Fernando Simón Soria (born 29 July 1963) is a Spanish epidemiologist serving as Director of the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health. He came to public prominence as spokesman for the special committee on Ebola virus disease in Spain in 2014, and a similar role during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Simón tested positive for coronavirus on 30 March 2020.

Early life and education

Born in

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, he graduated in

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the

University of Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon (Spain). Founded in 1542, it is one of the List of oldest u ...

, and specialized in Public Health and

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

at the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...

. Simón trained in the European Training Program in Intervention Epidemiology at the

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...

Career

Simón was director of the Center for Research in Tropical Diseases in

Manhiça District Manhiça District is a district of Maputo Province in southern Mozambique. The principal town is Manhiça. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Magude District in the north, Bilene Macia District of Gaza Provin ...

, in

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, and of the Ntita Hospital in

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

. He was also a director of programs in the National Center of Epidemiology (CNE), and a coordinator of the Health Alert and Response Unit in the CNE from 2003 to 2011. He is currently a professor at the National School of Public Health, and a member of the advisory committee of the

(ECDC). In June 2020 he received the Emilio Castelar 2020 award.

References

1963 births Living people Spanish scientists People from Zaragoza University of Zaragoza alumni Spanish epidemiologists Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Spanish civil servants {{Spain-med-bio-stub