Medical school graduates inducted into island Medicine Hall of Fame

By The Star Staff

For the second consecutive year, faculty members and graduates of the Medical Sciences Campus (RCM by its Spanish initials) of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will be inducted into the Medicine Hall of Fame. The recognition will take place during the Second Induction Ceremony of the Puerto Rican Medicine Hall of Fame to be held at the Sheraton Hotel & Casino on Friday.

This year’s RCM inductees will be honored by Drs. Amalia Martínez Picó, Lillian Haddock Suárez and Ana Judith Román García, as well as Dr. Norman Maldonado, a former president of the UPR. In turn, doctors Oscar Costa Mandry and Guillermo Picó Santiago will receive posthumous tributes.

“We are extremely proud of the recognition that the Puerto Rican Medicine Hall of Fame grants, some posthumously, to these distinguished members of our institution,” said RCM Interim Chancellor Carlos Ortiz Reyes. “This award is overwhelming proof of the legacy of excellence, commitment and dedication, and above all, the contribution that the Medical Sciences Campus and its members make to Puerto Rico. I extend congratulations to the families and loved ones of the honorees, who serve as an example, inspiration and guide for the future generation of health professionals on the island.”

Dr. Humberto M. Guiot, interim dean of the UPR School of Medicine said: “We are extremely pleased with this initiative that honors and recognizes outstanding figures in our institution, who have served the health of Puerto Rico, and are an example for us and the world.”

“We also congratulate our outstanding students who will participate in the activity, since they are a promise that the health of Puerto Rico will be in good hands,” he added.

Once again participating in the event will be a group of outstanding students from four island medical schools: UPR, Ponce Health Sciences University, San Juan Bautista School of Medicine and Central University of the Caribbean.

“In November 2021, the first recognition ceremony of the Medicine Hall of Fame took place, where doctors and entities that with their contribution have done great work in favor of medicine were recognized,” recalled Dr. Yuseff Galib-Frangie Fiol, president of the Puerto Rico Medical Association. “That day, the invited students and all those present lived unforgettable moments, full of history and anecdotes, but above all inspiring for that new generation of young doctors who are preparing, who will be in charge of the health and scientific future of Puerto Rico. This year, we seek to amplify this experience by celebrating the life, work and legacy of this medical class that has left a deep mark on the medicine, science and health of the people of Puerto Rico.”