This MEDICC Review roundtable brings you specialists from Havana’s Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK), who are working directly with testing, research and patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1937 by its namesake, the Institute has gained considerable worldwide prestige. Today, it is a PAHO–WHO Collaborating Center for the Study of Dengue and Its Vector, and for the Elimination of Tuberculosis. Its main role within Cuba’s health system is as the national reference center for prevention, control, management and elimination of infectious diseases, including epidemics. Its 479 workers staff 32 departments, including laboratories, research and teaching facilities, a hospital and isolation center. The IPK’s hospital treats later-stage AIDS patients, while the Institute is the national reference center for attention to all HIV-positive patients and maintains the national HIV/AIDS registry, as well as registries for other infectious diseases. The institution was responsible for training the Cuban doctors who served in West Africa during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreaks and for those going abroad to assist in the COVID-19 response today, and its professionals offer an internationally-recognized biennial course on dengue.
Introducing our readers to roundtable participants (in order of appearance):
Manuel Romero-Placeres MD MPH PhD is a physician with dual specialties in family medicine and epidemiology, as well as a degree in public administration and a doctorate in medical sciences. He also holds a master’s degree in public health, concentrating on environmental health. He is full professor and senior researcher at the Medical University of Havana, and is a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. Dr Romero is director of the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK).
Daniel González-Rubio MD MS PhD is an internist with a master’s degree in infectology and tropical diseases, and a doctorate in medical sciences. He is full professor and associate researcher at the Medical University of Havana and chief of the Tropical Medicine Unit at IPK.
Sonia Resik-Aguirre MD MS PhD is a physician specializing in microbiology with a master’s degree in virology and a doctorate in medical sciences. She is full professor and senior researcher at the Medical University of Havana. Dr Resik heads the Virology Department and directs the National Polio Reference Laboratory at IPK. She has participated in numerous international collaborations, including 12 with WHO on inactivated polio vaccine. She is a member of WHO’s SAGE Polio Working Group.
Dr Pastor Castell-Florit’s career in public health spans work at local, national and international levels. In 2016, he received PAHO’s Award for Health Administration in the Americas, for “outstanding leadership and valuable contributions to the management and administration of the Cuban National Health System.” He serves as president of Cuba’s National Council of Scientific […]
