Maria Luisa Ávila Agüero has a PhD in Pediatrics and a specialist in Infectious Diseases from the University of Costa Rica. She was director of the Nosocomial Infections Committee and the Epidemiological Surveillance Committee, as well as Costa Rica’s Minister of Health.
She has published numerous articles in the area of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, received several awards and was named one of the 50 most influential women in Central America by Forbes. She is currently president of the Vaccines Committee, member of the Arbovirus Committee, and vice-president of the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE).