Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Webinar | Neglected and Emerging Tropical Diseases
the chair
2nd Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Webinar
Neglected and Emerging Tropical Diseases
It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the webinar entitled, “Neglected and Emerging Tropical Diseases”.
This webinar aims to bring together researchers working on different pathogens that are all united under the umbrella of neglected and emerging tropical diseases. We think that it will provide a platform to share recent advances in the field, discuss emerging methodologies, and foster scientific exchange across different aspects of parasitology.
We are delighted to host an excellent group of speakers who will present their latest research and perspectives. We sincerely thank all speakers and attendees for their participation and contribution to this event.
Speakers:
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Prof. Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Ph.D., Life Science Research Centre, University of Ostrava, 710 00 Ostrava, Czechia.
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Prof. Dr. Ana Sanchez, Department of Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2V 5A2, Canada.
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Dr. Camila Hamond, Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
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Dr. Alvaro C. Laga, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
We hope that this webinar will stimulate insightful discussions and inspire future collaborations.
Date: 14 April 2026
Time: :3:00–5:00 pm CEST | 9:00–11:00 am EDT | 9:00–11:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 862 9782 4012
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chair
Important Dates
- Registration end dateApr 14, 2026
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav Yurchenko
Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology Life Science Research Center, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic, Section Editor-in-Chief of TropicalMed
Section: Neglected and Emerging Tropical Diseases
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/tropicalmed/sections/Neglected_Emerging_Tropical_Disease;
Professor Vyacheslav Yurchenko (University of Ostrava) runs an international laboratory that is working on all imaginable aspects of trypanosomatid biology. The team is involved in several research projects in biochemistry, molecular parasitology and the evolution of parasitism in these fascinating species. In addition, his laboratory contributes to studies on the viral and bacterial endobionts of Trypanosomatidae, opening new avenues of investigations to control these important parasites.
Prof. Dr. Ana Sanchez
Department of Health Sciences, Brock University, Ontario, Canada, Editorial Board Member of TropicalMed
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/tropicalmed;
Professor Sanchez focuses on conducting primary field and laboratory research on infectious diseases, mostly tropical parasitic infections such as soil-transmitted helminths, tapeworms, pediculosis, and some intestinal apicomplexa. Additionally, she is interested in supporting capacity-building and increasing research proficiencies in developing countries. The synergies derived from these two lines of work have led to her involvement with national and international organizations, assisting in the prioritization of research and the fair implementation of research partnerships.
Dr. Camila Hamond
Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Conneticut, USA, Editorial Board Member of Zoonotic Diseases
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/zoonoticdis;
Dr. Hamond is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut. Dr. Hamond is also a Collaborating Researcher in the Bacterial Zoonoses Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Brazil. During the past seventeen years, her studies and professional experience have focused on animal leptospirosis, working on its clinical aspects; through her high dedication to performing research in the laboratory, she has established several key diagnostic assays in her career. While working on her PhD, she had the opportunity to perform an internship at the Biology of Spirochetes Unit at the Institute Pasteur (Paris, France). She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Federal Fluminense University (Brazil), Yale University (United States), the National Institute of Agricultural Research and Institute Pasteur (Uruguay), and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), USDA (United States). Dr. Hamond’s research projects aim to identify reservoirs and determine the etiology of Leptospira through culture and molecular approaches. Her work improves scientific understanding about the etiology and epidemiology of leptospirosis, while providing local Leptospira isolates to increase the efficacy of serodiagnosis, vaccine formulation, and the pathogenesis studies of leptospirosis. Dr. Hamond has published more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles related to the microbiology and molecular biology of leptospirosis. She received the 2019 Early Career Research award from the International Leptospirosis Society; in 2022, she was named an Honorary Diplomate of the American Veterinary One Health Society (AVOHS); and in 2024, she was elected an Executive Member of the International Society of Leptospirosis (ILS).
Dr. Alvaro C. Lagos
Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA, Editorial Board Member of Dermatopathology
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/dermatopathology;
Dr. Laga is a dermatopathologist and infectious disease pathology consultant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the new director of the combined MGB Dermatopathology Fellowship at Harvard. He is passionate about education, global health and tropical diseases and has published 87 articles and 19 book chapters and co-edited one book.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizer
Co-organizer
In this section, you will find the recordings of this webinar to watch, re-watch and share with your colleagues!
| Speaker | Presentation | Time (CEST) | Time (EDT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDPI Introduction | 3:00–3:10 pm | 9:00–9:10 am | |
| Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav Yurchenko | Chair Introduction | 3:10–3:20 pm | 9:10–9:20 am |
| Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav Yurchenko | Diversity of RNA Viruses in Trypanosomatids | 3:20–3:40 pm | 9:20–9:40 am |
| Prof. Dr. Ana Sanchez (collaborator - Dr. Gabriela Matamoros) | It is Still a Wormy World: The Case of NTDs in Honduras | 3:40–4:00 pm | 9:40–10:00 am |
| Dr. Camila Hamond | Leptospirosis in General | 4:00–4:20 pm | 10:00–10:20 am |
| Dr. Alvaro C. Laga | Novel (Emerging) and Infrequent Fungal Infections | 4:20–4:40 pm | 10:20–10:40 am |
| Q&A | 4:40–4:55 pm | 10:40–10:55 am | |
| Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav Yurchenko | Closing of Webinar | 4:55–5:00 pm | 10:55–11:00 am |
"Advances in the Control and Elimination of Parasitic Neglected Tropical Diseases"
Guest Editor: Dr. Hammed O. Mogaj
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026
"Global Perspectives on Neglected Tropical Diseases: Burden, Science, and Policy Interventions"
Guest Editor: Dr. Fabio Zicker
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026
"Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis: Immunological Advances, Vaccines, and Innovative Therapeutic Strategies"
Guest Editor: Dr. Leonardo Acuña
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026
"Research Advances and New Perspectives on Helminthic Diseases"
Guest Editors: Dr. James Lee Crainey and Prof. Dr. Susana Vaz Nery
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026