The Spanish Society of Ophthalmology annually awards the Doctor Arruga Award, which this year recognizes Dr. Francisco Arnalich Montiel, ophthalmologist in charge of corneal surgery at the VISSUM Madrid center and member of the Cornea and Cataract Unit of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital. The award recognizes the doctor’s career in the fields of research, teaching and clinical practice among Spanish ophthalmologists under 40 years of age.
Dr. Francisco Arnalich, a graduate and doctor in medicine and surgery from the Autonomous University of Madrid, was first in his class in the 2002/2003 MIR exam. He obtained his specialty in ophthalmology at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, and later specialized in corneal, cataract and refractive surgery at the prestigious Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Since then he has been at the forefront of corneal and lens surgery and has authored numerous scientific articles in international journals. Among these articles, his research on keratoconus, corneal transplantation and regenerative cell therapy, for which he has received several awards such as the Extraordinary Doctorate Award and the Doctorate Award of the Royal Academy of Medicine, stand out. For this article he has also received awards at national (Gustavo Leoz Award of the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology) and international congresses (Eucornea award for the best research paper at the 4th Eucornea Congress).
Dr. Arnalich receives the award also received by Professor Jorge L. Alió in 1990, founder of the VISSUM centers, co-director of his doctoral thesis and with whom he maintains a close scientific collaboration in the fields of keratoconus and regenerative therapy.
The award winner assures that ‘this award represents recognition of a career committed to cutting-edge ophthalmology and to his patients, but above all it is a stimulus to continue at the forefront of the intense scientific and medical revolution that we are living through. A professional career cannot be built without the advice and support of the people closest to me, of course my family, my thesis directors, my surgical mentors John Dart and Bruce Allan during my stay in England, or those who currently trust in my work both at VISSUM and at the Ophthalmology Service of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital’.
This award was established in 1947 by Dr. Hermenegildo Arruga, one of the great Spanish ophthalmologists of the 20th century, author of the book Cirugía Ocular published in 1946, and considered the reference manual for the following decades.