WINNERS OF THE 2021 CARLOS SLIM HEALTH AWARDS

⦁ The Carlos Slim Foundation announces the winners of the fourteenth Health Awards, which recognize important work in this sector for the Latin American region.

⦁ Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana (the Colombian Civil Air Patrol) is the winner of the Exceptional Institution Award.

⦁ The Research Trajectory Award was given to Dr. Jose Miguel Belizan from Argentina.

Mexico City, July 2, 2021.- Like every year, the Carlos Slim Foundation recognizes the work of those who, individually or collectively, have spent their lives looking for innovative solutions to the health problems of Latin America, especially those that affect the most vulnerable populations of the region, consequently helping more people to live longer and better.

The winners have been chosen from among the received proposals by an independent jury of experts, who this year selected Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana, based in Colombia, and Dr. Jose Miguel Belizan from Argentina.

Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana, winner of the 2021 Exceptional Institution Award, provides humanitarian medical aid to people who live in conditions of extreme poverty and geographically remote in Colombia, without access to specialized health services. For many people, they represent the only chance to access a free specialized medical service.

Over the last decade, Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana has carried out more than 250 thousand specialized medical consultations and more than 9,300 surgeries, benefiting almost 100 thousand people. Additionally, it provides outpatient services that include different specialties, such as maternal health, pediatric care, ophthalmology, radiology, optometry, odontology, as well as different interventions to detect cancer, HIV, and chronic illnesses, among others.

The 2021 Research Trajectory Award was given on this occasion to Dr. Jose Miguel Belizan, who has carried out research work applied to health during pregnancy, by means of which he proved that calcium supplements prevents hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. This finding has been replicated in more than 27 studies and lead to its adoption by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an international recommendation.

Dr. Belizan is the chief editor of two international magazines and a member of the editorial team of different scientific magazines, including The Lancet. He was the Director of the Latin American Center for Perinatology and Human Development (CLAP) of the PAHO/WHO and has built his career working in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Uruguay. He currently worked as consultant for 16 organizations, including the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health in the USA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

In addition to the recognition and prestige represented by receiving the Health Award, the Carlos Slim Foundation awards $100 thousand dollars in each category, as an acknowledgement of the work carried out by the award-winners in favor of the health of the Latin American population.

Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana (Colombia)

Since 1966, the Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana (Colombian Civil Air Patrol) has provided humanitarian medical aid to people who live in conditions of extreme poverty and geographically remote in Colombia, without access to specialized health services. For many people, they represent the only chance to access a free specialized medical service.

Every year it benefits around 9 thousand people directly and more than 45 thousand indirectly, by means of 12 thousand specialized medical consultations; 1,200 surgical procedures, donation of glasses and approximately 5 thousand medical treatments.

Over the last decade, it has carried out more than 250 thousand specialized medical consultations and more than 9,300 surgeries, benefiting almost 100 thousand people.

Additionally, it provides outpatient services that include different specialties, such as maternal health, pediatric care, ophthalmology, radiology, optometry, odontology, as well as different interventions to detect cancer, HIV, and chronic illnesses, among others.

Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana is the largest volunteer health movement in Colombia, with around 300 volunteers, and the largest fleet of volunteer private pilots in the region dedicated to humanitarian work.

Throughout its 54 years of history, it has received more than 30 national and international awards, including the 2017 Google.Org Impact Challenge (an award for social innovation); the 2017 King of Spain’s Award for Human Rights; and the 2015 Solidarity Award from the Alejandro Angel Escobar Foundation.

Dr. Jose Miguel Belizan (Argentina)

The career of Dr. Belizan has focused on research work applied to health during pregnancy, by means of which he proved that calcium supplements prevents hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. This finding has been replicated in more than 27 studies and lead to its adoption by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an international recommendation.

He was the Director of the Latin American Center for Perinatology and Human Development (CLAP) of the PAHO/WHO and has built his career working in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Uruguay.

He currently has 260 publications indexed in PubMed; in Scopus with 9,894 citations and a H index of 53 and in Google Academic, 22,987 citations and a H index of 69.

He is the chief editor of two international magazines and a member of the editorial team of different scientific magazines, including The Lancet. Additionally, he has been a reviewer in 36 scientific magazines and research institutes, including the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the UK Medical Research Council and the Canadian Grand Challenges.

Furthermore, he has worked as consultant for 16 organizations, including the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health in the USA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.