Bio
Cristina Schneider is a veterinary doctor and an epidemiologist with more than 30 years of public health experience. After working almost 20 years at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington D.C., the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Schneider is now Adjunct Professor at the Department of Global Health at Georgetown University, consultant for WHO and a collaborator of the Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In her last position at PAHO, Dr. Schneider was the Animal and Human Health Interface Advisor of the PAHO Health Emergencies Department, conducting activities related to the prediction, prevention, and response to outbreaks of leptospirosis and other infectious hazards. Some of her previous contributions at PAHO include: the initiative to eliminate neglected diseases; regional advisor on zoonosis, specifically rabies, in the Veterinary Public Health Unit; and epidemiologist in the Health Analysis Unit working with health inequalities. Before joining PAHO, Dr. Schneider worked for the Brazilian Ministry of Health as the Rabies National Coordinator and for the State Health Department of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in a low-income area community health project. Most of her work has been focused on providing technical assistance to countries in the Region of the Americas and conducting analyses to guide decision-making. She has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and written book chapters, including a chapter on One Health for the Oxford Encyclopedia of Global Public Health.

Bio
I am a regional leader with over 25 years of experience translating One Health science into effective policies and public health results across Latin America and the Caribbean. As Coordinator of Zoonoses and Veterinary Public Health at PAHO/WHO’s PANAFTOSA Center, I steer regional strategies for disease prevention and control, lead multi-country technical cooperation, and engage in policy dialogue with ministries and regional partners. My work bridges technical expertise and leadership, focusing on evidence-based solutions, regional collaboration, and sustainable health systems. Throughout my career, I have contributed to significant regional milestones, including supporting countries in developing PAHO’s first One Health policy, collaborate in responses to health emergencies such as COVID-19, and fostering partnerships with international organizations, and national health and agriculture authorities. I am committed to integrating human, animal, and environmental health perspectives to promote sustainable development and strengthen public health systems in our region. My professional path is driven by a dedication to improving health, safety, and resilience for communities across the Americas through collaborative action and strategic leadership.

Bio
I hold a degree in Biology from the School of Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. I earned both my Master’s and Ph.D. in Biochemical Sciences from the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Over the course of my career, I have served as a guest researcher at several internationally recognized institutions, including Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas), the Pasteur Institute (Paris, France), and the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the Poxvirus and Rabies Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Georgia). I also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Unit for Viral Isolation and Detection within the National Center for Microbiology at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid, Spain). In 2012, I was honored with Mexico’s National Prize for Scientific Journalism and Outreach. I am an active member of the Mexican Network of Virology and the Latin American Society for Vector Ecology. My research centers on viral diseases in wildlife, with a particular emphasis on bats and procyonids. I am currently affiliated with the Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos (InDRE), part of Mexico’s Ministry of Health, and I am a co-founder of Kanan por la Vida Silvestre, a non-profit foundation dedicated to wildlife conservation.