Valentín Fuster new president of the Health Advisory Board
Date: 10 julio 2017
Section: Nutrición
Last Friday, the Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality presided over an event with two objectives: to pay a posthumous tribute to Dr Joan Rodés, the former president of the Advisory Board until his death at the beginning of this year, and to introduce Dr Valentín Fuster as the new president of the Health Advisory Board.
Dolors Montserrat expressed her pride as Minister and as a Catalan, “as the presidency of the Spanish Advisory Board goes from the greatest liver expert to the greatest heart expert and because it goes from one Catalan humanist, the most international, to another, closing a circle of excellent knowledge of benefit to Spain and the Spanish people”.
“It is no coincidence that two Catalan humanists are the leaders of the Spanish Health Advisory Board, because extraordinary people and values are born from the Catalan land, who contribute to the writing of history in Spain, declared the Minister.
The Minister also gave thanks and recognition to Dr Fuster, in particular for his efforts in conveying to the people that “we must take an active role in our own health”. Ms Montserrat thanked Dr Fuster for “his generosity in accepting the presidency of the Advisory Board, providing all his experience and knowledge to the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, of the National Health Service and of the entire country”.
Dolors Montserrat ran through Dr Fuster's extensive professional career, as he is, among other things, director of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute in New York, Príncipe de Asturias Award for Research and director general of the Carlos III National Centre for Cardiovascular Research, a reference throughout the world for excellence in research. In addition, Dr Fuster is president of the Observatory of Nutrition and the Study of Obesity of the AECOSAN, the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition, dependent on the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, responsible for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
“The challenges we face in the National Health System of the future are multiple and the Health Advisory Board will have a key role to play to help us overcome them”, declared the Minister. The Minister highlighted demographics as one of the principal challenges, making it necessary to continue to promote “prevention strategies which contribute to a more active and healthy ageing”.
Dr Fuster, in his speech to accept the position confirmed that “the United States Global Health Report, which contains the health challenges and priorities of the people of this country in 14 recommendations, can be transposed in full to Spain given its economic analysis and structure”.
In this respect, the new president of the Health Advisory Board emphasised that “health, its protection and recovery must be a priority, as between all of us, working in a team in a responsible manner, we will make our country better and help it to grow”.