A physician by profession, specializing in infectious and tropical diseases, with a focus on vector-borne diseases (leishmaniasis, malaria, and bartonellosis), Master’s degree in Tropical Medicine, Master’s degree in Internal Medicine, Doctor of Medicine, PhD in Epidemiology, Head of the Leishmaniasis and Malaria Unit at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMTAvH) at UPCH. Currently Professor Emeritus at Cayetano Heredia University.

A creative leader who has spearheaded the development of several research groups, including those focused on leishmaniasis and malaria at IMTAvH, and indigenous health at FASPA. He played an active role in the creation and development of the School of Public Health and Administration at UPCH, where he served as the first dean for 10 years. Experience in developing multiple educational and multidisciplinary programs in various areas of public health, with a focus on decentralized initiatives prioritizing underserved regions of Peru. Experience in multidisciplinary work, as well as in coordinating and collaborating with national, regional, and local authorities, which has enabled him to influence the development of various public health projects (mental health, reproductive health, adolescent health, management, and administration) and, in particular, control programs with an emphasis on malaria and leishmaniasis. Initiator and leader of a successful malaria control program (PAMAFRO, with an 80% reduction in incidence) in the border regions of the Andean countries. Planning and conducting baseline health studies (epidemiological, clinical, seroepidemiological, and social components) in rural communities, both in the jungle and in the Andes, with an emphasis on measuring health impacts. Over 35 years of experience in the planning, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects, research, and interventions for the prevention and control of leishmaniasis and malaria. This includes efforts to improve access and the use of simplified, non-invasive methods that enhance the quality of diagnosis for these diseases.

As a clinical scientist, he has conducted research with international collaborators on vector-borne diseases, primarily leishmaniasis and malaria, as well as fungal infections, and research on climate and its impact on health, with an emphasis on indigenous health. I have conducted more than 90 research projects, 34 of which were Phase I–IV clinical trials. The objectives of these studies were to offer innovative alternatives for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as leishmaniasis, candidiasis, and, especially, malaria. In 2020, he published two clinical studies in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrating the efficacy of tafenoquine (TFQ), a new drug, as a therapy for preventing relapses of P. vivax malaria, which is helping the WHO and PAHO include TFQ in the new global radical cure for malaria. He recently served as the principal investigator for the successful PAVE-Peru project, which demonstrated within the Loreto health system the feasibility of using tafenoquine following G6PD level testing. This led to the revision of Peru’s Technical Malaria Guidelines (September 2025) and the incorporation of TFQ and G6PD testing.

He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has supervised more than 100 students in research at all academic levels. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine of Peru and nine other scientific societies in Peru, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, and Chile. He has served on numerous scientific committees at the national and international levels, including the World Health Organization’s Expert Panel on Parasitic Diseases, and was director of the Expert Committee for the Zero Malaria Plan in Peru in 2018. Since 2025, I have been a member of the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on Malaria, as well as a member of the Pan American Health Organization and a member of the American Health Foundation’s Task Force for Dengue Control.