UFRO Students Host Successful National Infectology Day in Temuco
TEMUCO, Chile – A first-of-its-kind event, “Pearls and Advances in Infectology,” drew 223 participants to temuco this weekend, spearheaded by students from the University of La Frontera (UFRO). organized by the UFRO chapter of the International Federation of Medical Students (IFMSA-UFRO) and the Scientific Academy of Medical Students (ACEM-UFRO), the two-day event brought together students and experts from across Chile, as well as delegations from Peru and Mexico.
The conference, held at the Medical college of La araucanía and the Dr. Jaime Serra Canales Auditorium within UFRO’s Faculty of Medicine - with supplemental Zoom access – featured presentations on critical topics including antimicrobial resistance, HIV and STIs in Chile and the Araucanía region, zoonoses, travel medicine, and emerging infectious diseases. Speakers included doctors Mario Oñat, Carolina Chahín, Gabriela Sierralta, Javier Briones, Johanna Cabrera, Macarena Oñate, Fernando Baez, Fernando Abarzúa, pharmaceutical chemists Benjamín Villa, Camila Figueroa, Francisco Letelier, and medical technologist Javier Sanzana.
“This idea was born of a personal interest in the area of infectious diseases and also for the concern to publicize this subject to our community and student population as the themes are very vital areas in APS and in hospitals, since it is indeed one of the great challenges that we will have in the future,” explained Pedro Escobar Quilape, a fourth-year medical student at UFRO and president of IFMSA-UFRO.
The event received sponsorship from the Seremi de Salud de la Araucanía, the Chilean Society of Infectology (Sochinf), the Medical college of Chile, and the UFRO Department of Internal Medicine.
Pedro Ignacio Escobar emphasized the organizers’ commitment to expanding access to medical education, stating, “We have the commitment to medical education, with peer education, and with the possibility of bringing these activities beyond Temuco and the UFRO so that thay are available to all the contry’s student.”
Attendees represented universities including the Austral University of chile, Andrés Bello, Catholic University of the Blessed conception, University of Chile, Los Andes, Magallanes, Talca, Tarapacá, Valparaíso, Bío Bío, University of Development, and san Sebastián, alongside representatives from the Catholic University and Autonomous University.
further facts can be found on IFMSA-UFRO’s Instagram (@ifmsa_uphthro) and ACEM-UFRO’s Instagram (@acemufrontera).
