Prior to his latest academic appointment in the Department of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, from 2004 – 2009, Dr. José Ignacio Santos was the general director of Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, the oldest and one of the foremost pediatric academic institutions in the Region of the Americas and one of Mexico's National Institutes of Health. From 1997 – 2004, Dr. Santos was director of Mexico's National Infant and Adolescent Health Program and Immunization Program as well as Mexico's liaison member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Santos also serves other international health agencies including the board of trustees of the International Center for Diarrheal Research (ICDDRB) in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the Measles Working Group of SAGE; the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (the principle advisory group to the World Health Organization (WHO) for vaccines and immunization); board of counselors of Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI); member of the Pan American Health´s Technical Advisory Group on Vaccines and Immunizations (TAG) as well as serving on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for the WHO´s Measles Aerosol Project.

Dr. Santos received his medical and pediatric training at Stanford University and clinical immunology and infectious diseases training at the University of Utah. He is past president of the Mexican and Pan-American Infectious Diseases Societies and is a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA). He is a member of the advisory group of PGRP (Pediatric Global Research Priorities) of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

He has trained over 60 fellows in pediatric infectious diseases from 13 Latin American countries, including Mexico. His research and public health interests have focused on pediatric infectious diseases and on the critical evaluation and introduction of new vaccines. He is the author or co-author of 275 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Santos joined the board of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation in 2007.

Dr. Santos signed a conflict of interest statement and agrees to abide by PAHEF's conflict of interest policy.