• Infection Control
• Tropical Laboratory Sciences (PBL for Biomedical Scientists)

Jan Jacobs (°1959) Medical doctor KU Leuven, (Belgium 1984), Clinical Pathologist (Belgium, 1989), Clinical Microbiologist (The Netherlands, 1991), PhD “Streptococcus milleri", Maastricht University 1996), certified in Hospital Infection Prevention & Control (KU Leuven 1991).

 From 1990 to 2005, I was appointed at the University of Maastricht (Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences). I was involved in diagnostic microbiology and infection prevention and control (University Hospital Maastricht), teaching (executive and coordinating functions, awards: Best Tutor/Coach (2x), Best Lecturer, Faculty Teaching Award) and research (invasive streptococci and bronchoalveolar lavage microscopy).

 Since 2006, I am appointed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM, Antwerp, Belgium) as Professor in Tropical Laboratory Medicine and since 2014 as a 10% part-time associated professor at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium). At ITM, I am heading the unit of Tropical Bacteriology at the Department of Clinical Sciences. I am involved in patient care (clinical laboratory of the travel clinic, Belgium reference laboratory for Plasmodium 2006 - 2016), teaching (Infection Control, Clinical Laboratory) and oversea capacity building projects about microbiological surveillance of invasive bacterial diseases (bloodstream infections) at the level of referral hospital. I am (co)-promoter of ITM capacity building projects in the sub-Saharan Africa, Cambodia and Peru. My research focuses on implementation of clinical bacteriology in tropical low resource settings, addressing field-adapted laboratory techniques, antibiotic resistance and hospital infection prevention and control.

 I was technical advisor for the World Health Organization (WHO) Prequalification of Diagnostics Program (test product review, ISO 13485 manufacturing site inspections, 2012 – 2016), Chair of the Procurement and Supply Working Group Diagnostics of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (2012-14) and member of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on In Vitro Diagnostics (SAGE IVD, 2017) contributing to the WHO Essential Diagnostic List. Since 2016, I am expert for the WHO Expert Review Panel for Diagnostics (ERPD).