Josefa Travieso Darias Wins Award at the 2nd Canary Islands Health Sciences Awards
Ceremony and Objectives
The Councillor of Health of the Canary Islands Government, Esther Monzón, together with the director of the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), Adasat Goya, chaired the ceremony on 30 October at the Centre for Initiatives of the Caja de Canarias (CICCA) in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The awards, organized by the Health Council, the SCS and the Canary Islands Health Research Institute (IISC), aim to recognize the effort, dedication and positive impact of health professionals across the archipelago.
“These prizes are a mirror of the commitment and vocation of service that define you as professionals of the Canary Islands Health Service. Today we value the daily effort and dedication with which you attend to our patients,” Monzón said.
“Today we honour those who are references in care, humanisation and innovation and who have turned scientific complexity into tangible benefits for patients. As director, I want to assure you that the institutional commitment to knowledge and talent is firm,” Goya added.
Award Categories
Best Health Professional
Eleven outstanding professionals from each hospital, health area or primary‑care centre were honoured.
Research and Innovation
Best Research Team – The respiratory, infection and immunity team at Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín, led by José Carlos Rodríguez, comprising around twenty investigators. Their work focuses on human genetic research of infectious and immune‑mediated diseases, congenital immunity errors, allergic diseases and COVID‑19.
Best Scientific Publication – Aitana Alonso, MD, from the Genetic Variation and Disease group at Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, for the study “Rare Variants and Survival of Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Analysis of a Multicentre Observational Cohort with Independent Validation.”
Best Research Project – Two projects were distinguished:
ISVOLCAN – Health Impact of the La Palma Volcanic Eruption, led by María del Cristo Rodríguez and Antonio Cabrera. The longitudinal cohort evaluates respiratory, cardiometabolic and mental‑health effects and translates findings into planning tools for the SCS.
European Development of a Bionic Vestibular Implant for Bilateral Vestibular Dysfunction (Bionic VEST), led by Silvia Andrea Borkoski, specialist in the Hearing Loss Unit of the Hospital Complex Insular‑Materno‑Infantil. The patented implant stimulates the otolithic organ electrically, offering a novel solution for balance disorders.
Humanisation, Care and Innovative Therapies
Best Hospital Humanisation Initiative – Joint award to the Onco‑hematology unit ENO6 at Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (project leader María de las Nieves Hernández) and the sustainable transformation of a third‑level hospital (project leader Luis Fernando Fernández).
Service with the Most Innovative Therapies – The regional cardiac‑transplant programme at Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín, represented by Francisco Portela, head of Cardiac Surgery.
Service with the Best Care Plan – Ana Delia Ramos, from the Spinal‑Cord Injury Unit at Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria.
Outstanding Professionals of the SCS
A selection of eleven professionals from the islands was highlighted for clinical excellence, commitment to primary‑care transformation and human values. Notable recipients include:
- Sonia Díaz, auxiliary nursing technician (TCAE) from Lanzarote, praised for her humanity and calm under pressure.
- Virginia Léon, nurse director of the Insular‑Materno‑Infantil Hospital Complex, also a university professor.
- Ana Bordes, head of Microbiology at Hospital Universitario Doctor Negrín, recognized for her prolific research on listeriosis, meningitis and antimicrobial resistance, and for coordinating COVID‑19 diagnostics.
- Belinda Casañas, nurse at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias, noted for pioneering training in oncology nursing.
- Isabel Castro, dermatologist from La Gomera, honoured for three decades of service.
- José Enrique Palacio, physician at Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, former medical director and head of Endocrinology‑Nutrition.
- Eulogio Martín, nurse with 46 years in primary‑care management in Tenerife.
- Carlos Alfredo Toledo, family doctor in La Palma, celebrated for lifelong support to local families.
- José Marrero Pérez, family physician in Gran Canaria, recognized for his role during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
- Josefa Travieso, governor (hospital matron) of the Fuerteventura Health Area, awarded for more than forty years of continuous service at Hospital General de Fuerteventura. Since the hospital’s opening in 1982, she has overseen food‑service planning, daily menu preparation and special dietary provisions.
The multidisciplinary Migrant Care Team of the Health Services Directorate in El Hierro also received an award for exemplary public‑health and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable migrants.
Special Recognitions
Extraordinary Award – Adolfo Murias, for his long clinical career and for establishing the Medical Oncology Unit at Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, which eliminated the need for patients to travel to the mainland for treatment.
Special Recognition – Carlos Jorge, retiring manager of Primary Care in Gran Canaria, honoured for 17 years of leadership, coordination and dedication to primary‑care services.
Jury
The selection panel was chaired by Esther Monzón (president) and included Adasat Goya (vice‑president), directors of Mental Health and Addictions, Assistential Programs, Patient and Chronicity, as well as representatives from the IISC: María Gómez (Management Director), Fernando Gutiérrez (Scientific Director) and Santiago Sánchez (R&D & Innovation).