Silvia Calzón Fernández (born 3 June 1975) is a Spanish

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who is currently servir as commissioner of the Nuclear Safety Council. She is also known for serving as

secretary of state for health The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The in ...

from 2020 to 2023 and, briefly, as director of the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency in 2024.

Biography

Calzón was born in

Utrera Utrera () is a municipality in south-west Spain. It is in the province of Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. As of 2018 it has a population of 52,617. The town is of great historical interest. It was occupied by Muslims in the 8t ...

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, on 3 June 1975. She was the second of three children. Her father worked as a builder, while her mother managed the family's affairs at home. Calzón studied at Álvarez Quintero and, later, Ruiz Gijón. She studied medicine at the

University of Seville The University of Seville (''Universidad de Sevilla'') is a university in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Founded under the name of ''Colegio Santa María de Jesús'' in 1505, in 2022 it has a student body of 57,214,U-Ranking Universidades español ...

and completed her

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

as a specialist in

preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...

and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

. Calzón has also earned a number of other degrees. She earned a doctorate in economic and business sciences from the

University of Granada The University of Granada (, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apart from the city of Granad ...

, a masters in public health and health management from the Andalusian School of Public Health, a masters in the economics of health and medicine from

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University (, ; ) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Established in 1990 by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and named after Pompeu Fabra, it is known for its competitiveness in resea ...

, and, finally, a diploma of specialization in gender and health from the Andalusian School of Public Health.

Professional career

Political work

As a child, Calzón was interested in medicine and politics, joining the

Socialist Youth of Spain Socialist Youth of Spain () is the youth organisation of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in Spain. Headquartered in Madrid, the organization was founded in 1906 and is aligned internationally with the Young European Socialists and the ...

(the youth arm of the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

). In 1999, she was elected for the first time to the

City Council, serving simultaneously as deputy mayor. In 2007, she ran for mayor of Utrera but lost to her opponent. By 2020, Calzón was serving as the president of her political party's organization in Utrera.

Health-focused work

In October 2013, Calzón began working as a primary epidemiologist for the Málaga-Valle del Guadalhorce Health District. In 2015, she resigned from the Utrera City Council to serve as the Managing Director of the South of

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

Health Management Area; two years later, in 2017, she took up the same job for the South of Seville Health Management Area. Starting in 2019, Calzón served as the primary epidemiologist for the Health District of Seville as part of the

Andalusian Health Service The Andalusian Health Service (, SAS), the government-run health system for the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, was created on May 6, 1986, as an autonomous agency attached to the Regional Ministry of Hea ...

Secretary of State for Health

In August 2020, the then-

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

Salvador Illa Salvador Illa Roca (; born 5 May 1966) is a Spanish politician serving as the President of the Government of Catalonia since 2024. He also served as Ministry of Health (Spain), Minister of Health of Spain from 2020 to 2021. He has been the Secr ...

, reestablished the as the highest governing body of the Ministry of Health, with the goal of reforming the health response of Spain in the face of 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 ...

. Illa chose Calzón to lead the Secretariat, and she was officially named for the job on 5 August 2020, making her the second-in-command of the Ministry of Health. She left the office in November 2023 and, in January 2024, she was appointed director of the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency. In September 2024 she joined the Office of the Prime Minister as director of the Department for Citizens Services. In April 2025, she was appointed commissioner of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council.

References

Informational notes Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Calzón, Silvia Living people Spanish women in politics Spanish women scientists 21st-century Spanish women scientists 1975 births Women epidemiologists Spanish epidemiologists University of Seville alumni University of Granada alumni Pompeu Fabra University alumni Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politicians