.