I am a graduate in Biology with a specialization in Microbiology and Parasitology from the University of Panama. In 2021, I completed my Master of Science in Epidemiological Investigation with honors at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, a degree made possible through full funding from the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Since 2018, I have been working as a research assistant in the Department of Virology and Biotechnology at the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies in Panama City. I have participated in numerous research projects funded by national and international institutions such as SENACYT (Panama), NIH (USA), Global Health (USA), Florida University (USA), among others. My various activities include trapping and identifying medically important mosquitoes, employing diverse serological and molecular techniques in virology, conducting ecological analyses, developing research proposals, evaluating ethical standards in research, managing databases, and performing statistical analysis and field epidemiology. My primary focus has been on emerging viruses.

The two investigations I have led in the field of emerging viruses (Madariaga virus and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, of interest due to their potential to cause epidemic outbreaks and/or bioterrorism) involve the search for natural reservoirs and the importance of deforestation and increased human activities. Currently, I am the coordinator of the project: «Development of novel monoclonal antibodies from survivors of Alphavirus infection for the creation of potential vaccines against these viruses,» a collaborative effort between the Gorgas Institute and the U.S. Department of Defense. Additionally, I am a member of the Research Unit on Emerging Diseases and Climate Change in Lima, Peru, and an assistant professor of the Biostatistics course in the Master of Science in Epidemiological Research at UPCH, Peru.