Harriet Joyce Foundation

Instagram Linkedin Facebook
Instagram Linkedin Facebook
Early Childhood Health Symposium Creciendo Juntos:

Genetics, Nutrition and Environmental Factors in Focus

Simposium Co-Chairs

Organized by The Harriet Joyce Foundation (HJF), the Alliance for Emerging Disease Research (AIE) and Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES).

Sunday, December 1, 2024
Monday, December 2, 2024
Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Register Here
DAY 1
*By invitation only

We will address inherited metabolic disorders and bring together the most experienced healthcare providers from within Ecuador, in the fields of genetics, pediatrics, nutrition, psychology, and primary care, to discuss the challenges, share best practices, and to develop actionable recommendations for improving care management for affected children.

Download Agenda:
English
Spanish

DAY 2

This day we will delve into the critical question: What is it that’s not letting our children thrive? Beyond the best nutritional interventions, what other factors are preventing our children from thriving? 

This day will focus on identifying the underpinnings of health, from genetic risk factors to unknown exposures, from environmental toxins to heavy metals, the hidden threat of aflatoxins, bacteria associated with poor growth, ova and parasites, micro and macro-nutrient deficiencies, and environmental enteropathies—a condition linked to chronic exposure to unsanitary environments, which impairs nutrient absorption and contributes to stunted growth and poor development. 

We will explore how these environmental factors, combined with nutritional deficiencies, create a vicious cycle that prevents children from thriving and makes them more vulnerable to disease and poor development.

Download Agenda:
English
Spanish

Dr. Wahida Karmally

Dr. PH, MS,RDN,CLS,FNLA

Dr. Nesta Bortey-Sam

MD, PhD, FACMG

Prof Dorit Nitzan

MD, MPH, RD

Dr. Jia-Sheng Wang

Ph.D., M.D

‘CJ’ Jones (Cheryl Joan Jones)

MD, MPH, RD

Dr. Natalia Cristina Romero Sandoval

Director of research of UIDE

Nancy Flores Lastra, MSc.

Advisor UEES

Dr. Ariela María de los Milagros Luna Florez

Preuvian Doctor and Anthropologist

Dr. Juan Carlos Zevallos

Former minister of health of Ecuador, Dean of School of Medicine at UEES

Dr. Xavier Solorzano

Executive Director of AIE

Christopher Duggan

M.D., M.P.H

Bianca Dager Jervis

Former Viceminister of Environment of Ecuador and International Speaker

Andrea Stefania Prado Cabrera

Vice Minister of Comprehensive Healthcare in Ecuador

Gabriela Salome Yánez Jácome

MSc

 

DAY 3

We will unveil a revolutionary approach to early diagnosis  and treatment of inherited disorders…newborn screening that harnesses the power of modern genetics. Imagine a world where every newborn in Ecuador has the chance to thrive, free from the shadows of undiagnosed diseases. While high-income countries can detect up to 40 diseases and core conditions early by screening newborns, Ecuador currently screens for only four! This can change dramatically.

Discover how Ecuador will leap forward, embracing cutting-edge technology to identify over 2,000 pediatric disorders, more than 500 of which are treatable or manageable. Learn how Ecuador is poised to become a shining example of advanced medical technologies and clinical approaches, akin to those used in PKU screening. 

This groundbreaking shift will enable the replication of these methods across thousands of heritable diseases, setting a new standard for newborn and human health. Be part of this 7 pivotal moment. Witness firsthand how Ecuador will lead the way in newborn screening, ensuring a healthier, brighter future for our children. Day 3 will also provide valuable insights and practical tools to manage and treat hereditary metabolic disorders, the role of nutrition in managing genetic metabolic disorders, including dietary interventions and nutritional support, and nutrition management strategies.

Download Agenda:
English
Spanish

Dr. D. Holmes Morton

M.D.

Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez

M.D., DCAA, JDH

Alyssa Smith

MS, RD, LD, CNSC, Metabolic Dietician

Dr. Richard Parad

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Arindam Bhattacharjee

Ph.D. , MSc.

Dr. Alcy Torres

FAAP, MD

Dr. Alejandro de la Torre R.

Pediatric Neurologist

Dr. Cesar Paz-Y-Miño

MSc.

Estéfani Espín

Ecuadorian Journalist. RETT Foundation

Estéfani Espín

Ecuadorian Journalist. RETT Foundation

Dr. Dan Deckelbaum

Dr. Christina Briscoe

pediatric epileptologist

Juan Francisco Cabello

MD

Gabriel Trueba

Professor and Director of the Microbiology Institute

Jeffrey L. Neul

M.D., Ph.D.

 

Strategic Collaborators

Edit Template

Early Childhood Health Symposium
Creciendo Juntos:
Genetics, Nutrition and Environmental Factors in Focus

Dr. Wahida Karmally
Special Research Scientist, Columbia University Associate Editor Journal of Clinical Lipidology. Dr. Wahida Karmally earned her Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is a Diabetes Educator, and Diplomate of the ACCL (Clinical Lipid Specialist) and is recognized as a Fellow of the National Lipid Association (NLA). She is currently on the faculty for Columbia University’s International Collaboration and Exchange Healthcare Program and Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. 

Prior to her retirement she was the director of the bionutrition core in the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University for over 30 years. She was on the Faculty in the College of Dental Medicine and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and text books. Dr. Karmally received the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) 2012 Excellence in Practice -Dietetic Research Award. She represented AND at the 2015 Nutrition Mega Event in Brazil and at the American College of Cardiology Roundtable “Managing CV Disease Risk in Diabetes” in 2017. 

She was the 2018 Medallion recipient from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She served on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Panel at the United Nations session on “Women in Science” in February 2020. She has presented at FAO in Italy and nutrition and heart conferences in India, Argentina, UK, Brazil, American Heart Association’s and American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions and is an abstract reviewer for American Diabetes Association and Overseas Dietetic Association. Dr. Karmally served on the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association, Asia Pacific Diabetes Action Council, Northeast Lipid Association, Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology, New York Heart Association. 

She was a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for 11 years and has done over 500 media interviews for print, television and radio. She was Research Chair for the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group. She served on the Research Committee of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. She is currently a member of the National Lipid Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Dr. Nesta Bortey-Sam
Assistant Professor, Faculty in Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. His research focuses on understanding many aspects of environmental toxicology. 

Dr. Bortey-Sam has a BS in Chemistry and MS in Environmental Chemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana, and a PhD in Toxicology from Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, where he also served as a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor. 

He is a certified Chemical Hazard Control Expert. His areas of expertise include chemical/environmental toxicology, environmental health and disease, risk assessment, environmental exposures, public health.

Prof Dorit Nitzan
Dorit is a pediatrician, nutritionist, epidemiologist, and public health expert who dedicated 17 years serving in the World Health Organization (WHO). She held various high-level positions, including the WHO European Region Emergency Director, the WHO Health Emergency Coordinator, the Emergency Health Operations Manager, the WHO Representative in Ukraine and Serbia (including Kosovo and Montenegro), and the Public Health Manager for the Southeast European Health Network. 

After leading the WHO humanitarian response in Ukraine, she returned to Israel in August 2022 and was appointed a full professor in the Ben Gurion University Faculty of Medicine. Currently, Dorit is the Director of the Master’s Program in Emergency Medicine and the chair of the Ben Gurion University (BGU) Food Systems, One Health and Resilience (BGU-FOR) Research Center.

She is a member of national and international committees focusing on food and nutrition security, health security, community protection and engagement, public health education, humanitarian aid, health emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Dorit has received awards from the WHO, the United Nations, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the hospitals where she served. Additionally, she volunteers in humanitarian and life-saving organizations and communities.

