2024-03-13 22:08:03
Alejandro Madrigal Fernandezwho last year received the Carlos Slim Award in Health for his career in research, he shared his life experience and resilience during one more session of Giants of Medicine from Tec School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The researcher related his fight once morest adversity to study at the best universities in the world and dedicate himself to the profession that, according to him, came to him with such strength and determination that he did not conceive the idea of devoting himself to anything other than medicine.
Here we tell you regarding the challenges he went through and the path he took to become world leader in the area of immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation.
He lived a difficult childhood
During the forum moderated by Guillermo Torrerector of TecSalud and vice president of Research at Tec de Monterrey, Alejandro Madrigal recalled a difficult childhood due to being dyslexic and left-handed.
He suffered marginalization from his teachers They sat him once morest the wall and pointed out to him that his shame was on the soles of his shoes.
“I hated primary school and the truth is that I finished it with a bang, but following finishing secondary school, something happened that changed my life and that of my family.”, he commented.
His father died suddenly of a heart attack and he He had to take almost all the responsibility for his home: “My pockets were emptied of toys and filled with hunger”he added.
Medicine came to look for him
It was then that he had to work as door-to-door salesman and waiterat the same time he was studying high school.
“When I thought that things were going to go very badly and that I was not going to be able to study a degree, one day a book by Pablo Neruda came into my hands.”he recalled.
In that book the author narrated how poetry came to seek him and Alejandro longed for something similar to happen in his life that seemed full of obstacles.
“One day I was going at 10 at night with my salesman’s suitcase and the medicine came to pick me up. At that moment I said I’m going to be a doctor no matter what happens.”, he commented.
From Mexico to the best universities in the world
In 1973 Alejandro Madrigal entered the Faculty of Medicine. Early in the morning she began her studies and in the followingnoon she worked until 10 at night.
“Because of my job I mightn’t do many of the practices, but a teacher allowed me to do guard duty on weekends.“, said.
After the first surgery in which he had the opportunity to assist, Madrigal made the decision to continue his studies in the best universities in the world even though he didn’t even have money to buy new shoes.
He began to look for scholarships everywhere and luckily, he found out that the World Health Organization I was giving one.
After being accepted at Harvard he went there and from there, to the University College of London (UCL) and Stanford.
Doctor and researcher
Throughout his career the doctor has published more than 500 scientific articles derived from their research.
“A doctor should always be doing research and a researcher who is a doctor should always be doing clinical practice.a”.
That is why during his talk, Madrigal recommended to the students present at the forum that they always keep one foot in research, since, in every consultation with a patient, a doctor is investigating.
“I love internal medicine, but research keeps me active”.
“Day by day, patients will go through their lives, which in themselves are an important research experience.”he declared.
The success of being humble
After some difficult beginnings, Alejandro never imagined he would have a successful career and recommended that “In life, one must be humble and down-to-earth”.
“One of the things that I learned when I arrived at Harvard and lived with my mentors was that simplicity they had.”, he commented.
Likewise, he invited those present to be simpler people: “As doctors we have the gift of being able to help a patient and improve them.”.
“Therefore, we have to be simpler people, live with humility and not with arrogance.”he added.
Back to Mexico
Now, Alejandro Madrigal has returned to Mexico. Although the researcher has received recognitions around the worldlike the honor of Officer of the Order of the British Empirehe feels a commitment to his country.
“In a letter I wrote to President De la Madrid seeking a scholarship for my studies, I told him that I would be indebted to Mexico.”.
“Mexico has given me a lot and my intention is to give it back through knowledge”, he concluded.
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