Science and humanity cannot be separated
En el paraninfo de la Universidad de Cantabria, la profesora Carmen Fariñas recibió el Premio Matilde de la Torre 2025, un reconocimiento que trasciende la distinción personal para convertirse en una afirmación colectiva sobre lo que una sociedad elige valorar en quienes la cuidan y la enseñan. Su trayectoria —marcada por la pandemia, la docencia médica y la investigación en enfermedades infecciosas— encarna una convicción antigua y necesaria: que el conocimiento sin humanidad es incompleto, y que el servicio público es, en sí mismo, una forma de ética. El galardón lleva el nombre de una periodista y educadora cántabra que también creyó que la ciencia, la democracia y la cultura pertenecen al mismo proyecto humano.
- En un momento en que la confianza en la ciencia y las instituciones se pone a prueba, reconocer a quienes las sostienen con integridad adquiere una urgencia simbólica difícil de ignorar.
- Fariñas emergió como figura pública durante la pandemia sin haberlo buscado, y esa visibilidad involuntaria se convirtió en una responsabilidad que asumió con rigor y cercanía.
- La Facultad de Medicina de la UC, bajo su influencia, ha escalado hasta convertirse en referencia nacional, lo que sitúa este premio no solo como homenaje individual sino como reconocimiento a una transformación institucional.
- La Fundación Matilde de la Torre trabaja para que el legado de una mujer adelantada a su tiempo no quede enterrado en el olvido regional, y en Fariñas encuentra una heredera viva de esos valores.
- El acto reunió a líderes médicos, académicos y políticos en el salón principal de la universidad, subrayando que este reconocimiento es una declaración pública sobre los valores que una comunidad quiere encarnar.
Carmen Fariñas recibió el Premio Matilde de la Torre 2025 en el paraninfo de la Universidad de Cantabria, ante más de un centenar de personas reunidas para reconocer una carrera construida sobre una convicción sencilla pero exigente: que la ciencia y la humanidad no pueden separarse. Profesora de medicina y jefa de enfermedades infecciosas en el Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Fariñas ha sostenido que enseñar medicina es enseñar a cuidar, y que el conocimiento unido a la empatía tiene la capacidad de transformar vidas y fortalecer el tejido social.
El secretario regional del PSOE, Pedro Casares, destacó su compromiso con el bien público, la ciencia, el humanismo y los valores democráticos. El exrector José Carlos Gómez Sal la describió como un referente indiscutible durante los años de la pandemia, cuando los especialistas en enfermedades infecciosas se convirtieron en figuras públicas por necesidad, y subrayó su papel en elevar la Facultad de Medicina de la UC a una posición de reconocimiento nacional.
El premio lleva el nombre de Matilde de la Torre, periodista y educadora cántabra que fundó una academia inspirada en la Institución Libre de Enseñanza y que fue, según Casares, una demócrata y visionaria adelantada a su tiempo. La fundación que preserva su memoria trabaja para que su legado ocupe el lugar que merece en la historia regional, y en Fariñas encontró a una figura que encarna en el presente los mismos valores que Matilde de la Torre representó en el pasado.
En su intervención, Fariñas no separó su labor científica de sus compromisos éticos ni trató el servicio público como algo ajeno a la vida académica. Para ella, son hilos del mismo tejido. La ceremonia, celebrada en el salón principal de la universidad con la presencia de presidentes de colegios profesionales médicos y de enfermería, tuvo el peso de una declaración institucional sobre lo que la región valora en sus médicos y académicos.
Carmen Fariñas stood in the paraninfo of the University of Cantabria on a Wednesday afternoon in late October, surrounded by more than a hundred people gathered to recognize her work. The medicine professor and head of infectious diseases at Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla had just received the 2025 Matilde de la Torre Prize, an honor that carries weight in Cantabria—not for the trophy itself, but for what it represents.
The award citation spoke to her "commitment to the public good, to science, to humanism, and to democratic values," as Pedro Casares, the regional Socialist Party secretary, framed it. But Fariñas herself offered a simpler formulation of what has driven her career: the belief that science and humanity cannot be separated. Teaching medicine, she said, is teaching people how to care. Knowledge paired with empathy, she argued, has the power to reshape lives and strengthen society.
Her trajectory has been marked by visibility during moments when visibility mattered most. José Carlos Gómez Sal, who served as rector of the university from 2012 to 2016, introduced her as an "undisputed reference point" during the pandemic years—a period when infectious disease specialists became public figures whether they sought the role or not. More than that, he credited her with helping elevate the university's Medical Faculty to a position of national standing. She has managed, he noted, to blend the work of a physician with the work of an academic, making contributions that have benefited everyone.
The Matilde de la Torre Foundation, which bestows this prize, exists to honor a figure from Cantabria's past who embodied similar values. Matilde de la Torre herself was a journalist committed to truth and information, an educator who founded an academy in Cabezón inspired by the progressive Institución Libre de Enseñanza, and a guardian of regional culture and folklore. She was also, Casares emphasized, a democrat and a visionary—a woman ahead of her time who became a reference point for progressives in the region. The foundation's work now centers on ensuring that her legacy occupies the place it deserves in the region's collective memory and history.
The ceremony drew medical and nursing leaders—the presidents of both professional colleges attended—along with university administrators and other officials. The setting itself, the university's main hall, underscored the institutional weight of the moment. This was not a private honor but a public one, a statement about what the region values in its scholars and physicians.
Fariñas's acceptance reflected the same integration of values that the prize recognizes. She did not separate her scientific work from her ethical commitments, nor did she treat public service as something distinct from academic life. For her, these are threads in the same fabric. The foundation's ongoing mission—to deepen understanding of democracy, its impact on daily life, and the role democratic values play in society—found in her a living example of what that integration looks like in practice.
Notable Quotes
Science and humanity cannot be separated; teaching medicine is teaching people how to care— Carmen Fariñas
Knowledge paired with empathy has the capacity to transform lives and improve society— Carmen Fariñas
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made Fariñas stand out enough to receive this particular prize, rather than any other academic honor?
The Matilde de la Torre Prize isn't just about professional achievement. It's about how you live your values—whether you actually believe that science serves the public, not just yourself. Fariñas was visible during the pandemic, yes, but more than that, she talks about medicine as an act of care, not just expertise. That alignment matters to the foundation.
The source mentions she helped elevate the Medical Faculty to national standing. How does one person do that?
You don't do it alone, but you set a tone. If your department head is someone who integrates rigorous research with genuine teaching, who shows up in public conversations about health, who treats students as future caregivers rather than just technicians—that radiates outward. Other faculty notice. Students internalize it. Reputation builds.
Why does the foundation keep invoking Matilde de la Torre's name? What's the risk of her being forgotten?
She was a progressive figure in a region that has its own political memory. Without active work to preserve her legacy, she becomes a footnote. The foundation is saying: this woman mattered, she embodied values we still need, and we're not letting her disappear from how we understand ourselves.
Is there tension between being a public intellectual and being a good clinician? Can you really do both well?
Fariñas seems to argue no—that they're inseparable. A doctor who understands the social and political dimensions of health is a better doctor. A scientist who can communicate why her work matters is a better scientist. The prize recognizes that integration, not a choice between them.