José María Mainetti (March 5, 1909 – February 9, 2006) was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

physician, surgeon and

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

. Mainetti was born in Hinojo,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He spent most of his childhood and youth in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

, were his family moved in 1911. He finished his medicine studies in 1932. Since 1940 he started working also as a professor at the

Universidad Nacional de La Plata The National University of La Plata (, UNLP) is a national public research university located in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It has over 90,000 regular students, 10,000 teaching staff, 17 departments and 10 ...

. In 1969 he created the ''Fundación para el Progreso'' ("Foundation for Progress") which later became ''Fundación Dr. José María Mainetti'', and in 1971 the ''Escuela de Oncología'' (Oncology School). In 1986 he started the ''Centro Oncológico de Excelencia'' teaching, research, diagnosis and attention centre against cancer, and in 1993 the ''Instituto de Trasplante de Médula Osea'' (

Bone Marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

Transplant Institute) Mainetti is well known in Argentina as the mentor of

René Favaloro René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine Cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac surgeon and Teacher, educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein. Ear ...

, and a pioneer of

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

in the country. As well as Favaloro, he had to struggle against the lack of financial support. José María Mainetti died in 2006 in Manuel Gonnet, Buenos Aires.

External links

Fundación Dr. José María Mainetti
* Clarín
On his death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainetti, Jose Maria 1909 births 2006 deaths People from Buenos Aires Province Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine oncologists Argentine scientists Burials at La Plata Cemetery