In his speech, Dr Campo stressed that “the scientific achievements of Dr Jaffe have contributed to changing our view of the understanding of hematological neoplasms, her specific field of interest, but also to changing the global perspective that we now apply to the diagnosis of cancer.” Elaine Jaffe (New York, 1943) was a pioneer in bringing together the knowledge of different disciplines – morphology, immunology, genetics and molecular biology – and applying it to the study of the clinical problems of patients. This integrated, multidisciplinary approach, applied initially in human tumours, not only changed research in pathology but also had a profound influence on the daily clinical practice of pathologists and oncologists. Dr Jaffe’s studies were particularly important in establishing that malignant lymphomas were neoplastic counterparts of the various stages of differentiation and activation of the lymphoid system. What is more, her work has made it possible, for the first time, to identify and characterize different kinds of lymphoid neoplasms, and has provided key insights into their genetic and molecular mechanisms.

For Dr Campo, “Dr Jaffe’s department continues to be a reference centre for scholars from all over the world. The active participation in academic science and successful clinical practice in the field of most of these fellows is a clear indication that Dr Jaffe conveys not only knowledge but also motivation and enthusiasm.” Dr Samitier, the acting rector, noted that Dr Jaffe’s generosity with regard to sharing knowledge has another dimension: “her activity in international forums, for instance the World Health Organization and her leadership of the WHO’s International Clinical Advisory Committee. Her work in the classification of hematological malignancies has allowed the organization and cataloguing of problems and the implementation of a scientific approach to their solution, but also represents a clear commitment to placing the generation and transmission of knowledge at the service of society, specifically, in this case, in order to improve the quality of life and health.” He also mentioned that the next International Congress of Pathology will be held in Barcelona, at which several UB professors will take part.

For her part, in her speech “The Microscope as a Tool for Disease Discovery”, Dr Jaffe explained that “As a medical student, looking into the microscope opened up a whole new world. By examining cells and tissues, in health, but especially in disease, we can see with our own eyes disruptions in normal physiology and function. Certainly we can later pursue these at the biochemical or molecular level, but it is careful morphological analysis of the diseased tissues that often provides the first insight into the problem.” With regard to her specialist field she made the following comparison: “The pathologist is somewhat like a detective, deciphering the morphological clues to arrive at the correct solution, and still today, discovering and uncovering a difficult diagnosis provides me with great satisfaction”.

Dr Jaffe is author of more than 500 scientific articles and has been one of the ten most frequently cited researchers in the field of oncology in the last twenty years. She has been actively involved in training in her field and has participated in various scientific commissions and editorial committees in the leading specialist journals. She was also president of the World Health Organization’s committee for the classification of lymphoid and hematopoietic neoplasms. Among her awards are the Fred W. Stewart Prize from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Mostofi Distinguished Service Award from the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, and the Karl Lennert Medal from the European Association of Hematopathology.

After the investiture ceremony the University of Barcelona’s doctoral degrees for 2006 were awarded, sponsored by Dr Jaffe, and theEleventh Prize of the Faculty of Doctors of the UB was presented to David Pineda Tomàs for his thesis “Isolation and Functional Characterization of the elements Paxo and sineoculis as a component of the gene network involved in the regeneration of eyes in planarians”, supervised by Emili Saló.