Jose R. Loaiza Ph. D.
Academic profile
Post-Doctoral Fellow (2010 – 2012)
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Advisor: Eldredge Bermingham
Ph.D., Entomology (2005 – 2009)
McGill University
Advisor: Marilyn Scott & Jan E. Conn
Professional précis
Doctor Loaiza is a Staff Scientist at the Panamanian INDICASAT AIP where he conducts research on mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs and other arthropod vectors of human and animal pathogens. He is also the academic coordinator of the Central American Master’s Program in Entomology at the University of Panama (UP) where he teaches several graduate-level courses in medical entomology and vector ecology.He holds a Research Associate status from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) since 2015, and is currently a Distinguished Member of the National Board of Investigators (SNI) of the Panamanian Science Secretariat (SENACYT).
In 2013, the Panamanian Association for the Advancement of Science (APANAC), in collaboration with the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), honored Dr. Loaiza with the APANAC TWAS Young Investigator Award. Dr. Loaiza has more than 40 scientific publications in peer-review journals, 70% of which have him as primary or corresponding author.
Research interest
I am a disease ecologist with expertise in vector-borne pathogens. I have a strong interest in viewing Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) as a system incorporating human, animal and wildlife health, in the context of the environment. My focus combines ecological field-based studies with laboratory-based experiments of disease vectors, hosts and pathogens to understand their interactions and potential for disease emergence.