Roberto Douglas Pedroso

Professor Roberto Douglas Pedroso, a native of San Juan de las Yeras in Villa Clara, completed his early studies at the Sagrado Corazón school in Sagua La Grande; later, he entered the Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza of Sagua La Grande, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sciences in 1944. Graduated in 1951 as a Doctor of Medicine, his physician father was undoubtedly an influence for the profession. He was Professor of Physiology at the Instituto de Ciencias Básicas y Preclínicas "Victoria de Girón" of the Medical University of Havana, his presence always honored us, until the end of his life for his long and fruitful teaching career, for his infinite human quality, his wisdom and experience in the development of plans, study programs and methodological work.

He was a cultured man, he read everything, a great variety of topics attracted him the variety of topics in his personal literature collection gives an idea of everything his cultural interests encompassed. He enjoyed cinema, classical music and with the entry of his first grandson, Daniel into classical and ancient music, he felt renewed in his tastes and accompanied.

The life of someone who was able to dedicate himself in such a way to his tasks, was surrounded by a wonderful family that facilitated his commitment. He was an excellent father and husband, a participant in household and family tasks. His wife summarizes him as a born Professor, "teaching was what most fascinated him and every class he taught, even if it was well-known, he prepared it" and she remembers the image of him sitting at the table for long hours, making acetates, washing the old ones to reuse them, he greatly respected what he did.

Evoking the great Master that he was, for him it was very important that his students pay attention to him. He was able to remember his students by their names and surnames, another trait was the great respect he felt for them. The dear Professor Douglas united his wisdom and pedagogical mastery with his simplicity, stubborn dedication to work, his awareness of the times, his vision toward the future, and his refined humor.

He was Head of the Curriculum Commission of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Havana that developed the first study plan for the Bachelor's degree in Nursing between 1973 and 1976, from which graduated the first Bachelor's degree holders in Nursing trained in Cuba; subsequently he directed the development of 4 and 5-year versions in current courses for workers developed between 1980 and 1986.

He received the category of Professor of Merit of the Medical University of Havana, the highest award granted by the House of Higher Studies.

In the second half of 1958, after undergoing the established process, he obtained the status of university professor. However, he was unable to subsequently establish that status, since the tribunal that processed him as a teacher was composed of professors who did not view favorably his defined position of support for the newly triumphant Revolution and they withheld his appointment. It is because of this fact that Professor Douglas does not appear on the list of university professors who remained in their positions when the Revolution triumphed, an aspect he never referred to because of his modesty and simplicity. For this reason, his connection to higher education formally began when he obtained by competition his position as Associate Professor of Biological Physics at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Havana in 1960 and along with many others he resigned from the practice of private medicine to join the ranks of educators of the new health professional from then on.

A copy of the program he developed for his subject is preserved, which reflects a trait of Professor Douglas that also characterized him as a paradigm of educators: his vision of the future. The first chapter is an example of the environmental projection we aspire to achieve in the current training of health professionals, by addressing the relationships between the physical world, biology and the human being, which could also be understood as an argument for the defense we wage today for the preservation of the environment and the danger that looms over all.

Professor Roberto Douglas Pedroso was one of the founders of the Instituto de Ciencias Básicas y Preclínicas "Victoria de Girón". He was its Director during the years 1963 and 1964, Assistant Academic Director during the years 1966 and 1967 and head of the Department of Physiology between 1967 and 1973.

In his extensive trajectory of academic direction he served as Methodologist and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Havana from 1973 to 1976, was Director of Teaching Process in the Vice-Rectory of Development of ISCMH from 1976 to 1982 and in it he continued as scientific pedagogical advisor.

He was Full Professor of Physiology and Professor of University Reform from 1962 until the establishment of the Ministry of Higher Education and the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana in 1976, in which he continued his work as Full Professor of Physiology and Consulting Professor from 1997, until the end of his days.

He obtained his Doctorate in Medical Sciences in 1988 and until 1995 served as Permanent Member of the Subcommission of Medical Sciences of the National Commission of Scientific Degrees (CNGC) and Member of the Tribunal of Basic Biomedical Sciences of that Commission.

For more than 35 years he taught Physiology courses in undergraduate and graduate programs, in the careers of Medicine, Dentistry and Bachelor's degree in Nursing.

Between the years 1982 and 1986 he worked jointly with Professor Fidel Ilizástigui in directing the process of designing and implementing the Medicine study plan to train a Basic General Physician.

During the years 1973 and 1986 he worked in the methodological direction of the design of the integrated plan of Dentistry and the curriculum of the Bachelor's degree in Nursing in the regular daytime course for graduates of the 12th grade.

Between 1988 and 1990 he dedicated himself to the new study plan of Dentistry for the training of a Basic General Dentist and continued working as a methodological advisor in the Vice-Rectory of Development of Plans and Programs of ISCMH for the rest of his working life.

His work, which encompasses an initial assistance phase that he never completely abandoned and medical research, reaches its highest expression in his ability to merge teaching with methodological research that established him as an indisputable figure in that field of curriculum design, in a special way in the identification of pertinent content that continues to be the basis of current work.

