His Majesty the King presented the Camino Real Award from the Instituto Franklin-UAH to the virologist Ana Fernández-Sesma
Felipe VI presented the Camino Real Award from the Instituto Franklin-UAH to the virologist Ana Fernández-Sesma in a ceremony held in the Paraninfo de la Universidad de Alcalá. His Majesty the King highlighted the work of the virologist who “represents one of the greatest exponents in the fight, not only against COVID-19, but against many other diseases caused by viruses harmful to human beings.” In his speech, His Majesty the King congratulated the Instituto Franklin-UAH for being a center that “has become not only an educational reference institution, but even more so a reference in research and knowledge transfer.”
With this recognition, the Advisory Council, as stated by its president Antonio Vázquez, wanted to highlight the professional career of the winner at Mount Sinai in New York, which “has made her a world scientific reference in the field of virology and immunology.” Furthermore, Antonio Vázquez highlighted the work of the virologist as “not only essential, but vital for humanity.”
After collecting the award, Ana Fernández-Sesma assured that “this is an award with great meaning for me both as a scientist, as a Spanish and American, and as a woman”, its objective being to “strengthen and promote relations between Spain and North America and continue representing Spain wherever I am.”
For his part, the rector of the Universidad de Alcalá, José Vicente Saz, congratulated Ana Fernández-Sesma for “being a Spanish scientist whose prestige and human quality continue to strengthen and nourish our common history.” Just as the winners of the Camino Real Award do, José Vicente Saz expressed the desire of the Spanish university to make visible and strengthen the Spanish language and culture in North America.
In his speech, José Antonio Gurpegui, director of the Instituto Franklin-UAH, thanked His Majesty the King and the Advisory Council for the support given to the Instituto Franklin-UAH, which is currently a reference center for North American Studies in Europe, and aspires to become also in the center of historical recovery of the Spanish legacy in the United States.
With this award, the Instituto Franklin-UAH recognizes the work of those Spaniards who have spread a good image of Spain in the United States. The award, which refers to the roads (Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, and Camino Real de California) used by the Spanish to reach from Mexico to the northern territories that are currently part of the United States, is also intended to be a recognition of the importance that Spain had and has in North America. In previous editions, the winners were the tennis player Rafael Nadal (2022), the actor Antonio Banderas (2017), the basketball player Pau Gasol (2015), the cardiologist Valentín Fuster (2013) and the tenor Plácido Domingo (2012). The bell that is given to the winner is a recognition and tribute to this symbol steeped in history. Since 2017, the bell sculpture has been the work of Navarrese sculptor Carlos Ciriza.
ANA FERNÁNDEZ-SESMA
Ana Fernández-Sesma is a doctor in Biomedicine and professor of Microbiology and infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York (ISMMS), where she also carries out training and tutoring for postgraduate students such as director of doctoral studies in Microbiology. She established her own research group and laboratory at the ISMMS, where she studies how viruses manipulate the human immune system to infect and spread, mainly, innate immunity against viruses such as dengue (DENV) and influenza (IAV), among others. Likewise, for the last two years, she has been actively involved in research and scientific dissemination on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and the importance of vaccination. She has published more than one hundred research and peer-reviewed articles since 1993, and serves on the editorial boards of several journals and research publications as a reviewer and editor, and is affiliated with numerous associations concerning microbiology and virology.
Due to her professional and academic career, she has received different recognitions. In 2013 she was named Best Faculty Mentor for Postdoctoral Fellows. The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) has highlighted her work as a female researcher on microbiology projects leading to funding by the US National Institutes of Health. In 2022 she received the International Award from the Spanish Federation of Women Directors, Executives, Professionals and Businesswomen (FEDEPE), and she is considered one of the 100 most influential women in Spain in 2022 according to Forbes magazine.
INSTITUTO FRANKLIN-UAH
Instituto Franklin-UAH is a center of the Universidad de Alcalá founded in 1987 to research the USA. Currently, it is the only Institute of its kind in Spain and is financed through its academic programs.
The Institute focuses its activities on the development of research projects, the organization of international meetings and conferences, and the delivery of academic programs for North American students. Its mission is to serve as a communicative, cooperative and unifying platform between Spain and North America, in order to promote mutual knowledge.
For more information about the Camino Real Award click here.
Watch the ceremony again on the YouTube channel of the Universidad de Alcalá.