The Aula Magna of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry hosted last December 16 the award ceremony of the extraordinary doctoral prizes of the University of Valencia for the academic years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.
Thus, the University of Valencia once again held one of the most important events of the annual calendar that had been postponed due to the pandemic. On this occasion, the auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine became the University Auditorium to host nearly three hundred people including awardees, family members and guests, thesis supervisors and academic authorities.
Among the award-winning doctors was Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez Ontalvilla, plastic surgeon and researcher who came to collect the award she received thanks to the clinical trial she carried out at the Hospital La Fe in Valencia on women diagnosed with moderate and advanced stage Lichen Sclerosus Vulvaris (LEV). This research work was supported from the beginning, more than 3 years ago, by the La Fe Research Institute of Valencia. For its part, the evaluation board of the University of Valencia has taken into account when awarding the Extraordinary Doctorate Award the clinical usefulness of the Liquenia TreatmentTreatment, the publication of the first book in Spanish for patients with lichen sclerosus vulvar (as well as its translation into English and Portuguese) and the launching of the Nixarian Foundation of the Valencia Community, a non-profit institution dedicated to the dissemination and treatment of VLE to women at risk of social exclusion.
During her speech, the rector of the University, Mª Vicenta Mestre made several references to the pandemic and the contribution of science to the progress of society in an adverse context such as the current one.
Dr. Patricia Gutiérrez Ontalvilla considers that “sharing our knowledge and helping those who need it most is a moral duty for all of us who are health professionals”. When asked about the award, she commented that “it is a great honor and it only encourages me to continue researching in order to be able to offer the best treatment to women suffering from lichen sclerosus vulvaris every day”.
Each academic year about 500 people defend their doctoral thesis at the University of Valencia and less than 10% of those who obtain the doctoral degree receive the extraordinary award, which has public scales that evaluate the highest quality of doctoral theses read at the UV, one of the top five universities in Spain according to major international rankings.
The Universitat de València stands out not only for its scientific production, but also for its productivity, with levels well above its weight in the university system as a whole, evidence of the quality of research work at the Universitat de València. For its part, the Doctoral School of the University of Valencia has one of the largest offerings of doctoral programs in Spain, covering all areas of knowledge.
