- This is the first time that this award has been given.
- Its objective is to highlight the crucial role of innovation in medical progress and its contributions to society.
- On this occasion, four outstanding health professionals were recognized.
The work that health professionals do on a daily basis is essential at all times. In fact, during the last couple of years it has been demonstrated with the support that has been given during the pandemic. Although that is not all because it has also been necessary not to neglect the other diseases that affect patients. For this reason they were delivered Medical Achievement Recognition Awards during the opening ceremony of the Innovation Week 2022 of the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical Research Industries (AMIIF).
This event brings together prominent personalities from the pharmaceutical sector, as well as authorities and health professionals. Its objective is to highlight the crucial role of innovation in medical progress and its contributions to society.
List with the winners
On this occasion, Cristóbal Thompson and Rodrigo Ruiz, Executive Director and President of the AMIIF, respectively, delivered the Recognition of Medical-Scientific Career to four outstanding health professionals:
- Dr. María Elena Medina-Mora Icaza, director of the Faculty of Psychology at UNAM, whose work in the field of mental health has marked a before and after in this matter. She was general director of the Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry from 2008 to 2013 and has been recognized nationally and internationally.
- Dr. David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz, gastroenterologist, director of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition “Salvador Zubirán” and co-creator of the Mexican Foundation for Liver Health (FUNDHEPA). In the period 2011 – 2012, he was secretary of the General Health Council, where he focused primarily on the design of measures for the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases.
- Dr. Antonio Fraga Mouret, rheumatologist and rector of the Saint Luke School of Medicine. He is the first Latin American distinguished with a Master’s degree from the American College of Rheumatology. With 50 years of teaching activity, he has been a professor in the academic field and head of teaching at the IMSS and the Secretary of Health of CDMX.
- Dr. Manuel H. Ruiz de Chávez, founding member of the Mexican Councils of Family Medicine and Public Health. He was Undersecretary of Planning and Corporate Deputy Director of Medical Services of Pemex, and General Director of the Health Institute of the Government of the then Federal District. He is currently Director of the Medical Ethics Committee at Médica Sur.
Award given to the winners
Each of these health professionals was recognized with an engraving by the Oaxacan artist Sergio Hernández, in which he captures his pictorial version of the Popol Vuh, a sacred book with which the Mayans tried to explain the world.
In this regard, Cristóbal Thompson explained that “this graphic work is inspired by the Popol Vuh and the constant need that, as humanity, we have to explain what surrounds us. That same impulse, that same flame, is what has led science and medicine to explore beyond their limits. In honor of that spirit, this year we recognize four notable doctors who have sought to explain, through science and medicine, the reasons for the ailments that afflict us and have embarked on a quest to find answers and solutions that improve the health of people, which remains up to date”.
The meaning of this recognition in the words of the winners
In the opinion of Dr. María Elena Medina-Mora, it was a great honor to receive this recognition. “It is very significant that the Popol Vuh is the symbol they have chosen, because this interest in science makes it possible to move on to innovation, creativity and improve the lives of so many people.”
For his part, Dr. Antonio Fraga Mouret thanked AMIIF for this distinction. “For me, this recognition is very important because it shows the closeness that, as a medical community, we must have with the pharmaceutical industry, since we share a common interest, which is people’s health. Our joint work can be seen in the improvement of patients”.
The Medical Career Recognition Award is an example of the importance that the work of doctors has for AMIIF, who always seek and provide their patients with the solutions they need to improve their quality of life.