Honors

Pier Paolo Balladelli, PAHO representative in Colombia, was decorated by Colombia's National Institute of Health with the César Uribe Piedrahita award, which honors individuals for outstanding contributions to biomedical science and public health at the international level. A native of Italy, Balladelli has been PAHO representative in Bogotá since 2004 and also served as WHO representative in Croatia and Angola.

The Brazilian Society of Veterinary Medicine honored Albino Belotto, director of the Pan American Foot and Mouth Disease Center (Panaftosa), at the Brazilian Veterinary Congress in Santos, São Paulo, in September. Belotto received the society's top award, the Medal of Merit for Veterinary Medicine, degree of "Great Cross," for his services to veterinary public health and veterinary medicine. Also honored was Victor Saraiva, coordinator for vesicular disease at Panaftosa, with the Medal of Merit for Veterinary Medicine, degree of "Commander."

Luis Gabriel Cuervo Amore, chief of PAHO's Research Promotion and Development Unit, was named a distinguished alumnus of the Universidad del Valle in Colombia for his professional contributions to the field of public health. A Colombian native, Cuervo has promoted greater access to and use of scientific evidence in health and has worked to increase the contributions of scientists in developing countries to international scientific journals. Cuervo was the first clinical editor from Latin America for Clinical Evidence,of the BMJ Publishing Group, Ltd.

Saskia Estupiñán-Day, PAHO regional advisor for oral health, won a silver medal at the USA Masters Track and Field Championship in Boston, Massachusetts, in March. She placed second in the 60-meter hurdles event for women 50 to 55 and fourth in the 60meter dash. The medal qualified her to compete in the World Masters in Riccione, Italy, in September, where she placed ninth in the 80 meter hurdles. Estupiñán-Day was a national track champion in her native Ecuador at the age of 15.

Isaías Daniel Gutiérrez, former chief of PAHO's U.S.–Mexico Border Field Office and now area manager for Planning, Program Budget and Project Support, was honored by the U.S. –Mexico Border Health Association as "Outstanding Worker" for both the United States and Mexico. Gutiérrez, a native of Peru, was recognized for his dedication to working for health in the border populations. He received the honor during the association's 65th annual meeting, held May 20–22 on Padre Island, Texas, USA.

Silvina Malvarez, PAHO regional advisor for nursing and allied health personnel development, was awarded the 2006 Nydia Gordillo Gómez Prize by the Argentine Nursing Federation for 36 years of national and international leadership in nursing development. The award cited her dedication to mental health, human resources development, research, and professional organization in nursing at the national and international levels. The prize is named for the founder of the School of Nursing at the National University of Córdoba (UNC) in Argentina. Malvarez recently completed her doctorate (with honors) in health sciences at UNC.

The Pan American Health Organization received the Women in Government Presidential Leadership Award for its efforts in the area of cervical cancer prevention. PAHO is working with its member countries to pave the way for adoption of the new vaccine for human papillomavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean. PAHO has also worked as one of five partners in the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention, which promotes screening and treatment for cervical cancer and improved service-delivery systems. Women in Government, an organization of women state legislators in the United States, also honored the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which gave $50 million to the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention.