Prof. Karine Lacombe

France (Chair)

Prof. Karine Lacombe is a physician specialising in infectious diseases and public health, whose clinical practice, teaching and research focus on viral infections, in particular HIV infection, chronic viral hepatitis and Covid‑19. She is Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Health of Sorbonne Université and Hospital Practitioner in infectious diseases, heading the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at Saint‑Antoine University Hospital (AP‑HP) in Paris.

Trained in medicine and public health in France, she initially developed her academic career in the field of HIV and viral hepatitis, and on access to care in resource‑limited settings. She has been actively involved for many years in international clinical research collaborations and humanitarian programmes in the field of communicable diseases.

Prof. Lacombe has played a leading role in France in clinical management and research of viral infections, contributing to national recommendations and coordinating clinical trials, notably on passive immunotherapy strategies. Beyond her scientific work, she is also a prominent public voice in debates on global health, hospital governance and gender equality in medicine.