Awards Received

National

• Fariñas Prize from the National Medical Association (1958), for the best medical work published in Cuban journals for the article "Pulmonary Function in Mitral Stenosis", Cuban Journal of Cardiology. 1958.

• Distinction "10 years in Higher Education". 1971.

• Exemplary Worker, 1974. ICBP "Victoria de Girón".

• Most Outstanding Teaching Worker of the Year. Faculty of Medical Sciences. October 1976.

• Medal 250 years of the UH. (1978).

• Medal "José Tey". (1983).

• Medal "Manuel Fajardo". (1983).

• Medal for 30 years in education

• Recognition for 30 years in the Department of Physiology at ICBP Victoria de Girón.

• Distinguished Professor of ISCM-H. (1992).

• Diploma as founder of ICBP Victoria de Girón. (1992).

• Medal for 20 years of MES. (1996).

• Diploma as founding professor of the Bachelor's degree in Nursing.

• Diploma from the Health Union for 50 years dedicated to public health in Cuba.

• Medal 270th Anniversary of the UH.

• Commemorative seal for the 40 years of the founding of ICBP Victoria de Girón.

• Special category of Professor of Merit.

International

• Commemorative Medal from Humboldt University. Berlin, East Germany, 1965.

• Commemorative Medal from Roland Kotvos Scientific University. Budapest, Hungary, 1965.

Various decorations for missions he carried out in countries of Europe and Latin America.

Professional Practice
Internal Physician: Hosp. Univ. Gral. Calixto García, Havana. From December 1951 to December 1953.

Internal Physician: Casa de Salud La Purísima Concepción of the Association of Commerce Employees of Havana (Currently Hospital Docente 10 de Octubre). From January 1954 to June 1956.

Visiting House Physician: Casa de Salud La Purísima Concepción of the Association of Commerce Employees of Havana (Currently Hospital Docente 10 de Octubre). From July 1956 to January 1960.

Physician of the Pulmonary Function Department: Research Center No.1 Anti-tuberculosis Struggle. MINSAP, April 1959 to January 1960.

Director of Anti-tuberculosis Research. Research Center No.1 Anti-tuberculosis Struggle. MINSAP, January 1960 to January 1961.

Specialist in Pneumology and Director of the Department of Pulmonary Function: Casa de salud La Purísima Concepción of the Association of Commerce Employees of Havana (Currently Hospital Docente 10 de Octubre). From January 1960 to June 1963.

Cardiologist. Head of the Department of Pulmonary Function: National Hospital (Currently Enrique Cabrera). From January 1960 to December 1964.

Academic Activities

Associate Professor of Biological Physics (By competition): Faculty of Medicine, UH July 1960 to August 1961.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Head of Department of Biochemistry: Faculty of Medicine, UH. September 1961 to December 1962.

Full Professor of Physiology: Faculty of Medicine. UH. January 1962 until the establishment of ISCM-H and the Ministry of Higher Education (MES). (1976).

Full Professor of Physiology: ISCM-H. September 1976 until his death.

Consulting Professor: ICBP Victoria de Girón. ISCM-H. September 1997.

Research and Published Works

• Considerations on 500 cases of congenital cardiovascular malformations (1935–1948). Collaborator.

Presented and discussed by Professor Dr. Rodolfo Pérez de los Reyes at the III Ibero-American Congress of Cardiology. Chicago. July 1948.

• Pulmonary Function in Emphysema and Pulmonary Fibrosis. Degree thesis as an applicant for the title of Dr. in Medicine.

• Report of three cases of amebic liver abscess treated with chloroquine. Rev. KUBA. Vol. 10. p. 1 to 4. June 1954.

• ACTH in barbituric coma (preliminary report). Nueva Life Magazine. Volume LXIX. No. 3. p. 3 to 11. June 1954.

• Minimal tests for the exploration of pulmonary function. Printed pamphlet.

Presented at the Congress of the American College of Chest. Physicians. Barcelona: 1954.

• Pulmonary Function in Mitral Stenosis (Fariñas Prize from the Medical Association for the best work published in 1958).

• Pulmonary function in sugarcane cutters in cane cutting. (1970).

• Design and development of a computerized system for the evaluation and analysis of test items of objective tests, the construction of a bank of validated questions and the design of tests and exams.

• Minimal tests for the exploration of pulmonary function. Dept. of Respiratory Functional Tests. Neurology Service. Quesada Ward. Association of Commerce Employees of Havana. 1954.

• Pulmonary function in severely obese women. Department of pulmonary function. National Hospital. 1965.

• Pulmonary Function in sugarcane cutters in burned cane cutting. Department of physiology. ICBP Victoria de Girón. Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UH. 1970.

• Determination of caloric expenditure in sugarcane cutters. Department of Physiology. ICBP. Victoria de Girón. Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UH. 1972.

• Design and development of a computerized system for scoring and analysis of objective tests. School of Medicine of the UH. CECAM. 1975.

• Design of a computerized system for storage and classification of validated objective questions and automated development of objective tests (Question Bank). 1976–77.

• Study of retention of basic biomedical knowledge in 3rd year Medical students. Vice-Ministry of Teaching. MINSAP.