Dr. Figueroa's incorporation to the corporation is due to his solid training and development of a long and fruitful career in academic medicine, mainly in the areas of immunology and experimental rheumatology, adding in recent years his interest in translational medicine.
The Dr. Fernando Figueroa Elizalde, academic of the School of Medicine and member of the Board of Directors of UANDES, joined as an honorary member of the Chilean Academy of Medicine in a solemn ceremony held in the Hall of Honor of the Instituto de Chile.
At the event, Professor Figueroa presented his incorporation paper entitled ".The journey is the reward. From traditional universities to private universities to biotechnology."After the reception speech by honorary academician Dr. Sergio Iacobelli Gabrielli.
The incorporation of Dr. Figueroa to the corporation is due to his solid background and development of a long and fruitful trajectory in academic medicine, mainly in the areas of immunology and experimental rheumatology, adding in recent years his interest in translational medicine. In addition, his numerous contributions in the research of innovative cell therapies, highlighting the high standard in its manufacturing processes, unique in Latin America.
His line of research has been the development of innovative cell therapies. He has international prestige, abundant publications with a high impact factor (2.5 to 13.0) in international mainstream journals and some products of the research in which he has participated are already patented or in the process of being patented. One of them is the patent for the method of obtaining a composition containing a specific population of umbilical cord mesenchymal cells and its uses.
In 2002 Dr. Figueroa was appointed Full Professor at the Universidad de los Andes, where from the beginning he has developed an intense teaching activity, participating in the training of numerous generations of Chilean physicians, rheumatologists and researchers, highlighting his work as director of Biochemistry theses and of the PhD in Biomedical Sciences of the School of Medicine.
Finally, the rheumatologist has held various positions within the University, including his contribution to the institution as Dean of the School of Medicine and currently as a member of the Board of Directors.