A diagnostics leader with a scientific foundation in molecular biology, bridging research, laboratory implementation and health technology adoption.
Molecular Diagnostics, Product and Laboratory Strategy Leader with more than fifteen years of experience translating molecular biology into diagnostic implementation, training, product and portfolio leadership, and laboratory strategy across Latin America and Canada — beginning with peer-reviewed research on enteric viruses and a molecular sequence record in NCBI.
Chapters
A career at the intersection of science, diagnostics and implementation
§ 01
Scientific foundation
A scientific foundation in bacteriology, clinical laboratory hematology and blood bank management, microbiology and molecular biology.
Marcela Riaño Caro is a bacteriologist with a postgraduate specialization in Hematology in the Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank Management and a Master's degree in Microbiology, all from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, with a scientific foundation in molecular biology and clinical diagnostics.
The undergraduate thesis on rotavirus electrophoretic patterns and their relationship with the climate of Bogotá received an Academic Honor Mention from the University, and later contributed to peer-reviewed publications and a molecular record on enteric viruses in Latin American pediatric populations.
§ 02
From research into in vitro diagnostics
From research into in vitro diagnostics.
Scientific expertise in molecular biology and clinical diagnostics, combined with experience across in vitro diagnostics, training, product leadership and laboratory strategy.
The early research years at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Colsanitas, together with an invited scientific collaboration with the Viral Gastroenteritis Section of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, led directly into in vitro diagnostics and the clinical laboratories that adopt and operate advanced testing.
§ 03
Molecular diagnostics and laboratory expertise
Across molecular biology, immunology, clinical chemistry and core laboratory.
Diagnostics expertise spans molecular biology (including PCR and sequencing-related workflows), immunology and immunodiagnostics, clinical chemistry, and core laboratory and automation.
The work extends from scientific application support and standardization at the bench to workflow assessment, testing-pathway design and centralized laboratory operations.
§ 04
Product and portfolio leadership
Portfolio strategy, launch and commercial readiness.
Product portfolios and regional launches across international markets — regional marketing of immunology and molecular portfolios, the integration of an acquired molecular technology platform, and product management of centralized laboratory solutions and companion diagnostics.
The consistent thread is the business case for advanced diagnostics: quantifying clinical and operational value, aligning field insight with product positioning, and building portfolio profitability inside regulated quality-system environments.
§ 05
Training and knowledge transfer
Training and knowledge transfer as a constant across the trajectory.
Scientific, technical and commercial training delivered to laboratory teams, distributors and diagnostic partners across immunochemistry, immunology, clinical chemistry and molecular platforms.
Certified as a trainer through Neuland (Germany) and as a licensed practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, with training and knowledge-transfer work embedded in every stage of the professional trajectory.
§ 06
International and cross-regional experience
International experience across markets and regions.
More than fifteen years of international experience across Latin America and Canada, complemented by training, knowledge-transfer and cross-functional collaboration with global teams, including activities involving Germany and Switzerland.
Experience across diverse markets, laboratory environments and multicultural teams has combined scientific, technical, strategic and operational perspectives.
§ 07
Leadership philosophy
Evidence, translation, and the laboratory as the customer.
Diagnostic decisions should be evidence-based; scientific value has to be translated into clinical, operational and financial value that a laboratory director can act on; and the laboratory itself — its people, workflow and constraints — is the real customer of an in vitro diagnostics organization.
§ 08
Education and credentials
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and specialist certifications.
MSc in Microbiology (Molecular Biology emphasis) · Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 2005.
Specialist Degree / Postgraduate Specialization in Hematology in the Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank Management · Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 2000.
BSc in Bacteriology (Meritorious / Academic Honor Mention for the undergraduate research project) · Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 1999.
Specialist certifications: Train-the-Trainer / Tools for Trainer's Excellence — Neuland (Germany); Licensed Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Social Skills: Self-Knowledge and Interpersonal Development — Universidad de los Andes, 2018.
Languages: English (full professional) and Spanish (native).