Call for open application for new members of the International Steering Committee (ISC) of Shiga toxin (verocytotoxin) producing Escherichia coli infection  –  triennial meetings, known as international VTEC meetings!

Since the first international VTEC meeting in 1988 held in Toronto, we are heading now for the 12^th VTEC meeting in May in Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Our triennial VTEC meetings are the best characterized as being held with the One Health Approach which means a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach between professionals from various backgrounds working from local, regional national and global levels on everything around the STEC bacteria and at that linking human, animal and environmental health.  The main goal is to have the most complete ongoing global knowledge of the STEC pathogen which contributes to better human, animal and environmental health, as well improved food safety

Just as our triennial international VTEC meetings which harbor medical microbiologists, veterinary microbiologist, food microbiologists, molecular microbiologist, public health/environmental microbiologist, (pediatric) gastro-enterologist and (pediatric) nephrologist, so is also our international Steering committee.

Our main goal of the ISC is to have every triennial year an international VTEC meeting organized by a group of VTEC members in an easily accessible location in the world to exchange our knowledge according to the One Health Approach. The majority of our ISC team has organized this VTEC meeting in the past, and give advice from experience to each local VTEC organizing. We have ISC-meeting online three-four times a year and have meetings in person on each VTEC meeting location

Due to retirement of members of ISC at the moment and in the near future, we have vacancies available in our ISC team.

Are you the person who has a clearly special interest in the STEC pathogen from a certain professional angle, likes to work in multidisciplinary setting, enjoys the stimulating multidisciplinary discussions,  wants to contribute to the VTEC community to make these triennial VTEC meetings happen, then you might be the right person to join the ISC! You will not get paid, it will cost you some 10 hours a year, but you will be embedded in a multidisciplinary enthusiastic VTEC steering committee to keep STEC / VTEC field moving!

You can always ask some further information to the current ISC members, which names you find below,

Please email your application by March 31, 2026 to, Prof Dr Nicole van de Kar, nicole.vandekar@radboudumc.nl , current chair of the ISC-VTEC

Kind regards, from the current members of the  ISC-VTEC meetings, Stefano Morabito, Jim Kaper, Todd Callaway, Tim McAllister, Nicola Holden, Herbert Schmidt, Gady Frankel, Phill Tarr, Iruka Okeke, Haruo Watanabe, honorary advisory members Patricia Griffin and Mohamed Karmali,

Nicole van de Kar

Photo taken at 11th VTEC 2023 meeting, Banff, Canada, attending members of ISC-VTEC 2023