Theoklis Zaoutis
For over two decades, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis has worked as a physician, researcher, professor, and leader in the fields of pediatric infectious diseases and public health in both the United States and Europe. His research and policy interests have focused on healthcare-acquired infections (HAI), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship, and vaccination. Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis served as President of the National Public Health Organization (NPHO) in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021–23) and currently holds an appointment as Professor of Pediatrics at the National and Kapodistrian School of Medicine and as Professor Emeritus in Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he served as Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases from 2014–18. The majority of Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis’ medical training took place in the United States, with the exception of his PhD, which was completed at the National and Kapodistrian School of Medicine in Athens, Greece.
The Greek NPHO has approximately 380 full-time employees and more than 1000 contract employees hired in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the refugee crisis in Greece. As part of his vision for the organization, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis worked vigorously with international partners and the U.S. CDC to create a new organizational chart and a proposal for the establishment of an agency with a clear mission and vision, job descriptions, defined roles, and standard operating procedures adapted to the structure and realities of Greece. Furthermore, he secured significant funding (over 20 million euros) from the European Recovery Fund for two major initiatives: digitalizing public health data and strengthening preparedness and response planning for future public health crises, including but not limited to pandemics. In his capacity at the Greek NPHO, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis serves on several EU committees, including the Ad Hoc EU Health Task Force Committee (focused on preparedness and response in public health), the ECDC Management Board, and the EU Health Security Council.
Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis has significant expertise in the areas of infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance, and vaccination. In Greece, he founded the Collaborative Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research (CLEO) in 2011. CLEO’s work includes the design and implementation of programs to prevent HAIs, promote the judicious use of antibiotics, and conduct international, multi-center research in epidemiology, infectious disease, vaccination, and antibiotic resistance. In 2016, CLEO established a national HAI surveillance network, which includes neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, pediatric oncology units, and specialized departments in general hospitals across Greece. The following year, CLEO was one of twenty-seven NGOs shortlisted for the European Commission’s EU Health Award. The results of CLEO’s work are regularly published in internationally renowned scientific journals, presented at global conferences, and featured in Greek and international media. In 2016, in collaboration with the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID), CLEO began coordinating RANIN-KIDS, a twenty-center European consortium designed to reduce HAIs and inappropriate antibiotic use in pediatric patients.
At the national level in Greece, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis serves as a consultant to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) initiative “Supporting Greece’s Health Sector,” formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding between the SNF and the Greek State in March 2018. He also serves as a consultant to the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Greece, supporting the Ministry of Health in developing primary healthcare clinical guidelines and prescribing protocols for acute respiratory infections and urinary tract infections. In his role as President of the Greek NPHI, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis oversaw the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the overarching restructuring and strengthening of the public health organization in areas such as preparedness, response, and epidemiologic surveillance.
In Europe, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis served on the Antibiotic Resistance and Prescribing in European Children (ARPEC) Working Group and held roles in ESPID, including serving as Director of the 2019 Research Master Class and as a member of the Bone and Joint Infections Guideline Committee. In 2018, he was appointed Chief Scientific Officer of the Penta Foundation, one of Europe’s leading institutions in pediatric infectious diseases research. Penta coordinates and sponsors several major EU-funded projects, including PREPARE, which supports rapid responses to severe infectious disease outbreaks and provides real-time evidence to guide clinical and public health decision-making.
In the United States, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis served as Chair of the Pediatric Special Emphasis Panel of the NIH Antimicrobial Leadership Group, as a member of the CDC Board of Scientific Counselors’ AMR Working Group, and as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases (the Red Book Committee). He is the author of more than 270 peer-reviewed publications—primarily in pediatric infectious diseases with a focus on HAIs, antimicrobial use and resistance, and vaccination—and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS) from 2011–2021.
In addition to his work in public policy, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis’ research on HAIs and AMR has significantly advanced these fields. He has led teams of healthcare epidemiologists in research identifying prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of HAIs caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms, as well as studies on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). His research on antimicrobial stewardship has helped define standards for pediatric stewardship programs in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including qualitative studies on barriers to stewardship implementation. His cluster-randomized outpatient stewardship trial, funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), resulted in a 40% reduction in inappropriate antibiotic use for common respiratory infections—an effect size greater than previously reported.
Administratively, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis created and directed the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at CHOP from 2004–2011. As Chief of Infectious Diseases, he also oversaw the Vaccine Education Center at CHOP, a WHO-recognized member of the Vaccine Safety Net due to its credibility and scientific accuracy.
Beyond his expertise in HAIs, AMR, and vaccination, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis has substantial experience in methodological research. He has served as Director of the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness Research (CPCE) at CHOP since 2014 and was Associate Director for seven years prior. CPCE’s mission is to discover and disseminate best practices in pediatric care, centralize clinical effectiveness research, and mentor junior investigators. CPCE includes 30 core faculty members, more than 50 researchers, and a healthcare analytics unit staffed by nine full-time programmers. Research from CPCE has informed, or is informing, guidelines from ACIP, IDSA, and PIDS.
Finally, Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis has strong leadership skills and extensive experience managing large organizations. As Scientific Consultant at the Penta Foundation, he coordinates a global network of hundreds of researchers and physicians across 90 clinical sites in 18 countries. Penta also coordinates the newly funded Collaborative Network for European Clinical Trials for Children (c4c), a multidisciplinary partnership including 33 academic and 10 industry partners across 20 countries, more than 50 third parties, and over 500 affiliated partners.
Dr. Theoklis Zaoutis considers his greatest strengths to be leadership, collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving—strengths supported by decades of expertise in infectious diseases and driven by his personal commitment to advancing public health and healthcare.