Meet the editor

Márcia Aparecida Sperança is an Associate Professor at the Center for Natural and Human Sciences of Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil). After obtaining a Ph.D. in the biology of parasite-host interaction from the Parasitology Department of the Biomedical Institute of University of São Paulo, Dr. Sperança worked as an assistant professor and researcher at Marilia Medical School,

São Paulo. Her scientific expertise is in diagnosis, molecular biology, and epidemiology of arboviruses, the bacteria *Helicobacter pylori*, malaria parasites, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and COVID-19. Since 2009, Dr. Sperança has headed the Laboratory of Pathogenic Agents at UFABC, whose multi- and interdisciplinary academic interests are characteristics of her fields of investigation.
