With high-level expertise in the main specific disease areas as well as in some important generic determinants of infectious diseases, the Office of the Chief Scientist drives the scientific agenda of the ECDC, and oversees the quality of the scientific output of the Centre.

The Office works in three sections:

Disease Programmes: Comprising the Heads of the seven Disease Programmes: antibiotic resistance and healthcare-associated infections; emerging and vector borne diseases; food- and waterborne diseases; HIV, sexually transmitted infections and hepatitis; influenza; tuberculosis; vaccine-preventable diseases. Leading the specific activities and projects linked to individual diseases or disease areas.

Health Impact: Developing over-arching projects, such as environmental determinants – including climate change – of infections, as well as assessing the burden of infectious disease in the EU.

Scientific Advice Coordination: Managing the Centre’s process of handling requests for scientific advice, and developing evidence-based methods for public health.

Additionally, responsibilities and resources for developing and maintaining an in-house programme to ascertain a high level of public health knowledge among the staff are based in this Office.

With a limited number of staff, the Office builds its activities on close cooperation with the other Units, and not least on extensive networks with other scientific institutions and experts in the EU and globally.