Yanet Valdez Tejeira
Immunologist
Independent Consultant
Now, I serve as part of the Board of Directors for the NMDAE Foundation:
What are your research interests?
Mucosal Immunology, mechanisms of disease and infectious diseases
Tell us about yourself and your research interests?
After obtaining my PhD, my career path continued in the area of immunology. After post- doctoral training, I accepted a position as Senior Scientist at StemCell Technologies Inc. and become a Team lead for the Innate Immunology group in the Cell Separation team, designing reagents for the isolation of human and murine cells from blood and other organs.
1. Scientific Communication. I had the opportunity to travel to Benin, West Africa, to teach immunology together with the “Immunology Without Borders” faculty chapter of the IUIS. This was an extraordinary experience for me and reinforced my passion for communicating concepts in Immunology to trainees. I recently founded @ImmunolatinXs (https://twitter.com/ImmunoLatinXs) a platform aimed at bringing together immunologists from Latin America and collaborating with other immunologists around the world.
2. Teaching. I became an invited faculty member at my alma mater Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (Lima-Peru). There I teach immunology virtually to graduate student and MD’s seeking a formal education in immunology.
3. Advocacy. Three years ago, I nearly lost my daughter to an autoimmune disease (anti-NMDA Receptor autoimmune encephalitis or “brain on fire” disease). This rare disease was very difficult to diagnose, however my family and I had the privilege of being well-educated biomedical researchers and, fortunately, could diagnose my daughter’s disease rapidly, seek immediate treatment and see her through her road to complete recovery. As such, we gained a first-hand appreciation for how patient education and understanding of immunology can save lives. Now, I serve as part of the Board of Directors for the NMDAE Foundation: https://www.antinmdafoundation.org/who-we- are/scientific-advisory-board. I am also an active volunteer for the American Association for Immunologists, where I served on panels to mentor immunologists in industry.
1. Scientific Communication. I had the opportunity to travel to Benin, West Africa, to teach immunology together with the “Immunology Without Borders” faculty chapter of the IUIS. This was an extraordinary experience for me and reinforced my passion for communicating concepts in Immunology to trainees. I recently founded @ImmunolatinXs (https://twitter.com/ImmunoLatinXs) a platform aimed at bringing together immunologists from Latin America and collaborating with other immunologists around the world.
2. Teaching. I became an invited faculty member at my alma mater Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (Lima-Peru). There I teach immunology virtually to graduate student and MD’s seeking a formal education in immunology.
3. Advocacy. Three years ago, I nearly lost my daughter to an autoimmune disease (anti-NMDA Receptor autoimmune encephalitis or “brain on fire” disease). This rare disease was very difficult to diagnose, however my family and I had the privilege of being well-educated biomedical researchers and, fortunately, could diagnose my daughter’s disease rapidly, seek immediate treatment and see her through her road to complete recovery. As such, we gained a first-hand appreciation for how patient education and understanding of immunology can save lives. Now, I serve as part of the Board of Directors for the NMDAE Foundation: https://www.antinmdafoundation.org/who-we- are/scientific-advisory-board. I am also an active volunteer for the American Association for Immunologists, where I served on panels to mentor immunologists in industry.
What is your home country?
Canada
What are your online profiles?
LinkedIn - Yanet Valdez Tejeira