Tanya Balani receives Outstanding Young Person Award at JCI Dutch Caribbean National Convention

We are delighted to share that Tanya Balani, who started her PhD with our group this October, has received a prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) Award in the category Medical Innovation or Achievement during the opening ceremony of the 2026 JCI Dutch Caribbean National Convention in St. Maarten.

The awards, presented by Junior Chamber International (JCI) Dutch Caribbean, recognise outstanding achievements and contributions by young professionals and leaders across the Dutch Caribbean.

Tanya has played a key role in coordinating the RSV Roadmap project, which brings together healthcare professionals, researchers and public health stakeholders from Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making on RSV prevention. Importantly, this achievement reflects a true team effort. Together with fellow project coordinators Veerle Bok-Baroud, Sabrina Varsovia and Claire Fransman, Tanya has helped build a strong collaborative network across the islands, connecting research, clinical practice and public health policy.
Having recently embarked on her PhD journey, Tanya will continue contributing to research aimed at strengthening respiratory infection surveillance, preparedness and prevention in small Caribbean island health systems.
Congratulations, Tanya, on this well-deserved recognition! We are proud of what you and the entire RSV Roadmap team have achieved together and look forward to the next steps in this collaboration.