معرفی
Christopher Fernandez Prada is a veterinarian and molecular-parasitology researcher at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology and Microbiology. He holds the rank of Professor and leads the Diagnostic Parasitology Laboratory. His work focuses on zoonotic parasites like Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Leishmania, with emphasis on drug resistance mechanisms and exosome biology. He has secured over $830,000 in CIHR funding for research on Leishmania drug resistance and collaborates with institutions like McGill University and Laval University. Awards include the 2024 Vétoquinol Award and 2023 Top 10 Discoveries by Québec Science.
Education: Membre de l’Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (since 2016). Research affiliations include the Centre de recherche en infectiologie porcine et avicole (CRIPA) and Op+lait (dairy quality research). He advises on parasitology for national and provincial initiatives, including Quebec’s “One Health” strategy and organic dairy farming guidelines.
Research Interests: Development of novel therapies for parasitic infections, mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, and host-pathogen interactions. Key projects include LEISH-INSIGHT (decoding AMR in Leishmania) and i-NEVER REST (exosome-driven drug resistance). Public engagement includes MOOCs on porcine/avian infectious diseases and media contributions on parasitic risks in immunocompromised individuals.
Grants: Lead researcher on CIHR projects (e.g., $830k for Leishmania drug resistance) and co-investigator in strategic clusters like Op+lait and CRIPA. Supervised over 15 graduate students since 2016, including doctoral candidate Noélie Douanne and master’s students Victoria Wagner and Chloé Rosa-Teijeiro.
Professional Roles: Serves on faculty committees (e.g., selection committees for Parasitology and Epidemiology positions) and chairs research initiatives like the Canadian Parasitology Expert Panel for Companion Animals. Active in global networks like the Veterinary Parasitology Network (VetPDx) and Food and Environmental Parasitology Network.
