Onicio B. Leal-Neto is biomedical scientist, holds a MSc and PhD in Public Health and Epidemiology. Currently, he is the leader of Global Flu View at Global Health Institute and Assistant Research Professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona. Previously, he was senior researcher at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He was also consultant for digital innovations at Ending Pandemics and Digital Health Expert at Singularity University. Leal-Neto's research focuses on health innovation and the application of technologies in managing epidemics and pandemics. His work integrates artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing, wearables and data science methods, with a global reach that includes countries like Malawi, Kenya, and Ivory Coast. His experience in health technologies has been sought after by prominent organizations such as UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank, and various governments. In addition to his academic and consulting roles, Leal-Neto is also an entrepreneur. He founded the digital epidemiology startup Epitrack, which successfully sold in 2021. 

Past institutions

Department of Computer Science - ETH Zurich (most recent place of work); Department of Economics - University of Zurich; Epitrack; UNICEF; Panamerican Health Organization.

Selected Publications

Valerio MGP, Laher B, Phuka J, Lichand G, Paolotti D, Leal Neto O Participatory Disease Surveillance for the Early Detection of Cholera-Like Diarrheal Disease Outbreaks in Rural Villages in Malawi: Prospective Cohort Study JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024;10:e49539 doi: 10.2196/49539 

Leal Neto O, Von Wyl V. Digital Transformation of Public Health for Noncommunicable Diseases: Narrative Viewpoint of Challenges and Opportunities JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024;10:e49575 doi: 10.2196/49575 

Leal Neto O, Paolotti D, Dalton C, Carlson S, Susumpow P, Parker M, Phetra P, Lau EHY, Colizza V, Jan van Hoek A, Kjelsø C, Brownstein JS, Smolinski MS Enabling Multicentric Participatory Disease Surveillance for Global Health Enhancement: Viewpoint on Global Flu View JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023;9:e46644 doi: 10.2196/46644 

Wittwer S, Paolotti D, Lichand G, Leal Neto O Participatory Surveillance for COVID-19 Trend Detection in Brazil: Cross-sectional Study JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023;9:e44517 doi: 10.2196/44517 

 Babouee Flury B, Güsewell S, Egger T, Leal O, Brucher A, et al. (2022) Risk and symptoms of COVID-19 in health professionals according to baseline immune status and booster vaccination during the Delta and Omicron waves in Switzerland—A multicentre cohort study. PLOS Medicine 19(11): e1004125. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004125

 Lichand, G., Doria, C.A., Leal-Neto, O. et al. The impacts of remote learning in secondary education during the pandemic in Brazil. Nat Hum Behav 6, 1079–1086 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01350-6

Lichand G, Doria CA, Cossi Fernandes JP, Leal-Neto O. Association of COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Rates With School Reopening in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Health Forum. 2022;3(2):e215032. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.5032

Leal-Neto O, Egger T, Schlegel M, Flury D, Sumer J, Albrich W, Babouee Flury B, Kuster S, Vernazza P, Kahlert C, Kohler P Digital SARS-CoV-2 Detection Among Hospital Employees: Participatory Surveillance Study JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021;7(11):e33576 doi: 10.2196/33576

Leal-Neto, O. B., Santos, F. A. S., Lee, J. Y., Albuquerque, J. O., & Souza, W. V. (2020). Prioritizing COVID-19 tests based on participatory surveillance and spatial scanning. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 143, 104263.

Leal Neto O, Dimech GS, Libel M, de Souza WV, Cesse E, Smolinski M, Oliveira W, Albuquerque J Saúde na Copa: The World’s First Application of Participatory Surveillance for a Mass Gathering at FIFA World Cup 2014, Brazil JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2017;3(2):e26 doi: 10.2196/publichealth.7313

Spoken Languages

Portuguese and English