Bernardo José Gastélum Izabal (August 4, 1886 in

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...

– December 21, 1981 in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

) was a Mexican physician, politician, and writer.

Biography

Gastélum got his secondary education and his baccalaureate at the Colegio Rosales, and did his studies of medicine at the

Universidad de Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara () is a public research university located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was originally established in 1586 and officially founded on 12 February 1791 as the Royal and Pontifical University of Guadalajara. Over the ...

, and his postgraduate studies at the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

. After 1909 he taught at the Colegio Rosales, where he was director from 1915 to 1916, and for a second time from 1918 to 1922. During his second period he turned it in the University of Occident, today

Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa The Autonomous University of Sinaloa (''Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa'' or UAS) is a public university, public university with its central campus located in the state capital of Culiacán, Sinaloa and with campuses in multiple locations within ...

. After the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

, he served as ambassador in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. When he returned to Mexico in 1923, he became Subsecretary of Education, and was

Secretary of Public Education In Mexico, the Secretariat of Public Education (Spanish language, in Spanish ''Secretaría de Educación Pública'', ''SEP'') is a federal government authority with Cabinet (government), cabinet representation and the responsibility for overseein ...

from July 2 to November 30. It was he, who asked Ezequiel A. Chávez, president of the

Universidad Nacional de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

, to come up with a project that would ensure the university's autonomy, but without success. From 1925 to 1928, President Plutarco Elias Calles named him as Chief of the Health Department in Mexico, transforming it into what we know now as "Secretaría de Salubridad". Gastélum was co-founder of the Contemporáneos magazine. In 1932 he was chief of the department of health of Sinaloa, and from 1938 to 1947 director of the Escuela Preparatoria (''preparatory school''). In 1949 he moved back to Mexico City, where he worked for several journals and magazines. In 1965 he became honorary doctor of the Universidad de Sinaloa.Dina Beltrán López
''Bernardo J. Gastélum Izábal 1889-1981''
, p. 3. The General Hospital of his hometown is named in honor of him.

References

External links

Bernardo J. Gastélum
in the Ibero-American Institute's catalogue {{DEFAULTSORT:Gastelum, Bernardo J. 20th-century Mexican physicians Mexican male writers Secretaries of education of Mexico Writers from Sinaloa Politicians from Sinaloa People from Culiacán Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni 1886 births 1981 deaths Ambassadors of Mexico to Uruguay Ambassadors of Mexico to Paraguay Ambassadors of Mexico to Italy Ambassadors of Mexico to Hungary