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Isra Cruz

About: Isra Cruz holds a BSc in Biology and BSc in Biochemistry. He earned a PhD in the study of parasitological and immunological markers for Visceral Leishmaniasis in children and HIV-positive adults. For the last fifteen years, Isra has been an active member of the WHO Collaborating Center for Leishmaniasis at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. His research concentrated on the design and implementation of molecular tools to address diagnostic challenges and contributed to resolving epidemiological questions related to leishmaniasis. He has also contributed to the evaluation of diagnostic tests for Chagas disease. Isra has been involved in different epidemiological assessments and outbreak investigations, most of them in collaboration with the WHO NTD programme, as well as in training activities and methodology transfer. His field experience was acquired in Argentina, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ethiopia and South Sudan. In February 2015, Isra joined FIND as a Senior Scientific Officer to collaborate in the organization's NTD programme, with primary focus on leishmaniasis and Buruli ulcer