I am an infectious disease specialist at Memorial Healthcare System. I care for transplant patients and those with weakened immune systems who have bacterial, fungal and viral infections.

I grew up in a family of doctors and was inspired by my parents and several family members in the field. I choose to focus on infectious diseases because it is a dynamic specialty encompassing all organ systems in the body. It also factors in our relationship with the environment and our role in nature. I find infectious diseases challenging and rewarding at the same time, with limitless opportunities to learn and positively impact patients’ lives.

When working with patients, I like to listen to what they have to share, even if it may be unrelated to the reason for their visit. This helps me to learn as much from them as possible and build a solid relationship.

In addition to providing patient care, I am also involved in medical research and several medical organizations.

Hospital Affiliations

• Memorial Hospital Miramar
• Memorial Hospital West
• Memorial Regional Hospital

Gender

• Male

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Education

Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil, 2013

Residency

Bronx Lebanon Hospital, 2018, Internal Medicine

Fellowships

Mayo Clinic, 2021, Infectious Disease

Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine-Infectious Disease
American Board of Internal Medicine-Internal Medicine

Publications

Research

My research interests include infections and immune response of transplant recipients, infections of the nervous system, the use of corticosteroids in COVID-19, and phage therapy (the use of viruses to fight bacterial infections).

Professional Organizations

• American College of Physicians
• American Thoracic Society
• HIV Medicine Association
• Infectious Diseases Society of America
• American Society of Transplantation

Presentations

Oral

• The Role of Ultraviolet Light, Atmospheric Ozone and Humidity in Influenza Activity,” Infectious Disease Fellows Forum, Rochester, Minnesota, 2019
• “Immunomodulation with Corticosteroids in COVID-19,” invited oral presentation, COVID-19 Drug and Diagnostic Developments, virtual, 2021 “Induction Immunosuppression Selection in HIV Positive Deceased Donor Kidney,” Transplant Recipients: U.S. National Trends from 2000 to 2018, 30th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, France, 2020

Posters

• “A Novel Multimodal Approach for the Treatment of Disseminated Fungal Infections in an Immunocompromised Host,” Minnesota ACP Poster Session, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2019
• “An Expanding Pleural Effusion and a Suspicious Liver Finding,” Minnesota ACP Poster Session, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2019
• “Cancer Mortality Based in Health Expenditure and Radiotherapy Availability: Correlation Analysis and Implications for America.” ACRO Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida, 2014
• “Seasonal Variation of Infectious Diseases Deaths in Ecuador,” Panamerican Society of Infectology (Asociacion Panamericana de Infectologia), Quito, Ecuador, 2015
• “Ethnic Disparities in Sepsis-Associated Deaths in Ecuador,” Panamerican Society of Infectology (Asociacion Panamericana de Infectologia), Quito, Ecuador, 2015
• “Deaths from Acute Respiratory Infections in Indigenous Ecuadorian Population: Analysis of Socio-demographic Factors,” American Thoracic Society International Conference, San Francisco, California, 2016
• “Severe Pulmonary Hypertension and Myocarditis in a Patient with Overlapping Sjogren and Antisynthetase Syndrome,” American Thoracic Society International Conference, Washington, D.C., 2017

Awards

• 2019 IDSA Clinical Fellows’ Meeting Travel Award – Infectious Diseases Society of America, Naples, Florida, 2019
• 3rd Symposium on Infectious Diseases in the Immunocompromised Host Travel Award – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, 2019
• IDWeek 2019 Trainee Award – Infectious Diseases Society of America, Washington, D.C., 2019
• James Stackelberg ID Research Award, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, 2021