Dionicia Gamboa is a

Peruvian Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest in th ...

parasitologist Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it ...

and professor at Institute of Tropical Medicine Alexander von Humboldt,

Cayetano Heredia University Cayetano Heredia University ( es, link=no, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, UPCH; or simply ''Cayetano Heredia'') is a private nonprofit university located in Lima, Peru. It was named in honor of Cayetano Heredia, one of the eminent Peruv ...

. Her research focusses on ''

Plasmodium vivax ''Plasmodium vivax'' is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. This parasite is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria. Although it is less virulent than ''Plasmodium falciparum'', the deadliest of the five huma ...

,'' a major malaria parasite species in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

(as well as

South-East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

Early life and education

Gamboa grew up in

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; qu, Chiklayu) is the principal city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located inland from the Pacific coast and from the nation's capital, Lima. Founded by Spanish explorers as "Santa María de los Valles de Chicl ...

. She studied at I.E. Nuestra Señora del Rosario School. When Gamboa finished school, she moved to

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

to pursue university studies. While studying to apply for university, Gamboa found her true passion for research, and eventually did her bachelor's degree in biology and master's degree in biochemistry at

. Few years later, Gamboa moved to

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

for her PhD on Leishmania at

Maastricht University Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; nl, Universiteit Maastricht) is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities. In 2021, 22,383 students studied at ...

Research

She built up the malaria group at the Institute of Tropical Medicine to a team of around 50 people conducting lab-based studies locally in Lima and field-work around Iquitos. Gamboa and her group work with Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases,

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

, and the Peruvian Ministry of Health, to track mosquito breeding and malaria transmission in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

. 96% of the malaria burden for Peru is found in the rainforest-laden

Department of Loreto Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to its remote location in the Ama ...

, where the most abundant vector is '' Anopheles darlingi'' mosquitoes. Her research team used aerial drones to construct maps of where large bodies of stagnant water can be found across the rural region, which provide fertile habitats for developing mosquitoes. Gamboa was awarded an

Elsevier Foundation Award The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World are awarded annually to early-career women scientists in selected developing countries in four regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, East and Sou ...

in 2013 for her work as a young woman scientist on her continent. However she recently commented on the disappointment that her country was no longer entitled to discounted access to the Elsevier journals due to recent economic growth. In 2016 Gamboa was given the

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards The L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, created in 1998, aim to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a result of a partnersh ...

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and The National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (''Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica''), worth 45,000

Peruvian sol The sol (; plural: soles; currency sign: S/) is the currency of Peru; it is subdivided into 100 ''céntimos'' ("cents"). The ISO 4217 currency code is PEN. The sol replaced the Peruvian inti in 1991 and the name is a return to that of Peru's ...

s. Gamboa is a project lead at the Amazonian Center of Excellence in Malaria Research established by the

NIH The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

and led by

Joseph Vinetz Joseph Michael Vinetz is a Professor of Medicine and Anthropology at Yale University, Research Professor at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and Associate Investigator of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Tropical Medicine at the Uni ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamboa, Dionicia Women parasitologists Peruvian women scientists Peruvian microbiologists Malariologists Maastricht University alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)