On December 1, 2025, the University of Innsbruck invites the public to a distinguished panel discussion at Innsbruck City Library. Prof. Gisa Gerold, Director of the Institute of Virology at the Medical University of Innsbruck, will discuss current insights from virus research and their implications for the future together with Prof. Florian Krammer.

Key discussion topics:

• How society can better prepare for future public health challenges
• Practical implementation of scientific findings from recent years
• Current developments in virus research and pandemic preparedness
• Regional aspects with particular focus on Tyrol

The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Gert Mayer, Rector of the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Admission: Free

Registration: Tel. +43 512 5360 5700 (Limited seats available, early reservation recommended)

The event is barrier-free and supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Short Biographies:

Florian Krammer is the Mount Sinai Foundation Professor of Vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and Co-Director of the Center for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness. Since 2025, he has also served as Director of the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute, a joint venture of several Austrian institutions including the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Gisa Gerold has been researching human infectious diseases since her doctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. Following positions at Rockefeller University in New York, Hannover Medical School, and Umeå University in Sweden, she was appointed Director of the Institute of Virology in Innsbruck in 2024. Her research focuses on emerging viruses, particularly mosquito-borne and zoonotic viruses, as well as hepatitis viruses.