Dr Marcus Lacerda

Dr Marcus Lacerda short joined the DNDi Board in March 2026. He joined the World Health Organization Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR) as Director in March 2026 from Fiocruz Amazônia and Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado in Brazil. He is a Brazilian infectious diseases physician and tropical medicine researcher whose work has profoundly influenced malaria elimination strategies and the broader field of global health. Born in Taguatinga, near Brasília, Brazil, Lacerda was inspired early by experiences working in remote Amazonian communities, where he first encountered malaria and other tropical diseases. 
 
A former President of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine, he is an international leader in malaria research, particularly in the management and elimination of Plasmodium vivax.  

Dr Lacerda has collaborated with many national and international institutions to help develop and implement tafenoquine, the first single-dose radical cure for P. vivax malaria approved in 40 years, now informing WHO treatment guidelines. His research group in Manaus has established one of the most advanced clinical research centres in the Amazon, integrating laboratory science, clinical trials, and implementation research to guide health policy. 

Dr Marcus Lacerda was preceded as Board Observer by Dr John Reeder, who we thank sincerely for his service to DNDi’s mission.