advisor for the German Robert Koch Institute. He has published more than 180 papers on pneumonia, pneumococcal vaccines, respiratory infections, antimicrobial resistance and pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in the critically ill. He has also received numerous scientific awards, e.g. the Honor Award Certificate from the CDC, the Kass Award of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Respiratory Infections Award from the ERS. https://doi.org/10.1183/2312508X.10000917 ix