In a world where scientific excellence and human integrity rarely converge in a single person, Dr. Francisco López-Jiménez stands as a luminous example of both virtues. Originally from our beloved Guanajuato, Francisco has traveled a path that took him from Mexican classrooms to the highest honors of world medicine, without ever losing humility or sense of gratitude towards his teachers and his homeland.
The news of his recent appointment as “Named Professor” in the May Clinic de Rochester, Minnesota, represents the cusp of a career dedicated to cardiovascular prevention and border medical research. This recognition – organized to less than 3% of the doctors of that prestigious institution – constitutes the greatest academic range to which a teacher in the United States can aspire and symbolizes the deep impact of their work both in science and in the training of new generations of doctors.
The ceremony, held in the historic house-museum of Dr. William Mayo, was a tribute to Francisco’s trajectory and his tireless commitment to excellence, innovation and teaching. As Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, CEO of Mayic, the “Named Professorships” described, recognizes those who have made extraordinary contributions to medicine through their clinical impact, scientific rigor and teaching skills, and guarantee, through endowment funds, the continuity of avant -garde medical research programs.
The academic training of Dr. López-Jiménez began in my Alma Mater, the University of Guanajuato, where he obtained the title of surgeon. Subsequently, he conducted the residence in internal medicine at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán. His subspecialty in Cardiology was attended at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Florida, and at the Brigham and Women’s Harvard Hospital Medical School. He specialized in preventive cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and the Harvard Medical School. In addition, he graduated from the clinical effectiveness program and obtained a master’s degree in science at the Harvard Public Health School.
Dr. López-Jiménez has more than 440 scientific publications in the Pubmed® database of the National Health Institutes of the United States, including Editorials invited in magazines such as The Lancet, and his work has been cited thousands of times. He is a member of the editorial tips of magazines such as American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, Archives of Cardiology and Journal of Clinical Investigation. In addition, he reviews articles for more than 18 arbitrated scientific journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Jama, Circulation and Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
He has also been a guest reviewer for various NIH scientific committees and has received financing from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the European Union and various non -profit organizations. In 2002, he received the “Junior Investigator Award”, a distinction granted by the American College of Cardiology to a single person every year, among many other recognitions throughout his career.
Dr. López-Jiménez has taught conferences in more than 18 countries and has been summoned by international media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and NBC. He has participated as a speaker at National Public Radio, for his research on “normal weight and obesity” and other studies that question the clinical utility of body mass index, promoting alternative measures to evaluate body adiposity.
Its brilliance is not limited to the clinic and academia. This year, he had the honor of directing the World Heart Report 2025, the flagship publication of the World Federation of the Heart, presented in Geneva before global health leaders. The report, focused on obesity and its role in cardiovascular diseases, warns about the urgency of attending this world challenge, which already causes almost one in ten deaths due to heart disease. Under his leadership, the report not only provides forceful evidence, but also calls to combat stigma, improve medical education and promote comprehensive public policies against the obesity epidemic.
His voice, respected internationally, has been key to promoting a modern and compassionate vision of preventive medicine, integrating advances in artificial intelligence, epidemiology and public policies. As a May editor in May Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health, has promoted the dissemination of scientific knowledge with emphasis on digital health and personalized medicine.
Those of us who have had the privilege of meeting Francisco as a student, colleague or friend, know that their greatness does not reside only in their academic achievements, but in their human quality. Upon receiving the maximum academic honor, his first thought was of gratitude to his teachers, recognizing the footprint they left in their formation and reaffirming the importance of humility in the path of knowledge.
The trajectory of Dr. Francisco López-Jiménez is, in short, a testimony of the potential that Mexico can offer to the world when talent is grown with passion, ethics and generosity. His example inspires new generations of doctors and scientists to dream big, to work rigorously and, above all, to never forget their roots.
From León to Rochester, his story is a source of pride for Mexico and for universal science. Congratulations, Francisco, to continue demonstrating that excellence and humanity can and should go hand in hand!
Postscript. I am convinced that Dr. David Kershenobich, current Secretary of Health of our country, would find in Dr. López-Jiménez a valuable ally to review, evaluate and strengthen our public policies against obesity, overweight and associated comorbidities.
*The author (www.ectorjaime.mx) is a specialist in general surgery, public health certificate, doctorate in health sciences and public administration. He is a legislator and defender of the public health of Mexico, reelected deputy of the Parliamentary Group of the PAN in the LXVI Legislature.
