Peru Team

CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases

CRONICAS, based at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, in Lima, Peru, is one of the most well-recognised and prolific health research institutions in Peru and a referent in Latin America. Our work is focused on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including mental health, and our mission is to improve the population’s health through high-quality research.
Our team is composed of a multidisciplinary group of professionals that, working together offer a unique combination of skills and expertise to design and implement research projects.

During its 10 years of activity, CRONICAS has carried out more than 25 projects, funded by organisations from UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Peru, among others. Our studies range from non-pharmacological clinical trials to policy evaluations and have been implemented in different regions of Peru and with a vast range of populations and health conditions. Some essential features of CRONICAS’ work are the involvement and support of young researchers and opening up to international collaborations. As a result of these projects, CRONICAS team members have been involved in more than 300 peer-reviewed publications.

Francisco Diez-Canseco, BA, MPH

fdiezcanseco@upch.pe

Psychologist with Public Health training and an Associate Investigator at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, in Lima, Peru.

Francisco has a 20-year experience leading complex interventions, in-depth qualitative studies and large-scale surveys in low-income settings. His research expertise is diverse in terms of (1) research designs and methodologies (e.g. clinical trials, cohorts, pragmatic and community interventions, qualitative studies, etc.), (2) populations (e.g. services users, caregivers, health care providers, policy-makers, etc.) and (3) topics (e.g. mental health, diabetes, hypertension, nutrition, mHealth, human resources in health, etc.). He has been part of numerous international collaborations, receiving funding from institutions in the US, Canada and the UK.

Francisco is the PI for the Peru site of the OLA study.

Mauricio Toyama, BA

jorge.toyama.g@upch.pe

Clinical Psychologist and Research Assistant at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Mauricio has experience working in research projects related to the implementation of technology-based interventions in public health services. In these projects, he has overviewed recruitment and supervision of research assistants.

Mauricio is currently a member of the research team of the OLA study.

Liliana Hidalgo, BA, MSc

liliana.hidalgo.p@upch.pe

Clinical Psychologist with training in Global Mental Health and Research Assistant at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

She has experience working in research projects such as the implementation of a task-shifting intervention and access to medication in different regions of Peru, in which she supervised the staff delivering the intervention and coordinated the data collection process. Liliana has also taken part in volunteering activities tackling stigma towards mental illness, involving radio workshops and anti-stigma campaigns.

Liliana is currently a member of the research team of the OLA study.

Jimena Rivas, BA

jimena.rivas@upch.pe

Jimena is a Clinical Psychologist and Research Assistant at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Jimena has experience working with patients with severe mental disorders. She has worked in a psychiatric clinic conducting evaluations, counselling, and follow-up of patients. She also has experience in qualitative research related to marketing, specifically with transcripts and analysis. She is currently in training to become a psychoanalyst from Nueva Escuela Lacaniana (NEL-Lima).

Jimena is currently employed as a research assistant on the OLA Project, and is responsible for participant recruitment.

Ana Lucía Vilela, BA

ana.vilela.e@upch.pe

Ana Lucía is a Psychologist and Research Assistant at the CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Ana Lucía has training in Research in Behavioral Sciences, Mental Health in Chronic Diseases, and Public Health. She has experience in the investigation of patients with chronic diseases, mental health problems, and occupational populations, working in the planning of quantitative and qualitative research projects, management and auditing of databases, and fieldwork.

Ana Lucía is currently employed as a research assistant on the OLA Project, and is responsible for participant recruitment.

Sumiko Flores, BA

sumiko.flores@upch.pe

Sumiko is a Clinical Psychologist and is currently a Research Assistant at CRONICAS, Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Sumiko has experience in the development of intervention programmes with vulnerable populations. She worked in a psychiatric hospital’s rehabilitation and social reintegration area with users with a chronic condition of severe mental illness, where she conducted psychological evaluations, and designed an intervention project that was later incorporated into the treatment plan of the institution. In addition, she participated in different projects providing psychological support and monitoring functions. Likewise, she has experience in the field of human resources from the evaluation of competencies, preparation of reports and return of results.

Currently, she is highly interested in the design and execution of projects in mental health. She recently completed a diploma on Design and Management of Social Projects at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), because she would like to get involved in the development of public policies related to the promotion and prevention of Mental Health in the future.

Daniela Ramírez, BA

daniela.ramirez@upch.pe

Daniela is a Clinical Psychologist and Research Assistant at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Daniela has worked in a psychiatric institute, and has experience working with patients with severe mental illness. She has also conducted diverse evaluations, designed and facilitated group workshops and follow ups with such patients. In addition, she has experience with bibliographic reviews for educational projects and is currently a volunteer in two different programmes delivering workshops focusing on gender and sexuality.

Alexandra Llaque, BA

alexandra.llaque@upch.pe

Alexandra is an Educational Psychologist and Research Assistant at CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru.

Alexandra has experience as a researcher in qualitative and quantitative studies. She has worked on projects focused on education and child development, as well as working with vulnerable populations. She also has worked as a pre-school teacher and a tutor in an institute.

Alexandra is currently employed as a research assistant on the OLA Project, and is responsible for participant recruitment.