Dr. Jia-Sheng Wang
University of Georgia School of Public Health, Areas of expertise include Environmental health, Food safety, Molecular biomarkers and epidemiology, Molecular toxicology, Natural toxins, mainly mycotoxins. NIEHS Post- doctoral Fellow, 1994-1995, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. 

Specialty: Molecular Epidemiology; Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), 1990-1994, Boston University School of Medicine. Specialty: Pathology and Immunology; Postdoctoral associate research training, 1986-1991, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Specialty: Toxicology; Member of National Academy of Science; Member of Institute of Medicine.

Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), 1978-1981, Shanghai First Medical College, Shanghai. Specialty: Nutritional Toxicology in Preventive Medicine.

‘CJ’ Jones (Cheryl Joan Jones)
Thirty years living and working across Africa has led CJ Jones to become a passionate food systems disrupter. Driven by the need to create food justice through greater access equity and better use of available resources CJ had built a number of inclusive ‘for profit’ businesses that drive to this vision. Under the umbrella of UTU Food4Good, CJ has built a viable, investor attractive businesses that break the mould in areas as diverse as food waste, innovations around forgotten foods, packaging innovation and cutting-edge food technology.

Born in rural Australia CJ’s thinking has been shaped by environments that are uncompromising to the careless custodian. Misuse of ecosystem services through production waste in a broken supply chain, conspicuous consumption and burgeoning population pressure, especially in fragile eco- systems motivates her disruptive approach to building a new food system. 

Couple this with a professional background as an Investment Banker, administrator, organisational strategist and leader CJ has positioned herself at the edge of change, confident that this view is founded on extensive experience and real insights, prepared to drive investment into this change so that the transformation can be sustainable, equitable and ethical.

Dr. Natalia Cristina Romero Sandoval
Director of Research at the School of Medicine, The International University of Ecuador (UIDE), National Undersecretary of Public Health Surveillance at the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador (MSP). 

Dr. Natalia Romero has 30 years of professional experience, six years at the UIDE, and has more than 30 scientific publications, including scientific articles and books on health research methodology from the perspective of the quantitative observational approach, as well as the qualitative one. 

She is a member of the Coordinating Council of the Ibero-American Research Network GRAAL and directs the GRAAL-Ecuador Node. She directs doctoral theses at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, and at ECOSUR, Mexico.

She was a consultant in the First National Health and Nutrition Survey (2013-2014) and an Advisor to the Ministerial Office in the MSP (2012). She served as National Director of Epidemiological Surveillance (2011-2012); and was a UNICEF Consultant to the Ministry of Social Development Coordination (2010-2011).

Nancy Flores Lastra
Professional in Chemical Sciences, Analytic Chemistry, and Master of Science in Nutrition and Food. She is a professor at Espíritu Santo University, with significant experience in nutrition, biochemistry and scientific research. She has expertise in the design, implementation, execution, administration, monitoring, and evaluation of projects in health sciences: chronic, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immunological diseases. 

She has directed programs on maternal and child malnutrition, micronutrient supplementation and fortification of foods, and health promotion in school-aged children and adolescents in the National Education System in Ecuador.

Dr. Ariela María de los Milagros Luna Florez
Is a Peruvian physician and anthropologist. She was Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru from October 29, 2019, to July 15, 2020, during the government of Martin Vizcarra. She studied medicine at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. She holds a master’s degree in public health from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and a diploma in anthropology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

In 2004, she held the position of President of the NGO KALLPA Association for the Promotion of Comprehensive Health and Development. Between 2008 and 2009 she served as Director General of Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health. Between August 2011 and January 2012, she worked as Head of the Cabinet of Advisors of the Ministry of Health. 

In April 2014, she was appointed by President Ollanta Humala as Vice Minister of Social Policies and Evaluation of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, under the management of Minister Paola Bustamante. She remained in office until September 2016. Between March and October 2019, she served again as Vice Minister of Social Policies and Evaluation of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion.

