MedTrop 2026, the 61st Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine, will bring together a diverse community of researchers, healthcare professionals, and students working on tropical medicine and public health. Under the theme “Health in the Tropics: An Integrative Vision from a Global South Perspective,” the congress will highlight the realities and priorities of those on the front lines of population health, with a focus on partnerships and collaboration across regions facing similar tropical health challenges.
The program will feature scientific research, implementation science, and hands-on training on strategies for tropical disease prevention and control, welcoming researchers, health professionals, policymakers, and civil society alike.
DNDi participation:
Pre-Congress Course
ASTMH Update Course in Clinical Tropical Medicine
Date: 16 August 2026
Time: 8:00 – 17:00
Room: T4
Coordinator: Kleber Giovanni Luz, UFRN (Brazil)
Speakers: Aisha Khatib, ASTMH (Canada); German Henostroza, Astmh (Brazil); Carlos Seas, Peruvian Cayetano University (Peru); Lessandra Michelin, University of Caxias do Sul (Brazil); Karis Maria De Pinho Rodrigues, UFRJ (Brazil) ; Alejandro Lepetic, GSK (Brazil); André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil)
Debater: Marcelo Simão Ferreira, Federal University of Uberlândia (Brazil)
Workshops
LV Brazil Network: Building a National Cohort to Transform Clinical Management and Research in Visceral Leishmaniasis (Part 1)
Date: 15 August 2026
Time: 8:00 – 12:00
Room: T6
Coordinator: Glaucia Fernandes Cota, DNDi (Brazil)
LV Brazil Network: Building a National Cohort to Transform Clinical Management and Research in Visceral Leishmaniasis (Part 2)
Date: 16 August 2026
Time: 8:00 – 12:00
Room: M8
Coordinator: Glaucia Fernandes Cota, DNDi (Brazil)
Conference
Technology and innovation to save children from infectious diseases.
Date: 17 August 2026
Time: 11:00 – 12:00
Room: T4
Moderator: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil)
Speaker: Quique Bassat, Barcelona Insitute for Global Health (ISGlobal) (Spain)
Roundtables
Strategies for malaria prevention, control, and elimination in the Yanomami and Ye’kwana Special Indigenous Health District.
Date: 18 August 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
Room: T4
Moderator: Joao Luiz Pereira De Araujo, SVSA (Brazil)
| Epidemiological dynamics and reorganization of malaria control strategies in the Yanomami and Ye’kwana territory. Time: 14:00 – 14:20 Speaker: Ivyson Da Silva Epifânio, Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District (DSEIY), (Brazil) |
| Community-based treatment of Plasmodium falciparum outbreaks in remote areas: operational challenges and impact on transmission control. Time: 14:20 – 14:40 Speaker: Oneron De Abreu Pithan, Yanomami Special Indigenous Health District (DSEIY), (Brazil) |
| Challenges and perspectives of malaria in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory Time: 14:40 – 15:00 Speaker: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil) |
| Discussion Time: 17:00 – 17:30 |
Development of Dengue Treatments: Which Path and What Comes Along With It?
Date: 18 August 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Room: T4
Moderator: Viviane Boaventura, Fiocruz (Brazil)
| Screening and selection of candidates for dengue fever. Time: 16:00 – 16:20 Speaker: Mauro Teixeira, UFMG (Brazil) |
| Host-directed therapies as a strategy to reduce the risk of progression to severe dengue. Time: 16:20 – 16:40 Speaker: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil) |
| Biomarkers and diagnostics for dengue treatment Time: 16:40 – 17:00 Speaker: Quique Bassat, Barcelona Insitute for Global Health (ISGlobal) (Spain) |
| Bedside ultrasound in tropical diseases Time: 17:00 – 17:20 Speaker: Benno Kreuels, Bernhard Nocht Institute For Tropical Medicine (Germany) |
| Discussion Time: 17:20 – 17:30 |
Mucosal leishmaniasis: challenges in clinical practice.
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Room: M12
Moderator: Jose Angelo Lauletta Lindoso, Emilio Ribas Institute Of Infectious Diseases (Brazil)
| Treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis. Time: 16:00 – 16:40 Speaker: Alejandro Llano’s Cuentas (Peru) |
| Treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis in the New World: a randomized comparison of glucantime, liposomal amphotericin B, and miltefosine. Time: 16:20 – 16:40 Speaker: Jaime Soto, Funderma (Bolivia) |
| Miltefosine versus liposomal amphotericin B in the treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis. Time: 16:40 – 17:00 Speaker: Glaucia Fernandes Cota, DNDi (Brazil) |
| Discussion Time: 17:00 – 17:30 |
Why is the diagnosis of Chagas disease entering a new phase?
