Oriol Mitjà
Head of Community infection control strategies
Oriol Mitjà is a Spanish infectious disease physician and researcher known for his work on neglected tropical diseases and global health. Born in 1980 in Spain, he trained in medicine and specialized in infectious diseases, later earning a PhD focused on yaws eradication. He gained international recognition for leading research in Papua New Guinea that demonstrated the effectiveness of mass drug administration with azithromycin to treat and potentially eliminate yaws, a chronic bacterial infection affecting vulnerable populations in tropical regions.
Beyond his fieldwork abroad, Mitjà has been an active public health advocate in Spain, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He advised regional governments, promoted widespread testing and early intervention strategies, and became a prominent public voice in discussions about pandemic control measures. In addition to his clinical and research roles at German Trias i Pujol University Hospital in Barcelona, he has also been involved in humanitarian initiatives aimed at improving healthcare access and disease prevention in underserved communities.