On October 29, 2019, she was sworn in as Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru before President Martin Vizcarra after the resignation of the head of the sector, Jorge Meléndez Celis.

Dr. Juan Carlos Zevallos Lopez
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES), Minister of Health of Ecuador during the worst health crisis in Ecuador and humanity in the last 100 years. Awarded “Alien of Extraordinary Abilities” by the United States Department of Justice. 

As founding president of the American Chronic Disease Surveillance Network (AMNET), he has established collaboration with 35 universities and non-governmental organizations in 22 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean Associate Professor at Florida International University (FIU) College of Medicine Director of the Health Services Research Endowment Center of the University of Puerto Rico, an entity funded by the NIH and accredited by UNICEF as a Center of Excellence. Doctor graduated from the School of Medicine of the Central University of Ecuador. 

He received his degree in cardiology from the University of Padua, Italy. American Heart Association Fellow to study Preventive Cardiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, United States. He completed postdoctoral studies in Field Epidemiology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, United States. 

He has extensive experience in clinical and epidemiological aspects of cardiovascular diseases. He is an expert in cardiology, scientific writing and academic curriculum implementation with a solid publication record in English, Italian and Spanish.

Dr. F. Xavier Solórzano
Is the Executive Director of the Foundation Alianza para la Investigación de Enfermedades Emergentes (AIE). He is an international health and development specialist with over thirty years of experience in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean working with local and national governments, universities, non-governmental, community, private and international organizations. 

His work includes health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, technical co-operation, health management, health systems and health financing research, policy development and implementation, research and project management, training, and social and political marketing. 

He received an MD degree from the Universidad Central del Ecuador Medical School, with postgraduate training in health management planning and policy at the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development of the School of Medicine of the University of Leeds; health economics and planning at The Centre for Health Economics of the University of York; nutrition and health in emergency situations at INCAP, social norms at the University of Pennsylvania; and international health with a concentration in public policy at the Pan American Health Organization.

Dr. Solórzano has worked on the design and implementation of health sector and social development projects with emphasis on organizational changes, financing, decentralization of health services, auditing of service delivery, operational research and institutional building. He has conducted policy analysis, policy development and implementation targeting vulnerable groups.

Christopher Duggan
Is a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutrition physician at Boston Children’s Hospital where he directs the Center for Nutrition. He is Samuel J. Meltzer, MD Professor of Pediatrics in the Field of Gastroenterology and Director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, and Professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Global Health and Population at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. 

He is Medical Director of the Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation, one of the largest centers in the US for the care of children with intestinal failure/chronic diarrhea syndrome. His clinical activities focus on optimizing outcomes for children with diarrheal diseases and nutritional problems. In a variety of low- and middle-income countries, he and colleagues are evaluating the role of nutritional supplementation in reducing diarrhea and other infectious illnesses in mothers and children. 

He is the founder of the Harvard College course “Nutrition and Global Health” and mentors’ undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Past and present research support has come from the National Institutes of Health, the Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization. He has consulted with countries including Tanzania and India, to identify important nutritional interventions to improve maternal and child health. 

“Diseases that are easily prevented in the US by clean water, good food and vaccines unfortunately still plague many of the world’s children, and by studying better interventions among children with diarrhea, we can improve medical and nutritional outcomes for all.” In 2019, Dr. Duggan was named Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, one of the top-rated peer-reviewed journals in the field of nutrition.

Bianca Dager Jervis
Former Vice-minister and Deputy Minister of the Environment of Ecuador. Former Environment Director of the Municipality of Guayaquil. Founder and CEO of ÉPICO, the first public company of innovation and competitiveness. Co-founder and CEO of Green Awards (Premios Verdes). 

Dager Jervis has 20 years of experience working with corporations fostering purpose, innovation and entrepreneurship for business sustainability and global solutions for creating an innovative nature-based solutions economy. 