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Room: M11
Moderator: Fred Luciano Neves Santos, Gonçalo Moniz Institute (Brazil)
| Comparative evaluation of molecular methods for the diagnosis of oral Chagas disease in the Amazon region: the DiAChO study (Diagnosis of Oral Chagas Disease). Time: 16:00- 16:20 Speaker: Otacilio Da Cruz Moreira, Fiocruz (Brazil) |
| Expanding access to diagnosis and care for Chagas disease: from knowledge to action in the Oxente Chagas Bahia program. Time: 16:20 – 16:40 Speaker: Fred Luciano Neves Santos, Gonçalo Moniz Institute (Brazil) |
| Inclusion of rapid tests in the algorithm for Chagas disease diagnosis in Colombia: from scientific evidence to public policy. Time: 16:40 – 17:00 Speaker: Andrea Marchiol, DNDi (Argentina) |
| Discussion Time: 17:00 – 17:30 |
Research networks in Chagas disease and leishmaniasis: a perspective from the Global South.
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Room: M13
| International Network for Care and Study of T. cruzi/HIV Coinfection and other Immunosuppressive Conditions. Time: 16:00- 16:15 Speaker: Marisa Liliana Fernandez, FJ Muñiz Hospital (Argentina) |
| Global Triatomine Network Time: 16:15 – 16:30 Speaker: Soledad Ceccarelli, (Argentina) |
| Leishmaniasis and HIV co-infection network Time: 16:30 – 16:45 Speaker: Marcia Hueb, UFMT (Brazil) |
| Leish Network Time: 16:45 – 17:00 Speaker: Joelle Rode, DNDi (Brazil) |
| Discussion Time: 17:00 – 17:30 |
Equity on the Neglected Tropical Diseases Agenda: Inclusion of underrepresented populations in clinical development, public policies, and access to treatment.
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Room: M10
Moderator: Fabiana Piovesan Alves, DNDi (Brazil)
| Challenges and pathways for pediatric inclusion in clinical development in NTDs Time: 16:00- 16:20 Speaker: Dorcas Lamounier Costa, Federal University of Piauí (Brazil) |
| Women of childbearing age: between risk, protection, and exclusion — strategies to increase the representation of women in clinical studies and promote access to treatment. Time: 16:20 – 16:40 Speaker: Fabiana Piovesan Alves, DNDi (Brazil) |
| Nothing about us without us: the role of patients in shaping the research agenda, public policies, and access in NTDs. Time: 16:40 – 17:00 Speaker: Alexsandro Souza Do Lado, UFBA (Brazil) |
| From research to policy: social participation as a central element for the inclusive design of clinical trials and public policies in NTDs Time: 17:00 – 17:20 Speaker: Felipe Proenço, SGTES/MS, Ministry of Health (Brazil) |
| Discussion Time: 17:20- 17:30 |
Mini-Conferences
No Time to Wait – Critical Need for One Health Global Alliance (OHGA) to Address Complex Public Health Priorities
Date: 17 August 2026
Time: 10:00 – 10:30
Room: M9
| Speaker: Wondwossen Gebreye, Ohio State University (USA) Moderator: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil) |
How partnerships advance research in DNA: lessons from DNDi’s collaborative innovation model.
Date: 18 August 2026
Time: 10:00 – 10:30
Room: M11
| Speaker: Sergio Sosa Estani, DNDi (Brazil) Moderator: Ana Rabello, Fiocruz (Brazil) |
Preparedness and response to public health emergencies, from acute lack of care to reorganization of care.
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 10:00 – 10:30
Room: Planalto Theater
| Speaker: Rodrigo Stabeli, Ministry Of Health (Brazil) Moderator: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil) |
When the research bench meets the hinterland: translational science, diagnostic innovation, and the path of rapid testing – Chagas disease to the Brazilian public health system (SUS).
Date: 19 August 2026
Time: 10:30 – 11:00
Room: T4
| Speaker: Fred Luciano Neves Santos, Gonçalo Moniz Insitute (Brazil) Moderator: Fabiana Piovesan Alves, DNDi (Brazil) |
Open Topics
Session 05 MEDTROP
Date: 17 August 2026
Time: 12:00 – 13:20
Room: M7
Evaluators: André Siqueira, DNDi (Brazil); Tania Do Socorro Souza Chaves, Evandro Chagas Institute (Brazil)
e-Poster
Contraception requirements and women’s access to treatment and research in leishmaniasis and Chagas disease in Latin America: findings from Brazil and Colombia.
Authors: Gláucia Cota, Fabiana Alves, Leo Persoz, Andrea Marchiol, Rafael Herazo, Diogo Galvão, Luiz Henrique Guimarães, Alex Lago, Denise Pimenta, Polyana Valente, Ana Flávia Nery, Maria Jesus Pinazo
