Prof. Heriberto Fernández
Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
Prof. Heriberto Fernández is a medical technologist graduated at Universidad Austral de Chile in 1970, with M. Sc. and PhD degrees in microbiology obtained in 1982 and 1983 at the Federal University of Sao Paulo (Ex Sao Paulo School of Medicine), Brazil. Currently Prof. Fernández is Professor of Clinical Microbiology and Director of the Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile. During the first years of his career he was involved in microbiological diagnosis of zoonotic bacterial agents. Since 1980 his research lines turned towards Campylobacter, Arcobacter and related microorganisms and their epidemiological relationships among humans, animals, the environment and food production. He has been the leader of several research projects in this area with an important number of publications in different scientific journals and microbiology book chapters. He has been also invited to give courses and seminars for professionals and postgraduate students in several universities of Latin America as well as trainer in different courses of the WHO SalmSurvNet (now renamed GFN) and as speaker in FAO meetings. He is frequently invited as lecturer in his research area at national and international scientific meetings. Prof. Fernández is member of the WHO Experts Committee on Campylobacter and recently was invited to participate in the Agencia Chilena para la Inocuidad Alimentaria (Chilean Agency for Food Safety), being also member of different scientific societies.