SUM awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Prof. Alberto Orfao
– Professor Orfao is not only an outstanding scientist with impressive achievements, but also our friend, and has been for many years. We can always count on his help and, for example, consultation of patients. I am proud that Prof. Orfao received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa today. This is an ennoblement for our University," said Prof. Tomasz Szczepanski, rector of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice.
In his lecture, Prof. Orfao spoke about how extremely important it is to invest in science. - The best universities are precisely those that allocate the most resources to the development of science, Prof. Orfao said, and added: - Research conducted at universities is the best investment in the future. It is the universities that should be the most important research centers in the 21st century.
Professor Orfao admitted that in his scientific work he is accompanied by Seneca's motto: The mind is slower to forget what it learned early. Looking at the course of his career, he has always been faithful to the philosopher's message.
Professor Alberto Orfao's scientific standing is evidenced by his body of work - more than 1,200 publications and 90 research projects, including 10 under European funding. In the Scopus database we find 773 publications, many of which have appeared in the most reputable hematology journals (Blood, Leukemia, Lancet Oncology) cited more than 52,000 times reflected in the Hirsch index currently at 98. In addition, he is co-author of 70 patents, 65 of which have been used by industry, contributing to the development of diagnostics using flow cytometry.
Professor Alberto Orfao is a graduate of the Universities of Salamanca (1984) and Lisbon (1985). He received his doctoral degree in 1987 from the University of Salamanca. Currently an eminent immunologist, he is a full professor and deputy director of the university's Cancer Research Center. For years, he has been working on flow cytometry in the diagnosis of blood cancers. He has served as director of the Department of Cytometry and Cell Sorting (Servicio General de Citometría) at the University of Salamanca since 1989.
Professor Alberto Orfao is also a member of many international scientific societies, in which he has held numerous positions. Among others, he was president of the Iberian Society of Cytometry (1995-1999), chairman of the Standardization Committee for Clinical Flow Cytometry of the International Society of Clinical Chemistry (1994-1997). He is currently a member of the European Group for Immunological Characterization of Leukemia. He has received numerous awards and honors (more than 40). Among the most prestigious were the Berend Howen Award from the International Society for Hematological Laboratory Diagnostics (2009) and the Wallace Center Award from the International Society for Clinical Diagnostic Cytometry (2001).
Professor Alberto Orfao is the founder and co-chair of the EuroFlow (Flow Cytometry for rapid and sensitive diagnosis and prognostic classification of hematopoietic neoplasms) research consortium. The Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Pediatric Oncology of the Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze SUM has participated in the work of this consortium since 2006. This collaboration has resulted in joint projects and publications (the SUM library database lists 17 full-text publications, total IF 96.670). Under the supervision of Professor Alberto Orfao, Łukasz Sędek (currently an assistant professor employed in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at SUM), Alicja Sonsala (MD) and Jan Kulis, M.D. (currently employed in the Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Pediatric Oncology) have undergone doctoral training.
Professor Alberto Orfao's Doctor Honoris Causa award ceremony was helped by Becton Dickinson Poland.
