Sandra Azevedo

Brazil

Professor, Carlos Chagas Filho Biophysics Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Full Professor at the Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Graduate in Biological Sciences at Federal University of São Carlos (1978), with a master (1982) and Ph.D. degrees (1988) in Ecology and Natural Resources at Federal University of São Carlos. Visiting Scientist – Department of Biological Sciences -Wright State University – USA, working on Cyanobacterial Ecotoxicology at Prof. Wayne Carmichael Lab., May – July- 1991/ July- 1993/June 1995. The main area of expertise is Applied Limnology focuses on environmental impacts of eutrophication in reservoirs; ecotoxicological studies with toxic cyanobacteria in water supplies; health aspects of cyanobacterial toxins; and water quality issues. Currently, she already supervised 23 master and 26 Ph.D. theses, publishing more than 90 papers in indexed scientific journals, one book, and 12 chapters. In addition, she was the chairperson at First Latin American Congress on Toxic Cyanobacteria: water quality and public health, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from November 05-07, 2001; Chairperson at the International Conference of Toxic Cyanobacteria (VII ICTC), held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5-10, 2007. Director of Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics– UFRJ from 2013-2016. Consulting Advisor of the Brazilian Health Ministry, UNESCO, and WHO. Scientific Committee member of ILEC since 2006. Awards: 1996- From Brazilian Minister of Health and from the Rector of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro as recognition form to the research work that identified cyanobacterial hepatotoxins as causal agents of deaths of 60 hemodialysis patients in Caruaru City, Pernambuco State, Brazil. 1999- “James H. Nakano Citation” – The National Center for Infectious Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – USA, for the paper: “Liver failure and death following exposure to microcystins toxins at a hemodialysis center in Brazil” (1998). The New England Journal of Medicine. 338:873-88.