About Us
The One Health Modeling and Perspective Center (CEMPOH) of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Agronomy at Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA, Chile) aims to carry out interdisciplinary research that addresses emerging challenges in human, animal and environmental health, advancing the understanding and promotion of global health.
To this end, CEMPOH undertakes:
- Research on the drivers that affect human, animal and environmental health, in order to improve preparedness for and response to health emergencies.
- Training and education of students in the field of One Health, to strengthen the scientific and technical capacities needed to address emerging global health challenges.
- Science communication, to promote a culture of global health among the public.
Our Team
Yanina Poblete
Director
Biology teacher, with a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her research examines the relationships between behavioral, physiological and genetic variability, environmental factors and disease in natural systems, integrating evolutionary ecology and eco-epidemiology. At CEMPOH she leads the center’s scientific development and contributes to the study and modeling of zoonotic dynamics under the One Health approach.
Marcela Fresno
Principal Investigator
Veterinarian with a PhD in Forestry, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, director of the Master’s in One Health (Magíster One Health – Una Salud) and principal investigator at CEMPOH. Her work focuses on antimicrobial resistance, environmental contaminants, food safety, zoonoses and environmental health. She contributes to capacity building, integrated surveillance and advanced training in the One Health approach.
Francisca Di Pillo
Principal Investigator
Veterinarian, with a master’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences and a PhD in Forestry, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. Her work addresses epidemiology, veterinary public health, risk analysis, avian influenza, backyard production systems and human–animal–environment interfaces. At CEMPOH she is a principal investigator and contributes to the zoonoses and One Health epidemiological surveillance research line.
Christian Hidalgo
Principal Investigator
Veterinarian with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, academic researcher at UDLA and principal investigator at CEMPOH. His research focuses on veterinary immunology and parasitology, host–parasite interaction, proteomics, genomics, molecular biology and immunodiagnostics. He contributes to the research lines on zoonoses, diagnostic surveillance and animal health under the One Health approach.
Mario Alvarado Rybak
Principal Investigator
Veterinarian, with a master’s degree in Veterinary Sciences, a master’s degree in Ecosystem Health and a PhD in Conservation Medicine. His research addresses the health of aquatic ecosystems, wild amphibians and marine mammals. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research line on ecosystem health, conservation and monitoring of aquatic wildlife.
Raul Calderon Araya
Principal Investigator
Industrial chemist, with a PhD in Chemistry and a master’s degree in Public Health. His research addresses emerging contaminants, environmental chemistry, agri-food systems and human exposure. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research line on contaminants, AMR and public health, integrating chemical analysis, environmental assessment and evidence for decision-making.
Carolina Contreras
Associate Researcher
Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, master’s degree in Science and PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She has conducted research in urban ecology, socio-environmental perception, animal ecophysiology, and infectious and parasitic diseases. At CEMPOH she contributes to integrated studies on urban health, social perception and human–animal–environment relationships.
Antonella Bacigalupo
Associate Researcher
Veterinarian, with a master’s degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences and a PhD in Infectious Diseases from the University of Glasgow. Her research focuses on arthropod vectors, triatomines, Trypanosoma cruzi, genomics and the transmission of microorganisms. At CEMPOH she contributes to the research lines on zoonoses, surveillance and the eco-epidemiology of vector-borne diseases.
Iñigo Bidegain
Associate Researcher
Biologist, with a master’s degree in Ecology and a PhD in Ecology. His work focuses on the social valuation of ecosystem services, landscapes, biodiversity, the human dimension of conservation and invasive species. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research lines on perception, ecosystem services and conservation, and to bridging science, territory and society.
Nicolás Velasco
Associate Researcher
Agronomist, with a master’s degree in Natural Resources and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research focuses on plant ecology, niche modeling, the distribution of invasive species and ecological restoration. At CEMPOH he contributes to the analysis of biodiversity, restoration, environmental change and applied ecological modeling.
Silvio Javier Crespin
Associate Researcher
Biologist, with a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research addresses biodiversity conservation, socio-ecological interactions, human–wildlife conflict and participatory monitoring in wetlands. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research lines on perception, conservation and territorial participation under the One Health approach.
Rodolfo Tardone
Associate Researcher
Veterinarian with a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. His career combines wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, conservation, microbiology and the molecular analysis of pathogens. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research line on wildlife, public health, conservation and disease surveillance at the human–animal–environment interface.
Ignacio Troncoso
UDLA Collaborator
Veterinarian, with a master’s degree in Education, a master’s degree in One Health and a PhD in Veterinary Sciences. His research focuses on infectious and zoonotic diseases, with an emphasis on histopathological and epidemiological studies in animal models, humans and vectors. At CEMPOH he contributes to the research line on zoonoses, diagnostics and veterinary public health.
Ignacio Fuentes
UDLA Collaborator
Agronomist, with a master’s degree in Soil and Water Management and a PhD in Science from the University of Sydney. His research addresses natural resources, water, vegetation, remote sensing and environmental analysis. At CEMPOH he contributes to territorial modeling, the integration of environmental variables and the development of indicators for One Health analysis.
Leonardo Fernández
UDLA Collaborator
Marine biologist, with a PhD in Systematics and Biodiversity, a PhD in Ecology and Evolution and a master’s degree in One Health. His research addresses microbial diversity, biogeography, microbiomes and ecological processes in natural, urban, animal and human systems. At CEMPOH he contributes to the analysis of microbiomes, biodiversity and the modeling of complex systems.
Research Assistants
Carolina Fernández
Research Assistant
Biologist, with a master’s degree in Wildlands and Nature Conservation from Universidad de Chile. She has 12 years of field experience working with wildlife from a conservation perspective, always prioritizing animal welfare. She specializes in bird-banding techniques following international standards (North American Banding Council, NABC). She currently works at a private wildlife rescue center and collaborates on research projects at Universidad de Las Américas.
Ginette Peralta
Research Assistant
Veterinary Medicine student at Universidad de Las Américas. Ginette supports CEMPOH researchers with various laboratory analyses, assisting with sample handling and preservation, genetic material extraction and PCR, among other tasks.
Felipe Reyes
Research Assistant
Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile, with experience in bacterial molecular biology and microbiology. Felipe supports CEMPOH research as an assistant on the Fondecyt project “Functional and biochemical characterization of a putative antibacterial type VI secretion system effector of the foodborne pathogen Salmonella Dublin”.