The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), and the Canary Islands Health Research Institute (IISC) are organizing the second edition of the Canary Islands Awards for Health Sciences and Biomedical Research, the award ceremony of which will take place this Thursday in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The objective of these awards is to recognize and value the effort, dedication, and positive impact of the various professionals who carry out their work in the healthcare sector of the archipelago.
The II Canary Islands Awards for Health Sciences and Biomedical Research are made up of a series of categories that recognize the trajectory and work of SCS professionals in various fields.
In the category of Best Professional of the SCS, this second edition recognizes outstanding professionals from each hospital, Health Area, or Primary Care. For its part, the Research and Innovation category awards projects, professionals, or research groups in key areas such as research team, scientific publication, and research project.
Projects in the areas of Humanization, Care, and Innovative Therapies are also recognized.
Awards for research
The award for Best Research Team goes to the respiratory disease, infection, and immunity research team at the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria, led by Jose Carlos Rodríguez and composed of around twenty researchers, which focuses on human genetic research of infectious diseases and immune-mediated diseases, congenital errors of immunity, allergic diseases, and covid-19.
For her part, Aitana Alonso, Doctor in Molecular Medicine and member of the Genetic Variation and Disease group at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, has been awarded the prize for Best Scientific Publication for the elaboration of the study Rare Variants and survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis of a multicentre, observational cohort Study with independent validation, which analyzes the advantages of incorporating genetic sequencing techniques in the diagnosis of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The award for Best Research Project goes to two outstanding projects within the SCS. On the one hand, the ISVOLCAN initiative, Impact on the Health of the population of La Palma due to the volcanic eruption, led by María del Cristo Rodríguez and Antonio Cabrera. This is a strategic project for the Canary Islands that evaluates the health impact of the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano in a population cohort designed for longitudinal monitoring. The research integrates environmental, clinical, and psychosocial determinants to quantify respiratory, cardiometabolic, and mental health effects, and transform that evidence into planning tools for the SCS.
The other award-winning project is European development of bionic vestibular implant for bilateral vestibular dysfunction (BionicVEST), led by Silvia Andrea Borkoski, specialist of the Hypoacusis unit of the Otorhinolaryngology service of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-materno Infantil. It represents a pioneering innovation in the field of assistive technology, integrating advanced engineering and neuroscience to develop an implantable device, patented by the hospital itself, focused on the electrical stimulation of the otolithic organ, unique in the world. This advance has made it possible to explore an innovative approach to the treatment of balance disorders and vestibular dysfunction, offering an effective solution that promotes the autonomy and well-being of patients who lacked effective therapeutic options until vestibular implantation.
Humanization, care, and innovative therapies
Transitioning towards a more accessible and humanized model for professionals and patients is one of the main focuses of the Ministry of Health and the SCS, hence the importance of the Humanization category of these awards.
The award for Best Hospital Humanization Initiative is given ex aequo to the humanization project of the Oncohematology unit ENO6 of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, led by María de las Nieves Hernández, and to the sustainable transformation of a tertiary hospital: institutional response to the needs of patients with medical discharge, by the medical subdirector of transversal projects of the Insular-Materno Infantil University Hospital Complex, Luis Fernando Fernández.
For its part, the award for Service with the best innovative therapies goes to the regional heart transplant program, which is developed at the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria.
The award for Service with the best care plan goes this time to the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Insular University Hospital of Gran Canaria.
Best professionals of the SCS
The award for Best Professional of the SCS is given by management, to give visibility to the professionals of each island. It highlights, among all of them, including doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, and housekeepers, their outstanding professional work, their commitment to excellence in patient care, their vocation to transform primary care, as well as their human quality and companionship.
Among the eleven awardees in this section is Sonia Díaz, Nursing Assistant (TCAE) of the Lanzarote Health Area, with extensive experience in various care services such as Emergency, operating room, Gynecology, outpatient clinics and, since 2004, in the area of Functional Cardiology Tests. In addition to technical skills, Díaz is distinguished by her humanity, work capacity and serenity in stressful situations.
Virginia Léon, a nurse since 1980 at the Insular-Materno Infantil University Hospital Complex, is currently the Director of Nursing at the complex. Throughout her career, she has been Deputy Director of Nursing, Supervisor of Cardiology and Digestive Diseases, and SAF of hospital care. She also has extensive experience and dedication to patients and students, as she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
In addition, the current head of the Microbiology service at the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria, Ana Bordes, is recognized for her prolific professional career, both in the clinical area and in conferences, clinical trials, and scientific articles. Throughout her career, she has participated in research with a direct impact on public health, such as outbreaks of listeriosis, meningitis, and antimicrobial resistance. She has also made more than sixty national and international publications in prestigious journals and has participated in more than seventy congresses around the world with presentations and scientific communications. During the covid-19 pandemic, she played a key role in coordinating an essential service for diagnosis and epidemiological control in the Canary Islands.
Belinda Casañas, a nurse at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias (HUC), is another professional recognized for her extensive professional career. She was part of the first graduating class of the Nursing School of the University of La Laguna (ULL), and her professional merits include excellence in care, professional training for new nursing professionals joining the HUC, and self-training. In an era when medical oncology did not exist, she was able to train herself without clear references.
Dermatologist at the Management of Healthcare Services of the Health Area of La Gomera, Isabel Castro was awarded for her extensive experience, having practiced on the island since 1994. Over these more than thirty years of experience, she has attended to thousands of people, understanding her work not only as a technical exercise, but as a human and ethical commitment to each patient.
Likewise, José Enrique Palacio, was recognized for his extensive career as a medical professional at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, where he has held the positions of medical sub-director, medical director, and manager. From 2005 to the present, he has been the head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition service and is also part of the commission guaranteeing the provision of aid in dying.
Eulogio Martín's 46-year career as a nurse in the Tenerife Primary Care Management has earned him this award as a paradigmatic example of commitment to healthcare, characterized by an exceptional service attitude and leadership based on personal example.
Carlos Alfredo Toledo, a family doctor in the La Palma Health Area, was recognized for his career as a support and guide for many families on La Palma throughout the evolutionary process of life, from near birth to the end of their lives, setting an example for all the professionals who came after him.
Jose Marrero Pérez, a medical professional with the Primary Care Management of Gran Canaria between 1985 and 2025, performed different tasks during his forty-year professional career, as he was one of the first medical professionals to carry out the specialty of Family Medicine, contributing to promoting it and encouraging specialization. Special mention should be made of his work in the covid-19 pandemic, given that he served as a family doctor responsible for nursing homes, being a fundamental pillar in the control of the pandemic.
For her part, Josefa Travieso, head housekeeper in the Fuerteventura Health Area, receives the award for being a committed and passionate professional with more than forty years of continuous service at the General Hospital of Fuerteventura. Since the center opened in 1982, she has served as head housekeeper in the Food service, leading the planning, preparation, and daily delivery of menus for patients, as well as special preparation on special days.
The multidisciplinary Migrant Care team of the El Hierro Health Area Management of Healthcare Services receives this award for its sustained and exemplary commitment in the field of Public Health and humanitarian assistance. The team has carried out its work guaranteeing immediate healthcare, clinical screening, and hospital referral, ensuring a safe and humanized response to thousands of people arriving in conditions of extreme vulnerability, including pregnant women, children, and people with serious pathologies. Its work is not limited to emergency assistance, but has been able to coordinate effectively with the Canary Islands Emergency Service, the Red Cross, Maritime Rescue, and local resources to optimize transfers, organize reception, and offer comprehensive support, becoming a benchmark of inter-institutional coordination in migratory emergencies.
