Bàrbara Baro

Bàrbara Baro is an Assistant Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), focusing on severe infections and global health. She completed her Biotechnology degree at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2007) and earned her PhD in Biomedicine from Universitat de Barcelona (2013), studying mitotic regulation under Dr. Ethel Queralt. Her postdoctoral work included malaria vivax research in Brazil (FAPEAM fellowship), Plasmodium falciparum studies at Stanford University, and fieldwork in Papua New Guinea as a Beatriu de Pinós fellow. During the pandemic, she contributed to SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and diagnostics research in Barcelona hospitals.

Her research integrates molecular mechanisms of severe infections, biomarker discovery, and diagnostic tool development. Key projects include malaria transmission dynamics in Lihir Islands, immune/endothelial biomarker validation for COVID-19 prognosis, and host-parasite interaction studies. She leads a team developing point-of-care diagnostics and strategies to reduce infection-related mortality.

• Rewarded Fellowships: Beatriu de Pinós, FPU, FAPEAM, Stanford Child Health
• Collaborative Work: PNG Institute of Medical Research, Stanford University, Barcelona hospitals

Her work spans 20+ peer-reviewed articles in journals like Frontiers in Immunology, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Blood. Current initiatives focus on translational research to improve global health outcomes through innovative diagnostics and therapeutic strategies.