Ana Cristina Gales, MD, PhD, is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP), where she also serves as Director of the Laboratory Alerta in São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Gales received her medical degree from Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC) in 1991 and completed her residency in internal medicine and infectious diseases at EPM-UNIFESP between 1992 and 1995. She earned her PhD in Health Sciences at EPM-UNIFESP in 2001, complemented by a research fellowship in medical microbiology at the Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA (1998–2000).
Dr. Gales’ research focuses on the molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the evaluation of the in vitro activity of novel antimicrobials. She has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, which have garnered over 16,100 citations. She is a full member of the Technical Chamber on Microbial Resistance in Health Services (CATREM), advising the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) standards and control measures in Brazilian healthcare settings. Additionally, she serves as Vice-Coordinator of the Antimicrobial Resistance Institute of São Paulo (ARIES), a recently established initiative aimed at advancing AMR research and strategies in the region.
Dr. Gales has contributed to numerous global surveillance programs that monitor antimicrobial resistance trends and phenotypes among clinically significant pathogens. She also held the role of Chair of the Brazilian Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (BrCAST) from 2017 to 2018. Her editorial responsibilities include serving as an editor ®, The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases, and the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. Since July 2021, she has been a distinguished member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP).