Convidados Internacionais

Andrew Ddungu Kambugu (Uganda)

Dr. Andrew Kambugu, MBChB, MMed Executive Director, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Dr. Andrew Kambugu is an infectious diseases physician and global health leader who has transformed the way HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria are managed across East Africa. As Executive Director of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University, he oversees clinical research, health systems strengthening, and global health security initiatives throughout Africa and beyond.

A pioneer of the clinical infectious diseases specialty in East Africa, Dr. Kambugu has published research that has advanced HIV and opportunistic infection management and directly influenced regional treatment guidelines. His leadership has also shaped Uganda’s response to emerging infectious disease threats, including the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks, where IDI played a critical role in surveillance, clinical management, and response coordination.

Under his stewardship, IDI has expanded its clinical services, laboratory capacity, and professional training programmes, developing the next generation of infectious diseases specialists across the region.

Dr. Kambugu holds an MBChB and MMed in Internal Medicine from Makerere University. He is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences and the Royal College of Physicians, and he serves on several regional and international scientific advisory bodies.

Forma parte del Comité Científico de Neuroinfectología de la Sociedad Panamericana de Enfermedades Infecciosas así como también de la Sociedad Dominicana de Infectología, participando activamente en el desarrollo de iniciativas académicas y científicas orientadas a fortalecer la investigación, la educación médica continua y la cooperación regional en el campo de la neuroinfectología.

Su trayectoria profesional integra la excelencia asistencial, la investigación y la docencia, consolidándose como una de las referentes de la infectología y la neuroinfectología en la República Dominicana.

HEIDY ADAMES ESPINAL - República Dominicana

Médica internista e infectóloga, con Alta Especialidad en Neuroinfectología por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) y el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía “Manuel Velasco Suárez” (INNNMVS), Ciudad de México. Es la única especialista en Neuroinfectología en la República Dominicana con esta formación de alta especialización.

Realizó su formación en Medicina Interna en el Hospital Regional Universitario José María Cabral y Báez, Santiago, República Dominicana, y posteriormente completó el posgrado en Infectología en el Hospital Salvador B. Gautier, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.

Actualmente se desempeña como Jefa del Departamento de Infectología y Control de Infecciones del Hospital Universitario Presidente Estrella Ureña, donde lidera estrategias para la prevención y el control de las infecciones asociadas a la atención sanitaria, la optimización del uso de antimicrobianos y el manejo de pacientes con enfermedades infecciosas complejas.

Su labor académica y científica incluye publicaciones en revistas nacionales e internacionales, con especial interés en neuroinfectología. Además es conferencista invitada en congresos científicos nacionales e internacionales, donde comparte su experiencia en el diagnóstico y manejo de enfermedades infecciosas complejas y neuroinfecciones, contribuyendo de manera activa a la educación médica continua y al fortalecimiento del conocimiento científico en América Latina.

Jaime Lora-tamayo, Md, Phd

ID physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience, expert in bone and joint infections, as well as foreign-body associated infection. He was trained in the ID Department of the Hospital Univ. Bellvitge (Barcelona, Spain), and is currently ID Consultant in surgical wards at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid, Spain). Associate professor at the School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense. Author of over a hundred of publications and research leader of clinical and translational projects. Member of the Group of Osteoarticular Infections (Spanish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Inf. Diseases), ESCMID Study Group of Implant-Associated Infections (European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Inf. Diseases), and Treasurer at the Anti-Infective Pharmacology Group of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Laura Magnasco (itália)

Dr. Laura Magnasco is an Infectious Diseases specialist at IRCCS AOM San Martino, Genova, Italy, where she serves as consultant for surgical and post-transplant intensive care units. She completed her specialization in 2020 with a thesis focused on multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens and Candidozyma auris in the ICU setting.

Her clinical and research interests focus on invasive fungal infections, particularly on C. auris epidemiology, infection control, and antifungal management. In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Magnasco played a key role in the hospital’s Infection Control and Prevention taskforce, taking part in the development of local screening protocols and containment strategies in response to a nosocomial C. auris outbreak. The implementation of these measures resulted in the complete elimination of new cases of colonization and infection, with no further cases recorded over the last year.

Her scientific contributions to the field are reflected in more than 15 publications in peer-reviewed journals on C. auris, contributing to the study of this globally significant emerging pathogen.

Paolo Antônio Grossi (Itália)

Born on June 12, 1956 in Bergamo, Italy

Institution: University of Insubria /ASST-Sette Laghi

Department/Division:Medicine & Surgery / Infectious and Tropical Diseases Unit Position Title PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES – DIRECTOR INFECTIOUS AND TROPICAL DISEASES UNIT AND OF THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ASPECTS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF ASST- SETTE LAGHI, VARESE. DIRECTOR OF THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM ON IFECTIOUS AND TROPICAL DISEASES.

Pranita Tamma (EUA)

Pranita Tamma is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Her research program centers on elucidating the mechanisms underlying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in gram-negative organisms, advancing laboratory methodologies to improve the detection of AMR pathogens, and optimizing therapeutic strategies to ensure that critically ill patients at risk of AMR infections receive early and effective therapy. She is currently the principal investigator of two federally funded clinical trials addressing these critical challenges.

In addition to her research, Dr. Tamma serves as an Editor for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and is one of twelve international voting members of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing Subcommittee, where she contributes to the development of global standards for antibiotic breakpoints and both phenotypic and genotypic methods for detecting AMR. She is also the lead author of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s AMR Treatment Guidance. Dr. Tamma is deeply committed to mentorship and is dedicated to training the next generation of clinician-scientists to confront the growing international threat of AMR.

Raul Macias Gil (EUA)

Dr. Raul Macias Gil is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Associate Program Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and an early-stage investigator at the Lundquist Institute for Research and Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. As an infectious diseases physician and early-stage investigator his work focuses on the real-world implementation of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and screening strategies in safety-net healthcare settings.

His research evaluates the uptake and delivery of evidence-based prevention tools, including doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (Doxy-PEP) and long-acting injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP), with a particular emphasis on Hispanic/Latinx communities and LGBTQIA+ individuals disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs. His current work includes a seed-funded study examining Doxy-PEP knowledge, attitudes, and use among Spanish-speaking adults across Southern California, as well as projects evaluating prescribing patterns and system-level factors influencing HIV/STI prevention within the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

As a bilingual clinician and representative of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Community Engagement Research Program (CERP), Dr. Macias Gil collaborates closely with community organizations, mobile healthcare programs, and public health partners to advance equitable implementation of HIV and STI prevention strategies. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s Proudly ID Interest Group, promoting education, collaboration, and advocacy to improve the health of LGBTQIA+ communities. His long-term goal is to develop and implement culturally responsive HIV and STI prevention strategies that reduce health disparities and expand equitable access to evidence-based care for underserved communities in the United States and beyond.