Research - Our Team

Ana Requena-Méndez, MD, PhD, MSc, is a medical doctor specialized in Infectious Diseases currently working as an Assistant Research Professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) where she leads the Migrant Health research area. She is also affiliated as an associated researcher to the Karolinska Institutet.

Her main research interest is migrant health with a particular focus on the evaluation of public health interventions aimed to improve the health of migrants at different levels of care (Primary care, antenatal care, blood banks…). In the past years she has also gained experience in the development systematic reviews and evidence-based guidance on screening of infectious diseases. Among others, she has collaborated with ECDC in the development of European guidelines for the screening of infectious diseases in migrants.

More recently, her research interest has also focused on the design of innovative tools or devices to improve migrant health interventions.

In addition, she is collaborating as a consultant for several international organizations to enhance the data collection and data analysis of health related conditions in migrants in North African countries. She also coordinates the Migrant health area of the Health Observatory in the Mediterranean region that has been recently set up.

Lines of research

•  Access to migrant health data in transit and destination countries
•  Screening of infectious diseases and other conditions in migrant populations
•  Digital tools to improve the detection of migrant health related conditions

Main publications

• Multiple-dose versus single-dose ivermectin for Strongyloides stercoralis infection (Strong Treat 1 to 4): a multicentre, open-label, phase 3, randomised controlled superiority trial. Buonfrate D, Salas-Coronas J, Muñoz J, Maruri BT, Rodari P, Castelli F, Zammarchi L, Bianchi L, Gobbi F, Cabezas-Fernández T, Requena-Mendez A, Godbole G, Silva R, Romero M, Chiodini PL, Bisoffi Z. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Sep 23. pii: S1473-3099(19)30289-0. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30289-0. [Epub ahead of print]
• Recommendations for the screening for infectious diseases, mental health, and female genital mutilation in immigrant patients seen in Primary Care. Sequeira-Aymar E, diLollo X, Osorio-Lopez Y, Gonçalves AQ, Subirà C, Requena-Méndez A. Aten Primaria. 2019 Apr 24. pii: S0212-6567(19)30043-5. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2019.02.005. [Epub ahead of print]
• Prevalence of strongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis among migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asundi A, Beliavsky A, Liu XJ, Akaberi A, Schwarzer G, Bisoffi Z, Requena-Méndez A, Shrier I, Greenaway C. Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Feb;7(2):e236-e248. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30490-X. Erratum in: Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Apr;7(4):e419.
• Effectiveness of Screening and Treatment Approaches for Schistosomiasis and Strongyloidiasis in Newly-Arrived Migrants from Endemic Countries in the EU/EEA: A Systematic Review. Agbata EN, Morton RL, Bisoffi Z, Bottieau E, Greenaway C, Biggs BA, Montero N, Tran A, Rowbotham N, Arevalo-Rodriguez I, Myran DT, Noori T, Alonso-Coello P, Pottie K, Requena-Méndez A. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Dec 20;16(1). pii: E11. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16010011.
• Cost-effectiveness of Chagas disease screening in Latin American migrants at primary health-care centres in Europe: a Markov model analysis. Requena-Méndez A, Bussion S, Aldasoro E, Jackson Y, Angheben A, Moore D, Pinazo MJ, Gascón J, Muñoz J, Sicuri E. Lancet Glob Health. 2017 Apr;5(4):e439-e447.