She is also a C40- Women 4 Climate Mentor and an SDG local Ambassador. Former Corporate Director of SAMBITO S.A. Soluciones Ambientales Totales. She is a graduate of Universidad EARTH, with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, has an MBA from UEES, an Executive Education degree from IDE Business School in Social Responsibility of Business, and a graduate of MIT Sloan Executive Education Program in Ecosystem Technology and Innovation.

Andrea Stefania Prado Cabrera
Vice Minister of Comprehensive Healthcare, Ecuador. Andrea Stefania Prado Cabrera serves as the Vice Minister of Comprehensive Healthcare in Ecuador. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the implementation of public health policies aimed at disease prevention and health promotion across the country’s healthcare networks. Her work focuses on ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and effective for individuals, families, and communities.

With a strong background in public health and healthcare management, Andrea has been instrumental in advancing initiatives that integrate mental health services into primary care, promote health literacy among parents, and engage communities in healthy lifestyle practices. 

She advocates for data-driven approaches and multi-sectoral collaboration to develop comprehensive and sustainable solutions for improving child health outcomes in Ecuador. Andrea’s dedication to public health is reflected in her efforts to address environmental health issues, genetic risk factors, and nutritional deficiencies that impact children’s growth and development. 

Her leadership is characterized by a commitment to enhancing the overall well-being of the population through innovative and inclusive healthcare strategies.

Gabriela Salome Yánez Jácome
M Sc, Advanced Fine Chemistry, CESAQ (Center for Applied Studies and Analytic Chemistry Quimica Fina Avanza), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry, Universidad de Córdoba, bachelor’s degree in chemical science and chemical Analytics.

Dr. D. Holmes Morton
Pediatrician and research physician in the field of pediatric genetics and hereditary metabolic disease. D. HOLMES MORTON M.D. is a pediatrician and co- founder with his wife Caroline of the 1 ST Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg Pennsylvania. In 2012 The Central Pennsylvania Clinic for Special Needs Children; Adults was cofounded as a non-profit organization, a 501c3, as a project during a MacArthur Fellowship. From his Clinic for Special Children, Dr. Morton treats Amish and Mennonite children afflicted with complex medical problems arising from inherited predispositions to disease.

Dr. Morton’s wife Caroline and his brother Paul Morton were involved in establishing similar Clinics in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and a new Clinic in rural Central Kentucky. These Clinics are medical works-in-progress with the Mission to use knowledge of genetic risks within the populations to improve access to medical care, foster early recognition and improve treatments for inherited disorders. Although the Clinics are local medical practices, the Clinics are recognized internationally for innovative studies in the discovery and treatment of inherited disorders. Publications can be found in Pediatrics, Current Treatment Options in Neurology, Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, Brain, Journal of Pediatrics, Pediatric Transplant, Nature, and Gene Reviews.

In 2020, Dr. Morton received the Rural Health Hero Award. D. Holmes Morton received an M.D. (1983) from Harvard Medical School and completed his residency at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He also conducted biochemical genetics research at Johns Hopkins University and at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“Renowned Pediatrician and geneticist D. Holmes Morton left Harvard Medical School to treat children afflicted with genetic illnesses in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. Morton is considered a leading authority on diseases that have plagued groups known to inbreed, as you find in the indigenous and mestizo populations of Ecuador. Using cutting-edge technology, Morton and his team have discovered numerous genetic illnesses and developed novel treatments, says Joseph B. Martin, M.D., former dean of Harvard Medical School. “The care [Morton and his team] provide for these families has no counterpart. He is one of Harvard Medical School’s most remarkable alumni,” says Martin Joseph B. Martin, M.D., former dean of Harvard Medical School.

Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Lina Ghaloul Gonzalez, MD, is an assistant professor of pediatrics and a Mellon Scholar within the Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Human Genetics at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. 

She is native Syrian/Spanish, earned her medical degree from the University of Aleppo School of Medicine in Aleppo, Syria, and a doctorate in Molecular Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain in 2002. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York in 2009 and her residency in Medical Genetics and fellowship in Medical Biochemical Genetics at Pitt/UPMC in 2013.

