A dream that began in Barcelona
Dr. Baselga’s dream was to end cancer and he dedicated his life to making his dream a reality. According to Dr. Baselga, “Diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s can only be defeated through research. Only science provides the right tools for understanding how they emerge and evolve, and which therapies are best suited to stopping them. The best means of making sure we don’t feel a shiver run down our spines when we hear the word “cancer” is to give support to biomedical research. He gave his life to research in order to improve our understanding of cancer and to identify its weaknesses so that patients would live longer and healthier lives.
Will you help to make Dr. Baselga’s dream come true? Please support research for a future without cancer.
Josep Baselga was born on July 3, 1959 in Barcelona into a family with a medical background. He studied medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and later trained as a specialist in internal medicine at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, which is where he discovered his passion for oncology. After studying in New York, first at the County Hospital of Brooklyn and then, fulfilling a dream, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), he returned to Barcelona, where he took the Oncology Department of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital to the forefront of oncological medicine. He sought to promote translational research in cancer, positioning Barcelona in the first division of the field of oncology. He also founded the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and the FERO Foundation. With the peculiarly British and American manner of involving civil society in a collective struggle, he encouraged investment in cancer research for the benefit of all. In 2010, he accepted the position as head of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, and in 2012 he reached the very peak of the position as head of the largest cancer center in the world at the MSKCC, his second home. In the final step in his long career, Josep made his mark at AstraZeneca, where he transformed their oncology department.
Venía mucho a Barcelona, no sólo como asesor científico de múltiples iniciativas, sino también para seguir activamente involucrado en su proyecto más personal: la Fundación FERO. Gracias a las Becas FERO, promovió ciencia de excelencia desarrollada aquí, creó escuela de talento joven dejando huella en los feritos (como se autodenominan los ganadores de las Becas), y gracias a las cenas benéficas de FERO deleitó a los asistentes con sus charlas y visión clarividente.
Throughout his career, Josep received numerous international awards as well as recognition in his home country. In 2012 he received the Medal of Honor from the Barcelona City Council, and in 2016, he received the 28th Premi Internacional Catalunya , together with two other Catalan giants of cancer research, Manel Esteller and Joan Massagué.
The Dr. Baselga, Pepe to his friends, strengthened Barcelona’s, reputation by heading up the fight against cancer, drawing attention to cancer research in the city, and fostering cooperation between Barcelona institutions and the best researchers in the world. In addition, he promoted young talent (in particular by means of the FERO grants for young researchers), and championed the belief that it is necessary to work with the best if you wish to achieve excellence.
As an example of the mark he made on Barcelona, it is worth looking at the impact of the FERO Foundation, which he founded in 2001, chaired for 5 years, and led as honorary president for the last 3 years. FERO has provided more than 25 million euros for translational research projects. 37 young talents have been discovered, who are now leading cancer research in our country, and the infrastructure and the necessary environment have been created to involve society in important cancer research. The Foundation has given rise to a community in which everyone who believes in research excellence has a place: patients, families, civil society, researchers, oncologists and all those who believe that today’s research is tomorrow’s medicine.
El próximo 16 de mayo, la Fundación FERO celebrará una cena en el MNAC, con motivo de la XXII edición de las Becas FERO. Si quieres ayudar a cumplir el sueño del Doctor Baselga y conseguir un futuro sin cáncer, colaborar con la nueva Beca extraordinaria Fero Dr. Baselga.
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