Ramón Aneiro Riba

He was born in La Habana, Cuba, on July 28, 1947, into a humble family. Due to his exceptional abilities, he began his medical career at only 16 years old, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Universidad de La Habana in 1969.

From a young age, he demonstrated his finest qualities: modesty and simplicity in the use and socialization of the product of his exceptional intelligence.

He contributed with passion to education in Cuba, first in the literacy campaign and later during his medical studies as a teaching assistant in the subjects of Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System at the Institute of Basic and Preclinical Sciences "Victoria de Girón", of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Universidad de La Habana, and he completed a vertical internship at the National Center for Scientific Research (CENIC).

In parallel, his constant desire to learn and find answers to his many questions led him to participate in research activities at the Neurophysiology Laboratory of the Institute of Fundamental Research of the Brain of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. During this period, given his interest and intelligence, he participated in theoretical-practical courses and seminars in the neurosciences field taught by Cuban and foreign scientists (Jan Bures, Andrei Grastyan, Urban Gasanov, José Ángel Bustamante, and Miguel Sorín).

After graduating, he continued in teaching and research of biomedical basic sciences, dedicating the rest of his professional life to the development of these activities, which he combined with others, given his extraordinary social commitment.

Thus, he worked from 1970 as a teacher in the field of Neuroanatomy and Physiology at the Institute of Basic and Preclinical Sciences "Victoria de Girón", working intensely in teaching and research, particularly in the neurosciences field, as well as in the development of education and computing applied to medical sciences, achieving in a few years the titles of Specialist of First and Second Degrees in Normal and Pathological Physiology and the category of Assistant Professor.

He held the positions of Head of the Department of Planning and Control of the Institute of Basic and Preclinical Sciences "Victoria de Girón" (1980-1989). During those years, he was part of the Commission that developed the curriculum for the Medical career in Cuba.

Later, he was an advisor in the Teaching Area of the Ministry of Public Health (1989-1995) and, from there, he carried out advisory work in the planning and organization of teaching in centers of higher medical education in our country and participated in various scientific and methodological commissions of the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of La Habana and the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba. He sponsored the emergence and development of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Guantánamo.

He worked as a clinical neurophysiologist (1995-2003) in the Clinical Neurophysiology Department of the Mental Health Center of the Adolescent Clinic, contributing during that period to healthcare and research work, as well as promoting the development of computing applications in that center.

He completed a Master's degree in Medical Education from the National School of Public Health and was a founding member of its Academic Committee. He participated extensively in the team that designed the General Program and the Modules of said Master's program and taught, as a professor, different modules in the editions of this Master's program in Cuba, as well as postgraduate courses in Medical Education in the states of Minas Gerais, Spírito Santo, Río de Janeiro, as well as at the Faculty of Medicine of Sâo José do Río Preto in Sâo Paulo, Brasil (1994-2003).

He was a member of Boards for obtaining the first and second degrees in the specialty of Physiology and Physiopathology, as well as of Boards for Teaching Categories and Pre-defenses and Defenses of Thesis of the Master's program in Medical Education.

He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Higher Medical Education and published, as main author or coauthor, more than 80 works in national and foreign journals, in addition to books in his specialty, medical education, and primary health care.

He attended more than 70 national and international events and congresses where he presented, as author or coauthor, around 170 works.

He belonged, as a member, to the Cuban Society of Physiological Sciences, the Cuban Society of Neurosciences and Clinical Neurophysiology of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, and the Cuban Society of Health Sciences Educators.

Doctor Aneiros Riba was, without a doubt, a teacher and researcher of Neurosciences and Medical Education consistent with the historical development of his country, to which he demonstrated his love and loyalty through his personal dedication and work for others.

He passed away in the capital at only 56 years of age.