Peru

Site Institution: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), ), Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollos
Research Areas: Malaria & Vector-Borne Diseases, HIV Prevention, HIV & Aging, Non-Communicable Diseases, and Maternal & Child Health

Site Description: Founded in 1961, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) is the leading biomedical teaching and research institution in Peru, with eight schools and three campuses providing undergraduate and postgraduate education across medicine, public health, nursing, sciences, veterinary medicine, and education. UPCH has served as a GHES training site since 2013, building on a 25-year foundation of collaboration with Yale initially in infectious diseases research. Over the past 13 years, UPCH has trained 14 U.S. and Peruvian fellows at the pre- and post-doctoral levels, supported by a dual mentorship model spanning Yale (Drs. Vinetz, Hsieh, Altice, and Ko), University of Arizona (Drs. Madhivanan and Cooper), and UPCH (Drs. Gamboa, Garcia, Konda, Carrasco and Blas). Research at this site is funded by NIH and the Wellcome Trust.

Trainees engage in research across three primary hubs. In the capital city of Lima, fellows are anchored at the UPCH School of Public Health and Administration (FASPA) and the Alexander von Humbolt Tropical Medicine Institute (IMTAvH). Dr. Patty Garcia and Dr. Evelyn Hsieh (Yale) have collaborated for over ten years, working on HIV care and its intersection with non-communicable diseases and aging, musculoskeletal and rheumatologic conditions, and cervical cancer screening and health systems research in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Health. They have also co-mentored scholars in related fields including health literacy, self-management, women’s health and palliative care.

Dr. Kelika Konda, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California and Associated Researcher at UPCH, brings over 20 years of HIV and STI prevention research experience in Lima. With more than 115 peer-reviewed publications on HIV and STI epidemiology and prevention, Dr. Konda leads clinical and implementation research focused on community-based HIV prevention strategies and prophylaxis delivery, and has collaborated closely with Dr. Rick Altice (Yale) for over ten years across grants, research initiatives, and trainee supervision.

In the Amazonian city of Iquitos, trainees engage in malaria biology, control, and elimination research through the Amazonian International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR), co-led by Drs. Vinetz and Gamboa. The Malaria Research Group operates three independent laboratories at LID-UPCH covering molecular and cellular biology, bioinformatics, and immunology, alongside field facilities in Iquitos housing an insectary with a well-established colony of Anopheles darlingi. Research activities span malaria immunity and infection biology, leptospirosis epidemiology and diagnostics, and asymptomatic malaria immunology. The LID facility provides 96,617 sq. ft. of research infrastructure including a large NIH and Wellcome Trust-supported specimen repository, with additional field sites at the Global Health Center in Tumbes and clinical access agreements spanning all major hospitals in Peru.

Dr. Magaly Blas leads the "Mamás del Río" and "Ikara" programs in the Peruvian Amazon, focused on maternal and infant health in rural and indigenous communities using implementation science and mHealth approaches, in collaboration with Dr. Purnima Madhivanan (University of Arizona). Fellows working with Dr. Blas have access to established field sites in Loreto and Lambayeque, active community health worker networks, and opportunities for community-based participatory research.

Site Institution: Centro de Investigaciones Tecnológicas, Biomédicas y Medioambientales (CITBM), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
Research Areas: HIV, Co-infections & Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and Clinical Trials & Implementation Science

Site Description: The Centro de Investigaciones Tecnológicas, Biomédicas y Medioambientales (CITBM) is a center of excellence in Lima, Peru, established in 2015 through a collaboration between San Marcos University (UNMSM), Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais, Peru's National Institute of Health, and private sector partners, with founding support from Peru's National Council for Research and Technology (CONCYTEC). Although the first GHES trainee was received in 2024, the program builds on a long-standing collaboration between Dr. Jorge Sanchez (CITBM) and Dr. Frederick Altice, including multiple R01 grants and shared trainees since 2012. CITBM's research is funded by national and international entities including NIH, Wellcome Trust, the European Union, and pharmaceutical partners, and the center maintains annual financial audits and compliance with NIH/DAIDS quality standards.

CITBM operates four specialized research units offering a broad and complementary training environment. The Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics Unit (UEMyG) focuses on neglected diseases and public health-relevant pathogens using next-generation sequencing, genomic analysis, and bioinformatics. The Clinical Trials Unit (UNIDEC) manages biomedical research and clinical trials for infectious diseases — including HIV and emerging pathogens — supported by a fully equipped research clinic, BD flow cytometers, ultra-freezers, biosafety cabinets, and laboratory certification by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The Zoonosis Unit (UZ), located at UNMSM's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, studies diseases at the animal-human interface with a purpose-built BSL-3 bat research facility — the ChiroptoLab — supporting controlled infection, immunity, and ecology studies. The Synthesis and Characterization of Materials Unit (USyCAM) provides capabilities in nanomaterials and environmental applications. Research areas relevant to GHES include Epidemic Preparedness & One Health, Environmental Health & Injuries, HIV/TB & Syndemics, and Malaria & Vector-Borne Diseases.

Trainees are integrated into active research groups led by experienced senior investigators and have access to dedicated workspace, computing resources, laboratory infrastructure, and support for study implementation, data collection, and analysis. Mentorship follows a structured, team-based model pairing Peruvian and US-based investigators, with weekly local mentor meetings and monthly joint sessions with US co-mentors providing continuous methodological guidance, scientific input, and career development support. CITBM provides strong institutional commitment through dedicated administrative support, in-kind contributions, and a research culture oriented toward building the next generation of independent investigators addressing national and global health priorities.