Paul Anthony Camacho López is a Senior Researcher and Associate Professor integrating clinical epidemiology, public health, and health services management. As Subdirector of Research and Education at Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander (FOSCAL), he leads clinical-epidemiological studies. His extensive research, with numerous high-impact publications, focuses on non-communicable diseases, cardiovascular risk, ophthalmic epidemiology, and AI in healthcare, contributing significantly to international consortia like the PURE study.
Academically, he is a Professor and Director of the Epidemiology Specialization program at Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, and invited professor at Universidad Industrial de Santander. His career demonstrates a consistent commitment to bridging scientific evidence, clinical practice, and public health policy.
EDUCATION
Doctorate in Medical Sciences (Current)
Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Graduate Fellow, Clinical Effectiveness Program
Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina (2010 - 2011)
Master of Science in Epidemiology
Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia (2008)
Specialist in Health Services Management
Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Bucaramanga, Colombia (2000)
Medical Doctor (Médico Cirujano)
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia (1994)
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Medicine, Epidemiology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Medicine
May Measurement Month 2022: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Colombia Jose P Lopez-Lopez, Johanna Otero, Zulma Urbina, Gregorio Sanchez-Vallejo, Claudia Narvaez, et al. European Heart Journal Supplement, 2025 The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was carried out in Colombia in 2022 with the aim of raising awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Here, we report on the findings of the campaign. Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited opportunistically at healthcare and public facilities in 11 departments. Three seated BP readings were taken for each participant, along with completion of a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or being on antihypertensive medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on antihypertensive medication with a BP < 140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate any missing BP readings. In total, 38 924 were screened, with a mean age of 46.3 years and 52.9% of whom were female. Of all participants, 10 738 (27.6%) had hypertension, of whom 7058 (65.7%) were aware, and 6925 (64.5%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 4600 (66.4%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 42.8% had controlled BP. However, those under 50 years had lower hypertension control (<30%). Women had a higher BP control than men (49.5% vs. 36.3%). High education was associated with lower systolic BP (−2.37 mmHg). The MMM campaign in Colombia identified significant numbers of participants with either untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. MMM22 results point to the need to continue improving awareness and seek a broader implementation of strategies with proven efficacy in controlling hypertension.
Analysis of Maternity Rights Perception: Impact of Maternal Care in Diverse Socio-Health Contexts Claudia Susana Silva-Fernández, Paul Anthony Camacho, María de la Calle, Silvia M. Arribas, Eva Garrosa, et al. European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education, 2025 Maternity rights are perceived and fulfilled differently according to women’s psychosocial characteristics, leading to varying maternal experiences and outcomes. It is necessary to know the impact of cultural context, emotional well-being, and resource availability on the maternal woman’s clinical care experience. The aim is to identify if these factors contribute to disparities in the perception of maternity rights fulfillment in Spain and Colombia. This retrospective observational study focused on women who received maternity-related healthcare in Spain or Colombia. A total of 185 women were included (Spanish = 53; Colombian = 132). Data collected included social and obstetric history, as well as psychological variables such as resilience, positive and negative affect, derailment, and maternity beliefs. The study also assessed women’s knowledge of healthcare rights (MatCODE), perceptions of resource scarcity (MatER), and the fulfillment of maternity rights (FMR). C-section was more prevalent in Colombia, where women also scored higher on maternity beliefs as a sense of life and as a social duty compared to Spanish women. Conversely, FMR was higher in the Spanish context. Colombian women reported lower levels of social support and less involvement in medical decision-making. The FMR was positively correlated with positive affect, MatCODE, and MatER. Predictive modeling identified negative factors for FMR, including giving birth in Colombia (β = −0.30 [−0.58; −0.03]), previous miscarriage (β = −0.32 [−0.54; −0.09]), C-section in the most recent labor (β = −0.46 [−0.54; −0.0]), and higher MatER scores. Positive predictors included gestational age, maternal age, and previous C-section (β = 0.39 [0.11; 0.66]). The perception of the fulfillment of maternity rights depends on socio-healthcare contexts, women’s age, obstetric history, and resources. It is suggested to apply culturally sensitive strategies focused on women’s needs in terms of information, emotional and social support, privacy, and autonomy to manage a positive experience.
Psychometric Reliability to Assess the Perception of Women’s Fulfillment of Maternity Rights Claudia Susana Silva-Fernández, María de la Calle, Paul Anthony Camacho, Silvia M. Arribas, Eva Garrosa, et al. European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education, 2024 The fulfillment of rights to maternal healthcare is a key factor for the wellbeing of women. However, there is a lack of an instrument to ascertain the experience of women during maternity to enable adequate monitoring. The aim of this study was to validate a new instrument to measure women’s perception of the fulfillment of rights during healthcare in pregnancy and childbirth and immediately postpartum. The initial version of the instrument consists of 50 items and was validated using exploratory factor analysis. Additionally, the final version of the instrument consists of 29 items and was validated by confirmatory factor analysis and known-group validity. The instrument was applied to 185 Spanish women. The global Aiken’s V of the initial instrument proposal was 0.89. The process resulted in an instrument with five factors (information, privacy, consent, support, and participation) that explained the 60% of the total variance. The score of the instrument was correlated with resilience, maternity beliefs, and positive and negative affect. External validation showed relations with age, gravida, and the number of times a woman has been in labor. Additionally, the Cronbach’s α reliability was 0.93 [0.91; 0.94]. In conclusion, the instrument developed is consistent and has appropriate psychometric properties for assessing the fulfillment rights of maternity healthcare.
Prevalence of arterial hypertension in children and adolescents in Latin America: a systematic review and meta-analysis Pediatria De Atencion Primaria, 2022
Prevalence of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and its comorbidity with Major Depressive Disorder in adolescent students Vertex Buenos Aires Argentina, 2008
