MIDAS Latin America

Vision

MIDAS Latin America supports collaboration among scientists from Latin America who use models to understand infectious disease dynamics.

MIDAS Latin America members should either be from Latin America or be doing research in Latin America. In order to apply for membership to MIDAS Latin America, you must also be a current member of MIDAS. MIDAS network membership is open to any infectious disease scientist, practitioner, or student who supports the mission and vision of the network. The MIDAS network is defined by broad inclusivity and diversity of its members, fostering collaboration to advance the science and application of infectious disease modeling.

To join MIDAS Latin America, complete the MIDAS Latin America Membership Application form and the MIDAS Membership Application form. Please make sure you put the same name and email address on both forms. The advantages of membership of the MIDAS networks include access to:

A collaborative, multidisciplinary, environment of infectious disease modeling experts;
Groups of modelers and/or practitioners focused on specific areas of interest that span across individual modeling projects;
Shared resources among network members, including datasets, models, software, and workflows;
Services provided by the MIDAS network Coordination Center (MCC), including data services, high-performance cloud computing, training, and outreach;
Research promotion including visibility of research profiles, publications, projects, and media attention through the MIDAS website and (social) media outreach by the MCC;
The annual MIDAS meeting, training and outreach activities;
Other opportunities including the coordination of collaborations between scientists and public health agencies, to translate model results into public health impact, and to bring relevant public health questions to modelers;

Dr. Daniel Villela is a researcher in the Program of Scientific Computing at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and a Professor at the National School of Public Health. He currently serves as Head of the Program of Scientific Computing and Deputy coordinator of the Program of Epidemiology. His research focuses on the intersection between Epidemiology and topics of Ecology and Evolution, with models applied in COVID-19, malaria, and arboviruses’ infections.

MIDAS Latin America Coordinators

MIDAS Latin America is coordinated by Dr. Manuel Emilio Colomé Hidalgo and Dr. Pilar Fernandez

Dr. Manuel Emilio Colomé Hidalgo is a distinguished epidemiologist and preventive medicine expert with over 20 years of experience in research, teaching, and public health. He earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Spain. Additionally, he has obtained master’s degrees in Bioethics from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), as well as in Health Sciences Research and in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from Universidad San Jorge in Spain. In 2023, he completed a Diploma of Expertise in Pathology of Emerging Viruses, High-Risk Viruses, and Management of High-Level Isolation Units from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. Currently, Dr. Colomé serves as the head of the Epidemiology Department at Dr. Hugo Mendoza Pediatric Hospital and leads The Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic, Epidemic, Preparedness & Response (AI4PEP) initiative in the Dominican Republic. Since 2017, he has been a professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at INTEC. Previously, he held the position of Epidemiology Coordinator at the National Health Service. Dr. Colomé has consulted for international organizations such as the Pan American Health Organization and the World Bank. His research focuses on equity in childhood vaccination coverage and vaccine confidence, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout his career, Dr. Colomé has received numerous accolades, including the National Health Sciences Award in 2022, presented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, and the Fundación Corripio Award in Natural and Health Sciences in the Epidemiology category in 2023. Internationally, he was honored in Spain with the Best Research in Humanitarian Medicine and Public Health Award by the Madrid Health Council. In academia, Dr. Colomé serves as the director of the Health Research Institute at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and has been an associate editor for the international journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. His research interests include infectious diseases, pediatrics, vaccinology, global health, and bioethics. Dr. Colomé is a member of various professional associations, including the Dominican Medical College, the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, and the Dominican Society of Hospital Epidemiology. His commitment to public health and the training of new professionals establishes him as a key figure in the healthcare sector of the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Pilar Fernandez is an assistant professor at the Allen School for Global Health at Washington State University. She completed her Ph.D. focusing on the eco-epidemiology of Chagas Disease at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a disease ecologist, her research aims to understand the transmission of zoonotic diseases as complex socio-ecological systems by combining methods from epidemiology and ecology. Dr. Fernandez specializes in multi-host vector-borne diseases, such as tick-borne diseases and Chagas disease. She has extensive experience leading community-based participatory research in rural and urban communities in Latin America and the United States. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates data from field studies, including animal and human disease data, socio-demographic and behavioral studies, and environmental data. She employs computational and statistical models to incorporate the human and social dimensions of disease transmission.

Upcoming MIDAS Webinar Series - Latin America Edition

We are currently looking for speakers for the MIDAS Webinar Series – Latin America Edition. If you are interested in presenting at an upcoming webinar, please email us at questions@midasnetwork.us.

Seminars are typically conducted in Spanish or Portuguese with English subtitles