Dra. María Fernanda Herrera López

Dra. María Fernanda Herrera López is a rheumatologist at Hospital Escuela Universitario in Tegucigalpa — Honduras's main teaching hospital and a national referral centre. With over 10 years of specialist experience, she is one of a limited number of trained rheumatologists serving Honduras's population, making her expertise particularly important in a country where inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune diseases often go undiagnosed. She manages the full range of rheumatological conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, spondyloarthropathies, and crystal arthritis. Dra. Herrera is committed to improving access to specialist rheumatological care in Honduras and provides services to patients from Tegucigalpa and those referred from other regions of the country.

Dra. Herrera López completed her medical degree (MD) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) followed by her rheumatology specialist residency at Hospital Escuela Universitario — the primary postgraduate training programme in rheumatology in Honduras. She has attended regional rheumatology training programmes through the Liga Panamericana de Asociaciones de Reumatología (PANLAR) and has completed workshops in musculoskeletal ultrasound and biologic therapy for inflammatory arthritis. She is registered with the Colegio Médico de Honduras and is an active member of the Asociación Hondureña de Reumatología.

Dra. Herrera's clinical expertise covers the diagnosis and management of inflammatory and autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Her core competency is in rheumatoid arthritis — early diagnosis, treat-to-target strategies with conventional DMARDs, and initiation and monitoring of biologic therapy (TNF inhibitors, IL-6 inhibitors, JAK inhibitors) for moderate-to-severe disease. She manages systemic lupus erythematosus including lupus nephritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and crystal arthropathies including gout. She performs joint aspiration and intraarticular corticosteroid injections and uses musculoskeletal ultrasound for disease activity monitoring.

Rheumatology specialists are scarce in Central America and Dra. Herrera provides an important regional resource for patients from Honduras and neighbouring countries seeking specialist autoimmune disease management. She consults in Spanish and English. Tegucigalpa's Toncontín International Airport connects to major Central American and North American hubs. Patients from the Honduran diaspora returning for specialist medical care, as well as patients from neighbouring countries, may consult Dra. Herrera through Hospital Escuela Universitario. Patients are advised to verify credentials with the Colegio Médico de Honduras and the Asociación Hondureña de Reumatología independently.

Dra. Herrera López participates actively in the Asociación Hondureña de Reumatología and contributes to national rheumatology education by supervising medical residents and presenting at Honduran medical conferences. She has attended PANLAR congresses representing Honduran rheumatology and brings updated treatment protocols back to her practice. She contributes to awareness campaigns about early arthritis diagnosis in Honduras and participates in continuing medical education to maintain and expand her specialist skills in biologic therapy management and musculoskeletal ultrasound.