Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology: an interview with Professor Ricardo Luis Galimberti

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Luis Galimberti was born on 21 March 1950 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is married to Lucia Paganelli and they have eight children and 16 grandchildren. He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in 1974 and was soon appointed as a teaching assistant. He has continued teaching at his alma mater ever since, becoming head professor in 2010. Through the years, he has nurtured a deep vocation for education in Dermatology. In fact, he founded the graduate studies in Dermatology at UBA along with the Argentine Society of Dermatology (SAD). He completed his specialization in Dermatology in 1980 and entered the Dermatology department of the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires (IHBA) soon after. He served as head of the Department of Dermatology from 1982 to 2015 and later as honorary head, becoming passionate for both patient care and scientific research. As head of the Department of Dermatology at the IHBA, he introduced the fields of dermatological surgery, laser therapy and aesthetic dermatology; he inaugurated the Center for the Treatment of Psoriasis and the dermatology specialization, where many Latin-American students pursue their graduate studies. He promoted collective studies on skin oncology and created a dermatological research centre called the ‘Institute for Medical Research’. Professor Galimberti has participated in more than 60 clinical pharmacological trials, pursuing the development of antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Lately, he has devoted research to the treatment of dermatological immune pathogenic diseases in collaboration with international laboratories. He still encourages the participation of young students in clinical trials, thus fostering cutting-edge training among young Latin-American doctors. Maybe due to his international friends, Prof. Dr. Galimberti has always believed in collective discussion as a means of enhancing scientific knowledge. Hence, he has partaken of several Argentine and international Dermatological societies, he has attended over 150 international congresses and even hosted two international congresses in Buenos Aires. He is the founder, director and editor of ‘Educándonos’ magazine. This publication poses a question about how dermatologists should be educated, to address, first, inequality in Argentina and, second, the new challenges that have appeared in dermatology around the globe. He remains truthful to the belief that working along with friends to improve education, scientific research and patient care is his way of achieving a fulfilling life. I have been influenced by Argentinian and international renowned dermatologists. Professor Doctor Augusto Manuel Casalá encouraged me to study and practice Dermatology and suggested microbiology as a specialization. Casalá was my professor at UBA and was head of the Dermatology department in which I worked as a student. Professor Doctor Ricardo Negroni was also an unforgettable guidance. He was an outstanding teacher and stimulated my specialization in mycology both in research and in therapeutics. Negroni showed me the connection between both: the practice of dermatology, Negroni argued, always poses new puzzles that research may successfully address. I have authored over 100 publications in Argentine journals. Among them, you may read ‘Structural changes produced by Bifonazol 1% in fungi that cause superficial mycosis’ (Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 1987). I have also published over 70 papers in international journals. For instance, you may read ‘The Activity of Ketoconazole in the Treatment of Onychomycosis’ (Reviews of Infectious Disease, 1980), ‘Itraconazole in Pityriasis versicolor: Ultraestructural changes in Malassezia Furfur produced during treatment’ (Reviews of Infectious Diseases, 1987), ‘Cutaneous necrosis by calcific uremic arteriolopathy’ (International Journal of Dermatology, 2005) or ‘Cutaneous aspergillosis: a report of six cases’ (British Journal of Dermatology, 1998). I have been a member of SAD since 1975 (and presided it from 2009 to 2011). I was a committee member of the International League of Dermatological Societies from 2002 to 2011. I joined the American Academy of Dermatology in 1987 and the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in 1983. Since 2002, I have been an honorary member of the German Dermatological Society, of the Dermatological Circle of Peru and of the Paraguayan Society of Dermatology. I was granted a doctorate honoris causa by the bohemian Dermato-Venereology society in 2000. I was president of the XXI World Congress of Dermatology in 2007 and I was Secretary General and Treasurer of the Ibero-American Academy of Dermatology from 1992 to 2000. My greatest achievement in my professional life was being the president of the XXI World Congress of Dermatology in 2007. Not only was I the president of the congress, but also I was its main organizer, proving myself an accomplished manager. Indeed, the Congress hosted over 12 000 dermatologists coming from all over the world. Gathering different cultures in Buenos Aires forced myself to see socioeconomic differences among countries, challenging backgrounds and ultimately how the practice of dermatology forcefully changed in difficult contexts. The academic disparities and tough realities I witnessed taught me a lesson about pluralism and tolerance. I further experienced how a common passion such as dermatology, and friendship, could bring together participants despite existing disagreements. I remain grateful to those who trusted me to carry out the presidency of the congress. Dermatology has always been a source of happiness to me, a source of many satisfactions. I couldn´t mention one disappointment, not even if I tried. I am a very thankful dermatologist. The funniest experience in my professional life was watching the ‘Allergic Comedy’ at the World Congress of Immunology in Munich. Apart from dermatology, my major interest is working in the countryside, in Capilla del Señor and Chubut (Argentina). I am keen on the growth of new crops and on the study of botany. I am able to identify many species of plants and crops. I am also interested in the genetic manipulation of them. I have studied 3 years of Fine Arts before I devoted my life to dermatology. My favourite painters are Anthony van Dyck, Diego Velazquez, Rembrandt and Pinturicchio. My favourite contemporary musicians are the Beatles, Elton John and Freddy Mercury. Among the classics, I enjoy waltzes and Verdi´s operas. My favourite writers are Og Mandino and Victor Hugo. I believe the top 10 deceased dermatologists are Stephen Katz, Thomas Fitzpatrick and Raul Fleischmajer from US, Ruggero Caputo from Italy, Klaus Wolff from Austria, Ramon Ruiz Maldonado from Mexico, Alejandro Cordero from Argentina and Carlos Da Silva Lacaz from Brazil. Among the living dermatologists, I would mention Alberto Giannetti from Italy, Roderick Hay from UK, Johannes Ring from Germany, Ana Kaminsky from Argentina, Angela Restrepo from Colombia, Carlos Ferrandiz and Jose Maria Mascaró from Spain and Kim Papp from Canada. I think that the emergence of molecular biology and genetics have posed new challenges to the treatment of immunological disorders. The growth of cancer rates and the multiplication of treatments to address this disease have also posed new questions to dermatologists. Dermatological societies all over the world (including myself) are willing and happy to enhance the standards of research to address these new problems and new solutions to persisting problems. The next breakthrough in the coming 10 years in Dermatology will be gene therapy – all those procedures that modify a patient's genes to treat dermatologic diseases. *Note: The Pioneers in Dermatology and Venereology interview was conceived and conducted by Johannes Ring.

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