Ruy Pérez Tamayo (8 November 1924 – 26 January 2022) was a Mexican medical pathologist, immunologist, researcher, science communicator and academic.

Life and career

Born in

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

, Pérez Tamayo graduated in

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, ...

and specialised in

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

at 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 ...

, and then got a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

from the

Instituto Politécnico Nacional The National Polytechnic Institute (), abbreviated IPN, is one of the largest public universities in Mexico with 171,581 students at the high school, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is the second-best university in Mexico in the techni ...

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 ...

. He was the founder and director of the pathology unit at the

General Hospital of Mexico The General Hospital of Mexico (Hospital General de México, HGM) is a hospital in Mexico City, operated by the Secretariat of Health, the federal government department in charge of all social health services in Mexico. History Towards the end of ...

, and the director of the Department of

Pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

at the National Institute of Nutrition for ten years. He was professor in his

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

for 58 years, and was visiting professor in a large number of prestigious universities all over the world, including

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, and

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. He was the author of over 150 scientific articles and over 60 books, and had an important role in popularizing science to the Mexican general public. During his life Pérez Tamayo was the recipient of several awards and accolades, including the National Prize for Arts and Sciences, the Juchimán de Plata Award and the

Menéndez Pelayo International Prize The Menéndez Pelayo International Prize has been awarded since 1987 by the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) with the objective of honoring those persons whose literary or scientific work has a humanistic orientation and application, ...

. He was also a member of the

Academia Mexicana de la Lengua The Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (variously translated as the Mexican Academy of Language, the Mexican Academy of the Language, the Mexican Academy of Letters, or glossed as the Mexican Academy of the Spanish Language; acronym AML) is the cor ...

since 1986, as well as of El Colegio Nacional and of the Advisory Council of Sciences of the Presidency of the Republic. He died in Ensenada, Baja California on 26 January 2022, at the age of 97.

References

External links

Ruy Pérez Tamayo
at

Universidad Veracruzana Veracruzana University () is a public autonomous university located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Established in 1944, the university is one of the most important in the southeast region of México. Its academic organization is a structure ...

Ruy Pérez Tamayo
at El Colegio Nacional {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez Tamayo, Ruy 1924 births 2022 deaths Mexican pathologists Mexican immunologists People from Tampico, Tamaulipas Mexican scientists National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico Instituto Politécnico Nacional alumni National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) Members of El Colegio Nacional (Mexico)