The induction ceremony of Professor Alonso took place yesterday, October 14, during the 47th Annual Meeting of the Academy in Washington D.C.
Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service
Professor Alonso is the second member of the Academy from a Spanish institution
According to the words of the President of the Academy, “Alonso was elected because has pioneered the development of nanotechnologies that help complex therapeutic molecules to overcome biological barriers. These nanomedicines have been assessed, at the preclinical and clinical level, for the treatment of varisou pathologies, as well as for vaccination”
Santiago de Compostela, 16October 2017.-María José Alonso, Professor of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), has entered United States of America National Academy of Medicine (NAM) as International Member. The induction ceremony of Professor Alonso took place yesterday, during the 47th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.
Professor Alonso was elected to the Academy a year ago, and her nomination was promoted by Professor Patrick Couvreur, from the University of Paris Sur, France and Professor Langer from MIT, Cambridge, US. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. According to the words of the President of the Academy, “Prof. Alonso was elected because has pioneered the development of nanotechnologies that help complex therapeutic molecules to overcome biological barriers. These nanomedicines have been assessed, at the preclinical and clinical level, for the treatment of varisou pathologies, as well as for vaccination”.
Alonso’s research trajectory
María José Alonso’s lab (https://www.usc.gal/grupos/mjalonsolab/) has pioneered numerous discoveries in the field of Nanopharmaceutical Technology and nanomedicine. She has coordinated several research consortia financed by the WHO, the Gates Foundation and the European Commission. Currently, she is involved in 7 international projects, 5 of them financed by the European Commission. She is the author of 256 scientific contributions with more than 13,000 cites (H factor 65) and the inventor of 20 patent families. Because of the quality of her scientific articles she has been among the TOP TEN in Pharmacology (Times Higher Education international ranking, Thomson Reuters, 2010).
She also serves on the editorial board of 11 journals. In 2006-10, she was the Vice-rector of Research and Innovation of the USC. She has advised the Ministry of Sciences and Innovation in the elaboration of the Law of Sciences, Technology and Innovation, and, she has been part of the advisory council of the Ministry of Health in Spain.
She has received numerous awards, including the ‘King Jaume I Award’ on New Technologies, the ‘Maurice Marie Janot Award’, and the ‘María Josefa Wonenburger Award’. She is also a member of three Academies in Spain, member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and since July 2017, President Elect of the Controlled Release Society, Inc. (CRS, Inc).
National Academy of Medicine
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service in the Academies’ activities.
Members
New members are elected by active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organization, which stipulate that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities.
The NAM has more than 2,000 members elected in recognition of professional achievement and commitment to volunteer service in activities of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The NAM elects no more than 10 international members annually.
Professor Alonso is the second member of the Academy from Spain. In 2015, the NAM elected Dr. Josep Dalmau, Neurology professor at the University of Barcelona.
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