Juan Ramón de la Fuente
Encyclopedia
Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez (born 5 September 1951 in Mexico City
) is a Mexican
psychiatrist
, academician and politician who served as Secretary of Health in the cabinet of President Ernesto Zedillo
(1994–1999) and as rector
of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
(UNAM) from 1999 to 2007.
De la Fuente graduated with a bachelor's degree in Medicine
from the National Autonomous University in 1976 and specialized in Psychiatry
at the Mayo Clinic
in Rochester, Minnesota
, United States
. When he returned to Mexico he founded the Clinical Research Unit of the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry and worked as a lecturer at UNAM's School of Medicine, for which he was elected Director in 1991. In 1995 he was elected President of the Mexican Academy of Sciences
and four years latter was appointed Secretary of Health by President Zedillo.
In 1999, after a 10-months long student strike
, he resigned from the federal cabinet and was appointed Rector
of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
. After some negotiations the conflict ended through a major plebiscite
although the federal police forces were called upon to remove and arrest the remaining strikers. In 2003 he was reappointed for a second term.
he is a member of the Council of the United Nations University
and sits in the board of directors of the Cervantes Institute and El Universal, an influential newspaper in Mexico City
. Also, in 2008 he was elected as President of the International Association of Universities.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
) is a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, academician and politician who served as Secretary of Health in the cabinet of President Ernesto Zedillo
Ernesto Zedillo
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León is a Mexican economist and politician. He served as President of Mexico from December 1, 1994 to November 30, 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted seventy year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Revolutionary Party...
(1994–1999) and as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
(UNAM) from 1999 to 2007.
De la Fuente graduated with a bachelor's degree in Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
from the National Autonomous University in 1976 and specialized in Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. When he returned to Mexico he founded the Clinical Research Unit of the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry and worked as a lecturer at UNAM's School of Medicine, for which he was elected Director in 1991. In 1995 he was elected President of the Mexican Academy of Sciences
Mexican Academy of Sciences
The Mexican Academy of Sciences is a non-profit organization comprising over 1800 distinguished Mexican scientists, attached to various institutions in the country, as well as a number of eminent foreign colleagues, including various Nobel Prize winners...
and four years latter was appointed Secretary of Health by President Zedillo.
In 1999, after a 10-months long student strike
1999 UNAM strike
The 1999 strike at the UNAM had its origins in the January 1999 announcement by its rector that tuition would increase from about 0.02 dollars to about $150 a semester. A group of students declared a strike and blockaded the main campus...
, he resigned from the federal cabinet and was appointed Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
. After some negotiations the conflict ended through a major plebiscite
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
although the federal police forces were called upon to remove and arrest the remaining strikers. In 2003 he was reappointed for a second term.
he is a member of the Council of the United Nations University
United Nations University
The United Nations University is an academic arm of the United Nations established in 1973, which serves purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The UNU undertakes research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of...
and sits in the board of directors of the Cervantes Institute and El Universal, an influential newspaper in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Also, in 2008 he was elected as President of the International Association of Universities.