Manuel de Jesús del Rojo de la Concepción

Exceptional pediatrician, professor and researcher, mentor of a host of great health professionals.

He was born in Marianao. His parents were Manuel, a Pediatrician, and Conchita, a teacher and doctor of Pedagogy. He completed his primary and secondary education at the old Instituto Edison de la Víbora.

He began studying Medicine at the University of La Habana in 1949, in a class where approximately 500 students enrolled and upon graduating in 1956 he was the third-ranked student of that class. He obtained his degree a year later due to the disastrous conditions imposed on the country by Batista's tyranny.

In 1955 he married Elena García Colina, who has been his lifelong companion and closest collaborator throughout his extensive career in Pediatrics. From this union were born his two children Elena María, who holds a degree in Economics, and Manuel Antonio, a lieutenant colonel of the Ministry of Interior. He currently has four grandchildren.

Dr. Rojo Concepción was an associate resident at Mercedes Hospital (Radium Institute) during 1950-51 and subsequently an associate resident at Calixto García University Hospital, in the Weiss Ward from 1951-55. He was an internal resident through competitive examination at the same hospital in the Albertini Pediatrics Ward from 1955-59. He was also a pediatrician during those years at several institutions such as the "Sagrado Corazón" Clinic in the capital and the Instituto del Niño until the first months after the revolutionary triumph of 1959.

He completed his Pediatrics residency through competitive examination in the Albertini ward from 1959 to 1961. He also obtained through competitive examination the position of Pediatrics specialist in that same ward where he worked for 4 years, until he was appointed head of the respiratory diseases service at "Pedro Borrás Astorga" Children's Teaching Hospital in Vedado, Havana. He held this position until 1989 when he transferred to "Juan Manuel Márquez" Children's Teaching Hospital where he was also head of the respiratory diseases service until 1997 when he received the title of consulting professor and has continued working there to the present. He has been a consulting pediatrician at the Center for Medical and Surgical Research (CIMEQ) and at the Ministry of Interior clinic (MININT) of the Republic of Cuba.

He holds a Doctorate in Medical Sciences and a Doctorate in Sciences. For years he has been a permanent member of the board for the awarding of such scientific categories. He is a second-degree specialist in Pediatrics and a member of the national group of the specialty of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and also of its National Asthma Group.

He completed 34 postgraduate courses. He was named Professor of Merit of the University of Medical Sciences of Havana in 2009, in fair recognition of his extensive academic career that began as an instructor in a position obtained through competitive examination in 1961. In 1962 he was appointed associate professor until 1975 when he was granted the category of full professor at the Superior Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana, later called University of Medical Sciences. He is an expert professor at the Virtual University of Infomed.

He was founder and first president of the National Commission on Cystic Fibrosis of MINSAP, where he continues working as president emeritus. He has represented Cuba at Cystic Fibrosis Worldwide (formerly International Cystic Fibrosis, Mucoviscidosis, Association). He served as a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization.

In the development of the consensus on pediatric diseases of the Maternal and Child Health Department of MINSAP, he is now the head of the Bronchial Asthma subsection and is part of the Scientific Council of the Finlay-Albarrán Faculty of the University of Medical Sciences of Havana.

He has presided over state boards for the awarding of specialist titles in Pediatrics and teaching categories on more than 120 occasions and was a member of the evaluating board for the national examination of Cuban physicians to work in South Africa for four years.

He was tutor or advisor for approximately thirty theses to complete the Pediatrics residency. In care and teaching functions he worked in Santiago de Cuba in 1964 and in Matanzas in 1980. He has also served as an advisor in various areas related to child health care within MINSAP on more than 30 occasions, among which his national responsibility for the pediatric component in the Hemorrhagic Dengue epidemic in 1981 and inspection and support visits to almost all provinces of the country and the special municipality Isle of Youth cannot be overlooked.

He has participated in thirteen research projects, published 55 articles in national journals or bulletins and 15 in international journals. He is co-author of 13 books published in Cuba, among which are all the standards developed in the specialty since 1970. He has attended to date 317 national and international scientific events, where he has given 240 invited lectures and served as a speaker at 78 symposia, round tables or plenaries and in 23 workshops. He has presented a total of 166 free topics in oral or poster format. He was part of the organizing committee of 12 of these events and served as coordinator for approximately 14 times.

He belongs to ten scientific societies and was president of the Cuban Society of Pediatrics for two terms. He has received a total of 26 recognitions, including orders, medals and distinctions, among which may be cited the medal For Cuban Education (1983), José Tey Medal (1989), Carlos J. Finlay Order (1993), Frank País Order of II Degree (1997), Distinction for the XX Anniversary of the Superior Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana (1998), AIEPI Seal of PAHO (2002), Prize "Los Zapaticos de Rosa" of the National Union of Pioneers José Martí (2005) and a recognition for contributing to the training of military physicians UCM-FAR (2009).

Professor Manuel de Jesús Rojo Concepción is, without a doubt, one of our most renowned pediatricians and furthermore a paradigm for current and future generations of Cuban pediatricians because in addition to always being faithful to his vocation for the care of children, he has never spared efforts to give the best of himself in all the diverse care and academic tasks he has undertaken, but without forgetting other important roles, such as that of son, husband, father and grandfather, in all of which he has also performed in a manner worthy of praise and emulation.