Giatgen Spinas appointed honorary member of USI

During USI's 27th Dies academicus, Professor Giatgen Spinas was appointed Honorary Member of Università della Svizzera italiana "for his decisive and generous support for the birth and development of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences".

Born in 1951, Giatgen A. Spinas is a trained specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology, having studied medicine at the University of Basel. He served as a Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Zurich and was the Director of the Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nutrition Clinic at the University Hospital of Zurich. Spinas holds several roles, including Vice President of the Swiss Institute of Medical Education, Deputy Director of the innovative Translational Medicine Center LOOP, and a member of the steering committee for the Bachelor of Medicine program at ETH Zurich. He was also a member of the steering group for the Master of Medicine programme at USI from 2017 to 2021.

Professor Spinas has been a strong advocate for quality medical education and has shown unwavering support for the Ticino Master's project since its inception, even in the face of initial scepticism. As a member of the steering group and later as a friend and advisor, Professor Spinas worked to promote the image of the newly founded faculty in the Swiss academic and hospital world and to help it, with great proximity and experience, to overcome its many challenges. In other words, a fundamental ambassador and an invaluable friend of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and USI.