22-29 April, 2026
2025 Ambassadors
Maria Arosenius is a Swedish forensic technician in the police force. Her youngest daughter has the primary immunodeficiency APDS1, which has inspired her to campaign for improvements to diagnosis and treatment and to be an active member of the advocacy community.
For Maria, ‘See the Unseen’ means that: “It is important to highlight what Primary Immunodeficiency really is, so that more people can learn about it, which could lead to more knowledge about it and help for more people.
“It is rare and, like in my daughter’s case, an invisible disability. I’m involved as an ambassador for the sake of my daughter, but also for others living with primary immunodeficiency.
“During World PI Week, I always try to share a snapshot of our everyday life — what it’s like to live with primary immunodeficiency in the family.”
Samia Akariou is a Moroccan actress and director, known for her roles in “Lalla Hobbi” (1997) and ”Les amis d’hier” (1998).
Samia is a committed and passionate is advocate for Primary Immunodeficiency awareness and a long-time supporter of the global community.
She works with the Moroccan patient group Hajar to run events for children, bringing our theme of See the Unseen to life in her country.
Michaela is Project Manager at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), where she leads the Plasma4Life initiative – a global effort aiming to strengthen health system resilience by ensuring equitable and sustainable access to plasma-derived medicinal products. Her work bridges the gap between science, policy, and cross-sector collaboration to improve access to life-saving treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases.
“To “See the Unseen” is to open our eyes to the invisible challenges that people with primary immunodeficiencies face every day – not just medically, but in being heard, understood, and supported. This theme resonates deeply with my work on Plasma4Life, where we strive to make the invisible visible, ensuring that access to life-saving plasma therapies is a reality, not a privilege.”
Prof. Dr Tessa Kerre is head of the hematology department at Ghent University Hospital and associate professor at Ghent University. Her focus is on stem cell transplantation, acute leukemia, immunotherapy and primary immunodeficiencies. She has published over 119 scientific articles in international journals. She became known to the general public in Belgium through her appearance in the human interest series Topdokters on the channel Vier. She wrote Immune to Cancer? Stories about Science, People, and Imagination (2021) and Art on Prescription: A Plea for the Integration of Arts in Healthcare (2022), both published by Academia Press. She developed Immuno-T, a motion comic about immunotherapy, and Katie, a serious game for young people aimed at reducing the taboo around cancer.
“Every day in my clinical practice, I see how limited awareness of PID still is. As a PID ambassador, I advocate for greater understanding—not just among the public, but within the medical community as well. At the same time, the significant progress in PID research the past years fills me with hope.”
Photo credit: Geert Van de Velde
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