Tribute to the figure and career of the hepatologist Joan Rodés

The rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Elias, commented on his speech that Rodés had worked for the “transformation of society”. “He loved medicine”, and defined it as “the most stimulating science”, remembered Elias. Then, Josep M. Campistol, director-general of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, told that Joan Rodés believed that “there is no medicine without research”, and admitted that he “imposed” translational research in the Hospital Clínic and promoted the search for “care, research and teaching excellence”. “A visionary man who had his feet on the ground”, said Xavier Pomés, president of the Governing Council of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.

Antoni Comín, minister of Health of Generalitat de Catalunya, highlighted the Rodésʼ leadership, “able to reach excellence”, and affirmed it is the name that could define what brought this country to have one of the best health systems in the world (Catalonia is listed among the top 20 according to the WHOʼs report on regional development ). He also defined him as the visionary who “reached a shared viewpoint”.

Lots of doctors and professors of the Faculty, apart from institutional representatives -among who were several former ministers of Health and former rectors of the UB- attended the event, organized by the Hospital Clínic, the University of Barcelona and IDIBAPS.

Tribute book

The event held the book presentation for Homenaje a Juan Rodés. Trayectoria y facetas de un visionario, published by the BBVA Foundation and in which 50 people talk about the hepathologist. This work was co-edited by Ramón Gomis, director of IDIBAPS, professor of the UB and doctor at Hospital Clínic; Rafael Pardo, director of BBVA Foundation, and Antoni Trilla, Head of the Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Unit of the Hospital Clínic, professor of the UB and researcher at ISGlobal.

During the book presentation, several authors gave a speech to talk about their relationship with Rodés and comment on some of the aspects of his different sides. Among the speakers was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Francesc Cardellach, who highlighted his teaching task creating an “excellent team” for bachelor and postgraduate studies, and highlighted his abilities to “link the hospital and the Faculty” and creating IDIBAPS in this environment. He also thanked him for his “attitude and strength” to help driving the health campus of the University of Barcelona (campus of international excellence) and remembered that the Faculty awarded him the Pi i Sunyer medal in 2010.