Prof. Kirsten Maertens is affiliated with the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination located at the University of Antwerp. Prof. Maertens is conducting research on different aspects of vaccination in pregnancy. Her comprehensive research portfolio includes a wide spectrum of research within the maternal immunization field going from clinical trials looking at safety and immunogenicity of this vaccination strategy to research focusing on vaccine confidence.

The first pathogen she focused her research on was pertussis. But over the last years, her research also broadened up to other vaccine preventable diseases which are a target for maternal immunization like RSV, GBS, Mpox and COVID-19.

Prof. Maertens is also a member of the National Immunization Advisory Board in Belgium where she is currently responsible for the revision of the guideline on maternal immunization.