Ghaloul-Gonzalez became interested in the translational aspect of research including implementation of next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis in the diagnosis of genetic disorders and the modern approach to medicine. 

This interest became later more focused on studying the genetic disorders in the Plain community (Amish and Mennonites) in Western PA, the least studied Plain community in the US. Ghaloul-Gonzalez is board-certified in internal medicine, clinical genetics and medical biochemical genetics. 

She is a member of the society for pediatric research (SPR), Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD), American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMGG), and the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG).

Alyssa Smith
MS, RD, LD, CNSC, Metabolic Dietician. Aly Smith is a registered and licensed dietitian at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, with 2 years of metabolic experience and 10 years pediatric nutrition experience. 

She loves working directly with families and finding food and nutrition solutions to complex metabolic conditions, providing dietary management and support. Alyssa has contributed to several research projects and has been involved in developing nutritional guidelines for managing these conditions. 

Her work focuses on improving the quality of life for affected children through tailored nutritional interventions. She has a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from The Ohio State University (2011) and a Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition from Ashland University (2009).  

Dr. Richard Parad
Is an attending neonatologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Harvard Medical School Department of Pediatrics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 

He directs the Neonatal Genomic Medicine Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Parad’s research focuses on genomic sequencing for screening and diagnosing disorders in newborns, as well as clinical trials for improving treatment of neonatal lung disorders. He completed his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, and his residency and fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

He underwent dual training in Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine and Pediatric Pulmonology at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is the Director of the Program in Newborn Genomics. In addition to caring for newborns in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), he is a core member of the Growth and Development Unit (GDU) faculty and the Antenatal Consult team. 

Dr. Arindam Bhattacharjee
Senior Investigator and Lab Director, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS). A molecular biologist utilizing genomics, developed first Exome and sequencing panels for newborn screening and sick (NICU) infants.

Core Founder, first CEO & CSO of Parabase Genomics and led other Genomics and Informatics projects. Post-doctoral fellowship-Dana Farber Cancer Institute/HMS. Ph.D. Molecular Veterinary Biology, University of Minnesota, USA, MSc. University of Saskatchewan, Canada. 

The focus of Dr. Arindam Bhattacharjee’s has been the development and implementation of innovative genomic tools and translating them for use in population-based newborn screening (NBS) of rare genetic diseases. He is currently a Senior Investigator in the Department of Pediatrics Newborn Genomic Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Alcy R. Torres
 FAAP, received his MD degree at Universidad Central del Ecuador, pediatric residency at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Neurology at the Longwood Neurology Program, Harvard Medical School (HMS). 

He then completed the Pediatric Neurology Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Boston, HMS, where he remained on staff for 13 years before becoming the Director of the Pediatric Brain Injury Program at Boston Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. 

He is an international leader in pediatric neurology with outstanding clinical, educational, research and publications records. He pioneered a new treatment method for CNS folate deficiency which has changed dramatically the outcome of these patients and is listed as a reference in the NIH library.

Dr. Alejandro De la Torre R
Is a pediatric neurologist at Centro Medico QRA and Hospital Metropolitano, having graduated with honors as a physician from the International University of Ecuador. He studied Pediatrics at Miami Children’s Hospital in Florida and completed his studies as a Pediatric Neurologist at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. 

He is double certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties in Pediatrics and Child Neurology. He also obtained specialized training in reading and interpreting electroencephalograms for pediatric patients. 

He is a member of some world- renowned societies including American Epilepsy Society, International Child Neurology Association, Child Neurology Society, American Academy of Neurology and American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the medical director at Fundacion Camina Conmigo.

Cesar Paz-Y-Miño
Doctor of Medicine, Master in Biology Infectious Disease, with a specialty in Clinical Genetics and Human Molecular Genetics. Cesar Paz-Y-Miño is a researcher with 30 years of experience, leading a working group in the field of genetics and predisposition to cancer, rare genetic diseases, and genotoxicity, the study of the population origin of Ecuador. 

