They regret the passing of Dr. Benjamin Moncada J.

Dr. Benjamin Moncada Gonzalez, who passed away on June 24, has dedicated his life to medicine with passion, inspiring and training many physicians, while always making the patient the focus of his work. He was a physician, university professor, researcher, and a national and international reference in medicine.

He was born in the city of San Luis Potosi and studied medicine at UASLP, where it was the first place of his generation throughout his career. He earned three majors; Internal Medicine at Hospital de Nutrition (Mexico City), Dermatology and Dermatology at the University of Chicago ILL, USA. His deep love for Mexico and his desire to make San Luis Potosi a center for development and research in A-level medicine, led him to return to his country despite having international job offers. In 1973 he joined the UASLP as Research Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Central Hospital Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto. He was responsible for the introduction of the immunology curriculum in the third year of the degree. He also taught this chair at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences. In 1979 he established the specialty of Dermatology in San Luis Potosi, making it one of the most prestigious specialties at the national level. He headed the Department of Dermatology for more than twenty years. The importance of the immune status in dermatology led to the establishment of the Department of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine.

Since 1974, Dr. Moncada has treated patients with immunodeficiencies of all kinds at Central Hospital. In 1985 upon receiving a scholarship from the American College of Physicians and inviting it to Johns Hopkins University to develop research projects, human subjects were taken from this consultancy to start a rheumatology/immunology consultation that led to the establishment of the department of the same name.

He was always concerned that everyone had access to quality health care. Especially those with limited resources. He established the Rural Cooperation Program in the Huasteca District in Potosi. The area to which he went periodically for 27 years, providing free medical dermatological care to indigenous people belonging to the ethnic groups: Nahuatl, Tenique and Pam. In this program, regional research work in pathology was conducted in addition to teaching, in which medical and chemical science students, as well as dermatology residencies, were incorporated.

This work continued in the central and highlands of the state for leprosy control and epidemiological field research. Get the first national center in the fight against this disease.

He was a member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico SNI Class III (highest degree). Currently, researchers of the same class in the Faculty of Medicine were his students.

His research work led him to publish more than 130 articles in scientific journals. He belonged to multiple medical societies. He was president of the Mexican Academy of Dermatology and the Mexican Board of Dermatology.

He received many honors, including: Best Entry Work Award to the National Academy of Medicine, 1981, and Dr. Francisco Estrada” from the State Government of San Luis Potosi for his research on leprosy, 1992. Award from the International Association of Dermatological Societies for “outstanding contribution to national and international dermatology through his work, research, teaching and publications”, 2015.

Being a passionate musician, he has played a wide range of Mexican music on accordion and piano, especially Agustin Lara’s songs. He was the state chess champion. A benefactor, he always strove for the common good and justice. He was known in his environment among other qualities for his erudition and tenderness.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Bertha, sons Benjamin, Alejandro and Adriana, four grandchildren, and most likely the Central Hospital and Medical School.