The PReS Vaccination Working Party is dedicated to safeguarding immunocompromised children with pediatric inflammatory rheumatologic diseases from vaccine-preventable infections. Because these patients are at increased risk of severe complications from infections, we focus on improving vaccination strategies, generating high-quality evidence, and ensuring that both clinicians and families have access to clear, reliable, and up-to-date information.
Meet our members:
Chair: Merav Heshin Bekenstein: Director of the Pediatric Rheumatology Service, Dana Dwek Children's Hospital of Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. Completed her training in Pediatric Rheumatology at the University of California San Francisco in 2018 and since 2019 is directing the rheumatology in Dana Children’s. Merav is co-chairing the CARRA Vaccination Working Group and Vaccinations in children with rheumatic diseases is among her top interest for research and education. She was one of the first to publish prospective data regarding the safety and immunogenicity of the COVID-19 vaccine in pediatric rheumatology.
Secretary: Dr Marc Jansen: Department of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, UMC Utrecht. Completed his fellowship in Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology in UMC in 2021. Chaired the 2021 EULAR/PReS Recommendations on Vaccinations in Immunocompromised children and is PI of meningococcal, MMR, COVID-19 and varicella vaccination studies.
Research pillars:
Amra Adrovic: Associate Professor of Pediatric Rheumatology at Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. As part of her research she participatred in national and international studies evaluating vaccine safety, immunogenicity, and vaccination practices among children with rheumatic diseases, related to the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as MMR vaccine, HAV, and BCG vaccine.
Mohamad Hamad Saied: Director of the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit at Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, and currently completing his PhD at Utrecht University. His research focuses on vaccination in children with pediatric rheumatic diseases, including the safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness of MMR, COVID-19, and recombinant zoster vaccines.
Clinical pillars:
Tomáš Dallos: Pediatric Rheumatologist, Head of Department of Paediatrics at Comenius University Medical School in Bratislava, Slovakia. His research focuses in factors affeceting the prognosis of Juvenile Idioapthic Arthritis and the safety, immunogenicity and effectivenes of vaccinations in children with rheumatic diseases.
Mariana Rodrigues: Pediatric Rheumatologist at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Porto, Portugal.
Education and training pillar:
Natasa Toplak: Department of Allergy, Rheumatology and Immunnology in UCH Lubljana, Slovenia; founder of the PReS Vaccination Working Party and PI of many vaccination studies including the currently ongoing prospective European Study for MMR booster to children with rheumatic diseases.
ENCA representative: Natalie Billiard
YIM / EMERGE representative: Amit Ziv, Pediatric Rheumatologist at Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel. Her research focuses on vaccinations in children with pediatric rheumatic diseases, including a nationwide real-world study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination.
We aim to:
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Identify gaps in vaccination coverage and develop strategies to optimize immunization rates in pediatric rheumatology patients.
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Provide accurate, evidence-based information and guidance for healthcare professionals, patients and their families and the wider public.
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Conduct and support collaborative research exploring the safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness of vaccines in children with rheumatological conditions, including those receiving immunosuppressive therapies.
Current activities
Our Working Party is actively engaged in a range of clinical, research, and educational initiatives, including:
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A prospective PReS Working Party clinical trial on MMR vaccination in pediatric rheumatology patients receiving biologic DMARDs, evaluating safety and immune response.
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Ongoing surveys assessing vaccination practices, safety perceptions, and preventable disease risks in this patient population.
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Educational programs, including PReS webinars and locally organized sessions, aimed at improving awareness and clinical practice regarding vaccination in immunocompromised children.
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Contributions to the development of international guidelines to harmonize and improve vaccination recommendations in pediatric rheumatology across different healthcare settings.
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Creating the vaccination guide for families of kids with rheumatic diseases for the new coming (2026) PReSTaR parent website.
Together, these activities support our overarching mission to enhance protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and improve long-term outcomes for children with rheumatological conditions.
