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Young Investigators​

The EUSTAR Young Investigators Group is a subgroup of EUSTAR, first founded in 2007 and lead by young emerging experts in the field of Scleroderma.

This group has so far enrolled new members (all under forty) from EUSTAR centres and different subgroups were created in order to cover all spectrums of interest in the scleroderma field. First of all, education will be a strategic focus point for this group, aiming at identifying outstanding clinical, epidemiological and basic science news in the field of scleroderma during international congresses and disseminating to the whole scleroderma community, through the use of the Internet and social media.

Another important objective of this group will be to increase the visibility of EUSTAR and help gather more people devoted to scleroderma patients. Moreover, the Young Investigators Group will also have members focussing on previously unexplored areas to create possible future research projects in both basic, transitional and clinical science, and is dedicated to promoting young emerging researchers’ ideas.

The EUSTAR Young Investigators Group is welcoming new members continuously! Feel free to contact Dr Maria-Grazia Lazzaroni (counsellors@eustar.org) for further info.

Current chair:

Maria-Grazia Lazzaroni, Brescia, Italy

Current Group coordinators:
  • Clinical science: Alain Lescoat (France) and Shiri Keret (Israel)
  • Basic science: Muriel Elhai (Switzerland)
  • Education and Congresses: Stefano Di Donato (UK)
  • Social Media: Jelena Colic (Serbia)
Current members 2022-2025
  • Abdulla Watad​,Israel
  • Alain Lescoat,​France
  • Alessandro Giollo, Italy
  • Alexandra Burlui,Romania
  • Alfredo Guillen del Castillo,Spain
  • Ana Maria Gheorghiu,​Romania
  • Audrey Benyamine, France
  • Aurèlian Chepy, France
  • Ayse Kocak Sezgin,Turkey
  • Barbara Russo, Switzerland
  • Benjamin Chaigne, France
  • Blaz Burja, Slovenia
  • Catarina Duarte, Portugal
  • Catarina Tenazinha, Portugal
  • Claudia Cobilinski, Romania
  • Claudio Di Vico, Italy
  • Corrado Campochiaro, Italy
  • Cosimo Bruni, Italy
  • Devis Benfaremo, Italy
  • Elhai Muriel, Switzerland
  • Elisabetta Zanatta, Italy
  • Emanuela Praino, Italy
  • Emmanuel Ledoult, France
  • Enrico De Lorenzis, Italy
  • Eugenia Bertoldo, Italy
  • Florentina Negoi, Romania
  • Giacomo de Luca, Italy
  • Greta Pellegrino, Italy
  • Håvard Fretheim, Norway
  • Hilde Jenssen Bjorkekjaer, Norway
  • Imon Barua, Norway
  • Ion-Alexandru Garaiman, Switzerland
  • Iulia Szabo, Romania
  • Jakob Höppner, Germany
  • Jelena Colic, Serbia
  • Jennifer Ben Shimol, Israel
  • Jens Vikse,Norway
  • Joana Caetano, Portugal
  • Julia Spierings, Netherlands
  • Kristina Clark, UK
  • Maithri Prasad Aspari, Denmark
  • Marco Di Battista, Italy
  • Maria Grazia Lazzaroni, Italy
  • Maria Martin Lopez, Spain
  • Marin Petric, Croatia
  • Michael Hughes, UK
  • Michele Iudici, Switzerland
  • Mickael Essouma, Cameroun
  • Mihnea Casian, Romania
  • Patricia Martins, Portugal
  • Philipp Klemm, Germany
  • Rucsandra Dobrota, Switzerland
  • Russka Shumnalieva, Bulgaria
  • Tania Louza Santiago, Portugal
  • Vasco Romão, Portugal
  • Zuzanna Gogulska, Poland
  • Yossra Atef Suliman, Egypt
Past Working group leaders
  • Jeska de Vries-Bouwstra, Leiden-Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • John Pauling, Bath, UK
  • Marie-Elise Truchetet, Bordeaux, France
  • Cosimo Bruni, Florence, Italy.
Past members 2019-2022
  • Tunde Minier Pecs, Ungary
  • Kristina Clark London, UK
  • Michael Hughes Manchester, UK
  • John Pauling Bath, UK
  • Elhai Muriel Zurich, Switzerland
  • Rucsandra Dobrota Zurich, Switzerland
  • Michele Iudici Geneva, Switzerland
  • Veronika Jaeger Basel, Switzerland
  • Alfredo Guillen del Castillo Barcelona, Spain
  • Walter Alberto Sifuentes Giraldo Madrid, Spain
  • Jorge Juan Gonzalez Martin Madrid, Spain
  • Sergi Heredia Martin Madrid, Spain
  • Blaz Burja Lublijana/Zurich, Slovenia/Switzerland
  • Jelena Colic Belgrade, Serbia
  • Ana Maria Gheorghiu Bucharest, Romania
  • Alexandra Burlui Iasi, Romania
  • Carina Mihai Bucharest, Romania
  • Tânia Santiago Coimbra, Portugal
  • Catarina Duarte Almeda, Portugal
  • Catarina Tenazinha Lisbon, Portugal
  • Joana Caetano Almada, Portugal
  • Patricia Martins Lisbon, Portugal
  • Inês Cordeiro Lisbon, Portugal
  • Cristina Ponte Lisbon, Portugal
  • Håvard Fretheim Oslo, Norway
  • Imon Barua Oslo, Norway
  • Anna-Maria Hoffmann-Vold Oslo, Norway
  • Julia Spierings Utrecht, Netherlands
  • Jeska de Vries-Bouwstra Leiden-Nijmegen, Netherlands
  • Corrado Campochiaro milano SR, Italy
  • Cosimo Bruni Firenze, Italy
  • Elisabetta Zanatta Padova, Italy
  • Eugenia Bertoldo Verona, Italy
  • Giacomo de Luca milano SR, Italy
  • Maria Grazia Lazzaroni Brescia, Italy
  • Alessandro Giollo Verona, Italy
  • Emanuela Praino Bari, Italy
  • Devis Benfaremo Ancona, Italy
  • Mattia Congia Cagliari, Italy
  • Elisa Visali Catania, Italy
  • Gemma Lepri Firenze, Italy
  • Giovanna Cuomo Naples, Italy
  • Edoardo Rosato Roma, Italy
  • Cristian Caimmi Verona, Italy
  • Alberto Floris Cagliari, Italy
  • Matteo Piga Cagliari, Italy
  • Jennifer Ben Shimol Wolfson Medical Center, Israel
  • Abdulla Watad Tel-Hashomer, Israel
  • Pia Moinzadeh Köln, Germany
  • Doreen Belz Köln, Germany
  • Alina Soare Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
  • Elise Siegert Berlin, Germany
  • Alain Lescoat Rennes, France
  • Emmanuel Ledoult Lille, France
  • Audrey Benyamine Marseille, France
  • Benjamin Chaigne Paris, France
  • Aurèlian Chepy Lille, France
  • Marie-Elise Truchetet Bordeaux, France
  • Vincent Sobanski Lille, France
  • Yossra Atef Suliman Assiut, Egypt
  • Maithri Prasad Aspari Aarhus, Denmark
  • Marin Petric Split, Croatia
  • Barbara Russo Geneva, Switzerland
  • © 2024 European Scleroderma Trials and Research Group (EUSTAR)