Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez (born 5 September 1951 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 ...

) is a Mexican

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

, academician and politician who has served as the secretary of foreign affairs since 2024 in the cabinet of

Claudia Sheinbaum Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has served as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and ...

. He previously served as

secretary of health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate Minister of Mental Health, ...

in the cabinet of President

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

(1994–1999) and as rector of the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, 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 countri ...

(UNAM) from 1999 to 2007. He is a professor emeritus of Psychiatry at

(UNAM) and Chairs the Board of the '' Aspen Institute Mexico''. From 18 February 2019 to 13 September 2023 he served as the permanent representative of Mexico to the United Nations.

Education

De la Fuente graduated from Medical School of

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

from the National Autonomous University in 1976 and trained in

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

at the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. When he returned to Mexico he founded the Clinical Research Unit of the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry and joined the Faculty of UNAM's School of Medicine, where he was appointed Dean in 1991. In 1995 he was also elected President of the

Mexican Academy of Sciences The Mexican Academy of Sciences ''(Academia Mexicana de Ciencias)'' is a non-profit organization comprising over 1800 distinguished Mexico, Mexican scientists, attached to various institutions in the country, as well as a number of eminent forei ...

and a few years later he was appointed Secretary of Health by President Zedillo. In 1999, he resigned his cabinet post to be appointed Rector of the

and in 2003 he was reappointed for a second term. In 2008 he was elected President of the International Association of Universities at

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

and was called by

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

to be member of the Council of the

United Nations University The is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve list of global issues, global issues related to Human development ...

in Tokyo. He sits in several boards in México and abroad, such as '' El Universal'', an influential newspaper in

. Also, in 2008 he was elected as President of the

International Association of Universities The International Association of Universities (IAU) is a membership-led non-governmental organization working in the field of global higher education. It has more than 600 members in over 130 countries, including institutions, organizations, aff ...

Career

De la Fuente began his career as Secretary of Health under President Ernesto Zedillo from 1994 to 1999. During his tenure, he contributed significantly to Mexico's public health initiatives, particularly in addressing addiction and mental health challenges. He succeeded Jesús Kumate Rodríguez and was followed by José Antonio González Fernández. From 1999 to 2007, de la Fuente served as the Rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of Latin America's most prestigious universities. During his leadership, he focused on educational reforms and expanding the university's global presence. In 2018, he was appointed Mexico's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a position he held until 2023 under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In this role, he succeeded Juan José Ignacio Gómez Camacho and was later succeeded by Alicia Buenrostro Massieu.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2024–Present)

In 2024, de la Fuente was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs by President Claudia Sheinbaum, taking office on 1 October 2024, following the tenure of Alicia Bárcena Ibarra. He was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on 9 October 2024.

Awards and recognition

He has written over two hundred papers and fourteen books, and has received numerous awards and honorary degrees such as the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the

, the Presidential Award for Excellence of the University of Texas and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Arizona State University, amongst many others. In 2006 he received from President Vicente Fox the

National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) The National Prize for Arts and Sciences () is awarded annually by the Government of Mexico in six categories. It is part of the Mexican Honours System and was established in 1945 by President Manuel Ávila Camacho to promote the country's artistic ...

, the highest scientific recognition of Mexico's Government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuente, Juan Ramon De La 1951 births Living people Members of the Mexican Academy of Sciences Mexican psychiatrists Secretaries of foreign affairs of Mexico National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) Permanent representatives of Mexico to the United Nations Politicians from Mexico City Secretaries of health of Mexico University of Minnesota alumni