Alfredo Rocafort and José Ramón Calvo enter the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country, an institution with which RAED has signed a collaboration agreement

Alfredo Rocafort, professor of Financial Economics and Accounting at the University of Barcelona and president of the Governing Board of the Royal European Academy of Doctors-Barcelona 1914 (RAED), entered as honorary academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country (RAMPV-EHMEA) during a solemn session that was held on January 24 at the French Salon of the Bilbao Society of the Biscayan capital. In the same act, José Ramón Calvo, full academician and president of the Institute of International Cooperation of the RAED, entered as corresponding academician of this institution. The session was headed by Javier Aranceta, president of the RAMPV and, in turn, full academician of the RAED. Previously, both academies signed a collaboration agreement at the headquarters of the RAMPV, located in the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing of the University of the Basque Country, in Leioa.

Rocafort read the admission speech “La Real Academia Europea de Doctores: 14 premios Nobel como semblanza de su historia (1914-2019)” (The Royal European Academy of Doctors: 14 Nobel prizes as a profile of its history (1914-2019)), where he reviewed the centennial history of the institution, stopping at the firm commitment that the Royal Academy has undertaken by internationalize its work and become a benchmark of knowledge in the various fields of science since he assumed its presidency. In this sense, he explained, the signing of the collaboration agreement with the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country is nothing but a new sign of the opening of the Academy to promote and disseminate science among citizens. On behalf of the Royal Academy of Medicine answered the own Aranceta.

Calvo, on the other hand, presented the work “Mosquitos invasores: peligros y soluciones desde la ciencia” (Mosquitoes invaders: dangers and solutions from science), where he warned of the deadly diseases that these insects can transmit through their bites such as malaria, zika or dengue and even the multiple contagion that the latest investigations have determined. The academician highlighted how each year they currently kill some 750,000 people or infect about 200 million people with malaria. Also, thousands of babies are born with microcephaly by the zika infection of their mothers. Enrique Hilario Rodríguez answered his vice-president on behalf of the Royal Academy of Medicine.

The agreement signed between both institutions aims to “promote the promotion of science, training and scientific exchange among professionals in the health sciences and other related disciplines”. Likewise, it establishes a permanent official headquarters of the RAED in Bilbao that will host its academic activities and from where it will disseminate its activity, preferably with the collaboration and support of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country, as it appears in the document signed by both parties.

“We share academics and values ​​and, for this reason, we have signed an important collaboration agreement between both institutions that will allow extending the activities of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country to Barcelona and Madrid and, at the same time, opening the opportunity for RAED to develop together with this Royal Academy activities in Bilbao. This new framework of collaboration will not only be limited to the field of medicine and health, but will cover all our scientific sections, which will increase the multidisciplinary nature of the activities, more and more important and demanded by society”, explained Rocafort.

“The Royal European Academy of Doctors and the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country share the common goal of generating and disseminating knowledge and, above all, putting it at the service of society. They also share the enthusiasm of not being satisfied with being mere observers, to be active participants in this search for excellence and its dissemination, especially in the field of health and prevention, for this reason, thanks to this agreement between both institutions, we will be able to multiply the value activities to fulfil our foundational objectives”, added Calvo.

“For us it’s an honour to be able to share science, scientific activities and friendship with the illustrious academicians of the RAED and especially with Alfredo Rocafort and José Ramón Calvo, who apart from their brilliant professional and personal trajectory have been developing a work of excellence in their multiple initiatives within the framework of the RAED”, concluded Aranceta.

The rector of the University of the Basque Country, Nekane Balluerka, received a delegation from the Royal European Academy of Doctors and the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country. Throughout the meeting different possibilities of collaboration between the University of the Basque Country and both institutions were presented.