He is currently the Director of the Genetics and Genomics Research Center of the Faculty of Health Sciences “Eugenio Espejo”, UTE University, Quito, Ecuador. For his scientific contributions, he has received several research awards, including the Scientific Merit Award from the Congress of the Republic, the award for Best National Consecrated Researcher, and the Eugenio Espejo Award for Scientific Merit from the Metropolitan Municipality of Quito. 

He is a member of the Ecuadorian Academies of Science and Medicine. He actively participates in television and radio programs on topics of science, technology, and health rights. He is a graduate of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Doctor in Biology, Human genetics and Medicine, and Universidad Central del Ecuador, Doctor in Medicine and Surgery.

Estéfani Espín
Is an Ecuadorian news presenter who currently works at Ecuavisa and worked at CNN Español. She studied journalism, communications and business administration in Nebraska.

 She began doing interviews on CNN Radio and worked as a news anchor on CNN Español  the end of 2008, and she then returned to Ecuador to work at Ecuavisa, She joined the midday news program, Televistazo and soon after joined the space Contacto Directo with Alfredo Pinoargote and Lenin Artieda, after the departure of Carlos Vera. Later she became part of the community news programs of Ecuavisa , both in Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Espín and her husband Felipe Estrada are parents to Felipe (born in 2015), Joaquín (born in 2018) and Emilia (born in 2020), who developed Rett Syndrome, a rare condition that prevents her normal brain development.

Dr. Dan Deckelbaum
Is assistant professor at the Divisions of Trauma and General Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), associate member of the Department of Epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health at McGill University, and honorary associate professor at the National University of Rwanda. He obtained his subspecialty training in trauma surgery and critical care at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. During his fellowship he also completed his master’s degree in public health at the University of Miami. In addition to his passion for clinical practice, he has developed an avid interest in global surgical education and development, as well as disaster preparedness and response, establishing and co-directing the MUHC Centre for Global Surgery. His interest in global health is founded upon on-site clinical experience in government hospitals in East Africa as well as disaster response activities in Somalia, Kenya, Turks and Caicos, and Haiti.  Dr. Deckelbaum aims at developing and implementing trauma and emergency capacity building programs in many countries around the world where the plight of injury is constantly on the rise.

Dr. Christina Briscoe
Pediatric epileptologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Instructor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. She specializes in infantile epilepsies and other developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. She has worked with the Universidad de Valparaiso fellowship program as a visiting lecturer and has collaborative research projects in Chile for infantile spasms, and she is a board member in the Brother’s Brother Foundation, where she co-founded an initiative to provide emergency access to seizure medication for seizures in conflict zones (Ukraine) and low-middle income countries through the DREAM initiative. 

Juan Francisco Cabello
MD, the Head of the Genetics and Inborn Errors of Metabolism Laboratory (LabGEM). INTA, University of Chile. Adjunct Faculty, Department of Neurology. Boston Children’s Hospital, Past president, Latin American Society of Inborn Errors of Metabolism and Newborn Screening (SLEIMPN).

Gabriel Trueba
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Professor and Director of the Microbiology Institute, Director of the Doctoral Program in Microbiology, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from Iowa State University, MSc in Immunology from Iowa State University, DVM in Veterinary Medicine from the Central University of Ecuador, Post-Doc in Bacterial Genetics, University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. His interest and expertise is in microbial evolution and its relationship to environmental changes, virulence, adaptation to new hosts and antibiotic resistance, and the use of new molecular tools in the study of epidemiology of infectious diseases.

Jeffrey L. Neul
M.D., Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Special Education. Dr. Neul is an internationally recognized expert in genetic neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically Rett syndrome. Dr. Neul earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his medical and doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago and completed his residency and fellowship in child neurology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Thank you for registering for the conference

You'll receive a confirmation email shortly.

Go to Website
Instagram Linkedin Facebook