Prestigious Harvard Hospital presents award to FCV´s associated investigator

2/07/2008

On June 19, Dr. J. Rodrigo Mora, investigator associated to Fundación Ciencia Para la Vida, was the recipient of the distinguished “Howard H. Goodman” award granted every year by the Massachusetts General Hospital, world class center of excellence and part of the Harvard Medical School, in acknowledgement of his outstanding work in the area of immunology.

This distinction is awarded every year to an investigator and consists of approximately US$ 300,000 in a two-year period, which will be a substantial contribution to Dr Mora’s undergoing  laboratory research.  He has made important discoveries in mucosal immunity, which were published in the most prestigious international scientific magazines, such as Nature and Science.

In his six years of residence in the USA, Dr. Mora, who is also an assistant professor at the Harvard Medical School, has been invited to present his investigations in over 35 conferences and symposia in different parts of the USA, Europe and Asia, and about a year ago and after several offers, he established his own laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital of  Boston, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Mora, with a Ph.D. from Universidad de Chile under the tutorship of Chilean immunologist and Executive Director of our Foundation, Mario Rosemblatt, asserts that “these are very rare opportunities, even for researchers who have studied and built their academic careers in prestigious USA universities, very few Latin American researchers have had an opportunity like this one”.  The laboratory is also integrated by Dr. Sen Wang (Japan), and Dr. Eduardo Villablanca (Chile), with Ph.D. studies in Milan, Italy; both are undertaking postdoctoral studies.

The accomplished Chilean scientist, who collaborates with Chilean immunologists Mario Rosemblatt and María Rosa Bono, stated that “my idea in the near future is to bring the best and most motivated Chilean students to my laboratory at Harvard.  I believe we have valuable human potential in Chile, and I will do whatever is in my power to offer the opportunities we have had to whoever deserves them”, he concluded. Further information: La Nacion.