Jorge Tomillo, a professor of commercial law at the University of Cantabria, has been honoured with the International Career Award in Health Law, presented by the Ibero-American Network of Health Law. The award was given on 6 November during the closing ceremony of the XIV Ibero-American Congress on Health Law, which took place in Santander.
The congress brought together over 250 professionals from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia, focusing on the key legal, ethical, and social challenges posed by the digital transformation of healthcare. Organised by the University of Cantabria, IDIVAL, and the Research Group in Health Law and Bioethics (GRIDES), the event established Santander as a prominent venue for Ibero-American discussions on health rights.
The Ibero-American Network of Health Law, founded in Buenos Aires in 2012, recognised Tomillo's commitment to defending patient and consumer rights with this award. “I cannot help but relate this award to my investiture a few years ago as an honorary doctor by the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) for my valuable academic and scientific contributions to the development of a universal culture in defence of fundamental consumer rights,” Tomillo remarked.
He emphasised that this recognition is a collective acknowledgment of the R&D+i Group in Commercial Law and Legal Protection of Consumers at the University of Cantabria, which he currently leads. For Tomillo, the award highlights the university's role in providing legal protection for the most vulnerable individuals, stating, “the patient is a consumer in a situation of special vulnerability and uncertainty.”
“It also personally moves me, because as a good friend and colleague has told me, it is the most valuable recognition one can receive: that of my peers. After more than 40 years of work, sometimes (not always) recognition comes. And the true prize is to be appreciated and loved,” he concluded.
