Irja Lutsar

Professor Irja Lutsar MD, PhD serves as Head of the Department of Microbiology (ARMB) at the University of Tartu in Estonia. With over two decades of experience spanning industry, clinical practice, and academic leadership, she has established herself as a leading researcher in pediatric infectious diseases and antimicrobial pharmacology. Her dual affiliations with the National Cancer Institute (NIH) since 2010 and East Tallinn Central Hospital since 2011 demonstrate her integration across clinical, academic, and international research settings.

Professor Lutsar's research interests encompass:

• Infectious disease dynamics in vulnerable populations
• Antibiotic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in neonates
• HIV transmission and drug resistance patterns
• SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology across age groups
• Pediatric clinical trial methodology

Her publication record of 250 papers with over 43,000 reads and 8,500 citations reflects substantial scholarly impact. Recent work shows a strong focus on optimizing antibiotic dosing through model-informed precision approaches, particularly for vancomycin in neonates, and investigating pandemic dynamics with attention to age-specific patterns. She has led significant multi-center trials including NeoVanc and NeoMero that address critical gaps in pediatric antibiotic therapy.

Professor Lutsar's leadership extends to international collaborative networks, most notably conect4children (c4c), an Innovative Medicines Initiative project developing a pan-European pediatric clinical trial infrastructure. Her work bridges fundamental microbiology, clinical pharmacology, and practical healthcare implementation, with particular emphasis on improving outcomes for neonates and children facing infectious disease challenges.