Since childhood I’ve loved helping people and addressing their ailments. Being around people, helping them in their most difficult times, or at least give them solutions to comfort, is the reason for being available and helping my patients. The medicine encompasses a vast range of specialties. Gastroenterology is the perfect combination of internal medicine and surgery. Within gastroenterological topics I'm passionate about liver diseases and advanced endoscopy.

English, Español

• Specialty in Hepatology. University of Texas - University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dallas, TX. July 2008 - June 2009
• Specialty in Gastroenterology. Universidad de Costa Rica. April 2006 - March 2008
• Specialty in Internal Medicine. Universidad de Costa Rica. April 2004 - March 2006
• Rotary Internship. Harvard Medical School. October 2002 - January 2003
• Doctor and Surgery. Universidad de Costa Rica. 1997 - 2002
• Biology - Premed. Yale University. August 1996 - July 1997

• Fellowship in Hepatology - University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dallas, TX. June 2008-July 2009

• European Congress of Gastroenterology - Stockholm, Sweden

  October 2011

• Digestive Disease Week 2011 - Chicago, IL

  May 2011

• 75nd Annual Scientific Meeting - American College of Gastroenterology. San Antonio, TX

  October 2010

• 2010 Annual Postgraduate Course - American College of Gastroenterology. San Antonio, TX

  October 2010

• 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases - Boston, MA

  October 2009

• 59th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases - San Francisco, CA

  November 2008

• 73nd Annual Scientific Meeting - American College of Gastroenterology, Philadelphia, PA

  October 2008

• 2008 Annual Postgraduate Course - American College of Gastroenterology. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2008

• Third Symposium on Therapeutic Endoscopy and Endoscopic Ultrasound - Asociación Costarricense de Especialistas en Gastroenterología y Endoscopia Digestiva. San José, Costa Rica

  March 2008

• 58th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases - Boston, MA

  November 2007

• Course on Current Controversies in Biologic Therapy for Crohn’s Disease: Debating the Application of Emerging Clinical Data to Daily Treatment Decisions - Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2007

• 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting - American College of Gastroenterology. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2007

• 2007 Annual Postgraduate Course - American College of Gastroenterology. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2007

• Course on What’s New in Gastrointestinal Pharmacology - American College of Gastroenterology. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2007

• Course on Review of Gastrointestinal structure and Function - American College of Gastroenterology. Philadelphia, PA

  October 2007

• XV National Congress of Gastroenterology - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

  October 2006

• Results of the First Latin American Consensus on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

  October 2006

• Digestive Disease Week 2005 - Chicago, IL

  May 2005

• Postgraduate Course in Internal Medicine - Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos. San José, Costa Rica

  May 2003

• Physicians and Surgeons College of Costa Rica cod. MED7246Active

  Medic and Surgeon - Costa Rica

• Costa Rican Association of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy
• American College of Gastroenterology

• 2009 Liver Unit Award

• Attending Specialist - Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital CIMA. San José, Costa Rica. July 2009-Present
• Attending Specialist - Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. July 2009-Present
• Attending Specialist - Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital México, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. April 2008-June 2008
• Resident - Hospital San Juan de Dios, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. April 2004 - March 2008
• Assistant Physician - Emergency Room. Hospital San Francisco de Asís. Grecia, Costa Rica. January 2004-March 2004
• Assistant Physician - External Consultation, Hospital Nacional de Niños, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. June, 2003 - February, 2004
• Assistant Physician - Epidemiological Surveillance, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. January 2003-March 2004
• Clinical Coordinator and Sub-investigator - Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Nacional de Niños, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. San José, Costa Rica. January 2003-March 2004
• Ad-honorem Professor of the Internship Course - Universidad de Ciencias Médicas UCIMED. San José, Costa Rica. January 2003-March 2004
• Ad-honorem Professor of Pediatrics - Universidad de Ciencias Médicas UCIMED. San José, Costa Rica. June 2003-March 2004
• Professor of the XIV International Course of Tropical Medicine - Universidad de Costa Rica and Louisiana State University. June-July 2003
• Professor, Chair of Internal Medicine - Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Costa Rica. San José, Costa Rica. July 2009-Present
• Professor, Chair of Semiotics - Universidad de Ciencias Médicas UCIMED. San José, Costa Rica. July 2009-Present
• Graduate Professor of Gastroenterology - Faculty of Medicine, University of Costa Rica. San José, Costa Rica. July 2009-Present

