Miss Michelle Dávila Moreno
About me
Michelle Dávila Moreno is a Panamanian biologist trained in microbiology, parasitology, environmental microbiology and higher education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with orientation in Microbiology and Parasitology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology from the Universidad de Panamá. She is currently a PhD candidate in Microbiology and Parasitology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Her doctoral research uses fluorescent miltefosine to study Leishmania infection, parasite susceptibility and parasite–host interactions.
Michelle Milagros Dávila Moreno is a Panamanian biologist with academic training in microbiology, parasitology, environmental microbiology and higher education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with orientation in Microbiology and Parasitology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology from the Universidad de Panamá. She is currently a PhD candidate in Microbiology and Parasitology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Her doctoral research focuses on fluorescent miltefosine as a tool to better understand Leishmania infection. She studies how this fluorescent compound enters and behaves inside parasites and infected macrophages, and how this information can help explain differences in parasite susceptibility to miltefosine.
In addition, she applies this fluorescent tool to study Leishmania in the insect vector and to explore its use in other related trypanosomatids. Her research combines experimental parasitology, cell infection models, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and molecular approaches.
She has experience in university teaching and laboratory-based training at the Universidad de Panamá, where she has worked as a laboratory teaching assistant and Special Professor I. She has also contributed to research on the molecular identification of Leishmania species and variants in Panama.
