Desiderio Rafael Pozo Lauzán

Dr. Desiderio Rafael Pozo Lauzán is an eminent professor of neuropediatrics, doctor of medical sciences considered a Glory of Cuban Neuropediatrics.

He completed his primary education and Bachelor's degree in Sciences and Letters at the Baldor school in Havana.

He began studying at the School of Medicine of the University of Havana in September 1959.

He was a teaching assistant in Orthopedics in 1960-1962 and a teaching assistant in Clinical Propedeutics from 1963-1964. While completing his vertical internship in Pediatrics at the Military Hospital "Carlos J. Finlay" in Havana during the years 1964-1965, he taught nurses.

He graduated as a physician in November 1965. He participated in rural medical service from 1965 to 1968 where he held the positions of Head of the Municipal Department of Pediatrics in Antilla, Holguín; Director of the General Hospital "René Ramos Latour" in Antilla, Holguín; Head of the Regional Department of Pediatrics in Banes, Holguín and Director of the General and Maternal-Surgical Hospitals of Banes.

He completed his residency in Pediatrics with special focus on Neuropediatrics from 1968 until December 1973. During that period, he participated in internationalist medical collaboration in Pediatrics in Algeria from May 1969 to August 1970, where in addition to healthcare work he taught training courses in Pediatrics to nurses at the Tissensilt Hospital, where he worked.

He was Head of the Electroencephalography Department of "William Soler" Hospital from 1972 to 1982. He held the position of Head of the Neuropediatrics Service of the University Pediatric Hospital "William Soler" from 1982 until November 2005. He introduced neonatal Electroencephalography at the Pediatric Hospital "William Soler" in 1977.

He has received in Cuba numerous courses in Pedagogy, Neurophysiology, English and French, audiovisual media, Updates in Neurology, computer science, among others.

From November 1976 to June 1977 he was in Paris, where he received training in neonatal Electroencephalography and Electromyography in children and adults; he attended psychomotor development consultations with Professor Saint-Anne Dargasie and completed a stay in the Neuropediatrics Service of Professor Jean Aicardi at "Saint Vincent de Paul" Hospital.

He obtained the Scientific Degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences from the Karolinska University, Prague, Czechoslovakia, on June 16, 1981.

He received a course in Clinical Neurophysiology at "Motol" Hospital in Prague, Czechoslovakia, from February to April 1985.

Since 1968, he began regularly teaching undergraduate courses to medical students at the Pediatric Hospital "William Soler". In December 1973, he began teaching graduate courses (Residents and specialists). He has participated in numerous methodological activities at the Faculty level and the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences in Havana.

He was a member of the National Commission of the National Curriculum Plan for the Medicine program, presided over by Professor Fidel Ilizástigui Dupuy. He participated in the preparation of the Pediatrics course program (drafting of the Neuropediatrics module), in 1986.

He participated in supervision of teaching and healthcare activities (Undergraduate and Graduate) by MINSAP. He was Principal Professor of the Pediatrics course at the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Dr. Enrique Cabrera", during 1985-1988.

Member of the Academic Committee of the Master's Program in Child Care for Cuba and Venezuela, 2004. Responsible for the topic "Most frequent conditions of the central nervous system in children". Professor and coordinator of 67 provincial and national courses in Cuba on Neuropediatrics and neonatal Electroencephalography in children. He has participated as a professor in five international courses on Neuropediatrics and Electroencephalography.

Tutor of numerous pediatrics residency theses. Member of numerous pediatrics residency boards, state pediatrics boards and boards for the teaching categories of Assistant and Full Professor of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Dr. Enrique Cabrera".

He has participated in numerous opposition sessions in Pre-Defenses and Defenses in Scientific Degree Boards of Medical Sciences (Doctorate) and as a member of the Scientific Degree boards.

He has had an outstanding activity in teaching abroad. He drafted the first graduate program for pediatrics residency at the Faculty of Medicine in Aden, Yemen, from December 1991 to March 1992, approved by the teaching committee of the Arab countries (ARAB BOARD). He carried out internationalist medical collaboration in Kiev, Ukraine, from January 1993 to March of that year, by providing pediatric advice to patients affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

He also participated in Undergraduate Teaching. He drafted the second edition of the Pediatrics Graduate program in April 1996 in Yemen and a Guide for Pediatric Medical Records, in 1996.

He was President of the First Board held in Yemen for Defenses of Postgraduate Theses of the Pediatrics Residency at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Aden, in December 1996. He was tutor of three residency theses.

He advised and taught the second group of pediatrics residents in Aden and advised on the preparation of four protocols for Postgraduate Pediatrics theses.

He completed the third teaching mission in Yemen at the Faculty of Medicine of Aden, from October 2005 to August 2007. He was advisor to the Vice Rector of Research at the University of Aden from 1994 to 1998 and from 2005 to 2007. He was advisor to the University of Aden Journal.

He has presented 157 papers at 78 scientific events in Cuba and in Czechoslovakia, Venezuela, Germany, Ukraine, Yemen, Guatemala, Argentina and Brazil.

He has made 62 publications in national and foreign journals as author or coauthor. Author of the books Epilepsy and Neurological Disabilities in Children and Atlas of Electroencephalography in Children. He is also author of the Monograph Epilepsy: Clinical, Electroencephalographic and Therapeutic Aspects. Aden (University of Aden Printing and Publishing House, 1st ed, 1997) and has participated in the writing of chapters in several books. Author and coauthor of numerous research projects.

DISTINCTIONS AND RECOGNITIONS

Bay of Pigs Combatant Medal.
Medal for Internationalist.
Founder of the Revolutionary Red Cross.
Medal for the 50th Anniversary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Founder of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution.
Manuel "Piti" Fajardo Medal.
José Tey Medal.
Frank País Medal.
Founder of the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences in Havana.
Founder of the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Enrique Cabrera".
Commemorative Plaque for the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí".
Stamp for the 55th Anniversary of the founding of the University Pediatric Hospital "William Soler".
Elena Gil Distinction from the "Félix Varela" Center in Havana.
Special Award "Joaquín Pascual Gispert", awarded for the first time by the Cuban Society of Neuropediatrics in 2013.
Additionally, he has received distinctions from the cities of Prague, Jhilava and Slovakia, in Czechoslovakia, as well as from Guatemala City and Berlin, among others.

CURRENT WORK ACTIVITIES

Professor Desiderio Pozo Lauzán continues, with the same energy and dynamism that have always characterized him, carrying out numerous healthcare, teaching and research tasks:
Advisor to the Neuropediatrics Service of the University Pediatric Hospital "William Soler".
Full and Consulting Professor of Pediatrics.
Member of the Scientific Councils of the Pediatric Teaching Hospital "William Soler" and the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Dr. Enrique Cabrera".
President of the Permanent Board for the categories of Assistant and Full Professor of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Dr. Enrique Cabrera".
Member of the Doctoral Committee of the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Dr. Enrique Cabrera".
Member of the Scientific Societies of Pediatrics, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Neurosciences and the Cuban Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy.
Advisor to the Cuban Journal of Pediatrics.
Reviewer of the Havana Journal of Medical Sciences.
Member of the National Neurology Group.
Head of the Provincial Neurology Group since 1984.
Member of the Communist Party of Cuba since 1976.
On February 13, 2015, he obtained the Scientific Degree of Doctor of Sciences awarded by the Scientific Degree Board that met at the Center for Medical-Surgical Research in Havana (CIMEQ).