Dr Schiavone, Dean of UCA’s Faculty of Medicine, stated that “the scientific boom over recent years and the incorporation of new technologies in the healthcare sector has diverted the direction in which professional action is focussed and has forgotten that it is the patient who should occupy centre stage as a biopsychosocial whole”. For that reason he felt that “it is worth highlighting and rewarding programmes that restore the patient to being the hub driving the actions of the doctor as well as strategies aimed at empowering patients in decision-making processes”.

Dr Arrighi, deputy director of the Albert J. Jovell Institute and the current coordinator of its academic activities in Latin America, contributed to the conference with a dissertation on the new horizons for patient training in Argentina. She pointed out that “it is an important recognition of the work started by Dr Albert Jovell and Dr Navarro more than a decade ago to promote the education and empowerment of patients in Spain and Europe”.

For her part, Dr Cristina Ferrari, the course director, said that “The innovative, active and humanised perspective developed by Dr Jovell in pursuit of patients’ wellbeing is a magnificent legacy for us all, and one that is vital to continue developing in the School of Public Health at the Pontifical University of Argentina”.

Dr Navarro, director of the Institute, responded that “this recognition motivates us to continue our work in the field of the active patient and to promote strategies centred on shared decision-making”.

Along the same lines, this coming October the Albert J. Jovell Institute will launch a Postgraduate Course in Patient Advocacy, a unique training programme for Spain which will attract the participation, amongst others, of leaders of patient organisations, health administration representatives, managers, healthcare professionals, opinion leaders and agents of communication.