Dr. Manoel Barral

Dr. Barral-Netto is a distinguished Principal Researcher at FIOCRUZ and a retired Professor of Pathology at the School of Medicine of UFBA. His research is primarily centered on the immunopathology of infectious and parasitic diseases, with a strong focus on digital surveillance of viral illnesses. His pioneering work in systems immunology has substantially advanced the understanding of diseases such as leishmaniasis and malaria. In digital health, Dr. Barral-Netto is a leader in precision public health research. Notably, he coordinated the VigiVac program, which digitally assessed the effectiveness of Brazil's COVID-19 vaccination campaign. He is spearheading the AESOP project, which is dedicated to early detection of emerging respiratory infection outbreaks.

Dr. Barral-Netto is also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists, with many of his graduate and postdoctoral students now enjoying successful scientific careers. He holds prominent positions as the President of the Academy of Sciences of Bahia and a Full Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. His outstanding scientific contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the UNESCO International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences and the Grand Cross of the Brazilian National Order of Scientific Merit. ORCID