LeishSymposium-2026

Global Virtual Symposium on
Leishmaniasis & Trypanosomiasis

Kwang Poo Chang has completed his degree from National Taiwan University, Taiwan. He completed his MSc and PhD from University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is currently working as a professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, USA in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He authored many publications in reputed journals. He is the Organizer of many national and international scientific activities and research collaborations. He received many National and International awards. He attended many National and International conferences.

Dr. Hira L. Nakhasi is a senior scientist at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), FDA, USA. His research focuses on vaccine development, immunology, and translational approaches for infectious diseases. Dr. Nakhasi has extensive experience in parasitology, vaccine design, and immunotherapeutic strategies, and has contributed significantly to advancing global health solutions.

Dr. Shyam Sundar is a distinguished professor at Banaras Hindu University, India, specializing in clinical research on leishmaniasis. He has made significant contributions to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of visceral leishmaniasis, and is recognized internationally for his work on tropical parasitic diseases.

Dr. Abhay Satoskar, MD, PhD is a Professor in the Division of Experimental Pathology. He comes to Pathology from the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Satoskar earned his PhD in the Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK and his MD from the Department of Pathology, King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, University of Bombay in Bombay, India. Dr. Satoskar’s research interests are immunology and infectious disease with a focus on parasite immunology

Prof. Sima Rafati is a senior scientist at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, specializing in host–pathogen interactions and neglected tropical diseases, particularly leishmaniasis. She develops immunological and vaccine-based strategies for disease prevention and control and is recognized internationally, including with a UNESCO Medal. Prof. Rafati actively leads global collaborations, conference sessions, and peer-review activities to advance infectious disease research worldwide.

Nicola is a Wellcome Trust fellow and group leader at the University of York. Her lab investigates the molecular mechanisms that allow Leishmania parasites to sense and adapt to their environment. She began her career in parasitology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, earning her PhD in 2013 under the supervision of Prof. David Horn. Her doctoral research focused on drug resistance in African Trypanosomes. In 2017, she moved to the University of York to carry out postdoctoral research with Prof. Jeremy Mottram, shifting her focus to the role of protein kinases in Leishmania differentiation. This work laid the foundation for her independent career.

Carolina Catta-Preta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parasitology at the University of São Paulo (ICB-USP), Brazil. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying sexual reproduction and genetic exchange in Leishmania parasites. Her work integrates functional genetics, single-cell approaches, and vector biology to understand how these processes are orchestrated. She previously trained at the NIH and is currently establishing her independent research group in Brazil.

Dr. Sara L. Zimmer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School (Duluth campus), where she leads a research program in molecular parasitology. Her work focuses on understanding gene expression, RNA biology, and metabolism in trypanosomatid parasites-organisms responsible for several neglected tropical diseases affecting vulnerable populations worldwide.

Dr. Mitali Chatterjee is a clinician and researcher at the Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, India. Her work focuses on leishmaniasis research, clinical management, and tropical infectious diseases, contributing to advancements in diagnosis, treatment, and public health strategies for neglected tropical diseases.

Alex Córdoba-Aguilar is a Mexican researcher with deep interests in the control of insect vectors, specifically kissing bugs (vectors of Chagas disease) and mosquitoes. He has combined laboratory and natural experiments to reach biosolutions for control. His research spans many areas including physiology, behavior and ecology.

Professor da Silva is graduated in Biological Sciences, and he obtained his PhD in Genetics from the University of Campinas, Brazil, where he elucidated the consequences of oxidative stress in Leishmania and found that this parasite has two distinct modes of nucleus and kinetoplast segregation. During his PhD, he also studied telomere homeostasis at CNRS, Paris, France. Professor da Silva began his work on the DNA metabolism of trypanosomatids during his postdoctoral training at Butantan Institute and continued it at the University of Glasgow, UK. Recently, he was appointed a professor at the University of São Paulo and currently leads a team studying DNA metabolism in trypanosomatids, with a focus on DNA repair, telomere dynamics, and the cell cycle.

Herbert Leonel de Matos Guedes is the leader of the Immunology and Vaccinology Research Group, head of the Immunobiotechnology Laboratory at IMPG/UFRJ, and head of the Clinical Immunology Laboratory at IOC/Fiocruz. His research focuses on vaccine development and novel therapies for leishmaniasis, serine protease function in Leishmania, immunotherapy, stem cell approaches, and vaccines against emerging viruses. He actively teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in immunology, vaccinology, and cell biology, mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Sigrid C. Roberts, PhD is a Professor in the School of Pharmacy at Pacific University, Oregon. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from University of Iowa and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Konstanz and Oregon Health & Science University. Her research focuses on the biology of Leishmania, with particular emphasis on polyamine metabolism as an essential pathway for parasite growth and survival. The Roberts Lab has validated this pathway as a promising therapeutic target and uses molecular and biochemical approaches to define how polyamines support parasite metabolism, infectivity, and drug susceptibility. Her work aims to advance polyamine metabolism as a strategy for developing new antileishmanial therapies, while engaging students in hands-on, discovery-driven research in parasite biology.

Delphine Autheman, PhD is a parasitology and vaccinology researcher focused on neglected tropical diseases and One Health. After completing her PhD at the University of Bern (Switzerland), she worked at the Institut Pasteur on Trypanosoma cruzi. She then joined Professor Gavin Wright's group at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK), where she identified IFX the first invariant vaccine target against Trypanosoma vivax capable of inducing sterile protection (Nature, 2021). She continues to develop next-generation vaccines for animal African trypanosomiasis, including ongoing cattle trials.

Dr. Mayke Alencar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo (ICB-USP). He holds a Ph.D. in Sciences (Biology of Host-Pathogen Interactions) from USP. His research focuses on the biochemistry and bioenergetics of trypanosomatid parasites, with an emphasis on amino acid metabolism and parasite resilience to nutritional stress. In the last two years, his work has included the development of genome-scale metabolic models to investigate the energy metabolism of these parasites, integrating experimental omic and biochemical data from bioenergetics and metabolic pathways.