Luz Chacón is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Costa Rica, where she is a member of the Institute for Health Research (INISA) and the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Microbial Genetics in Aquatic Environments (LEGEMA). She has a background in microbiology and molecular epidemiology, and conducts research into environmental epidemiological surveillance using the One Health approach.
She currently leads and collaborates on projects relating to wastewater-based surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, emerging pathogens and environmental microbiology, integrating molecular, genomic and epidemiological tools to understand the circulation of microorganisms and genes relevant to public health. She also participates in initiatives aimed at improving access to and safety of water in communities with limited access to water supply and sanitation services.
Her work seeks to strengthen the use of environmental surveillance as a strategic tool for the early detection of health risks and for understanding the interaction between human health, the environment and aquatic systems, particularly in tropical and resource-limited settings.
