Doctor Manuel Ramírez Zea is awarded
the 2018-2019 Science and Technology Medal
Guatemala City, June 1, 2020
This morning, the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala and the National Council of Science and Technology (CONCYT), presented the Medal of Science and Technology to the distinguished doctors Manuel Ramírez Zea, an INCAP official, and Vivian Lucrecia Matta Ríos from García, in recognition of his outstanding career, professional merits and valuable contributions to the National System of Science and Technology (SINCYT).
The Science and Technology medal is the highest recognition aimed at outstanding professionals in the field of scientific research and technological development, awarded annually at the national level.
In this context, INCAP proposed Dr. Manuel Ramírez Zea, coordinator of the INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC) as a candidate for this recognition, and CONCYT decided to nominate him for this award, based on his career and professional merits.
In his speech, the Vice President of the Republic, Guillermo Castillo Reyes, in his role as President of the National Council of Science and Technology, expressed: “I am extremely pleased to be able to award this prize to two brilliant Guatemalan minds whose studies and contributions in the area of Health have allowed the passage to actions that improve the quality of life in the country, on behalf of the entire National System of Science and Technology and the Guatemalan scientific community. I congratulate you and urge you to continue with the praiseworthy work that we deserve to honor today."
Finally, Ana Chan, National Secretary of Science and Technology, indicated: “The Science and Technology Medal is the highest distinction awarded by the Republic of Guatemala in matters of scientific research and technology transfer, to recognize the work of Guatemalans that through their professional career they have managed to make a difference in any area of knowledge for the benefit of the Guatemalan population and their contribution to world knowledge and as Secretariat we will continue to promote this activity to give fair recognition to Chapin talent ”.
https://www.pscp.tv/w/1rmxPAyyLmMKN
Manuel Alberto Ramírez Zea, Ph.D.
Dr. Ramírez Zea, a Guatemalan national, is a doctor and surgeon from the Francisco Marroquín University. His medical thesis was related to the repercussions of the nutritional and socio-economic background on the daily energy expenditure of school children, a work that earned him the Nestlé Prize in the National Congress of Pediatrics, under the mentorship of Dr. Benjamín Torún, at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP).
His performance was outstanding, for which he was offered to coordinate at INCAP a research project on the growth of pubertal girls and the relationship with their nutrition and physical activity, with the support of researchers from the University of Berkeley; The presentation of this work at the Congress of the Latin American Nutrition Society made him the recipient of the Kellogg Latin American Prize in International Nutrition.
Upon obtaining a Fulbright scholarship, he began his doctoral studies at the Department of Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University, USA, at which time he obtained the Young Researcher Award, awarded by the American Nutrition Society, for his work on exercise. of muscle strength in patients with chronic kidney failure. Dr. Ramírez Zea obtained a PhD degree in 1998 and that same year he returned to INCAP, where he has pursued his career as a researcher ever since.
Dr. Ramírez Zea, for more than 20 years, has studied the relationship between early nutrition and adult health and disease. In Guatemala we have the oldest cohort followed from birth that has been periodically evaluated in developing countries. He has been the local principal investigator in the most recent follow-ups to that court. The publications she has contributed to have shown that improving early nutrition has profound effects on adult life, including cognition, schooling, risk of chronic disease, and human capital.
The knowledge accumulated during the 50 years of monitoring of this cohort and poured into more than 300 scientific publications, almost all in English, was summarized in 2019 in a book in Spanish, with Dr. Ramírez Zea being the main editor of the same. These findings have been reproduced and improved by pooling data from five birth cohort studies, all from developing countries. All this information has been the scientific basis to support and develop policies and programs aimed at improving nutrition and health in the first 1000 days of life (period between pregnancy and year two of life).
Dr. Ramírez Zea was the founder, and director since its creation in 2009, of the INCAP Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC), from which he has implemented several research projects to study the epidemiology and cost -effectiveness, feasibility and impact of interventions for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases in children and adults in several Latin American countries.
The main findings include showing the great burden of obesity, liver disease, diabetes and hypertension in the Central American region; unhealthy food environments; the potential of community health workers to improve disease management; and the effectiveness of the use of mobile telephony to reach the most vulnerable populations. All of this was possible in part, thanks to the strategic alliances made with several prestigious universities in the United States and Europe.
CIIPEC, in addition to being internationally recognized as a Research Center, has also been an ideal place to establish a training program for young researchers, through which Dr. Ramírez has directly mentored nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate students. postgraduate.
Finally, part of the work of Dr. Ramírez Zea has been related to the study of body composition, patterns of physical activity and daily energy expenditure throughout life, particularly in populations of short stature. Among the results of his research, it is worth highlighting the development of simple methods to assess body composition and cut-off points to predict cardiometabolic risk, as well as to determine the role of ethnic origin in the double burden of malnutrition (eg, coexistence of linear growth retardation with obesity).
His work and career in research to generate scientific evidence and provide solutions to nutrition and health problems in Central American countries were recognized in 2018 with the Director's Award, an award given annually by INCAP and the Award for Professional Excellence and Leadership in the Field of Nutrition in Latin America, awarded by the Latin American Nutrition Leadership Program.
About the Award
The Science and Technology Medal was created in article 22 of the Law for the Promotion of National Scientific and Technological Development (Decree 63-91 of the Congress of the Republic) as a recognition to those members of the National Science and Technology System who excel in scientific research or technological development areas of national interest, to be delivered annually. Currently, the trajectory of 23 Guatemalan scientists has been recognized, whose contributions have meant an advance for national development and competitiveness.
