Clara Menéndez Santos

Biography

 Clara Menendez, a medical graduate from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, is a registered specialist in Family Medicine and in Community Health and Preventive Medicine. Shel holds a PhD from the University of Barcelona and a DTM&H following studies at the LSHTM. She has worked in India, Latin America and PNG. However, there has been a strong focus in sub-Saharan Africa, working in The Gambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. She was a key member of the founding team of the Manhica Health Research Center in Mozambique.  

Research Interest

She leads several studies focused on maternal health, from malaria in pregnancy, prevention of HIV/STIs in mothers and infants, and causes and prevention of maternal mortality. She coordinates two international multicenter consortia on Malaria in Pregnancy that include research groups from five African countries, three Latin American countries, India and Papua New Guinea, several European countries, the US and Australia. Dr. Menendez has been responsible for designing and developing new areas of work and research focused on maternal and reproductive health in developing countries. The last project linked to this area is CaDMIA – Validation of the Minimally Invasive Autopsy (MIA) tool for cause of death investigation in developing countries, which involves the participation of Mozambique, Brazil, Pakistan, Kenya, Mali and Gabon.