Biography

Dr. Pena is a Principal Investigator at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil, the largest biomedical research institution in Latin America. He holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, USA. Dr. Pena has served as a Postgraduate Researcher at the USDA-Plum Island Animal Disease Center and as a Visiting Researcher at the USDA-National Animal Disease Center, USA. He is a highly motivated scientist with a strong background in virology, with specific training and expertise in reverse genetics, viral epidemiology, animal models, pathogenesis studies, and the development of diagnostic kits, vaccines, and antivirals. Dr. Pena's laboratory was the first to detect and isolate the Zika virus in Pernambuco state, the epicenter of the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil. His research focuses on viruses that impact human and animal health, including zoonotic viruses. His areas of research include antiviral discovery, the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines, clinical and epidemiological studies in humans and animals, viral genomics, and the identification of host genetic markers associated with disease susceptibility.