The Ramón y Cajal lecture series was initiated in 1999 by Board member and then-Chairman Fernando Aleu, Ph.D. in medicine, for the purpose of presenting scientific and medical topics of interest.  It was named for Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934), a Spanish histologist, physician and 1906 Nobel laureate, who is considered to be one of the founders of modern neuroscience. Renowned Spanish and American medical specialists would speak on their area of expertise in order to keep Queen Sofía Spanish Institute members and the public at large informed of the latest developments in medical research.

The lecture series was sponsored by Laboratorios Esteve of Barcelona, a leading pharmaceutical corporation in Spain. Its inauguration took place in New York in 1998 as a round table discussion held at Queen Sofía Spanish Institute in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía. In 2006, the series came to a close at a ceremony held at the Real Academia de Medicina in Barcelona at which Her Majesty the Queen also presided. At this closing act, each participant presented a summary of the progress that medicine has made in their respective fields over the course of last six years since they gave their first conference about their subjects.

In recognition of the importance of sharing the groundbreaking research being conducted by researchers from Spain and the United States, Laboratorios Esteve extended its generosity to sponsor three further lectures in the series.

The 2011 conference “New Advances in Alzheimer’s Research” was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Institute’s supporters and the gracious partnership of the Hispanic Society of America.

2011 – New York

November: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, before Joaquín Sorolla’s magnificent Vision of Spain mural at the Hispanic Society of America.

Presided and moderated by: Dr. Valentín Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Medical Center

In discussion with distinguished panelists:

- Dr. Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research & Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Medical Center

- Dr. Paul Greengard, Ph.D., Vincent Astor Professor, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience  & Director of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer Disease, The Rockefeller University; Laureate of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

- Dr. Richard Mayeux, M.D., M.Sc., Chair of the Department of Neurology of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

“New Advances in Alzheimer's Research”

2010 – New York

November: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, at the Four Seasons Restaurant.

– Dr. Luis Aliaga, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Pain Management Center, Teknon Medical Center Barcelona.
“Pain: The Silent Epidemic”

2008 – New York

November: At the Four Seasons Restaurant.

– Dr. Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain, Director, Max Planck Institute, Garching, Germany
”Current Challenges in the Field of Quantum Technology “

2007 – New York

November: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, at the St. Regis New York:

– Dr. Pedro Alonso, Head of the Center for International Health of the Hospital Clinic at the University of Barcelona.
“New Challenges on Global Health”

2006 – Barcelona

September: Closing Ceremony of the Ramón y Cajal Lectures, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, at the Auditorium of the Academia de Ciencias Médicas y de la Salud de Cataluña y Baleares.

Participants:
– Dr. José Baselga, Jefe de Servicio, Oncología Médica, Hospital Universitario Vall d’Hebrón, Barcelona

– Dr. Carlos Cordón-Cardó, Director of Molecular Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering New York

– Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisúa, Professor, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego & Centro de Medicina Regenerativa en Barcelona

– Dra. Teresa Gómez Isla, Unidad de Memoria y Servicio Neurología, Hospital Santa Creu I Sant Pau, Barcelona

– Dr. Valentín Fuster, Director, The Zena & Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York & Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid

– Dr. Joseph Masdeu, Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Universidad de Navarra., Pamplona

With the contributions of:
– Dr. Joan Massagué, Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York

– Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, Department of Psychiatry at New York University, New York

2005 – New York

November: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, at the Four Seasons Restaurant.
– Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisúa, Professor, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego.
“Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine”

2004 – New York

November: In the presence of H.R.H. the Infanta Doña Cristina de Borbón & H.E. Iñaki Urdangarín, Dukes of Palma de Mallorca, at the Four Seasons Restaurant.

– Dr. Joan Massagué, Chairman, Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“What is New in Molecular Pathology”

2004 – Barcelona

October: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain at the Real Academia de Medicina, Barcelona.

– Dr. José Baselga, Jefe de Servicio, Oncología Médica, Hospital Universitario Vall d’Hebrón.
“Advances in the Treatment of Cancer in the Genomic Era: Evolution or Revolution?”

2003 – New York

November: In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain at the Four Seasons Restaurant.

– Dr. Teresa Gómez Isla, Departamento de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Clínica Universitaria, Universidad de Navarra.

– Dr. Robert D. Terry, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Pathology and Neurosciences, UCLA.
“Alzheimer’s Disease: Past and Future”

May:
–  Dr. Jordi Rius, Head of Cardiology, The Teknon Clinic, Barcelona
“Overweight. Its Impact on Cardiovascular Disease”

2002 – New York

September:
– Dr. Joaquín Fuster, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA.
“Brain and Memory”

November:
– Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, Professor of Psychiatry at New York University and former President of The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.
“New York Beyond September 11th, 2001: Overcoming the Stress of The Trauma”

2001 – New York

November:
– Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Professor, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego.
“Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine”

2000 – New York

November:
– Dr. Eric Lander, Director of The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (MIT).
“A Glimpse into the Post-Genome World ”

– Dr. Joan Massagué, Chairman, Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Closing remarks by Dr. Valentín Fuster.
“How Biomedical Research is Benefiting from the Human Genome Project”

1999 – New York

February:
–  Dr. Carlos Cordón-Cardó, Director of Molecular Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“Molecular Pathology of Cancer: Developing Prognosis and Designing Treatment”

March:
– Dr. Joseph C. Masdeu, Chairman of Neurology, New York Medical College.
“Neuroimaging in Neurological Diagnosis”

May:
– Dr. Valentín Fuster, Director, The Zena & Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, and President of the American Heart Association.
“Coronary Atherothrombosis at the End of the Century:  Closing the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Application”

September:
– Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, President, The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.
“Depression, Stress and Social Violence: Obstacles to Their Prevention”

– Dr. Joan Massagué, Chairman, Department of Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“Basic Cancer Research and the Promise of New Therapies”

1999 – Barcelona

October: Closing session for the 1999 lectures at the Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain.

1998 – New York

November: Inaugural round table of the Ramón y Cajal Lectures at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain.

Participants:
– Dr. Carlos Cordón-Cardó, Director of Molecular Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

– Dr. Valentín Fuster, Director, The Zena & Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and President of the American Heart Association.

– Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, President, The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

– Dr. Joseph C. Masdeu, Chairman of Neurology, New York Medical College

– Dr. Joan Massagué, Chairman, Department of Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center