Prof Florian Maurer

Prof Maurer is a medical doctor trained in Germany, Switzerland and South Africa with over 10 years of experience in clinical microbiology, specifically in diagnostic mycobacteriology and antimicrobial resistance. He has a strong interest in shaping the diagnostic landscape for infectious diseases on a global level. He holds both German and Swiss specialist degrees in clinical microbiology and serves as the Head of the German National Reference Center for Mycobacteria at Research Center Borstel, an institution with a long and well-regarded track record in the field which also serves as a WHO Supranational Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis. He leads a TB diagnostic service that processes approximately 20,000 samples from diverse national and international backgrounds annually. He has extensive experience both in conventional, culture-based mycobacteriology and in molecular diagnostics including whole-genome sequencing and targeted next-generation sequencing. He routinely translates diagnostic findings into therapeutic recommendations both for individual patients and on a programmatic level. He is a Core Group Member of the European Laboratory Initiative at WHO Europe and regularly advises on TB care in both low- and high-incidence settings. He is actively pursuing research on TB diagnostics that is reflected by over 60 peer-reviewed publications.