DrRenata Mendizabal

I have more than 25 years participating in research projects and technical assistance activities to the Ministry of Health and other entities, on Neglected Tropical Diseases and malaria.

I have participated in the evaluation of antigens for the development of serological tests to conduct evaluations to assess the status of transmission of onchocerciasis in the Americas, and molecular tests for the characterization of vectors. In collaboration with cooperating agencies and the Ministry of Health, I have participated in several activities related to the development, implementation and follow-up of the national program for the elimination of the transmission of onchocerciasis in the country.

I also have experience in the molecular characterization of the Leishmania parasites responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Guatemala, and the vectors involved in their transmission. I have provided technical assistance to the National Leishmaniasis Program since 2013, conducting prevalence and program evaluation studies, contributing to the development of educational materials for communities and health workers, and supporting the implementation of thermotherapy as an alternative treatment.

I have also participated in studies related to the molecular epidemiology of malaria and the development of molecular markers for genetic studies of malaria parasites, served as project manager in a multicenter study on malaria in pregnancy and participated in several technical assistance activities related to malaria with the Ministry of Health.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, together with some colleagues, I obtained funds to study the prevalence of antibodies against SARs-CoV-2 and the progression of the humoral immune response in symptomatic and asymptomatic cases at the community level, specifically at market vendors.