The traditional IMPACT Day was held on Monday, November 13, at the Alameda Extension Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The main focus of the activity was to promote a mentality of social, clinical, and economic impact on our country’s health ecosystem among the Center members.
The initiative was attended by prominent national speakers, such as Macarena Molina, leading connector of the Digital Health Network of the State Universities and expert in the management of technological projects with the application of artificial intelligence to support the diagnosis and digitalization of health; Félix Liberona, deputy executive director of the National Center for Health Information Systems (CENS) and specialist in the development and implementation of collaborative projects and scientific management focused on dialogue and knowledge transfer; and Alberto Rodríguez-Navarro, physician and founder of Levita Magnetics based in Silicon Valley.
Claudia Zylberberg, founder of Akron Bio and part of the strategic advisory board of the International Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ISCT), as well as an advisor to organizations around the world on the regulatory roadmap and commercialization of cell therapies and stem cell banks, was in charge of the closing of the day. In this opportunity, the outstanding scientist presented the talk “Women scientists present in innovation, development, and biotechnological entrepreneurship,” where she shared with the attendees her experience and the main challenges she faced.
For Maroun Khoury, director of IMPACT: “This IMPACT Day was not only an opportunity for the members of our Center to broaden their academic and professional horizons but also to connect with the realities and needs of the country in the health field. Having external specialists allowed us to reflect with them, enrich our understanding, and establish strategic alliances. The ultimate goal is always the same: to contribute significantly to improving the quality of medical care in Chile, and this event is a crucial step on that path,” he explained.
New members
IMPACT Day, we also welcomed new collaborators. They are Claudia Brizuela, a dental surgeon with a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from the International University of Catalonia (Spain) and current Director of Research at the Universidad de los Andes, and Wilfredo González, a dental surgeon with a Ph.D. in Stomatopathology from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) and researcher at the Center for Biomedical Research and Innovation (CiiB) of the Universidad de los Andes. Both come to IMPACT to strengthen clinical research in oral medicine and head and neck oncology.
Also joining IMPACT is Alejandro Luarte, a biochemist with a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the University of Chile, in the line of research on mental illness, focusing primarily on degenerative diseases and the identification of blood biomarkers for the accurate diagnosis of bipolar and monopolar depression.
Finally, in the clinical area, Cristián Carvallo, surgeon and Chief of Hematopathology at the Clínica Universidad de los Andes, has joined the team. His incorporation is vital to strengthening the cancer research team, providing an integral vision of the clinical practice.
The vast experience and knowledge of the new members will significantly strengthen the IMPACT Center’s research and development capacity in critical areas for health and wellness.