Dr. Bayona is originally from Mexico City where he obtained his medical and master degree in biostatistics. He obtained his doctoral degree in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has served as a faculty member at several universities of the United States for over 20 years. He has also ample teaching and research experience in biostatistics and epidemiology in Africa and Latin America.

Since the beginning of his academic career, Dr. Bayona has occupied several administrative positions including Director of the Public Health Program at Nova Southeastern University, Director of the Doctoral Program at the University of North Texas School of Public Health, Director of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health, Director General of Epidemiology for the Secretary of Health in Mexico, and most recently as an Interim Director of the Public Health Program at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.

His research interests included applied statistical research methods, and epidemiology of tropical diseases and asthma. In addition to his administrative duties as an Interim Director of the Public Health Program, Dr. Bayona is currently teaching biostatistics and epidemiology to graduate students, and conducting research on the association of DNA repair capacity and breast cancer.