Erik Karlsson
National Influenza Center of Cambodia and H5 Reference Laboratory, WHO Global COVID-19 Referral Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Dr. Erik Karlsson received his doctorate from the Department of Nutrition at the Gilling’s School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was also awarded certificates for study in Translational Medicine and Field Epidemiology.
Following completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Karlsson performed postdoctoral work at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Currently, Dr. Karlsson serves as the Deputy Head of the Virology Unit at Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He is the Director of the National Influenza Center and the Regional WHO H5 Reference Laboratory, and is integral to the ongoing global response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the Coordinator of the WHO COVID-19 Global Reference Laboratory.
Dr. Karlsson is an internationally recognized expert in influenza (both human seasonal and avian) and other respiratory viruses, especially those with zoonotic and pandemic potential. He consults for organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and is the founder of the Consortium of Animal market Networks to Assess Risk of emerging Infectious diseases through Enhanced Surveillance (CANARIES).