Fernando Simón

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Simón and the second or maternal family name is Soria.

Fernando Simón Soria (born 29 July 1963) is a Spanish epidemiologist serving as Director of the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health.^[1] He came to public prominence as spokesman for the special committee on Ebola virus disease in Spain in 2014,^[2] and a similar role during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3] Simón tested positive for coronavirus on 30 March 2020.^[4]

Fernando Simón
Fernando Simón Soria in 2020
Born	Fernando Simón Soria (1963-07-29) 29 July 1963 (age 61) Zaragoza, Spain
Alma mater	University of Zaragoza London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Early life and education

Born in Zaragoza,^[5] he graduated in Medicine at the University of Zaragoza, and specialized in Public Health and Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.^[6] Simón trained in the European Training Program in Intervention Epidemiology at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Career

Simón was director of the Center for Research in Tropical Diseases in Manhiça District, in Mozambique,^[7] and of the Ntita Hospital in Burundi.^[8]

He was also a director of programs in the National Center of Epidemiology (CNE), and a coordinator of the Health Alert and Response Unit in the CNE from 2003 to 2011. He is currently a professor at the National School of Public Health, and a member of the advisory committee of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).^[9]

In June 2020 he received the Emilio Castelar 2020 award.^[10]

References

1. Valenzuela, Juan Luis (27 February 2020). "Fernando Simón, el portavoz que calma a la gente ante el temor del coronavirus". El Plural (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
2. "Fernando Simón, "el hombre que quieres tener al lado" ante una epidemia". Redacción Médica (in Spanish). 31 January 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
3. Henley, Jon (22 March 2020). "Coronavirus: meet the scientists who are now household names". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
4. "Fernando Simón, positivo en coronavirus". ELMUNDO. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
5. Villareal, Antonio; Méndez, Rafael (1 March 2020). "No hay una epidemia hasta que Fernando Simón no se vuelve el rey de los telediarios". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
6. Ramírez de Castro, Nuria (2 March 2020). "Fernando Simón, el portavoz tranquilo". ABC (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
7. G. Portalatín, Beatriz (1 February 2020). "Fernando Simón, el supermédico contra el coronavirus: ya le ganó la batalla al ébola y el zika". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
8. Hernández, Nuria (3 March 2020). "ASÍ ES FERNANDO SIMÓN, EL HOMBRE QUE TRANQUILIZA A ESPAÑA SOBRE EL CORONAVIRUS". Vanity Fair (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
9. M. R. (29 February 2020). "¿Quién es Fernando Simón, el portavoz sobre la situación del coronavirus en España?". La Nueva España (in Spanish). Prensa Ibérica. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
10. Martín-Arroyo, Javier (20 June 2020). "Fernando Simón, premio Emilio Castelar 2020". El País (in Spanish). Prisa. Retrieved 21 June 2020.