Dr. Alejandro Cravioto

Alejandro Cravioto (b. Mexico City, 1947) received his Medical Degree with honors in 1973 in the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.  He continued his studies in Pediatrics from 1973-1976 in the National Institute of Pediatrics in Mexico City and then in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the University of London, receiving a Diploma in Tropical Public Health in 1977 and a Ph.D. in 1981.  Returning to Mexico City he worked from 1980-1989 in the National Institute of Health and Technology for Child Health, first as Head of the Research Department and then as Deputy Director.  From 1989-1991 he collaborated as Director of the Division of Microbiology in the National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico and in 1991 was invited as Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).  In 1995 the Board of Governors of UNAM appointed him Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for a four year period and renewed this appointment for a further four year period in 1999.  His main interests in research during all these years have been the study of the interaction between infection and growth in young Mexican infants, as well as the pathogenic capacity of bacteria able to cause disease in humans.  His laboratory and field study areas have been the training ground for over 150 persons with different academic backgrounds, including 18 Ph.D. students who are now independent researchers.  He is the author of more than 50 papers published in international journals and two text books, one on vaccines and another on pediatric diarrhea.  Dr. Cravioto is a member of the Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Sciences of Mexico, as well as 20 other scientific societies in Mexico, Europe and the United States.  In 1996 he received the National Award in Public Health given by the Mexican Government.  His work has also been recognized with the Nestlé Nutrition Award in 1990 and the Glaxo Award for Clinical Research in 1991.  At present, he continues as Professor of Microbiology and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and as President of the Panamerican Federation of Associations of Medical Schools.