Antoni Trilla, rewarded for his dissemination efforts on the subject of infectious diseases

Researchers Antoni Trilla and Manel Esteller have been awarded the ‘V Distinción del Claustro de Doctores y del Consejo Social’ by the University of Barcelona. The ceremony took place on May 23 in the Aula Magna, in the presence of the Rector, Joan Elias, and the President of the Social Council, Joan Corominas. The distinction seeks to foster the dissemination of scientific activity and knowledge to the whole society.

Antoni Trilla, head of the preventive medicine and epidemiology section at the Hospital Clinic and researcher at ISGlobal, was rewarded for his dissemination activities on the subject of infectious diseases and how to prevent them, particularly regarding epidemic outbreaks and vaccination. He is recognized by his sustained work with media to convey information to the general public in a simple language while maintaining a serene tone and scientific rigor. His participation has been decisive in the communication of several public health crises at the national (the enterovirus outbreak in Catalonia in 2016, for example) and international (influenza A in 2009, Ebola in 2014-2016 or Zika in 2015) level. He has been awarded other prizes, such as the Josep Trueta Medal for medical achievement, the Big Vang Medal for science communication, and the Professional Excellence Award by the College of Physicians. His research focuses on the prevention and control of hospital-associated infections, flu and the control of highly infectious diseases. He is also vice dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona.

Manel Esteller, ICREA researcher and director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Programme at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, is a world reference in the fight against cancer. His dissemination activities include numerous lectures for high school students and popular science books such as Bet for your Health! (2014) and I Am Not My DNA (2017), as well as his weekly column in ‘El Periódico’ and his social network activity. His research focuses on understanding the modifications in the gene expression of tumor cells, and he has received many prizes including the ‘Premio Rey Jaime I’ for basic research, the XX Severo Ochoa Prize for biomedical research, and the National Biomedical Research Prize. He is also advisor to the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine in the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.