Juan Carlos Roa

I am a physician and surgeon (58 years old) trained at the University of La Frontera, Chile (MD, 1991), and a board-certified pathologist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (1995). I further complemented my training with international experience in molecular biology at Louisiana State University (LSU, 1999) and earned a Master’s degree in Molecular Oncology at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO, 2012), consolidating a career focused on integrating surgical pathology, translational research, molecular oncology, and precision medicine.

I am currently Full Professor at the UC School of Medicine and, since August 2025, Head of the Division of Pathology, Clinical Laboratory and Imaging at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Previously, I served as Chair of the Department of Pathology from 2012 to 2025. During this period, I led strategic institutional platforms such as the Institutional Biobank and the Molecular Pathology Laboratory, promoting the integration of basic research, clinical practice, and technological development in oncology.

My scientific activity includes more than 330 indexed publications (Web of Science), nearly 20,000 citations, and an H-index of 71 (Google Scholar). I have participated as author and editor in the World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO/IARC) Classification of Digestive System Tumours in 2019 and 2026. I was recognized by Expertscape as a world-leading expert in gallbladder cancer (2022–2024) and by the Chinese Academy of Sciences as the worldwide researcher with the highest scientific output in this field between 2002 and 2022. In 2024, I received the Chilean Academy of Medicine Award for Medical Research. In addition, I have delivered more than 50 international lectures at scientific meetings and specialty congresses.

I have led or participated in more than 50 nationally and internationally competitive research and technology-transfer projects, including FONDECYT, FONDAP, FONDEF, FONDEQUIP, CORFO, Millennium Institute initiatives, and European H2020 programs, resulting in five patent applications and granted patents. My research has focused on surgical pathology, gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, molecular biomarkers, molecular pathology, and precision medicine, with special emphasis on gallbladder cancer, a disease of major public health relevance in Chile.

In academic teaching and training, I have contributed to the education of nearly 100 pathology specialists, as well as PhD (15) and postdoctoral (7) trainees, consistently integrating diagnostic practice with translational research and biomedical innovation.

At the institutional and professional levels, I served as a member of the Chilean National Cancer Commission (2021–2024). I currently serve as President of the Anatomical Pathology Accreditation Committee of CONACEM, President of the Latin American Society of Pathology (SLAP), and Secretary General of the Chilean Society of Pathology (SCHAP). I have also actively contributed to national clinical guidelines and treatment protocols of the Chilean Ministry of Health (MINSAL) in several gastrointestinal malignancies.

My career combines academic leadership, institutional management, internationally impactful research, advanced human capital training, and a sustained commitment to the development of pathology and academic medicine in Chile and Latin America.