Delegate: Dr. Fernando Ceballos
Delegate Short Bio: Physician and Surgeon, University of San Carlos of Guatemala.
Clinical Neurologist, University of San Carlos of Guatemala.
Master’s Degree in Sleep Medicine, University of Murcia, Spain.
Completed in-person extracurricular training in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Canada, Italy, Portugal, and Singapore.
Medical Director of the Neurology and Sleep Center of Guatemala since 2020.
Head of the Outpatient Section, Department of Neurology, San Juan de Dios General Hospital (2018–2023).
Guest Lecturer in the postgraduate program in Chronobiology and Sleep Medicine, CESPU, Lisbon, Portugal (since 2020).
Academic collaborator in the following programs:
• “Effective Epilepsy Management in Primary Care,” University of Guadalajara, CU Valles (2024).
• “Dental Sleep Medicine,” Francisco Marroquín University (Guatemala) and National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM León) (2025).
Affiliated Professor in the Pediatric Neurology subspecialty program, University of San Carlos of Guatemala (2020–2021).
CERT-certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a disaster response rescuer since 2019.
International speaker.
President of the Guatemalan Association of Sleep Medicine (since 2024).
Vice President of the International League Against Epilepsy, Guatemala Chapter (since 2024).
Secretary of the Guatemalan Association of Neurological Sciences (2018–2019).
Chief Resident, Department of Neurology, San Juan de Dios General Hospital (2017).
Honored by the Secretariat of Peace of the Presidency of the Republic of Guatemala in 2019 for scientific contributions to medicine.
Author of multiple scientific articles published in international journals.
Lead author and editor of the book “Interface Between Neuropathology and Sleep Disorders”, developed in collaboration with more than 25 leading physicians from over a dozen countries.
Scope of Activity: Individual activity
Activity: Activities were promoted throughout Sleep Month under the motto “Sleep Well, Live Better”, with a strong focus on sleep equity. These initiatives included:
• Providing access to services for individuals with limited financial resources.
• Delivering educational content for individuals with visual and hearing impairments.
• Distributing materials in Mayan languages in both audio and printed formats to Indigenous communities.
Consistent with the principles reflected in this professional trajectory, priority was given to vulnerable populations through the following actions:
• Distribution of printed materials of the Decalogue of Healthy Sleep for adults in 21 Mayan languages (replicated in WSD 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025). https://www.neurologoguatemala.com/index.php/servicios/mandamientos
• Distribution of printed materials of the Decalogue of Healthy Sleep for children in 21 Mayan languages (WSD 2020, 2022, 2025). https://www.neurologoguatemala.com/index.php/servicios/mandamientos
• Dissemination of audio-format materials of the Decalogue of Healthy Sleep for adults in 19 Mayan languages (WSD 2020, 2024, 2025).
• Dissemination of audio-format materials of the Decalogue of Healthy Sleep for children in 19 Mayan languages (WSD 2020, 2024, 2025).
• Development and promotion of sign-language audiovisual materials for adults with hearing impairments (WSD 2019, 2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXZmo4o0uig
• Development and promotion of sign-language audiovisual materials for children with hearing impairments (World Sleep Day 2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2zhX6obavM
• Distribution of Braille materials of the Decalogue of Healthy Sleep for adults with visual impairments (WSD 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025).
• Waiver of consultation fees for 17 low-income patients in private practice, carried out for seven consecutive years (2019–2025):
o 60 virtual medical consultations
o 86 in-person medical consultations
o Total: 163 free consultations
• Continuous projection of commemorative messages for World Sleep Day 2026 and its motto “Sleep Well, Live Better” on a 33 m² (355 sq ft) screen, strategically located in a high-traffic urban area.
• Collaboration with the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) during Brain Awareness Week, through educational video capsules on healthy sleep, broadcast across hospital screens. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1289432453059313
Fee waivers were granted to two patients for Type 1 polysomnography and to four patients for Type 3 polysomnography.
All activities were conducted as in previous years, without external sponsorship.
Location: Republic of Guatemala
Date of Activity: All activities took place during the month of March
