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Germano de Sousa and Gouveia e Melo awarded with Doctor Honoris Causa by NOVA

NOVA University Lisbon awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Germano de Sousa and Henrique Gouveia e Melo in a ceremony that took place at the Rectorate on 16 December.

Professor Jaime Branco, Director of NOVA Medical School, was the patron of the clinical pathologist Germano de Sousa, requesting the attribution of the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in recognition of the excellence of his work and the valuable contribution to the advancement of clinical pathology, in particular its teaching at the NOVA Medical School.

Professor António Rendas, former Rector of NOVA and Emeritus Professor of NOVA Medical School, gave the laudatory speech and outlined the profile of “a remarkable figure in Portuguese contemporary medicine”, pointing out the successes, difficulties and hard battles that Germano de Sousa has faced over time. “For him what is important is to do, and do well, never refusing a challenge, whether professional, academic, social or even political”, said the former Rector.

Professor Jaime Branco also took on the role of Patron to Vice-Admiral Gouveia e Melo, for whom he requested the attribution of the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in recognition of the excellence of his work and the valuable contribution to the coordination of the Anti-Covid 19 Vaccination Task-Force.

The laudation was given by Professor Maria Paula Macedo, from NOVA Medical School, who stated that Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo “will go down in history as the leader of a massive and urgent process of vaccination of the Portuguese people, whose success was widely recognized nationally and internationally, having positioned Portugal as the world’s most protected country against COVID-19, thus contributing to the protection of humanity", while sharing some aspects of "a personality with unusual qualities in the way he thinks and rationalizes reality , in the pragmatic way of deciding and acting and in the simple and effective way of communicating his ideas", and who has “a military career of excellence".

NOVA's Rector, Professor João Sàágua, highlighted “the excellence of the performance of the two laureates, combining talent and virtue, in the exercise of their respective functions”. The Rector also celebrated the entry of the two new and illustrious members into the NOVA Community, praising both “for the international dimension that their achievements reached and, simultaneously, for their impact on society. Global and civic, like the University they now belong to.”