• Fong TL, Klontz KC, Canas-Coto A, Casper SJ, Durazo FA, Davern TJ 2nd, Hayashi P, Lee WM, Seef LB. Hepatotoxicity due to hydroxycut: a case series. Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jul; 105(7):1561-6.
• Cañas-Coto A, Soriano A, Gutiérrez H, Camacho K, Ávila-Aguero ML. “Clinical Course and Outcome of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GB) in a Pediatric Population“ 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Chicago, IL; U.S.A., Sep. 2003.
• Avila-Aguero ML, Avila-Aguero CR, Um SL, Soriano-Fallas A, Canas-Coto A, Yan SB. Systemic host inflammatory and coagulation response in the Dengue virus primo-infection. Cytokine. 2004: Sep21;27(6):173-9.
• Badilla-Umaña J, Avila-Aguero ML, Canas-Coto A, Camacho-Badilla K, Sell-Marruco E, Sell-Salazar F. [Neurocysticercosis in Costa Rican Children: clinical experience and the importance of epidemiological surveillance]. Rev Neurol. 2004: Sep 16-30;39(6):590-2.
• Avila-Aguero ML, Canas-Coto A, Ulloa-Gutierrez R, Caro MA, Alfaro B, Paris MM. Risk factors for Candida infections in a neonatal intensive care unit in Costa Rica. Int J Infect Dis. 2005 Mar;9(2):90-5.
• Camacho-Badilla K, Canas-Coto A, Soriano-Fallas A, Carranza-Portocarrero A, Avila-Aguero ML. [Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in pediatric population: a case report and a review of literature] Gac Med Mex. 2005 Jan-Feb;141(1):53-6.
• Iturrino-Monge R, Avila-Aguero ML, Avila-Aguero CR, Moya-Moya T, Canas-Coto A, Camacho-Badilla K, Zambrano-Mora B. Seroprevalence of dengue virus antibodies in asymptomatic Costa Rican children, 2002-2003: a pilot study. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2006 Jul;20(1):39-43.
• Cañas-Coto A, Soriano A, Gutiérrez H, Camacho K, Ávila-Aguero ML. “Clinical Course and Outcome of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GB) in a Pediatric Population“ 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Chicago, IL; U.S.A., Sep. 2003.
• Camacho-Badilla K, Cañas-Coto A, Fernández W, Abdelnour A, Ávila-Aguero ML. “Hemophagocytic Syndrome (HPS) in Children: A Thirty-Case Experience“ 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Chicago, IL; U.S.A., Sep. 2003.
• Avila-Aguero ML, Avila-Aguero CR, Um SL, Soriano-Fallas A, Canas-Coto A, Yan SB. Systemic host inflammatory and coagulation response in the Dengue virus primo-infection. Cytokine. 2004: Sep21;27(6):173-9.
• Badilla-Umaña J, Avila-Aguero ML, Canas-Coto A, Camacho-Badilla K, Sell-Marruco E, Sell-Salazar F. [Neurocysticercosis in Costa Rican Children: clinical experience and the importance of epidemiological surveillance]. Rev Neurol. 2004: Sep 16-30;39(6):590-2.
• Avila-Aguero ML, Canas-Coto A, Ulloa-Gutierrez R, Caro MA, Alfaro B, Paris MM. Risk factors for Candida infections in a neonatal intensive care unit in Costa Rica. Int J Infect Dis. 2005 Mar;9(2):90-5.
• Camacho-Badilla K, Canas-Coto A, Soriano-Fallas A, Carranza-Portocarrero A, Avila-Aguero ML. [Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in pediatric population: a case report and a review of literature] Gac Med Mex. 2005 Jan-Feb;141(1):53-6.
• Iturrino-Monge R, Avila-Aguero ML, Avila-Aguero CR, Moya-Moya T, Canas-Coto A, Camacho-Badilla K, Zambrano-Mora B. Seroprevalence of dengue virus antibodies in asymptomatic Costa Rican children, 2002-2003: a pilot study. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2006 Jul;20(1):39-43.
• Cañas-Coto A, Soriano A, Gutiérrez H, Camacho K, Ávila-Aguero ML. “Clinical Course and Outcome of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GB) in a Pediatric Population“ 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Chicago, IL; U.S.A., Sep. 2003.
• Poveda-Fernández J, Soriano-Fallas T, Cañas-Coto A, Rodríguez L. “Diagnóstico y Manejo de la Endocarditis Infecciosa. Revista Costarricense de Cardiología; 2003: 5(2):5-16.
• Avila-Aguero ML, Canas-Coto A, Ulloa-Gutierrez R, Caro MA, Alfaro B, Paris MM. Risk factors for Candida infections in a neonatal intensive care unit in Costa Rica. Int J Infect Dis. 2005 Mar;9(2):90-5.
• Camacho-Badilla K, Canas-Coto A, Soriano-Fallas A, Carranza-Portocarrero A, Avila-Aguero ML. [Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in pediatric population: a case report and a review of literature] Gac Med Mex. 2005 Jan-Feb;141(1):53-6.
• Fong TL, Klontz KC, Canas-Coto A, Casper SJ, Durazo FA, Davern TJ 2nd, Hayashi P, Lee WM, Seef LB. Hepatotoxicity due to hydroxycut: a case series. Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jul; 105(7):1561-6.