Juan José Gagliardino

Abstract

The Argentine Diabetes Society (SAD) called me to write a few lines to honor the career and legacy that Dr. Juan José Gagliardino, Juanjo, or simply “the Doc” left us with his departure, as we used to call him with affection and respect. in the laboratory, but I would not like to fall into the simple transcription of his extensive resume. Quite the contrary, I set out to convey at least a part of what those of us who knew him in depth felt and learned over the years to value and respect him, not only from a professional, scientific and academic level, but also, and perhaps more importantly, human.

In addition to having achieved the degree of Senior Researcher Emeritus of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Consulting Professor of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of La Plata (UNLP), President of the Scientific Research Commission of the Province of Buenos Aires (CICPBA), Master of Argentine Diabetology, Bernardo Houssay Medal, Illustrious Citizen of the City of La Plata and having achieved some other titles that are eluding me, Juanjo was my director, my advisor, my companion and friend , and a model to imitate for his dedication to work, his passion for diabetes research, his teaching qualities, his vocation for service and, above all, for his quality and human sensitivity.

Doc was a student of Endocrinology and his profound knowledge allowed him to always foresee the topics that would be important for the development of Diabetology. If there was something that characterized him, it was that he defended his opinions frontally and passionately, characteristics that led him to confront on many occasions people and structures that gave him more than one headache, although this never made him abandon his convictions.

I met him about 30 years ago, when I was studying the last subjects of my Biochemistry degree and had to decide whether I would dedicate myself to Clinical Biochemistry or Scientific Research. One morning in 1994, Oscar R. Rebolledo invited me to the Center for Experimental and Applied Endocrinology (CENEXA) to speak with its Director, and it was there that I met Dr. Gagliardino, who explained to me clearly and patiently the importance of research. basic and applied in diabetes. From that moment on we worked together in a relationship that was initially mentor-disciple and that changed over time. However, despite having achieved my independence, I could never stop calling him “You” and I always tried to discuss with him and incorporate his sound advice into every scientific project I started.

Juanjo was born and studied in the City of La Plata, where he obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the UNLP in 1962, relying on both his enormous Christian faith and his skill with the piano accordion, which allowed him to contribute to the family economy. and thus collaborate with the efforts made by both his mother, a Basque dedicated to taking care of the family, and his father, who during the day worked as a shoemaker and at night as a telephone clerk. He found in “Pichi” his unconditional companion and the mother of his children, Gabriel and Ana, who inherited his passion for Medicine and gave him seven grandchildren with whom he enjoyed each of his free moments.

As mentioned in any review of his extensive and prolific scientific career, his first steps as a researcher were taken under the direction of Dr. Ricardo Rosendo Rodríguez, one of the direct disciples of Dr. Bernardo Houssay and, in 1977, together with his two great friends, Rodolfo Hernández and Oscar R. Rebolledo, created CENEXA (UNLP-CONICET), a center dedicated to basic and applied research in diabetes of which he was its director for more than three decades.

There he developed his successful scientific career and published hundreds of articles in international journals, chapters and books, and supervised twenty doctoral theses. This lush career made it possible for him to emerge as one of the greatest Argentine and Latin American references in Diabetology, a fact that allowed him to be invited to give lectures at countless congresses and scientific meetings around the world, receive numerous awards and distinctions, and join as Foreign Member of various Latin American medical academies.

In parallel to his work as a researcher, he worked as a university professor in the Chair of Physiology of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (UNLP), where he retired as Full Professor and Director of the Department of Physiological Sciences. In addition, he was director and teacher of different postgraduate courses in Argentina and the United States. His enthusiasm and dedication to teaching led him to create the Bernardo A. Houssay Center, a site aimed at educating people with diabetes and training educators, where he implemented what he learned during his stay at the Hagedorn Research Institute in Denmark, and incorporated the ideas of Michael Berger and Jean-Philippe Assal, two great teachers of diabetes education.

Juanjo was passionate about his work and only the 2020 pandemic prevented him from attending CENEXA daily, his true place in the world. Although during the isolation he continued with his task virtually, his health gradually began to deteriorate, and today we must say goodbye with glassy eyes, as a result of the deep admiration and affection that he aroused in those of us who knew him and trained professionally at his side. This review, which narrates some of the multiple academic and scientific achievements achieved by Dr. Gagliardino, demonstrates that he has left an indelible mark on Argentine and Latin American Diabetology. It is our duty to lift his glove and honor his memory by working hard to continue providing significant contributions that improve the quality of life of patients with diabetes, as was his permanent motivation. One of the great Masters of Argentine Diabetology leaves with Dr. Gagliardino. Bye Doc, we're going to miss you!