START Research Assistants Present Findings at ISPPD 2026 in Copenhagen

The START Center’s Serotype Epidemiology of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD) project, commissioned by the Pneumonia and Pandemic Preparedness program strategy team at the Gates Foundation, tracks the global distribution of IPD serotypes using more than 300,000 isolates spanning 90 countries. The project’s findings are made publicly accessible through the Global Pneumococcal Serotype Interactive Dashboard (GPSID), an interactive tool supporting researchers, policymakers, and public health professionals in exploring global IPD burden, trends, and vaccine coverage.

In May 2026, the START Center’s IPD serotype epidemiology team traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark for the 14th International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD-14), presenting four accepted posters on the team’s ongoing work using data from GPSID.

Three current START research assistants — Jennifer Rosauer, Sunita Nolan, and Miyu Niwa — along with two former team members, Anna Sutton and Elizabeth Wyckoff, co-authored the accepted posters, which explored differences in global IPD serotype distribution by age group, the role of expanded-serotype PCVs in vaccine coverage, the influence of “unknown” and “other” isolate classifications on coverage estimates, and shifts in serotype distribution before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jennifer Rosauer also delivered a live demonstration of the GPSID dashboard during Workshop 07: Sustaining Strong Pneumonia Control Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, showcasing the tool’s capabilities to a global audience of pneumococcal disease researchers, clinicians, and public health practitioners.

Jennifer Rosauer presenting the GPSID live demo during ISPPD-14 Workshop 07

Jennifer, Sunita, and Miyu in front of their posters at ISPPD-14

START Research Assistants Present Findings at ISPPD 2026 in Copenhagen

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