XI Simposio Colombiano & VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Virología

Since 2013 up today, Dr. Méndez-Rico is the Regional Advisor for Viral Diseases at the Department of Health Emergencies (PAHO Health Emergencies, PHE), Infectious Hazards Management Unit (IHM) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). In this role, he has led the regional laboratory preparedness and response to outbreaks of influenza, Ebola, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, and led the laboratory response team for COVID-19 and monkeypox, and arenavirus infection in the Americas. Additionally, he leads the PAHO Regional Genomic Surveillance Network, PAHOgen. Between 2009 and 2013, he was the Head of the Virology Laboratory of the National Institute of Health of Colombia, Coordinator of the National Influenza Center (NIC), and Deputy Director of the National Public Health Laboratories Network.
In addition, his professional experience has been complemented with work at the Laboratory of Respiratory Viruses of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC); the Laboratory of Imported Viral Diseases of the Carlos III Health Institute of Madrid; and as a scientific researcher in the Molecular Biology group of the Institute of Immunology of the Hospital San Juan de Dios, Bogotá.

Dr. Arias earned her B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology from Universidad de los Andes and a Ph.D. from NYU School of Medicine, where she studied virus–host interactions in herpesviruses and poxviruses. As a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF and Novartis, she investigated genome-wide regulation of KSHV gene expression. During her tenure as a professor at UC Santa Barbara, her group studied how herpesviruses and flaviviruses hijack host protein synthesis and folding, identifying host factors as potential targets for broad-spectrum antivirals. Now a group leader at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco, she uses multiomic and comparative virology approaches to uncover common and virus-specific strategies of cellular remodeling. These insights advance fundamental biology and support the discovery of host-directed, broad-spectrum antiviral therapies.

Dr. Forero is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity in the College of Medicine at the Ohio State University. Dr. Forero’s primary interest is identifying viral and host factors that promote maladaptive interferon (IFN) responses and contribute to worsened viral disease outcomes. IFNs are critical for antiviral defense and must be tightly regulated to prevent excessive inflammation. Using molecular virology, immunology, and systems biology tools, her team investigates transcriptional regulators and virus-host interactions that shape IFN dynamics during infection. The goal is to define mechanisms by which viruses subvert IFN responses and to identify therapeutic strategies that restore immune balance in the context of acute and chronic viral infections in vulnerable individuals.

Dr. Warren is an Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University. His research laboratory investigates the cross-species transmission of viruses between animals and from animals to humans. The Warren lab is interested in understanding the hurdles—including genetic and evolutionary barriers—that viruses face when they jump species, and how they adapt to infect new hosts. Over the past year, Dr. Warren’s team has been actively studying the transmission of highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1) virus from birds to cattle, using high-containment BSL-3 laboratory and animal models. Their work aims to advance understanding of viral emergence and support the development of interventions as well as preparedness strategies for future outbreaks.
 

Dra. Ortega se graduó en Ciencias Biológicas en la UNSL en Argentina, trasladándose luego al ICGEB (Italia), donde se desempeñó como research technician en el laboratorio del Profesor Arturo Falaschi estudiando proteínas relacionadas con la replicación del ADN. La experiencia adquirida en el ICGEB le permitió concursar y obtener una beca doctoral en la Universitá degli Studi di Padova, en el Venetian Institute for Molecular Medicine donde bajo la dirección del Profesor Ernesto Carafoli, estudió la asociación de mutaciones en la Bomba de Calcio de la Membrana Plasmática con el deterioro auditivo. En 2008 se incorporó al Institut Pasteur de Montevideo como investigadora asociada. En 2013 concursó por el cargo de asistente técnico que ocupó hasta el 2021, y posteriormente fue ascendida a Técnica Adjunta Senior en PROTEMCA.