← Back to home Road to Panama

Pre-Conference Webinars

Three virtual sessions previewing core themes of the conference, convened with PAHO/WHO and UNICEF.

October 23 — November 3, 2026 Virtual sessions, free of charge
Registration open · Webinars 01 and 02
Webinar 01
Friday, October 23
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
US Eastern Time

Official Launch of the Integrated Management Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Arboviral Diseases 2026–2035 (IMS-Arbovirus)

PAHO / WHO
Register on Zoom Registration open
View details and full agenda

PAHO will officially launch the IMS-Arbovirus 2026–2035 as the updated regional framework to guide the prevention, preparedness, surveillance, control and response to dengue and other arboviral diseases in the Americas. The strategy builds on more than a decade of country experience in implementing, evaluating and adapting the regional strategy.

Simultaneous interpretation Spanish–English. Streamed on Zoom.

Moderators

  • Dr. Carlos Espinal
    Director, Global Health Consortium, Department of Global Health, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, USA
  • Dr. José Luis San Martín
    Advisor, Dengue and Other Arboviral Diseases, PAHO/WHO, USA

Panelists

  • Dr. Haroldo Bezerra
    Regional Advisor, Public Health Entomology and Vector Control, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Eng. Douglas Elizondo
    Technical Officer, Regional Arbovirus Surveillance, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Dr. Gamaliel Gutiérrez
    Technical Officer, Arboviral Disease Surveillance, Special Program on Arboviral Diseases, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Cristina Mañá
    Public Health Communication Specialist, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Dr. Jairo Méndez-Rico
    Regional Advisor on Viral Diseases, Health Emergencies Department, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Dr. Thais dos Santos
    Regional Advisor, Surveillance and Control of Arboviral Diseases, Special Program on Arboviral Diseases, PAHO/WHO, USA
  • Dr. Orlinder Nicolás Zambrano
    Head, Vector-Borne Disease Program, Ministry of Health of Honduras
Full agenda · US Eastern Time
  1. 10:00 – 10:10 a.m.
    Official opening and institutional welcome
    Thais dos Santos (PAHO) and Carlos Espinal (FIU)
  2. 10:10 – 10:30 a.m.
    Overview of the IMS-Arbovirus 2026–2035: historical evolution, main innovations, re-engineering process, management component, guidelines for outbreak and epidemic response, and proposed resolution to the Directing Council
    Thais dos Santos, PAHO
  3. 10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
    Epidemiology component: innovations, regional surveillance and priority lines of work
    Douglas Elizondo, PAHO
  4. 10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
    Clinical care component: innovations and priority actions
    Gamaliel Gutiérrez, PAHO
  5. 11:00 – 11:15 a.m.
    Laboratory component: innovations in diagnosis, virological surveillance and priority actions
    Jairo Méndez-Rico, PAHO
  6. 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
    Integrated vector management component: innovations, risk stratification and priority actions
    Haroldo Bezerra, PAHO
  7. 11:30 – 11:45 a.m.
    Risk communication and community engagement component: innovations and priority actions
    Cristina Mañá, PAHO
  8. 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
    Country experience. Honduras: re-engineering and implementation process, main progress and challenges
    Orlinder Nicolás Zambrano, Ministry of Health of Honduras
  9. 12:00 – 12:20 p.m.
    Questions and answers with the audience
    Moderated by José Luis San Martín (PAHO) and Carlos Espinal (FIU)
  10. 12:20 – 12:30 p.m.
    Closing, key messages and regional next steps
    Thais dos Santos, PAHO
Webinar 02
Friday, October 30
10:00 – 12:00
US Eastern Time9:00 – 11:00 Panama, Colombia, Peru · 8:00 – 10:00 Mexico and Central America

Violence and child maltreatment: regional overview, health-system response and prevention

UNICEF · FIU
Register on Zoom Registration open
View details and full agenda

Three complementary perspectives on violence against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean: the scale of the problem in the region, the role of health systems in detecting and addressing it, and the prevention of physical and sexual child abuse from the experience of the Kempe Center. The session closes with a discussion panel with the three speakers.

Simultaneous interpretation Spanish–English. Streamed on Zoom.

Moderator

  • Dr. Francisco Becerra
    Global Health Consortium, Department of Global Health, Florida International University · GHC, FIU, Mexico

Speakers

  • Javier Aguilar
    Senior Adviser, Child Protection, UNICEF Centre of Excellence, Panama
  • Alessandra Guedes
    Gender and Development Manager, UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti
  • Dr. Richard D. Krugman
    Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse & Neglect, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, USA
Full agenda · US Eastern Time
  1. 10:00 – 10:10
    Introduction and presentation of the speakers
    Francisco Becerra, FIU
  2. 10:10 – 10:30
    Overview of violence against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean
    Javier Aguilar, UNICEF
  3. 10:30 – 11:00
    Strengthening health systems to address violence against children and adolescents
    Alessandra Guedes, UNICEF Innocenti
  4. 11:00 – 11:30
    Prevention of violence against children and women
    Richard D. Krugman, Kempe Center
  5. 11:30 – 12:00
    Discussion panel and audience questions
    Moderator: Francisco Becerra
Webinar 03
Tuesday, November 3
10:00 – 12:00
US Eastern Time9:00 – 11:00 Panama, Colombia, Peru · 8:00 – 10:00 Mexico and Central America

Antimicrobial resistance: emerging challenges and new frontiers for the response

FIU · OPS / OMS
Registration opens soon
View details and full agenda

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the main threats to human, animal and environmental health and calls for a comprehensive One Health response. The webinar brings together experts from different disciplines to review AMR as an interconnected problem affecting people, animals and the planet; emerging resistance trends in Gram-negative bacteria and their therapeutic challenges; and the role of artificial intelligence as a tool to strengthen surveillance, prevention and clinical decision-making, with its opportunities and risks.

Intended for health professionals, microbiologists, pharmacists, infectious disease specialists, AMR programme managers, researchers, health authorities, veterinary and environmental professionals, and students. Streamed on Zoom.

Speakers

  • Dr. Christian Trigoso
    Antimicrobial resistance: a human, animal and planetary disease
  • Dr. Germán Esparza
    Emerging resistance in Gram-negative bacteria: a treatment challenge
  • Dr. Luis Felipe Reyes
    Artificial intelligence in the response to antimicrobial resistance: innovation or risk?

Panel moderator

To be confirmed.

Full agenda · US Eastern Time
  1. 10:00 – 10:10
    Welcome, opening and objectives of the webinar
  2. 10:10 – 10:35
    Antimicrobial resistance: a human, animal and planetary disease
    Christian Trigoso
  3. 10:35 – 11:00
    Emerging resistance in Gram-negative bacteria: a treatment challenge
    Germán Esparza
  4. 11:00 – 11:25
    Artificial intelligence in the response to antimicrobial resistance: innovation or risk?
    Luis Felipe Reyes
  5. 11:25 – 11:55
    Debate and discussion panel with the speakers. Q&A
  6. 11:55 – 12:00
    Conclusions and closing

Contents and registration. Each webinar will have its own detailed program and registration link, published on this page as they are confirmed. Sessions are virtual, free of charge and open to the global health community across the region.

All times are shown in US Eastern Time (Miami). To be notified when registration opens, write to ghc@fiu.edu or follow #GHC2026.

View the conference program Register for the conference